English in Madrid

Source: Possessed Photography on Unsplash Man runs marathon on 7-metre balcony during French lockdown   Elisha Nochomovitz wanted to pay tribute to medics and show it’s possible to stay fit at home In the age of Covid-19 confinement, Elisha Nochomovitz has figured out   a way to keep occupied by running a marathon on his balcony. Nochomovitz ran 42.2km (26.2 miles) back and forth ,   never leaving his 7 metre-long (23 feet) balcony. He saw it as a physical and mental challenge , and also shared images of the feat   online as a way to extend his support to medical personnel who were doing an “exceptional job”, he told Associated Press from his apartment in Balma, a suburb of the southern French city of Toulouse. Like athletes who ran around their Wuhan apartments or cyclists who found ways to train in their locked-down Abu Dhabi hotel rooms, Nochomovitz wanted to show that it’s possible to stay fit as virus containment measures tighten around the world. ...

Source: Hatice Yardım on Unsplas h Front page headlines can be a useful test of your knowledge of vocabulary. Here are some old tweets which look at the front pages of English newspapers: http://t.co/DPFOwcm #headlines to fake stg = to pretend to have a feeling or an illness, to skive =to be absent from work without permission — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) July 26, 2011 http://t.co/vJgcKPb #headlines #headlines1 to SCROUNGE: to get things (money/food) by asking for them instead of buying or working for them. — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) September 1, 2011 http://t.co/X71IHPm http://t.co/25D8teN #headlines1 to SUE: to take someone to court for financial compensation because of a WRONGDOING. — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) September 6, 2011 http://t.co/hm9SkRt9 #headlines1 ON THE BRINK OF STG: a situation where stg bad is going to happen very soon eg The two countries ARE ~ WAR. — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) Septemb...

Source: Wikipedia Spain's king renounces inheritance and cuts father's income   over ' offshore fund'  Royal household responds after report named King Felipe as a beneficiary of an alleged offshore fund set up by his father in 2008  Spain’s King Felipe VI has renounced his personal inheritance from his father and stripped the former king Juan Carlos of his annual stipend after it was alleged that Felipe VI was poised to receive millions of euros from a secret offshore fund with ties to Saudi Arabia. The statement issued by Spain’s royal household on Sunday evening came after a report named King Felipe as a beneficiary of an offshore fund set up by his father in 2008. At the time, Juan Carlos was still in power. The former head of state abdicated in 2014, after a series of scandals sent his popularity plummeting . Juan Carlos, 82, had continued to receive an annual stipend from the state, however, amounting to around €194,000 (£175,000) in 2018. ...

Source:  Eduardo Rodriguez on Unsplash Did Spanish spies harass ex-king's 'lover'? A woman claiming to be a former lover of Spain's retired King Juan Carlos is accusing the country's intelligence services of waging a campaign of threats and intimidation against her aimed at protecting the interests of the monarchy. Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 55, a German-born businesswoman of Danish nationality, is due to lodge her case in the UK before the High Court . Ms Sayn-Wittgenstein, whose maiden name is Larsen, says she had a "romantic relationship" with the man who ruled Spain from 1975 until his abdication in 2014. That relationship, she says, gave her access to information and documents concerning the financial dealings of the former monarch, who is now 82. Elephant hunt outcry   The harassment and intimidation has been going on for eight years, she alleges, beginning with a notorious   trip to Botswana that she and her son went...

Source:  Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash Coronavirus: Spain’s tourist industry braces for big losses at Easter  Sector particularly vulnerable as people cancel travel plans and major events are cancelled Spain’s tourist industry is braced for huge losses over the Easter period and beyond as people cancel travel plans and major events are postponed as a result of the coronavirus. Last year, nearly 84 million people visited Spain, 18 million from the UK. Tourism is the nation’s third biggest industry, accounting for 11% of GDP . Even before the severe restrictions, including schools closures and bans on large public events, announced in the Madrid area, bookings were down . According to the Spanish hotelier s’ confederation, reservations were already down 20-30%, in particular for holidays in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic and Canary Islands, in February compared with last year. Hotel bookings were down 24% in Madrid and 20% in Barcelona. “ The imp...