As the year progresses, crime data is getting closer to 2019 data. That year, Barcelona City Council spoke of a "security crisis", with a record high in crime in the city. But the pandemic changed the trend. Now, over two years after the first wave of covid, Catalan police are preparing for a summer in which they expect there could be as much crime as in 2019. Some figures prove it: until May, violent robberies in the street have risen by 4% and have gone from 6,158 to 6,406. Rape and other sexual crimes are also on the rise, with higher growth percentages, despite the fact that this is attributed to the fact that more of them are are reported.

After two days fighting simultaneous fires caused by high temperatures and electric storms, the situation in Catalonia has improved significantly this Friday. Although most of the fires which were active on Thursday have already been brought under control, the Fire Service remains alert because today is the hottest day of the week and, therefore, the one that carries the greatest risk of new outbreaks, such as the ones seen between the towns of Riba and Farena, in Alt Camp, on which 5 aerial units and 14 ground crews are working. Right now, after fighting these fires for two days of non-stop, firefighters are reallocating more units to Lladurs (Solsonès) and Artesa de Segre (Noguera). Both are still burning out of control, but firefighters have more units, since they have managed to stabilise most of the other fires.

"We should no longer talk about a summer campaign, because the risk of fires, as a result of climate change, is all year round," says Catalan Home Affairs minister Joan Ignasi Elena. Yet on Wednesday Elena presented the Fire Service's plan for this summer, repeating the warning he gave at the beginning of May: "We face one of the toughest and longest campaigns in recent years". This Wednesday, for example, up to 55 firefighters three fires. Elena warned of the persistence of high temperatures and dryness due to lack of rain makes the danger "evident".

Since tolls were removed on the AP-7, 40% more vehicles use this motorway. According Catalan Home Affairs minister Joan Ignasi Elena, the AP-7 "has a saturation problem" that is not exclusive to weekends because the number of hours and kilometres of queues is "practically the same" every day. For this reason, the Government has announced new measures after the latest traffic jams, the Government has announced new measures: additional lanes on the motorway, more tow trucks to remove vehicles which have suffered an accident and restricting lorry traffic. Elena has warned that in some sections the AP-7 has more vehicles than the road can absorb and has asked the State to make "the promised investments", in addition to reversing the "decades of neglect of commuter trains".

Five months ago Parliament set up a commission to debates on the policing model of the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police force. It is the same commission that was set up in 2013 after Ester Quintana who lost an eye after police fired rubber bullets on protesters during a general strike. The commission proposed a ban on the use of rubber bullets by the Mossos, alongside another 48 suggestions. At least the last two have not been fulfilled. One of these states that Department of Home Affairs had to draft a protocol to pay compensation to victims of actions by the Catalan police. The protocol was approved in 2014, but to implement it, a commission to repair the damage had to be created, which Home Affairs has taken eight years to create: just a month ago, in March, the first meeting was convened.

A wake-up call from the head of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Major Josep Lluís Trapero, on the attacks received by agents. Trapero has warned that he is "concerned" about the fact that in some public debates whomever throws stones at the police is labelled as an activist. According to the major, respect for police authority is "a whole" in a democratic country: "Those who endorse the lack of respect forget that the authority is delegated by the judicial and governmental authority". For Trapero, lack of respect and authority "affects the social balance". "We ask only for respect. We are not looking for submissive attitudes or fears of the police that have already been overcome", he said at the national event of the Dia de les Esquadres, which was held at midday this afternoon in Barcelona.

The Catalan Government has decided to allow bars and nightclubs to reopen until 3.00 am, while restaurants will be allowed to close at 1 am. This comes after in the past few days, a growing number of officials had spoken in favour of reopening clubs, as a tool to curb the proliferation of illegal parties known as botellones. This weekend's alcohol-fuelled macro-gatherings at the UAB or in Tiana had reopened the debate at a key moment, only a week before Barcelona holds La Mercè festival in Barcelona.

Firefighters have made progress on the fire active since Saturday in Conca de Barberà and Anoia, which has already laid waste to 1657 hectares. The rain is assisting the firefighters, which have been able to stabilise 90% of the fire's perimeter. They expect the fire will be completely stabilised before the end of Monday, as explained by inspector-in-chief David Borrell. Right now, residents in Sant Martí de Tous, Santa Maria de Miralles, Bellprat and Sant Gallard have been allowed to leave their homes. where they had been asked to remain since last night, and all roads have been reopened. Residents are nevertheless asked to avoid approaching the area of the fire. The 168 evacuees have not yet been able to return to their homes, although officials hope they will be able to do so throughout the day.

Great concern about the fire in the Conca de Barberà and Anoia, which has already burned about 1,200 hectares and is still active. The tasks of extinction of the firefighters are focused on stabilising a very long and unstable flank of about 10 kilometers, which worries the firefighters. The fire now faces a "critical hours" and firefighters are focused on preventing it from reaching Sant Martí de Tous.