'Festival of freedom'

Hundreds of thousands in favour of independence return to the streets on September 11 while Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign comes to an end in the UK

1. Between 150,000 and 700,000 people, according to Barcelona’s local police or the organisers ANC, turned out on the streets of the Catalan capital for this year’s pro-independence demonstration – dubbed the “Festival of freedom” – on September 11, Catalonia’s National Day.

2. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK died on September 8 at the age of 96. She was crowned in 1952, making her reign of 70 years and 214 days the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history. She was succeeded by her 73-year-old son, who was crowned Charles III.

3. People in Spain over 80 and those living in elderly care homes were the first to get a second booster shot from September 26, as the health authorities launched a new Covid vaccination campaign. The jabs were also available to health professionals and people still not fully vaccinated against the disease.

4. The measure making trips on local trains all over Spain free until the end of the year came into effect on September 1 with almost half a million people already registered for a free pass. The authorities said the measure is to combat inflation, promote the use of public transport and benefit the environment.

September

Pact with unions saves school year

Pact with unions saves school year.

With a last-minute understanding between the government and teachers’ unions allowing the new school year to go ahead, we looked at the underlying problems of the conflict and the reasons why teachers feel the time has come to stand their ground.