Features
High points of 2015
We look back on a 12-month period of events that could change the country for ever.
A wrap-up of a year dominated by political change at home, and an ongoing migrant crisis and terrorist threat abroad.?
January
Everyone is Charlie Hebdo
On January 7 terrorists kill 12 people at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris. The world responds with demonstrations of sympathy
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Demonstrations of solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attacks from places all over the world, including Lisbon, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Paris, Madrid, Athens, Strasbourg, Vesoul, Berlin, Mexico City, Belgrade and Geneva. AFP. -
Uber is forced to suspend its activities after a judge in Barcelona bans the popular smartphone taxi service that works with an app from operating in Spain. AFP/ QUIQUE GARCIA. -
Catalan president, Artur Mas (L), shakes hands with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party leader, Oriol Junqueras, after a press conference on January 14, 2015 in Barcelona, announcing early Catalan elections on September 27, 2015. AFP. -
Judge Santiago Vidal presents a draft of a potential constitution for a new Catalan state drawn up by a group of legal experts. He is promptly suspended by the Spanish judiciary. ARCHIVE. -
Newly-appointed Greek prime minister and winner of the parliamentary elections, Alexis Tsipras, waves as he arrives for the swearing in ceremony at the presidential palace in Athens, on January 27, 2015. REUTERS.
January
Web of corruption
An in-depth feature in our January edition explains the causes and effects of corrupt practices affecting politics and governments here and around the world. Plus an interview with the Generalitat's secretary of foreign affairs, Roger Albinyana.
February
Catalonia: winter wonderland
A sudden snow storm at the beginning of the month turned the country white and forced the closure of schools and roads in many parts of Catalonia
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The town and countryside around Sant Hilari Sacalm gives an idea of the intensity of the February 4 snow storm. Similar images could be seen from regions all over Catalonia. ARCHIVE. -
February was the month that Barcelona presented an electrical version of its public bike service, Bícing. The idea, which will be phased in, is to make it easier to reach higher areas. A. SALAMÉ. -
For the first time, sales of the Italian sparkling white wine, Prosecco, surpass Catalan cava exports, gaining ground in traditional cava markets, such as Germany, the US and the UK. ARCHIVE. -
Former Catalan president, Jordi Pujol, spends a number of hours in the Catalan parliament explaining to an investigation committee his links to alleged cases of corruption. JOSEP LOSADA. -
Ona Carbonell is recognised as the best synchronised swimmer of the year by the European Swimming League, beating the Russian favourite into second place. ARCHIVE.
February
White gold
February takes a look at what is on offer in Catalonia's winter tourism sector with the start of the new ski season. Also, a report focuses on how Catalonia's resorts are trying to become economically viable in the face of French competition.
March
Mobile capital of the world
Barcelona again becomes the most important city in mobile innovation with participation from key figures in the sector and more than 93,000 visitors
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More than 90,000 executives, exhibitors, marketers and reporters from all over the world gather in Barcelona for the 2015 GSMA Mobile World Congress, the largest annual trade show for the global wireless industry REUTERS / ALBERT GEA. -
Banc Sabadell CEO Josep Oliu and TSB bank CEO Paul Presten announces the deal of the year in Catalonia. Sabadell pays 2.4 billon euros for a majority stake in the British bank. B. BADRINAS . -
Music lovers mourn for critic and journalist Jordi Tardà, who died on March 1. Tardà was one of the main figures in the Catalan music scene and was a driving force behind Barcelona's Museu del Rock. In the photo, Tardà with the Rolling Stones. ARCHIVE. -
Tunisian soldiers stand guard during a march in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack that took place at the National Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital, Tunis. EFE / EPA / STR. -
People queue at a branch of the Andorran bank BNA to withdraw their savings, after the government of Andorra took over the bank because of a financial crisis. MAYTE BARRACHINA.
March
New frontiers for Catalonia
The March issue of the magazine looked into the growing presence of Catalonia in the global media, and focused on the efforts of the Catalan government to establish its own diplomatic delegations in strategic places around the world.
April
Rato arrested as scandals continue
While the former PP deputy prime minister is accused of fraud, a pupil kills a teacher and Albert Serra goes to Venice
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In a year of scandals, Rodrigo Rato, former deputy prime minister of the Spanish government and head of the IMF and Bankia, is arrested, accused of committing crimes of fraud, the misappropriation of funds and money laundering. J. SORIANO / AFP. -
The legendary Portuguese film director Manuel de Oliveira dies at the age of 106. In a career that spanned 75 years, the filmmaker left a legacy of 30 features, and a dozen shorts, exploring magical minimalism and tales of obsessive love. JORGE TREPA / EFE. -
The Banyoles-born filmmaker Albert Serra is chosen to represent Catalonia at the 56th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale with the installation, La Singularitat. ACN. -
A 13-year old student kills a teacher and wounds two more teachers and other students at the Joan Fuster secondary school in Barcelona, in the first attack of its kind in Catalonia. A. SALAMÉ. -
A massive earthquake devastates Nepal, killing more than 9,000 people and injuring and displacing thousands more. The catastrophe took place near the capital of the country, Kathmandu. EFE.
