🏡 *Agreement to rehouse evicted migrants in Badalona* 🤝 The Catalan government and NGOs reached an agreement on Tuesday evening to rehouse most of the migrants evicted from Badalona's former B9 high school. ⛺ The group was evicted last Wednesday and has since been living on the streets, with a makeshift campsite set up under a highway bridge serving as their main shelter. 🏢 As government sources confirmed to the Catalan News Agency (ACN), around 140 people currently living in the campsite will now be rehoused. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/45d1ZbC

🗣️ New initiative launched to inform new arrivals of options for *learning Catalan language* 🙌 The initiative is titled *'Benvinguts a Catalunya, benvinguts al català'*, translated into English as 'Welcome to Catalonia, welcome to Catalan'. The aim is to inform people who have just arrived in the country about the importance of learning Catalan and to facilitate their access to training resources available. 📔 Welcome materials are provided, as well as guidance on places to learn Catalan. The program has begun to be rolled out in *21 municipalities* across Catalonia, with a total of 31 distribution points, 11 of which are in Barcelona. At these points, the welcome pack people are given includes a basic illustrated vocabulary, information on Catalan courses available near the registered address, as well as a bag, a notebook and a pen. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4almdn2

⛺ A group of migrants sleeping outside the old B9 High School in Badalona, just north of Barcelona, have *left* the area after police were on the verge of *evicting* them. 🏫 Hundreds of migrants were evicted from the former school building on Wednesday. Around 50 people have been sleeping in the *square in front of the building* since then, in around 20 tents, preparing small fires to keep themselves warm. 🚨 Some *fifteen police officers in riot gear* were deployed in the morning and set a 10am deadline for the group to voluntarily leave. At that time, the police line advanced, but *mediators* from the Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia and Badalona Acull asked the officers for more time, which was granted. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4pLqZ1U

🏡 *Control speculative housing* 🎤 The Catalan government is planning to curb current speculation in the housing market with a new tax, as announced by cabinet spokesperson Sílvia Paneque in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) saying that "as we cannot ban buying property," the cabinet is looking for other ways 🕰️ The law could be enforced in tense housing market zones, such as Barcelona and other municipalities, for a limited period, as this legislation cannot "be permanently in place" Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/44JBKJL

🚃 *Discounts on public transport tickets to be kept for 2026* 🎫 The Catalan government and partners Comuns have agreed to maintain public transport discounts in 2026. The prices of the T-Jove and T-Usual will keep their *50% discount*, and "in principle," the Catalan and Spanish governments will take on the costs of the discounts. 🗣️ This was announced by the leader of the left-wing Comuns, Jéssica Albiach, at a press conference at the government headquarters after meeting with the territory minister, Sílvia Paneque. Maintaining the discounts will mean "a very important saving" for families at a time when the cost of living is "suffocating thousands of households," the Comuns leader said. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3KTxikM

🎁 Organizers of the Three Kings' Parade in Girona have hit back at what they see as *"terribly unfair" criticism* of their *blackface practices*. 👑 In Catalonia each festive season, a parade is held on the night of January 5, when the Three Wise Men arrive to deliver presents to children up and down the land. *King Balthazar* and his entourage are often played by white actors with skin painted black, a practice known as 'blackface' that is widely denounced as racist. 🎄 The president of the organizing committee of Girona's parade, Xavier Serra, says that they have worked so that "sooner rather than later," Balthazar and his entire entourage will be made up entirely of Black people. Earlier this month, the group publicly denounced that King Balthazar's entourage will include white people painted black, a practice they say is "racist" and with origins "rooted in *mockery and discrimination*." Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3KVpdfF

*🚨 V16 warning light* 🚓 From January 1, 2026, vehicles registered in Spain will be legally obliged to carry a hazard warning device known as a V16 🚗 The new mandatory Connected V16 models automatically transmit their location to the DGT 3.0 system – Spain's official traffic information platform – so other drivers can be alerted, through sat navs, navigation apps, and electronic road signs Why is the law changing? ➡️ https://bit.ly/48YD8td

*📧 NEWSLETTER OUT* 🗣️ Spanish PM ➡ Pedro Sánchez took stock of the past year in politics, and assumed responsibility for the slew of scandals that his Socialist Party has been hit with 😷 Flu warning ➡ Flu cases continue to rise ahead of the Christmas festivities, prompting the Catalan health minister to urge people to wear face masks on public transport 🏡 Homeless ➡ At least 6,724 people are living on the streets in Catalonia, according to new figures from the Catalan Ombudsman Read more ➡️ https://mailchi.mp/acn/socialists-corruption-face-masks-and-homelessness-across-catalonia Subscribe ➡️ http://eepurl.com/h6_zPP

💼 FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta testified in court on Friday morning over the *'Negreira case'*, a *corruption investigation* centering on payments of over €7 million made from FC Barcelona to the former vice-president of the Referees' Technical Committee, José María Enríquez Negreira ⚖️ Laporta told the court that the team never won because of favourable refereeing decisions, but thanks to the quality of the squad. The club president testified as a witness but was asked about his first two terms as president of the club, from 2003 to 2010, although this period falls outside of the statute of limitations. 🗣️ Former Barça managers Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde also testified on Friday. Both said they were *not aware* of the referees' reports that the club commissioned from the son of Negreira, and both assured that they won titles thanks to the quality of the team, rather than from any undue favour from referees. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4q2YiNJ

*🏢 Rent loophole closed* ✍️ The Catalan Parliament has approved a landmark new law regulating seasonal rentals – between one and 12 months – to prevent landlords from *evading rent caps* on long-term leases. 📣 "Today we've taken the first step to *close the loophole* in seasonal rentals and room lets and prevent these schemes from driving up prices," said a spokesperson for the Tenants' Union. ⚖️ Opposition parties have announced their intention to *challenge the law* in Spain's Constitutional Court. 🔗 Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4j9OxLG