Latest news with #CommunityofMadrid
Morocco World
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Madrid Reportedly Ends Four-Decade Arabic Language Program
Rabat — The Community of Madrid will reportedly end its participation in the Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture Teaching Program starting in the 2025/26 school year. Spanish news sources reported that the regional government cited a lack of guarantees for proper functioning as the main reason for the decision. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Universities announced the measure on Thursday, affecting more than 1,400 students across 70 Madrid schools. Authorities have reportedly detected 'serious malfunctions' in recent years that make continuing the program impossible. This decision breaks a bilateral agreement Spain and Morocco signed in 1985, potentially ending nearly four decades of cooperation in cultural education. Madrid officials point to several problems with the program's management. The ministry says it lacks transparency and proper institutional control over teacher selection and content development. The program operates under the Spanish Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Moroccan Embassy. Morocco directly selects and sends Moroccan officials to teach in Spanish schools, which Madrid authorities find problematic. 'We don't have visibility or participation in the teacher selection process,' Spanish news outlet El Faro de Ceuta reported the Madrid Ministry of Education as saying, adding that officials also question whether Morocco properly evaluates teachers' pedagogical training, Spanish language skills, or teaching programs. The regional government says it cannot verify if teachers receive adequate pedagogical and didactic training or if authorities check their Spanish proficiency before assigning them to schools. Program structure and participation Madrid offers the program only as an extracurricular activity outside compulsory school hours. The 2024/25 academic year saw 1,434 Madrid students participate in the program. Other regions show higher participation rates. Catalonia leads with 2,151 students, followed by Andalusia with 1,810 participants. The program currently operates in twelve autonomous communities across Spain. The initiative targets children from Moroccan families living in Spain. It aims to preserve their cultural heritage, promote bilingualism, and support sociocultural integration. Most schools nationwide choose to offer the program outside regular school hours, though the bilateral agreement allows integration into compulsory curricula. Political background and opposition Madrid officials insist that political pressure did not influence their decision, despite repeated calls from the Vox party, known for its hostility to Morocco, to eliminate the program. In April, Vox submitted a non-legislative motion to the Madrid Assembly demanding the program's removal. Más Madrid and PSOE rejected the proposal, while the Popular Party (PP) abstained from voting. The PP avoided supporting complete elimination but expressed concerns about 'structural deficiencies' in the program. The PP demanded greater regional oversight and suggested that Madrid administration teachers should handle instruction instead of Moroccan officials. The party even proposed an amendment warning that Madrid would withdraw if authorities did not correct identified problems. Tags: Arabic Language ProgramMoroccan CultureMorocco and SpainSpain
News18
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Watch: Johnny Depp Brings Jack Sparrow To Life For Kids At Madrid Hospital
Johnny Depp first stepped into the Jack Sparrow costume in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Captain Jack Sparrow dropped anchor in Madrid not to find treasure but to lift spirits. Johnny Depp brought a wave of pirate magic to Nino Jesús University Children's Hospital in Madrid earlier this week. The actor, dressed head-to-toe as Captain Jack Sparrow, surprised young patients on Monday, June 16. He visited the hospital after taking a break from filming his latest project Day Drinker in Spain. The video of the heartwarming visit was shared by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. It showed Depp in character roaming the hospital's oncology ward. He is seen laughing with children and bringing pure joy to their hospital rooms. Nueva sorpresa en el Niño Jesús, el hospital de la magia. — Isabel Díaz Ayuso (@IdiazAyuso) June 18, 2025 In true Jack Sparrow fashion, Depp didn't come empty-handed. He handed out gifts to the children like shiny gold coins and mini-Jack Sparrow dolls. One of the patients gave him a bow which Depp immediately added to his pirate costume. The visit was filled with warm hugs, photos and autographs, leaving everyone with wide smiles. Johnny visiting the Niño Jesús Public Children's Hospital in Madrid, Spain ❤️🩹🥹 #JohnnyDepp — JDSC (@jdepps_crew) June 18, 2025 Depp has a long history of visiting children's hospitals around the world in full pirate gear. Just last year, in September 2024, he visited young patients in the Pediatrics and Oncology ward at Donostia University Hospital while attending the San Sebastian Film Festival. There too, he brought laughter to children and families in his pirate style. Over the years, Depp has made similar surprise appearances in hospitals across Vancouver, Paris, London, Brisbane and several cities in the US. Depp first stepped into the Jack Sparrow costume in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He went on to star in four more films in the franchise: Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). But following his highly publicised 2022 trial involving his ex-wife Amber Heard, Disney dropped him from the franchise. Depp then stated he had no plans of returning as Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp made his first major on-screen appearance after a long break in the French-language film Jeanne du Barry. Directed by Maïwenn, the film featured Depp in the lead role, starring alongside the director herself. For his return to mainstream Hollywood, Depp is set to appear in the upcoming thriller Day Drinker where he will share the screen with Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline. The film is being directed by Marc Webb. First Published:
Forbes
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
F1's New Playground: Madring Circuit Officially Unveiled
Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz during the presentation of the Formula 1 Madring circuit at IFEMA ... More Madrid. Formula 1's Spanish heartbeat has pulsed through the asphalt of Barcelona-Catalunya for decades. But in 2026, the rhythm will shift. Engines will tear through the streets of Madrid for a brand-new event: the Madrid Grand Prix, set to light up the calendar for the next ten years. On Friday, the curtain was pulled back on Madring. A fitting ambassador, Madrilenian Carlos Sainz, was also introduced in a formal ceremony attended by local politicians José Luis Martínez Almeida and Isabel Díaz Ayuso. At 5.47 kilometres long with 22 corners, the new venue will attempt to balance street circuit with Madrid's grand architecture and history. Organisers have confirmed the inaugural 2026 race will be fought over 57 laps, with early designs promising speed and precision. Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz The Madring will open with a 589-metre straight which is the second-longest on the layout, before a furious braking zone into a chicane at Turns 1 and 2. It's here, dropping from 320 km/h to just 100 km/h, that the first hints of racing chaos could brew. The aim is for real overtakes without the DRS-assisted fly-bys. Turn 3, dubbed Curva de Hortaleza, plants the race firmly in Madrid's heart, weaving through Ribera de Sena Street, where the city's vibrancy will blur at the edges of the speeding cars. Turn 5 and Turn 6, squeezed under a motorway overpass, are flagged as the prime overtaking zone, a public road which will be framed by concrete, expecting speeds to reach up to 340km/h. It's here that Madrid attempts to marry history and architecture with F1's mechanical aggression. Subida de las Carcavas offers an 8% gradient climb, before Turn 7's blind summit reveals 'El Bunker,' which is a sharp right-hander adjacent to relics of the Spanish Civil War. From there, the track transitions onto a purpose-built section near the Valdebebas festival grounds. If Madring hopes to etch itself into F1 folklore, it will live or die by La Monumental. This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain's bullfighting heritage. At 300 km/h, with grandstands looming to fit 45,000 fans, La Monumental could become a scene-stealer. But... let's be real. We've heard that song before. Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium — flashy blueprints, dramatic soundbites, and yet few have truly captured the soul of old-school circuits. La Monumental might be the exception, or it might just be another CGI promise too big to deliver. Beyond the banking, the circuit keeps up a brutal rhythm. Turn 13 slows to an 84-degree crawl before throwing drivers into the 'Las Enlazadas de Valdebebas.' It's a track that wants to have it all: a little Monaco, a little Monza, a little Zandvoort... a risky cocktail if balance isn't struck. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez ... More Almeida, and Formula 1 driver, Carlos Sainz, during the presentation of the Formula 1 Madring circuit at IFEMA Madrid. With construction officially kicking off next month, Spanish firm ACCIONA and France's Eiffage Construction have been entrusted to make this ambitious vision a reality. After months of whispers over a slow tender process, the partnership was signed, sealed, and delivered just in time to keep timelines on track. Interestingly, Madrid's 2026 debut won't immediately kick Barcelona off the calendar. For one year, Spain will have two Grand Prix, a temporary luxury that feels more like a gentle goodbye to the Catalunya circuit than a full-scale takeover. Madring is a love letter to Madrid. It has history, soul and most importantly, ambition. But circuits aren't remembered because of launch parties or fancy names. They're remembered for the moments they host. Madring has its canvas. Come 2026, it'll be time to see if it can paint something truly worthy of Formula 1's sacred story or if it'll just be another gleaming castle built on sand.
Local Spain
19-02-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
How self-employed workers in Madrid can pay no social security taxes
Back in 2023, Madrid introduced the zero social security fee offer for autónomos, which meant that newly self-employed people could have their social security fees paid for by the regional government during their first year. It was also available in 2024 to those whose monthly earnings were below minimum wage. The idea is to promote self-employed work and encourage entrepreneurship, which Spain isn't famed for in general. In Madrid these incentives include: Financial aid available for self-employed workers who return to work. Reductions in social security fees for those starting a self-employed activity. Financial aid for caring for a minor affected by cancer or another serious illness. Spain has a flat social security fee for new autónomos of €80 per month in 2025 but after two years it goes from €225 per month for the lowest earners up to €530 per month for the highest earners, hence why Madrid's offering of covering such costs can really help self-employed workers in the Spanish capital. The period in which to request the zero social security fee for 2025 is now open and is available to certain people, if they meet a series of requirements and are self-employed. These are: You must be covered by the 'Incentives and measures to encourage and promote self-employment' scheme, included in the Self-Employment Statute. This means being one of the following: Be a beneficiary of the reduced social security fee, starting from the date of registration for the following twelve full calendar months. Based on your annual net income, have benefitted from the reduced social security fee during the next twelve full calendar months. Those who have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 percent, or are victims of gender violence or victims of terrorism, who have had the reduced quota for twenty-four full calendar months. Those with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 percent, or are victims of gender violence or victims of terrorism who, as a result of their annual net income, have enjoyed the reduced quota during the following thirty-six full calendar months. Those who have ceased their self-employment activity due to the birth of a child, adoption, custody for the purposes of adoption, foster care and guardianship and return to carry out a self-employed activity within the following two years. Those who are beneficiaries of the aid for the care of minors affected by cancer or another serious illness. You must also be up to date with the tax obligations with the State Administration, Community of Madrid, and with Social Security. And you must be registered as living and working in the region of Madrid. How can I apply? To request the zero social security fee and get your social security payments covered, you need to apply via Digital Administration Portal of the Community of Madrid here. You will need a digital certificate or Cl@ve to do this and enter into the Electronic Notification System of the Community of Madrid. This is where you can submit your supporting documents such as NIE, receipt of benefits, certificate of being signed up in the RETA system of autónomo or self-employment, medical reports or disability certificates and tax returns. When can I apply? Applications are open now, but it must be a maximum period of three months following the end of each 12-month period of receiving the reduction or bonus. Or within three months following the end of the application of the bonus, in the case of self-employed workers who are beneficiaries of the aid for the care of minors affected by cancer or another serious illness, in which the benefit during any period has been less than 12 months.