April
The missing generation
With youth unemployment in Spain around 50%, it is hardly surprising that many qualified young people are deciding to seek better job prospects in other countries.
May
Change in Barcelona in local election
As Catalonia holds local elections, in the UK David Cameron's Conservatives gain an unexpected Westminster majority and Barça win another league title
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Major change in Barcelona when the alternative left coalition Barcelona en Comú, led by civil society activist Ada Colau, wins the Barcelona local elections by a close margin. JOSEP LOSADA. -
UK Prime Minister David Cameron wins an unexpected but resounding victory in the general election, providing the Conservative party with a majority. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon's SNP nationalist party records a historic result. REUTERS. -
Jordi Sánchez is elected as the new president of the civil society, the Assamblea Nacional Catalana. Sánchez takes over the presidency from Carme Forcadell, whose term had run out. J. RAMOS. -
Barcelona wins La Liga title for the 23rd time after beating Atlético Madrid on May 17. The end of the season also sees the Barça retirement of midfielder Xavi, who moves to Qatar. ARCHIVE. -
Lluís Homar wins the Max award for best leading actor for his interpretation in the show, Terra baixa i Lluís Homar. The play is a powerful monologue in which Homar performs all of the characters from Àngel Guimerà's classic of Catalan literature. ACN.
May
Summer trends
Denim, bell-bottom flares, floral patterns and stripes are all designs that feature in the new season's fashion trends, drawing on the past and inspired by the good old days of the '70s.
June
Can Roca back to its very best
As the Girona restaurant recovers its position as the “best restaurant in the world”, Barça are on top of the world after an historic treble-winning season
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The Girona-based restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, run by the Roca brothers (Joan, Josep and Jordi), recovers its position as the “best restaurant in the world”, awarded by Restaurant Magazine, after Noma in Denmark last year knocked it off top spot. EFE. -
After months and years of toing and froing, the Convergència and Unió alliance (CiU) finally splits up, with each partner going forward with separate political projects. ALBERT SALAMÉ. -
Barça show off their three trophies (Champions League, Copa del Rey and Liga) from the 2014/15 treble season. An open-top bus carries the team around the streets of Barcelona. ORIOL DURAN. -
Greece teeters on the brink of insolvency as talks with its European creditors fail. Meanwhile, Greeks queue to withdraw savings from banks and pensioners wait for their pensions. REUTERS. -
Barcelona's stage arts festival, El Grec, kicks off with the contemporary dance show, Vorònia. The month-long cultural celebration offers 121 shows, including theatre, dance and music. EFE.
June
Catalan global contributions
A new book reveals more than 200 innovations, inventions and breakthroughs by Catalans throughout the ages that have added to the sum of human knowledge and progress.
July
Together in pursuing sovereignty
While the pro-independence political forces agree to band together, a new party is born and the Barça president secures another term in office
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Pro-sovereignty electoral list, Junts pel Sí, is unveiled. Headed by Raül Romeva, the list includes Carme Forcadell, Muriel Casals, president Artur Mas and Oriol Junqueras, with an independence strategy and a programme of social measures. ALBERT SALAMÉ. -
The pro-independence supporters in Unió who are unhappy with the party's refusal to join the sovereignty project, break away to form the Demòcrates de Catalunya party. JOSEP LOSADA. -
FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is reelected and will continue in his post for another six years. Bartomeu beat former president Joan Laporta with 54% of the vote. J. RAMOS. -
Juli Soler, the restaurateur who put Ferran Adrià in charge of the El Bulli kitchen, the first step in turning the establishment into one of the best restaurants in the world, dies in Rubí aged 66. EP. -
Every year, Catalonia becomes a European cultural hub thanks to its wide range of summer festivals. From Cap Roig to Peralada, summers have become full of music, theatre and cinema. J. IRUN.
July
The pick of the summer
A pick of some of the best summertime day trips for all the family all over the country, including walking tours, guided visits, nature, culture, architecture and gastronomy.
August
Barça begin season with trophy win
While Barcelona celebrate their first cup of the season, August is also a month of commemoration as Japan remembers the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima
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Barcelona begin the season with a bang, winning the Uefa Super Cup against Sevilla on August 11. This year held in Georgia, the annual competition pits Champions League winners against Europa League champions. Barça win 5-4 after extra time. EFE. -
Sixteen people are injured and 12 arrested in protests in Salou after a 50-year-old Senegalese man fell to his death while escaping police in an operation against 'top manta' street sellers. ACN. -
August 6 sees the 70th anniversary of the destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima when it was incinerated by a US atomic bomb in 1945. The main ceremony takes place in the skeletal remains of the industrial exhibition hall (pictured). EFE. -
It was a record summer for tourism in Catalonia. In July alone, 2.3 million holidaymakers visit the country – mainly British, French and Germans – a 9% rise over the same month last year. J.R.. -
August 14 is a historic day for the US and Cuba, as the old enemies finally bury the hatchet and restore diplomatic relations. The main image is the stars and stripes being raised over the US embassy in Havana, for the first time in 54 years. REUTERS.
