English in Madrid

Source: Lisa van Vliet en Unsplash Public bike rental inauguration falls flat Technical glitches hinder a service that Madrid City Hall had been promising since 2009 Technical glitches put a damper on the inauguration of Madrid’s public rental bike service on Monday. The BiciMad network has 1,560 electric bicycles scattered across 123 docking stations within the city center. Yet the only bikes that actually circulated through the streets of the capital were the 70 units that the city lent reporters, cycling associations and experts for the day. Today is the day,” said Mayor Ana Botella on Monday morning, as she became one of the first people to pedal from City Hall to Retiro Park. “Madrid is inaugurating its public bicycles.”   But the truth is, many stations were still not operational, while others did not have bicycles. At other stations, customers found blocked screens when they attempted to purchase the membership card that is required to use the service. The scre...

Spain's Felipe VI promises a 'renewed monarchy' as he is sworn in as king New monarch calls for unity and vows to 'listen and advise' as he takes over role from his father Juan Carlos As King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia stepped out on the balcony of Madrid's royal palace, they were greeted by roaring cheers from below. The pair waved warmly; he, a multilingual royal who has spent his whole life preparing for this moment and she, a former television newsreader who local media delight in calling Spain's first middle-class queen. "A renewed monarchy for new times," was how Felipe put it during his inaugural address as king on Thursday. On the first day of his reign, the 46-year-old stuck tightly to a script that walked a fine line between upholding the continuity of the monarchy and suggesting subtle changes that lie ahead for Spain's embattled royal family.  The day's events were billed as low-key. The 18th-century Spanish crown and 17...

Source:  KA T en Unsplash Spain 1 Netherlands 5 match report: Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben run riot as Louis van Gaal's side thrash stunned champions Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold. It did not feel cold in the humidity of a Salvador evening but four years after losing the World Cup final to Spain, the Netherlands exacted revenge in quite stunning fashion here last night. Outplayed for the first 44 minutes and trailing to a Xabi Alonso penalty, they came back to inflict a 5-1 hammering on the holders in which both Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben struck twice. Spain came back from an opening defeat by Switzerland in South Africa but it is hard to see how they can retain their title after a demoralising setback like this. * They had not conceded five goals in an international since 1963 and though this World Cup is still very much in its infancy, it will take a special team to bounce back after being stunned by Louis van Gaal’s team in this Group B fixtur...

King Juan Carlos abdicates - good, bad and ugly moments in a 40-year reign King Juan Carlos's almost 40 years on the throne have been marked by triumphs, tragedies – and some terrible trip-ups. Here is a look at some of the highs and lows in his life THE GOOD    The coup prevention   The high point of King Juan Carlos's reign was undoubtedly his intervention to prevent a military coup, in the shaky years after the dictator General Francisco Franco died.   A group of 200 Civil Guards, under Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, stormed into the lower house of parliament in February 1981, as the MPs were voting in a new prime minister.    They expected the King, as head of the army, to support their moves to restore military law.    Yet to their surprise, he took to national television to demand an end to the coup.    "I have ordered the civil authorities and the chiefs of staff to take the necessary measures to mai...