In Madrid, a political message; in Catalonia, a social accent. After three days in the Spanish capital where messages against polarization and understanding had marked his discourse, Pope Leo XIV took advantage of his first major public event in Barcelona this Tuesday to disseminate messages with strong social content. Before the 40,000 people filling the Olympic Stadium, the pontiff called for confronting the scourge of violence against women and placing mental health at the center of the health system, without forgetting, however, the idea of a diverse and welcoming country.

It was the afternoon of May 16 when a man was shot in the head on Carrer de la Mineria in Barcelona, in the Zona Franca. Despite attempts to revive him, the man died. Twenty-three days later, another man walking down the same street in the city was shot several times in the back. The story repeated itself: it was a Sunday afternoon, with many neighbors in the street, and despite resuscitation attempts, he ended up dying. These are two practically identical types of homicide, frequent among drug clans seeking revenge. Due to the proximity and similarities, when the Mossos investigators arrived at the crime scene this Sunday, they asked themselves a question: could the two crimes be related?

The warm and summery peak we experienced yesterday will not continue, as temperatures will start to drop from today. The center of the anticyclone remains far from our home – located in the Azores – and this will allow a weakened cold front to cross us this Tuesday, which will primarily open the doors to the north wind and cause a drop in the mercury. Thermometers will fully normalize on Wednesday, with very breathable air and cooler nights. The second half of the week will again be warmer and more summery, but with no extremes in sight. All this with a slight temporary increase in instability. Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, some showers have fallen in the north and west of the country, leaving up to 20 l/m² in Molló (Ripollès), between 5 and 10 l/m² in Alt Pirineu, or 5 l/m² in Torres de Segre. Today some will repeat in these areas, especially in the north. Regarding the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia, rain in principle should not make an appearance at the scheduled events. Only drizzles or some local and fleeting shower can escape in the early morning and morning of Wednesday at any point.

The dispute between Barcelona City Council and Apartur over the closure of tourist apartments from 2028 has reached the streets. The latest campaign launched by the council has angered the employers' association, which has submitted a written statement to the administration requesting its "immediate" withdrawal because, it says, it "stigmatizes" the sector. The campaign specifically consists of an advertisement in which the City Council explains its intention to eliminate all licenses for this type of housing from 2028 onwards and argues that "prioritizing housing is a good plan". Furthermore, it encourages citizens to report illegal tourist apartments.

The dance has begun. The Barcelona City Council and the residents of the Sagrada Família have formally opened negotiations to close one of the city's hottest urban planning fronts: the future of the Glòria staircase. According to various sources who spoke to ARA, the first official meeting was held last Thursday between the municipal government – led by Jordi Valls, the councilor for Eixample – and representatives of the Sagrada Família neighborhood association and the platform of those affected by the construction of the temple.

A person has died after a shooting this Sunday evening in Marina de Port, in the Sants-Montjuïc district, as confirmed by sources consulted by ARA. The events took place on Carrer de la Mineria, in the small squares between the buildings, and the way it happened all points to an execution. The same sources suggest it could be related to a drug conflict between Eastern mafias. Mossos agents tried to revive the victim upon arriving at the scene, but nothing could be done to save their life.

We leave behind a weekend marked by calm weather, with a lot of stability and a sun that has gradually been imposing itself. This anticyclonic dynamic, typical of this time of year, will continue during the coming days, although afternoon showers will also continue in some regions of the northern half. The temperature will rise today after a weekend that has not been particularly warm. Thermometers will experience a brief peak this Monday, with maximums reaching 33 or 34°C in parts of Ponent and the interior of the Ebre. For now, however, there is no significant heatwave in sight, and it seems that the heat we had at the end of May will not visit us again, at least, until the second half of June. We expect a thermal roller coaster week, as from tomorrow the mercury will deflate again.

Rarely has Catalonia been so fortified as for the visit of Pope Leo XIV. Police sources speak of an unprecedented and extraordinary operation, which will mobilize more police officers than ever before (up to 7,000) and which bears the name Albus. The Mossos have chosen it because it means white in Latin and white is the color of the pontiff's usual attire, becoming his most recognizable visual symbol.

No is expected that the future chapel of Penance – one of the spaces of the Sagrada Família still pending construction – will have any tribute to the neighbors of the temple, but by God that for some of the inhabitants of the neighborhood the coexistence with the basilica has become a sacrifice. Especially in recent years. The visit of Benedict XVI in 2010 – the last by a pope to Barcelona – triggered global interest in the work of Antoni Gaudí. Among the neighbors there is fear that the broadcast worldwide of the blessing of the tower of Jesus that Pope Leo XIV will perform on Wednesday, will cause a similar explosion.

The weekend began with very calm and stable weather, marked by the presence of high cloud intervals that on Saturday caused trouble in many regions. During Saturday afternoon, some light, unimportant showers also reappeared, a situation that will be repeated on a fully anticyclonic Sunday with many more spells of sunshine. The highs will remain between 23 and 30 ºC in general, or a little higher in parts of Ponent and the Ebro interior. For the moment, however, there is no significant heatwave in sight and it seems that the heat of late May will not visit us again, at least, until the second half of June.