September
Sovereigntybloc attains 27S majority
The success of the Via Lliure protest on September 11 is followed later in the month with an absolute majority for pro-independence parties
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While the coalition Junts pel Sí fail to gain an absolute majority in the Catalan elections of September 27, the 10 seats won by the CUP party mean an effective majority for the pro-independence bloc, and a mandate to continue the sovereignty process. A.P.. -
Girona becomes a film set for HBO's Game of Thrones in September. Much of the old city is turned into medieval streets, while thousands of fans come to catch a glimpse of the filming. J.S.. -
When the US Environmental Protection Agency issues a violation notice against the Volkswagen group, a scandal breaks that reveals manipulation of diesel emissions by the car giant. AFP. -
Carmen Balcells, legendary literary agent for Spanish-language authors of the stature of Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa and Camilo José Cela, dies on Sep. 20. EFE. -
As every September 11, Catalonia's national day is celebrated with a mass demonstration in favour of the right to decide. This year, 1.4 million people fill Barcelona's Meridiana for the Via Lliure, organised by the ANC and Òmnium civil societies. REUTERS.
September
The moment of truth
With the September 27 elections fast approaching, Catalonia Today provided an overview of the political situation in the country accompanied by an interview with the head of the pro-sovereignty Junts pel Sí electoral list, Raül Romeva.
October
First steps towards a republic
Former ANC head Carme Forcadell becomes president of the new Catalan parliament, while politicians indicted for organising the 9N vote appear in court
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Junts pel Sí candidate Carme Forcadell is appointed president of the Catalan parliament. Despite her pro-independence stance, she pledges to work for all citizens “whoever they voted for”. A. PUIG. -
Throughout 2015 increasing numbers of refugees fleeing conflict in places such as Syria and Iraq flood into Eastern Europe, searching for a route to Germany and Austria. REUTERS. -
Many turn out on the streets to support the members of the previous Catalan government, including president Artur Mas, who appears in court to answer charges related to the organisation of the suspended November 9 vote on Catalonia's sovereignty. EFE. -
October 15 is the 75th anniversary of the execution of Catalan president, Lluís Companys, at Montjuïc castle by the Franco regime. On the same day, Artur Mas testifies in court. ARCHIVE. -
A group of Tunisian unionists, employers, lawyers and activists are awarded the 2015 Nobel peace prize for helping to prevent the Jasmine revolution from descending into chaos. AFP.
October
Ascending the TV throne
A complete summary of the three-week long filming of HBO's hit series, Game of Thrones, which took place in Girona, also Scotland a year on from its referendum on independence.
November
Terror strikes Paris leaving 129 dead
A month of tragedy after a series of terrorist attacks in the French capital leave hundreds dead or wounded and 224 people die when a Russian plane explodes
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On Friday 13, Paris is hit by a series of coordinated terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State. Some 129 people are killed and 352 injured in the attacks that target six different areas of the city. France promptly declares a state of emergency. AFP. -
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy wins a landslide majority in the Myanmar parliament, in a countrywide rejection of decades of military rule. AFP. -
A Russian passenger plane explodes over Egypt's Sinai peninsula killing all 224 people on board. As an investigation into the accident begins, Islamic State claims responsibility. REUTERS. -
Sausages, bacon and red and cold meats come under fire from the World Health Organization in a report linking consumption with cancer. The confusion caused forces the WHO to clarify.. L. S. -
The new Catalan parliament passes a resolution initiating the secession process. Days later, the resolution is suspended by the Constitutional Court at the behest of the Spanish government.. A. P.
November
All dressed up for winter
All you need to know about the latest fashion trends for the autumn/winter season for both men and women, as well as interviews with former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and veteran Greek writer Petros Markaris.
December
Barcelona lights up for Christmas
Festive season gets underway with the switching on of the Catalan capital's Xmas lights and a month of Santa Llúcia markets all over the country
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Originally scheduled for November 27, the annual switching on of Barcelona's Christmas lights is put back to December 1 in a widely-praised effort to save energy. JUANMA RAMOS. -
December is a big month for international days of different sorts. The month kicks off on December 1 with World AIDS Day, followed by the International Day of People with Disability on the 3. International Volunteer Day is on the 5, International Anti-Corruption Day on the 9 and Monkey Day on the 14. EFE. -
Christmas isn't Christmas without the annual Santa Llúcia markets supplying the country's decoration needs. This year, the markets officially start at the end of November. ALBERT SALAMÉ. -
This December is not just about festivities, as this year sees Spanish general elections on the 20. With the Catalan process as a backdrop and the PP party unlikely to hold on to its absolute majority, these elections promise to be gripping. MANUEL BRUQUE.
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