The article discusses the impact of tourism on Barcelona's housing market, highlighting the lucrative nature of renting apartments to tourists as opposed to long-term tenants. It mentions the presence of both legal and illegal tourist apartments, with Airbnb being a major platform for such listings. The Barcelona city council is taking measures to combat illegal rentals, including imposing fines on Airbnb. Residents complain about the negative effects of mass tourism, such as bad behavior and noise. The article also addresses the rise in rental prices, which have increased significantly, contributing to a housing bubble and forcing long-time residents to leave their neighborhoods. Despite these concerns, some believe the impact of tourist apartments is exaggerated and note that rental prices have stabilized. The city council is investing in solutions to improve the housing situation, including purchasing buildings and constructing affordable flats for rent.

Carles Puigdemont, the pro-separatist Catalan president, has stated that an independent Catalonia would require a military, citing jihadist terrorism as a justification. Marc Gafarot, an international relations expert, supports this view, suggesting a defence force of 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers and a model similar to Denmark or Sweden. However, Jordi Armadans of Fundipau disagrees, pointing to examples like Costa Rica and Iceland that do not have standing armies. The separatist parties ERC and CUP have expressed skepticism about Puigdemont's stance, with CUP criticizing the use of terror attacks to justify militarism. Puigdemont has suggested the possibility of a non-conventional army and emphasized the importance of the discussion if the independence process progresses. Unionist groups have criticized the debate as a distraction from the upcoming independence referendum deemed illegal by the Spanish government.

The article by Anna Lladó Ferrer discusses the growing trend of using edible flowers in Spanish cuisine, focusing on the Szechuan button, which provides a unique electric-like sensation when eaten. Xavier Petràs, a grower of edible flowers, sells these at La Boqueria market in Barcelona and supplies them to over 200 chefs. The article highlights the use of edible flowers in dishes by various chefs, including Guillem Galera of Rasoterra, Xavier Morón of Hidden Factory Barcelona, Michelin-starred chef Carles Gaig, and Ferran Agüir of El Racó de l'Agüir. The piece emphasizes the multi-sensory experience and aesthetic value that edible flowers add to culinary creations, noting the sector's growth due to the rise of creative cuisine.

The article by Anna Lladó Ferrer for Euronews covers the Speed Skiing World Cup held in Andorra, where skiers compete to achieve the highest speeds possible, exceeding 200 km per hour. Italian skier Ivan Origone holds the world record at 254 km per hour, while his brother Simone Origone is the current world champion. Valentina Greggio, also from Italy, won her fourth consecutive World Cup trophy in the female category. The article features comments from participants like Jan Farrell, Celia Martinez, and Rauli Karjalainen, who express the thrill and freedom they experience in speed skiing. Technical aspects such as the importance of technique, ski preparation, and weather conditions are also discussed, with the latter affecting the competition's schedule.

The article by Anna Lladó Ferrer discusses the initiative by a group of citizens in Barcelona, who are working towards making Barcelona an autonomous community independent from Catalonia. The group, known as Barcelona Via Fora, is planning to become an association and will be officially presented by early 2018. The spokesperson, Carles Bruguera, cites the negative impact of the Catalan independence movement on Barcelona's economy and the city's fiscal deficit as reasons for seeking autonomy. The group aims to protect Barcelona's identity and values, and plans to gather signatures to gauge support for their proposal. The feasibility of the initiative is seen as dependent on the outcome of the upcoming elections. Bruguera differentiates their serious proposal from satirical social media campaigns and compares it to London's post-Brexit initiative.

Covering political events in Catalonia involves extreme emotions, from outright rejection to unconditional love for the deposed president, Carles Puigdemont. With the upcoming elections on December 21, sentiments are mixed, with some feeling resignation after the unmaterialized declaration of independence and others seeing it as a chance to defeat secessionism. The application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution has led to strong emotions and uncertainty. Citizens and experts express a range of feelings and predictions for Catalonia's future, while life continues as usual for many. The political situation has raised questions among citizens about the status of Puigdemont and the presence of the Spanish flag in Catalan government buildings. The political series is expected to continue with symbolic actions, as analyzed by journalist Miquel Pellicer.

TV Boy, an urban artist known for his controversial works such as the kiss between Pope Francis and Donald Trump, is gaining international recognition with his art displayed in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Rome, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Beirut. His works, which often feature public figures portrayed with irony, are exhibited at the Imaginart Gallery in Barcelona. TV Boy, who resides in Barcelona, prefers to install his art on the streets without permission, accepting the risk of fines. His 'urban pop art' aims to make art accessible to those who don't frequent museums or galleries, and he plans to expand his street art to Paris, Monaco, Naples, Milan, and Miami.

