Spanish Journalists
The three reporters from Spanish international news agency EFE who were detained this week by Venezuela’s national intelligence service were released yesterday and are in the process of being deported to neighboring Colombia.
Their driver has also been released.
Meanwhile
The European Parliament recognized a United States-backed Venezuelan opposition leader as the country’s interim president yesterday while the embattled incumbent failed to comply with an ultimatum from the European Union calling for early presidential elections as a way to resolve the bitter political crisis in the South American nation.
Members of the bloc’s legislative arm, voted 439 to 104 in favor of recognizing Juan Guaidó, leader of Venezuela’s national assembly as acting president in a move that heaped further international pressure on Nicolás Maduro, who has so far shunned calls for presidential elections in the crisis-struck nation.
British Fall Victim
A British man who fell from an apartment in Mallorca has been named as filmmaker Carl Whiteley, from Lincolnshire .. he suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to Son Espases Hospital after the ‘unexplained’ fall from a first-floor flat in Palma’s old town on Tuesday night.
The 39-year-old is reportedly a well-known figure in the movie industry.
National Police confirmed officers visited the property shortly after the incident, at 11pm, having received reports from neighbors about a disturbance.
But the injured man’s partner later told Spanish media that they had simply been arguing ‘like any couple’.
She added that she has no idea why he was on the balcony having been laying on the sofa minutes earlier, explaining she ‘heard the window of the balcony open, then a loud blow in the street and a scream’.
Ride Hailing
Ride-hailing company Uber says it has suspended its services in Barcelona because of new regulations.
The decision comes after the Catalan government insisted on imposing a 15-minute delay
before passengers could be picked up.
Uber has been the target of protests by taxi drivers in Barcelona who say their business is being undermined.
A rival service, Spain’s Cabify, has followed Uber’s example.
Uber said the new restrictions left it with “no choice” but to suspend its services “while the company assess It’s future in Barcelona”.
Although ride-hailing has been suspended, the UberEats food delivery service will continue to operate in the city.
Cabify, which has one million users in Barcelona, said the city had “given in to the demands of the taxi sector, seriously hurting citizens’ interests”.
It said the move would put 3,000 jobs at risk in the city.
Taxi drivers are still on strike in capital, but Madrid authorities have said they will not adopt the same restrictions as in Barcelona.