On the war: the United States and Israel have neither overthrown the ayatollahs' regime, nor do they control the Strait of Hormuz, nor is Trump advancing peace talks as he wants us to believe with this daily obsession of talking, talking, and talking.Trump wants to claim victory and cannot, he wants to announce peace and bombs and missiles continue to be heard, and Tehran says they are not negotiating anything, the war is harming the lives of people and businesses all over the world, and it is sending us into an energy crisis that could strangle us all. The dictatorship of the Iranian clergy has understood that Trump is in a hurry to finish, and logically they are not; the regime is already very damaged, and now they want the whole world to blame Trump for the general impoverishment.In this regard, I recommend again theanalysis by our Head of International, Francesc Millán, on what might happen now. Because Trump said the war would last 4 weeks. It will be 4 weeks the day after tomorrow, Saturday. What should we do: insist on the diplomatic path or escalate the war, with nuclear weapons if necessary?In this scenario, today the anti-crisis decree is being voted on in Congress. It will be approved because Junts has already said they will support it because the PSOE will support what we explained yesterday about the zero VAT reduction for self-employed workers earning less than 85,000 euros per year. The vote and debate will be today, but yesterday Esquerra and Junts already debated another issue that will be voted on in a month, which is the decree extending rental contracts. And Rufián went all out against Junts: "Who do they work for? For whom? If they overthrow this decree, I wish them years of political ostracism. And I promise you that while I am here, I will strive very hard for that to be the case. Very. Because they do terrible harm to people, to this country, and to my country. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..."

There is no session in the Congress of Deputies that does not involve a clash between Junts and Esquerra. The same leader of the Republicans, Gabriel Rufián, admitted this Wednesday while intervening in the appearance of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, on the war in Iran. From the lectern, Rufián said the following: "Some Catalan journalists are already writing the chronicle of Rufián attacks Junts, well yes. I don't care because fortunately people have other means of communication to know what is happening here, Junts lies and there are less than 30 days to tell people about it," he sentenced, alluding to the Junts' opposition to validating the decree that extends the Spanish government's rental contracts and which must be voted on in the Congress of Deputies within a month at the latest. "Who do you work for? Don't you have any voters whose rental contract is ending? Why such a self-harming vote? Do you have a real estate company?" he asked the Junts bench. "If you overturn this decree, I wish you years of political ostracism and I promise you I will try very hard for it to be so. You do terrible harm to the people of this country," he concluded.

There isn't a session in the Congress of Deputies that doesn't involve a clash between Junts and Esquerra. The leader of the Republicans, Gabriel Rufián, himself admitted this on Wednesday while speaking during the appearance of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, regarding the war in Iran. From the podium, Rufián said the following: "Some Catalan journalists are already writing the story 'Rufián attacks Junts,' well, yes. I don't care because, fortunately, people have other means of communication to find out what's happening here. Junts is lying, and there are just under 30 days left to tell people," he declared, alluding to Junts' opposition to ratifying the decree extending rental contracts issued by the Spanish government, which must be voted on in the Congress of Deputies within a month at the latest. "Who do you work for? Don't you have any voters whose rental contracts are about to expire? Why this self-destructive vote? Do you own a real estate company?" he asked the Junts party members. "If you overturn this decree, I wish you years of political ostracism, and I promise I will work very hard to make sure it happens. You are doing a terrible disservice to the people of this country," he concluded.

Junts per Catalunya gives the Spanish government a breather and will save the decree which contains fiscal measures to mitigate the effects of the Iran-Iraq War. Among other things, it includes a reduction in VAT on fuel, electricity, and gas. This was announced by the Junts per Catalunya spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies, Miriam Nogueras, in an interview with TV3. She linked it to a gesture by the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in favor of exempting self-employed workers with an annual turnover of less than €85,000 from VAT. How should this gesture take the form of a vote in favor of a point in a non-binding motion—a non-legislative initiative, known as a PNL, which is not legally binding—presented by Junts and scheduled for a vote on Thursday. "We expect them to vote yes to supporting the self-employed; therefore, they will have our vote in favor of the decree," said Nogueras, even though its approval would not have immediate effects unless the Spanish government takes any concrete action. "We know that they want to transpose this directive and that, indeed, small self-employed workers will have a little more breathing room," Nogueras stressed in this regard.

Spanish government veto on the toughening of migrant regularization that was to be approved this Thursday in Congress. Taking into account that, as ARA advanced, Junts endorsed the amendment introduced by the PP in the Senate to the law on repeated offenses to control the criminal records of residence permit applicants and review police reports, Moncloa has decided to use the exceptional powers granted to it by the Constitution to stop it. According to Ser and parliamentary sources confirm to this newspaper, the Spanish government will veto through the Congress's board the changes, arguing that they represent an extra cost for public coffers. Specifically, they have argued that reviewing the criminal records or pending cases of residence applicants would involve an expense of 16 million euros.

