English in Madrid

Spain elections: Feijóo launches doomed bid to lead country Despite Feijóo’s party winn ing July’s snap poll , his rival Pedro Sánchez remains best placed to form a government Two months after winning July’s general election but failing to secure a parliamentary majority, the leader of Spain’s conservative People’s party (PP) is launching an almost certainly doomed bid to become the country’s next prime minister. Although the PP, led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, finished first in the snap election , it failed to win enough votes to form a government, taking 137 seats in Spain’s 350-seat congress. Despite the arithmetical challenge, King Felipe has asked the party to try to form a government during this week’s investiture session, which begins with a day of debate on Tuesday. Even with the support of the far-right Vox party, which won 33 seats, and one vote each from the small Navarrese People’s Union and Canaries Coalition parties, Feijóo can muster only 172 votes. To become p...

Source:  Danie Franco en Unsplash World's oldest person, French nun Sister André, dies aged 118 The world's oldest person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118. Ms Randon - who assumed the name Sister André when she took holy orders in 1944 - died in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, France. Born in 1904 in southern France, she lived through two world wars and dedicated much of her life to Catholicism. "Only the good Lord knows" the secret of her longevity, she told reporters. Born when Tour de France had only been staged once, Sister André also saw 27 French heads of state. A spokesman from her nursing home, David Tavella, shared news of her death with reporters on Tuesday. "There is great sadness but... it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it's a liberation," Mr Tavella said. Sister André was said to have a close relationship with her brothers. She once told reporters one of her fondest  memories was their safe ...

Source: Wikipedia (Jove)   Spanish riot police clash with protesters after rapper arrested   Rubber bullets fired at crowds in Madrid day after Pablo Hasél was detained on charges of glorifying terrorism  Police have fired teargas, rubber bullets and sound bombs at thousands of protesters in Madrid, the day after a rapper was arrested on charges of glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty in his songs.  Protests in the capital’s central Plaza de Sol square were initially peaceful, with people clapping their hands in unison and chanting , “No more police violence” and “Freedom for Pablo Hasél”, the rapper detained in the Catalan city of Lleida on Tuesday.  But police charged into the crowd wielding batons after a few protesters began throwing glass bottles and stones that they had loosened from the pavement . Some protesters responded by setting fire to containers to create barricades in the narrow Madrid streets.  In Barcelona, police al...

Source: Arnaud Jaegers on Unsplash   Catalonia election: pro-independence parties increase majority   Catalan Socialist party finishes first as secessionists win more than half the vote on turnout of only 53%   Source: Guardian News Catalan pro-independence parties have increased their parliamentary majority following a regional election in which the unionist Socialists took the largest share of the vote and the far-right Vox party outperformed its conservative rivals to win its first seats in the northeastern Spanish region.  Sunday’s election was overshadowed by the Covid pandemic and dominated by the continuing debate over independence that has shaped and divided Catalan politics for the past decade.  For the first time, pro-independence parties took more than half the votes , winning 51% – up from 47.5% in the last regional election in December 2017. Between them , they now hold 74 of the 135 seats in the Catalan parliament, an increase ...

Anger in Madrid but calm in Barcelona at extended lockdown   Contrast is stark between reactions in Spain’s two biggest cities to being excluded from relaxation of coronavirus measures   For the past five days, millions of people in Spain have once again been able to indulge in moments of luxury that would have been mundane routines just two months ago.  Across half the country, they have been able to meet up with friends and family , and to sit outside bars and sip a café con leche or a cold, refreshing caña (beer). But not so in Madrid or Barcelona.  On Friday the Spanish health ministry denied the Madrid regional government’s second request to join the 70% of the country in the next phase of relaxation of some of the strictest lockdown measures in Europe.  Since it denied permission for such easing last week, people in and around the capital have been unable to meet up or enjoy a physically distanced alfresco drink or meal.  The president of t...