TV Boy, the pseudonym of Italian urban artist Salvatore Benintende, is known for his controversial works such as the kiss between Pope Francis and President Trump, and between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Based in Barcelona, his art has been displayed in cities worldwide, and he aims to bring art to those who don't frequent museums or galleries. Despite facing fines for his street art, TV Boy prefers the freedom of placing his works without permission. His art, which often features kisses between antagonists, carries messages of forgiveness, peace, and love. TV Boy's works are also featured in Barcelona's Imaginart gallery alongside renowned street artists.

Barcelona is experiencing a surge in tourist apartments, leading to higher rents and local discontent, particularly in neighborhoods like Barceloneta and the Gothic Quarter. While some residents, like Jordi Mallafré, find renting to tourists more profitable, others, such as Joan Antoni Hermo, complain about overcrowding and uncivil behavior. The city council, with Janet Sanz's efforts, is combating illegal rental practices, and Airbnb has agreed to remove over 1,000 illegal listings after being fined. Joan Balañach of the Federation of Neighborhood Associations highlights the rental price increase and resident displacement, while David Herencia of Idealista suggests the impact of tourist apartments is overstated and rental prices may have peaked. The council plans to invest in affordable housing to alleviate the situation, a move awaited by residents like Victoria Sanantón, who struggles to find reasonable rental accommodations.

The MareNostrum 4 supercomputer, replacing MareNostrum 3 and ten times more powerful, is now operational at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. As Europe's third most powerful and the world's thirteenth, it will dedicate 11.1 Petaflops to scientific production, capable of executing 11.100 trillion operations per second. It will support research in areas such as climate change, gravitational waves, AIDS vaccines, cancer radiation therapies, and fusion energy production. The BSC Director, Mateo Valero, emphasized its utility in personalized disease prevention and cure research. Projects will be evaluated for free access, with 16% usage allocated to Spanish researchers, 80% to international professionals, and 4% to the BSC. State Secretary Carmen Vela expressed satisfaction with the investment, and Arcadi Navarro highlighted the supercomputer's international stature. Valero aspires for the next supercomputer, Mare Nostrum 5, to be built with 100% European components.

Nearly a year after the UK referendum, the EU is optimistic, particularly following Macron's victory, but uncertainty remains. The discussion, led by Jaume Duch, Lluís Foix, and Carme Colomina, highlights a unified response from European governments and society, a rebirth to rebuild the Union, and the public's continued support for the European project. Despite optimism from Macron's win, challenges include reconnecting with citizens, addressing populism, legal and democratic representation within institutions, managing differences between northern and southern Europe, redefining transatlantic relations, and determining future leadership, particularly after Germany's elections. Europe is undergoing a transformation towards an uncertain future, with many relationships within the EU needing to be redrawn.

The Barcelona Building Construmat showcases the future of construction with innovative ideas such as On Site Robotics, a project that combines 3D printing, robots, and drones to build small structures using natural materials like clay. The system has been used to construct a 12-meter bridge in Alcobendas, Madrid. Other experimental projects include tiles made from mollusk shells, acoustic and thermal insulating artichoke panels, and human hair ropes. The fair also features more commercial items like flexible wood or stone pieces and fiber optic tiles. Additionally, passive houses that maintain temperature and save energy are highlighted as the future of efficient housing. The construction sector is traditionally low on innovation, with only 1.1% of innovation spending in 2015, but the event emphasizes innovation in the field.

The article discusses the advancements in smart textile technology, particularly focusing on the work of Eurecat, the Technological Centre of Catalonia. Eurecat has developed a T-shirt with sensors that can monitor vital signs and detect stress, which is beneficial for people with demanding jobs. The article also highlights the success of intelligent fabrics in sports, with products like heated garments for cyclists and colour-changing swimsuits for swimmers. Despite the potential, the smart clothing industry faces challenges such as industrialization difficulties and the need for specialized intermediaries. The market is expected to grow, with sports being a particularly promising field. The article also touches on leisure applications of smart textiles, such as a T-shirt with an embedded Simon memory game. The future of smart clothing is seen as promising if products can be made more accessible and comfortable for users.

Eurecat, the Technology Center of Catalonia, has developed a smart shirt with sensors that monitor vital signs to detect stress, useful for bus or truck drivers and people with high-concentration jobs or those spending long hours at a computer. The shirt sends data to a mobile device and is one of the latest applications of smart textiles, which are particularly successful in sports. The industry faces challenges such as the need for specialized intermediaries between textile manufacturers and electronics, making products difficult to industrialize. Despite a predicted global revenue of 135 million euros in 2018, the technology is not advancing as fast as demand. The sector aims to make smart clothing more accessible, comfortable, and unnoticeable in terms of the integrated technology.