"It has been a complex, arduous, tough, and long negotiation, but we have reached the point we wanted, and we are more than satisfied." This is how the Spanish Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, described the negotiations with the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and the Spanish Conference of Religious to reach an agreement for the "reparation and recognition" of victims of abuse within the Church. "Today, an indisputable step has been taken that brings justice," the minister emphasized during the presentation of the agreement's details this Thursday morning. Bolaños explained that the pact "meets all the requirements set forth by the Ombudsman" and establishes a joint system, between the State and the Church, to define how these compensations should be provided. Thus, a commission will be created to which victims can submit their requests for reparations, and these requests will be forwarded to a victims' unit, led by the Ombudsman, who will decide what reparations are appropriate in each case. "It can be economic, moral, psychological, or restorative reparation, or even all four at once," the minister explained. Once the compensation is defined, developed on a case-by-case basis, the proposal will be presented to both the victim and the Catholic Church, who will have to decide whether to accept it or not. If the parties agree, the proposal will be binding. Bolaños also emphasized that "of course" all reparations will be "paid for by the Catholic Church": "The State will not pay a single cent," he stressed. A prominent role for the Ombudsman

Conversely, if the Ombudsman's proposal does not satisfy either party, a new joint commission will be formed, which will also include victims' associations. This commission will work together to reach a consensus agreement that all parties consider fair. "If there is still no agreement in this second instance, then the Ombudsman's decision will prevail," the minister explained. "Thus, it is clear that the compensation will be decided by the State [the Ombudsman] and the Church will be the one to pay," he emphasized. Furthermore, the financial compensation will be tax-exempt, both for amounts agreed upon from now on and for those already received.

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The Spanish government has awarded 35 individuals the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, an honorary prize for outstanding contributions to artistic and cultural creation. Among those honored are several Catalan figures, including the Pla Solina family (Quimet Pla, Núria Solina, Diana Pla and Oriol Pla), actress Emma Vilarasau, designer André Ricard Sala, art critic Daniel Giralt-Miracle and institutions such as the Primavera Sound festival, the Vozes Foundation's music project and the Ateneo Popular 9 Barris. Also honored were Valencians who have made their careers in Catalonia, such as Marcos Morau, choreographer of La Veronal, and Manuel Borja-Villel, art historian and former director of the Reina Sofía Museum.

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Heston Blumenthal (High Wycombe, 1966) is one of the greatest chefs in the United Kingdom and around the world. He's as famous there as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, thanks also to his television appearances and books. He's been one of the most influential chefs since his restaurant, The Fat Duck. He developed multisensory cuisine, which earned him the title of number 1 restaurant in the world in 2005. Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the Order of the British Empire, and yesterday he was recognized at the San Sebastián Gastronomika conference for his contributions to cooking. Recently, he has used his fame to speak openly about mental health, having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, in addition to the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder he already knew he had.

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"I have a reputation for being politically incorrect because I say things that people don't dare say," said Ferran Adrià today in Escaldes-Engordany. The chef from Hospitalet de Llobregat received the honorary Andorra Taste Award and in his speech, he didn't mince his words when it came to sharing his vision of the world of gastronomy. Some of his reflections included that "we must distinguish between food and gastronomy: gastronomy is linked to quality, and a restaurant that has all its seafood frozen is not gastronomic."

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