The towns and cities of the province of Barcelona are ideal for proximity, conscious and sustainable tourism, and you will find a very diverse range of quality activities and services to satisfy the most demanding.

L'Eixample and Ciutat Vella will be the two districts most affected by the visit of Pope Leo XIV this week in Barcelona. The pontiff will land this Tuesday at El Prat airport and an extraordinary security operation will begin, with up to 7,000 police officers. The Pope's passage will also involve closures that will last for days in some parts of the city and various impacts on transport.

Barcelona presented this Friday a new calendar for the transformation of La Model. Nine years after the last inmates left the Eixample prison, the City Council has announced that it has just put out to tender the contract for the construction of the first facilities in the complex, with the aim that the works can begin in November of this year. To complete the remodeling, however, it will still be necessary to wait at least two terms. The horizon set by the municipal government foresees that the project will not be completely finished until 2035.

I am writing these lines from a cafe, in Barcelona, the kind that has wifi and where they don't judge you if you write for a while (and they also don't want to serve you toast with alvoexpat). There's a driver who has left his car in a no-parking zone to quickly go buy something at L'Ametller. He didn't realize that by leaving it on that corner, he's blocking the bus, which is stuck in the middle of the road. The chaos is phenomenal. And lulled by the sound of horns, I hear, on El matí de Catalunya Ràdio, the mayor of Barcelona. He says he will eliminate the service of I am therefore calling on all users, especially tourists, who use them. There is very, very little time left and the rate of fines cannot be reduced! The service must continue to be a disaster until 2027. You must rent bikes and park them wherever you feel like it (or wherever your ramen is), as you have been doing. You must rent bikes and abandon them in the middle of the sidewalk, because you're too lazy to park them where they belong and you prefer to get a fine that you won't pay. You must hurry across pedestrian crossings, trying to run over any grandmother crossing with her walker. You must ring your bell, with pleased hysteria, in the Francesc Macià lane, when someone crosses your path with the noble and extravagant intention of catching a taxi from the stand and hasn't brought – to avoid stepping on your sacred path – Doraemon's gorrocòpter

A bottle of red wine with a label of dubious origin. However, with the Pope's name printed in large letters to attract the attention of tourists who want to take home a presumably local product with the pontiff's face. All for 28.99. If the wine doesn't attract so much attention, there are many other souvenirs to buy on the occasion of the visit of Leo XIV to Barcelona that are beginning to appear in the souvenir shops around the Sagrada Família. It will be in the temple where the Pope plans to celebrate a mass on June 10. visit of Leo XIV to Barcelona that are beginning to appear in the souvenir shops around the Sagrada Família. It will be in the temple where the Pope plans to celebrate a mass on June 10.

Raid by Barcelona City Council on a network of illegal tourist flats near the Sant Pau Hospital. The first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, explained this Friday that, following a citizen complaint, the Directorate of Inspection Services (DSI) has detected 31 illegal tourist flats in the same building. During the inspection, several irregularities were found regarding both the fraudulent use of the dwellings as tourist flats and works carried out without the proper license. Consequently, the City Council has initiated 34 proceedings, seven of which may lead to fines of up to 600,000 euros for very serious violations of the tourism law.

The cooling was strong this Friday after the active front that crossed Catalan territory on Thursday. Maximums remained between 20 and 25º C, or slightly higher in parts of Ponent, the Ebre, and Central Catalonia, a situation that will repeat during the first weekend of June. Nevertheless, some afternoon showers will still fall in some areas, especially on Saturday. Temperatures will rise, with warmer weather at midday. But the heat will remain moderate, with comfortable nights.

The change in weather that arrived yesterday has left an extensive spell of showers and strong storms in many regions in recent hours. The rain started on Thursday at midday, mainly in the Pyrenees, and gained ground. Since then and until this morning, thunder and showers have swept through a large part of the country, also reaching the entire coast, and in several cases, there have been true downpours that have left a lot of water in a short time. Only areas of Ponent and Ebre have remained on the sidelines of this episode. The most rainfall has been in the eastern Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees, especially in Ripollès, northern Osona, and Berguedà, where total accumulations have been very significant and have caused various incidents and the sudden rise in the flow of rivers such as the Ter or Llobregat. More than 100 l/m² registered in some municipalities stand out, such as Campdevànol (Ripollès). Also accumulated were 90 l/m² in Sant Joan de les Abadesses and 75 in Sant Pau de Segúries (Ripollès), 90 in Montesquiu (Osona), or 73 at the Santuari de Queralt (Berguedà). Rain that has marred events like La Patum or Primavera Sound, while in the early morning hours a local downpour also left more than 50 l/m² in Les Cases d'Alcanar (Montsià).