The Spanish government has vetoed the stricter migrant regularization rules that were scheduled to be approved this Thursday in Congress. Given that, as the ARA advancedAlthough Junts supported the amendment introduced by the PP in the Senate to the law on multiple recidivism to control the criminal records of applicants for residence permits and review police reports, Moncloa has decided to use the exceptional powers granted to it by the Constitution to stop it. According to SER And parliamentary sources confirm to this newspaper that the Spanish government, through the Congress's governing board, has vetoed the changes, arguing that they represent an additional cost to public coffers. Specifically, they have argued that reviewing the criminal records or pending cases of residency applicants would entail an expenditure of 16 million euros.

Yesterday I asked a negotiator from the PSC-ERC table how the Illa-Junqueras duel will end and he told me: "we are talking..., but it is difficult to reach an agreement."

The wind has paralyzed much of the country's activity..

Pedro Sánchez appeared before Congress this Wednesday to account for railway accidents And the commuter rail chaos, although the situation of the Catalan network didn't surface until five hours after the start of his speech, following rebuttals from Junts and Esquerra. The Spanish president asserted that the situation is "serious," but blamed the lack of investment during the PP governments and the "extreme" weather conditions in the Mediterranean to explain the rail chaos. "The commuter rail is a load of crap," retorted Gabriel Rufián (ERC), who reminded everyone that it's the primary mode of transport for ordinary people. Míriam Nogueras (Junts), who called for the resignation of the Minister of Transport, responded: "The commuter rail is a load of crap, we agree [...]. But half a load of crap is still crap." Nogueras was referring to the transfer of the commuter rail service that Esquerra Republicana (ERC) agreed to with the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), which resulted in the creation of a joint venture with Renfe (the Spanish national railway company), with the Catalan government (Generalitat) owning half and Renfe the other half. "We don't understand it," she said, taking the opportunity to also criticize the agreement for the new funding model. "Bad funding disguised as bad funding is still bad funding," she said, "Catalans don't deserve this mess." "Either you're with us or you stay with Spain," the Junts leader in Madrid concluded, addressing the Republicans. Rufián was not present in the chamber when she referred to the Junts representative and would not have been able to respond because he had already used his speaking time. During his speech, Rufián accused the Spanish government of "perpetuating a classist model" favoring the AVE high-speed train at the expense of commuter rail, and reminded Sánchez that when he was a child and took commuter trains, even without extreme weather conditions, they were already unreliable.

Spanish politics is preparing for a new déjà-vuThe Spanish government is taking the ratification of an omnibus decree, the so-called "social shield," to Congress this Tuesday. This decree includes, among other measures, the revaluation of pensions. However, as in early 2025, it does not have guaranteed support: the People's Party (PP) has already warned that it will reject it, and sources within Junts (Together for Catalonia) are also inclined to reject it, given that it incorporates other measures with which they disagree. This is the same situation that occurred at the beginning of last year when the PP and Junts rejected an omnibus decree that also included the pension increase. "It's blackmail," Junts asserted this Monday. Preemptively addressing the issue—having received considerable criticism a year ago—Junts has presented a specific bill on pension revaluation for 2026. "The Socialist Party (PSOE) is using pensioners as political blackmail: either you accept the whole package, or you'll be harmed," said Junts spokesperson Miriam Nogueras. For this reason, Junts is asking the Socialists that if they want to update pensions, they should do so through their own measure.

It's no secret that the relationship between ERC and Junts, especially in the Congress of Deputies, is often stormy. One of the few displays of unity during this legislative term was the approval of the amnesty, which was not without its difficulties and moments of disagreement. It's also no secret that the understanding that has become evident throughout this term between Junts and the PP on economic matters has aroused suspicion among the Republicans. But to what degree do the two pro-independence parties agree on their own proposals? ARA analyzes point by point the votes on the initiatives or amendments promoted by Junts and ERC in the first two years of the Spanish legislature.

Today, the response everyone was waiting for from Junts to Pedro Sánchez arrived, delivered by Miriam Nogueras. Yesterday, we described Pedro Sánchez's morning interviews as those of a president "in desperation." In our pages today, David Miró writes of "self-humiliation." Indeed, it hasn't even been a month since Miriam Nogueras told Pedro Sánchez in Congress that he was a "cynic and a hypocrite," and yet yesterday Sánchez swallowed his pride and admitted that it was the Socialists who had broken the agreement with Junts. It's understandable; his term is slipping away.

