"No es oro todo lo que reluce."
Not all that glitters is gold.
Monday dawns over a capital still buzzing from a weekend of mass mobilisation. Yesterday tens of thousands marched for housing justice along the Paseo del Prado, while the political landscape shifted with Zapatero's indictment and Real Madrid's Electoral Board opening the presidential race for the first time in two decades. At Barajas, new CT scanners promise faster departures. Today we cover the stories that shape this city — from the streets to the skies.
Madrid's centre was gridlocked on Sunday as the Sindicato de Inquilinas led what organisers called the largest housing protest in years under the banner 'La vivienda nos cuesta la vida. Bajemos los precios.' Marchers filled the Paseo del Prado from Atocha to Cibeles, demanding rent caps, indefinite lease contracts, and a crackdown on tourist rentals. Union leaders Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez joined the demonstration, calling for two million affordable homes in the next decade. EMT diverted 26 bus lines including the Airport Express 203 as the protest snaked through the heart of the city.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas has rolled out advanced CT-based security scanners at passenger checkpoints, eliminating the requirement to remove liquids, laptops, or electronics from hand luggage. The new Explosive Detection System Cabin Baggage (EDSCB) units generate high-resolution 3D images, automatically flagging anomalies without slowing queues. Aena expects the technology to reduce wait times by up to 30% at one of Europe's busiest airports, with further rollout planned across Spanish hubs including Málaga, Palma, and Barcelona.
The Real Madrid Electoral Board unanimously approved Alicante businessman Enrique José Riquelme Vives's candidacy for the club presidency, ending Florentino Pérez's unchallenged tenure. Riquelme, president of Grupo Cox, posted the required €180 million guarantee — 15% of the club's budget — and pledged to 'stop privatisation rumours' and restore member democracy after 20 years without a contested vote. The election marks the most significant challenge to Pérez's model since he took office in 2000.
On this day in 1681, Pedro Calderón de la Barca died in Madrid at the age of 81, leaving behind a body of work that defines Spain's Golden Age theatre. Author of 'La vida es sueño' and 'El alcalde de Zalamea,' Calderón perfected the baroque style pioneered by Lope de Vega, weaving philosophical depth into the comedia form. His plays remain a staple of Madrid's Teatro Español and the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico, whose season continues to draw audiences to the city's historic playhouses.