Source: Wikipedia (Pere prlpz)   Violent clashes over Catalan separatist leaders' prison terms Chaos at Barcelona airport as protesters react to sentencing over 2017 bid   for independence  The Catalan independence crisis erupted again on Monday as police and protesters clashed at Barcelona airport hours after the Spanish supreme court jailed nine Catalan separatist leaders over their roles in the failed bid for secession two years ago. Protesters took to the streets , with many gathering at Barcelona’s El Prat airport after the court acquitted the nine defendants of the charge of violent rebellion but convicted them variously of sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience. By late afternoon , thousands of protesters had answered a call from the Tsunami Democràtic movement designed to bring the airport to a standstill . Thousands set off by car, train and metro. When police closed the station, even more made the three-and-a-half hour journe...

  Source: Mathias Reding on Unsplash   Catalonia referendum: Spanish state poised to seize Catalan finances The Spanish government has given the regional government in Catalonia 48 hours to abandon "illegal" referendum plans or lose budgetary powers. Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro said a mechanism had been approved for the state to take control of the autonomous region's finances. Madrid is seeking to stop the Catalan government spending public money on its planned independence referendum. The Catalans are defying a court order to suspend the 1 October vote. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont launched his campaign for a "Yes" vote on Thursday night in the town of Tarragona, telling a rally at a former bullring : "Vote, and in so doing bring light to darkness that has lasted for too many years." The crowd shouted back, "Independence", "We will vote" and "We're not afraid", AFP news agenc...

Barcelona fans to wave Saltires at cup final after Spain bans Catalan flag  Fans of Barcelona will fly Saltires at the Spanish cup final after be ing banned from displaying a pro-independence Catalan flag. Supporters of the current La Liga champions have been warned by police in Madrid - where the game takes place on Sunday - that their traditional symbol, the Estelada, is "inflammatory". Police have even said they will search fans as they enter the ground. So activists have decided to carry Scottish flags instead as a protest. "They can take our flags but they can never take our freedom," says a social media campaign launched on Friday. Campaigners hope to distribute 10,000 Scottish flags to fans attending the game. The Estelada is not the official flag of Catalonia, which is simply made up of yellow and red stripes .  The Estelada has an extra blue triangle with a white corner superimposed on the simple Catalan flag and is carried by suppor...

Barcelona struggles with rising tide of tourists Tourists are vital to Barcelona's economy, but the 27 million people who visit each year have become a headache for the new mayor as she battles to save the iconic Spanish Mediterranean port from becoming a bland theme park. "Tourists go home" is frequently found painted on the walls of buildings in the centre of Spain's second-largest city, which is struggling to cope with a surge in tourism that started when it hosted the Olympics in 1992. Source: France 24 Vocabulary : to struggle - to rise - a tide - a mayor - a theme park - to cope (with stg) - a surge - to host (v,n) - according to - to highlight - a (snaking) queue - to jam - narrow (adj) - room (unc n) - to lay down - to be at a crossroad - such as - tree-lined - to heave with (people) - to throng (a place) - to found (a business) - huge (adj) - a banner - a vendor - to complain - gaw...

Catalan parliament approves independence vote Catalonia's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving its regional president the power to call an independence "consultation". Spain's government opposes the Catalan "consultation" vote and is taking the dispute to the Constitutional Court. The move comes a day after Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom. Catalan President Artur Mas said Scotland's referendum had "shown the way" for Catalonian independence. He is preparing Catalonia for a similar vote on 9 November, with large-scale support for independence from Spain. Catalonian lawmakers voted by a margin of 106 to 28 in favour of authorising the consultation. Spain's Constitutional Court is expected to consider the Catalan case on Tuesday and could suspend the region's vote on independence. 'Strong message'  Mr Mas earlier said Scotland's rejection of independence was "not...

Source: Wikipedia Spain could wield veto over Scotland's EU membership Independence for Scots could embolden separatists in Catalonia and Basque region, Madrid fears Spain is standing in the way of Scotland's ambitions to become an independent nation within the European Union because of fears that it could spark the break-up of the Spanish state. Spanish officials have registered concerns with counterparts in the United Kingdom over the Scottish government's independence blueprint, senior Whitehall sources confirmed yesterday. Spain has indicated it could block an independent Scotland's accession to the European Union, sources said. It has already refused to recognise Kosovo's existence as an independent state. Madrid fears such moves will encourage separatist ambitions in Spanish regions, particularly Catalonia and the Basque region. Spain's refusal to recognise Kosovo has frustrated the former Serbian province's ambitions to enter the union. The...