Migrant Activist
Spanish pro-migrant activist Helena Maleno said yesterday that a Moroccan court has dropped human trafficking charges against her
Maleno works for an NGO which alerts naval authorities on migrant boats in distress at sea as they attempt the crossing between Morocco and Spain.
She had been under investigation in Morocco since 2017 for alleged collusion in people traffickers offenses after a similar case in Spain was dismissed.
Her case had seen an outpouring of support from rights groups, politicians and celebrities.
The head coastguard for Almeria, said last year that Maleno had helped rescue tens of thousands of people off the coast.
Real Madrid Manager
Zinedine Zidane has made a shock return after Real Madrid decided to get the Frenchman in to replace struggling manager Santiago Solari.
Former Real midfielder Zidane has returned to take charge just 10 months after leaving the Spanish club.
According to Spanish Media, Solari has already said goodbye to the first team and Zidane will take his first training session today.
The sacking followed a shock defeat to Ajax in the Champions league, the 4-1 home defeat pushed Real President Florentino Perez into action.
Venezuela Flights
Spain’s airline pilots union has asked for Air Europa to stop flying to Venezuela after one of its crews was attacked at gunpoint in Caracas.
The Sepla union said yesterday that two pilots and eight more crew members of a flight from Madrid were assaulted on Saturday while going from the airport to their hotel in the Venezuelan capital.
The crew told the union that their van was surrounded by men on three motorbikes who later fled after an exchange of gunfire with a person the crew believed to be a plainclothes police officer. None of the crew members was injured.
The union says Air Europa responded to the attack by ordering the crews of flights to Venezuela to not spend the night in the country.
Tourism Record
The tourism boom continues unabated .. January set a new historical record for both tourist arrivals and spending: nearly 4.2 million visitors came to Spain, a 2.2% rise from the same month last year, and they spent a total €4.7 billion, 3.6% more than in January 2018.
Britain was the main country of origin followed by Germany and France.
But the greatest boost in tourist numbers came from the United States. There were 149,000 American visitors, a 25.5% rise from the same period last year.