"All of this doesn't change Junts' position; we're where we were." This was the reaction on Wednesday from the Junts spokesperson in Congress, Miriam Nogueras, to the shift in position by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez. After 24 hours without any official reaction, Carles Puigdemont's party finally assessed the situation this morning. gestures by the state's chief executive to try to "restart the dialogue" The coalition has been broken since the end of October. In a press conference, Nogueras commented that "what was approved yesterday is part of what should have been approved a long time ago, but the list is long" and "half-measures are not acceptable." In fact, he added that they have already "made a decision" regarding the break, which they would only reconsider if the Socialists resolved all the breaches. Thus, he pointed out that "there is time to negotiate, there is time to fulfill commitments, and there is time to make decisions," but added that Junts has already decided to break and that the ball is now in the court of the national government to address all the agreed-upon commitments that have not yet been fulfilled. "From now on, it is the PSOE that must make decisions," he concluded. However, at this time, "there are no negotiations or talks" with the Socialists, he said. This is one of the factors that, in his opinion, has demonstrated the "weakness" of the national government, which is "cornered" and without much room to maneuver. But if Spain agrees to fulfill all the outstanding issues, which are considerable, there could be a significant shift: "I hope our problem is that in a month we have to call you all [journalists] together again to explain what we'll do because the Spanish government has fulfilled all its outstanding obligations," he declared.

Miriam Nogueras filling her gym bag with boxing gloves, putting on a sweatshirt with the Catalonia is not Spain On her back, heading to help out at the Gran Recapte (a fundraising event). Or Miriam Nogueras walking with a fan to the rhythm of a rap song with the message "air that means wind" directed at Pedro Sánchez. Or the Junts leader defeating the Spanish president in an urban fighting video game. Or taking deep breaths as if doing yoga before an interview and telling the camera that she's looking forward to listening to Rosalía. These are just some of the videos that Nogueras has posted on her Instagram account in recent weeks, exemplifying the party's intention to promote her and reach new audiences via social media, especially middle-aged and young people, also within the context of competition with the far-right pro-independence movement and to differentiate itself from Esquerra Republicana.

The trial against the Attorney General has now endedNow all that remains is to await the verdict, which they say we'll know before the end of the year. The last session ended on a high note, with the Civil Guard's Central Operative Unit (UCO) accusing the prosecutor of being the leaker, which he denied. Judging by what was seen and heard, the prosecution has failed to prove that Álvaro García Ortiz was the leaker. Rather, the defense has presented witnesses who demonstrate that news of the agreement between Ayuso's partner and the Tax Agency was already circulating before the infamous email was in the Attorney General's possession.

The battle between Junts and Esquerra has taken center stage in the appearance this Wednesday from Spanish President Pedro Sánchez. Republican spokesperson Gabriel Rufián, who dedicated a good part of his speech to attacking the People's Party (PP), also raised his voice against Carles Puigdemont's party in the final minutes of his address. After delivering his entire speech in Spanish, he switched to Catalan to demand a "public apology" from Junts, after "six years"—he said—of them claiming that Esquerra supported Sánchez "in exchange for nothing." "We've given our all while you were tweeting," he declared. "Stop harming my country," he concluded.

As we mentioned yesterday, Together they have announced the blockade of all the laws currently being processed in Congress. Given that, following Puigdemont's solemn announcement in Perpignan that they would no longer negotiate with the PSOE, the general reaction was to say, "So what?" Together they wanted to go a step further: the PSOE will not be able to pass any lawLet's see if Sánchez can manage to stay in power until 2027, as he keeps saying.

One day after taking another step in breaking with the PSOE, Junts has made it clear that the split is "irreversible." This was stated in declarations to TVE by the party's spokesperson in Madrid, Miriam Nogueras. "The Spanish government is the one that has led us to this irreversible break," she said. This Thursday, Carles Puigdemont's party announced the veto of about fifty laws from the socialists and Sumar in Congress.

For Junts, the investiture agreement with the PSOE was based on a fundamental premise: it had to be very different from the one ERC had made in previous legislatures. That's why they strove from day one to make it clear that they weren't part of any investiture bloc, and they tried to position themselves midway between the forces supporting the Spanish government (basically progressive parties but also the PNV) and the opposition formed by the PP and Vox. In a context of polarization between support for and opposition to Sánchez, a paradigm that also affects the predominantly pro-Sánchez Catalan political ecosystem, Junts was walking a very narrow path that forced them to perform a certain parliamentary contortion: now I'll agree to this with the government, now I'll give them that back with the PP and Vox, for example, the tax. This delicate balance has been broken by a combination of factors and has definitively collapsed.The video game In which Miriam Nogueras slams Pedro Sánchez today, the Spanish right wing is salivating and places Junts in the corner of those who want to bring down the Spanish president.

On the same day that Junts announced I veto about fifty laws from the PSOE and Sumar parties. In Congress, to block legislative activity after announcing last week that they will no longer support Pedro Sánchez due to his breaches of agreements, the Junts party staged their protest with a video game simulation. This was done through a social media post shared by Josep Maria Cruset, a member of parliament for Carles Puigdemont's party, and also by the party's leader in Madrid, Miriam Nogueras.