Latest news with #ElDiario
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Neighbour saw something odd before kids found imprisoned in 'permanent lockdown'
Silvia Gomez Nason began keeping a meticulous diary after she spotted something odd at her neighbour's house - where officers allegedly found three children being kept in filthy conditions A woman who became suspicious of her neighbours found they were allegedly hiding inside a house of horrors. German Christian Steffen, 58, and his American wife Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, were tracked by diligent neighbour Silvia Gomez Nason in the quiet village of Toleo in Spain. Silvia's investigation, which was later handed over to the police, found the Steffen couple's children, made up of one child aged 10 and two eight-year-old twins, were being kept in filthy conditions. The family, police said, had been living in extreme fear since the Covid-19 pandemic and the children were confined in the home since December 2021. The couple were arrested and police described a 'house of horrors' that met them when they investigated after receiving a report from Ms Gomez. They found grim conditions where the children were wearing masks as they allegedly slept in cages and wore nappies in a house that contained animal faeces, rubbish and old medicines. The windows in the property were locked tight and neighbours did not know the children existed. After leaving the home, one officer said that one of the children fell to the ground touching grass 'in amazement'. "They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them,' an officer said to Spanish media. "They had three masks each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality." Silvia kept a meticulous diary after first noticing that there may be children inside the property, which was only registered to Christian Steffen. She noted how deliveries - the father would only leave the house to collect them - seemed to be for a family. Silvia handed in her findings on April 14 and police monitored the home and suspicions were further raised when a delivery for nappies turned up. Authorities then launched a raid on April 28. 'Without that neighbour, the children would almost certainly have gone undetected in that house for many more years,' a source told the Mail. The Steffen couple are reported to have been denied bail, while the infamous case in the sleepy village has become something of a macabre attraction for people passing. Also found in the property were 22 jars of vaseline by Melissa Ann Steffen's bedside table. Reports indicate she weighed 22 stone when she was arrested. Throughout the house, police found signs one room had been used as a classroom, blinds were closed except in the children's bedrooms which were shut every afternoon. Also found were four oxygen-purifying ozone generators that were plugged in at all times. Local Marino Guardado told the El Diario newspaper: 'The news is a scandal. In four years I've never seen anyone, not a man, a woman, the children, a dog, or a cat. As far as I could see, there was no one there, and therefore, there was no activity.' Flor Gonzalez Muñiz, spokesperson for the Professional Association of Social Education of the Principality of Asturias, said one of the children is hesitant about removing their mask. 'The little ones took them off and were free, but the older one eats and puts it back on,' she said. 'It's not so easy to break down the discourse they've received for so long from their parents… children are less aware of the risk the younger they are… so it's normal that the eldest needs to check more than the other two that nothing (untoward) is happening and to gain trust.' The spokesperson added the damage to the children is not 'irreveersible'. 'This is something they will carry with them forever, they will be able to reach adulthood with the guarantee of a full life,' she said.
Local Spain
08-05-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Barcelona bar causes stir by linking coffee prices to time on terrace
A bar in Barcelona has caused controversy by tying its coffee prices to how how long customers spend on the terrace. Perfetto bar, in the Catalan capital's popular Barceloneta neighbourhood, has added small signs on the tables explaining the rising price structure. Firstly, it has the price of a regular café con leche (€1.60), but the new pricing structure explains that if you take more than half an hour to drink it, the price rises to €2.50. If you sit for more than an hour, the price rises to €4. The bar, which is in a famously touristy area of the city, has outraged some, especially online, who have questioned the legality of the move and branded it 'theft'. The small bar has only four tables in the Barceloneta square, and reporting from Spanish daily El Diario suggests there are often customers who order a coffee and camp out on the terrace for hours at a time without ordering anything else. Until one day, when two clients got into an argument after one of them remained seated for over an hour and a half and annoyed the other, who also wanted to enjoy the terrace. Massimo, the bar manager, says they then decided to take matters into their own hands. "It started as a joke, and now it has remained a deterrent measure, just to make people aware," he says. That's why he decided to put the price 'warning' on the tables. "It's a way of raising awareness," he says. "You can't go too many hours without consuming, otherwise the business is not profitable." Though specifically time-tied pricing is a new concept, limiting time on terraces more generally is not new in Spain. As The Local reported back in 2022, in the initial post-pandemic period, many bar and restaurant owners put time limits on terrace tables in order to try and increase business and recoup some of their losses during the Covid-19 lockdown. Limits of an hour, ninety minutes or two hours are common across Spain, especially in tourist hotspots. However, judging by reporting in the Spanish press, it seems there could also possibly be an underlying anti-tourism motivation here as locals don't seem to be getting charged extra. 'We have a loyal clientele, and obviously we don't charge €2.50 if you stay more than 30 minutes,' Massimo stated. Instead, prices go up only when the situation is very 'exaggerated'. In such a touristy area of Barcelona, one has to wonder who exactly is being charged this terraza surcharge. Despite the accusations of greed or 'theft' by some, the bar claims the new policy is more about ensuring fairness for clients than it is boosting profits. Reporting from Cadena Ser states that newspapers in the bar have also proved to be a problem, for example. 'We had two newspapers, but we had to get rid of them because there were customers who hogged them all morning. And there are more people who want to read too,' Massimo explained. The controversial policy goes against a long-standing Spanish custom. Spain is known as the land of sobremesas - the concept of dragging out post-meal get-togethers as the conversation between friends and family members flows - but AN increasing number of café, bar and restaurant owners are looking to crack down on clients dominating tables as a way to increase turnover and profits. A la Barceloneta si vols un cafè te l'has de prendre en menys de 30 minuts. — Maria (@maria_lostia) May 4, 2025
Cision Canada
29-04-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Local, language-minority and Latin American news sites join the Trust Project
PACIFICA, Calif., April 29, 2025 /CNW/ -- As we approach World Press Freedom Day, two news organizations in Latin America, one in Canada and one in the United States have earned the Trust Mark, which indicates their commitment to independent journalism of public value. After months of training, they have structured integrity throughout their work by applying the 8 Trust Indicators®. The public will now hear, see and read about their journalists, where they got their information and what policies guide them. Among other disclosures, they will see opinion clearly separated from news, find corrections for any errors easily, and as the Trust Project deepens its attention to ethical use of artificial intelligence, gain a concrete understanding of each site's use of AI tools in newsgathering and production. The Trust Project ® welcomes The Beacon, a growing force in Kansas and Missouri that fills critical news gaps and provides free news stories to other publishers; BioBioChile, which explores issues throughout Chile with the country's cultural, social and economic diversity in mind; El Diario, which explains the news in Venezuela with depth to support public discourse; and Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Écosse, which serves the French-speaking minority in Nova Scotia. El Diario and BioBioChile are the first news organizations in their countries to participate. All made substantial upgrades to their standards and overall transparency. The public can easily see why their news is worth attention and trust – and hold them accountable. "We work closely with news organizations globally to strengthen the clear value of their journalism to the public," said Trust Project founder and CEO Sally Lehrman. "We're proud of the many changes these incoming news partners made to earn well-deserved confidence through transparency and integrity, including in their use of AI." More than 300 fully approved Trust Project news partners continue to build integrity into every aspect of their journalism: newsgathering; news presentation online, in audio and video; even in their business operations. When news outlets complete the Trust Indicators in policy and practice, they earn the Trust Mark. The Trust Indicators® empower people to stay informed and thrive by making it easy to choose news with confidence. The Trust Project is grateful to our funders, who support our research on trust, workshops and training, and ongoing work with Trust Project Network sites and others to build a trustworthy news ecosystem the public values. Learn about making a donation here. About the Trust Project: 8 Trust Indicators®, a collaborative, journalism-generated and proven standard that helps both regular people and algorithms easily assess the authority and integrity of news. Polices and standards are shaped through user research and enforced independently from the project's funding sources. For more, visit: Media Contact: Jessica Sterling, 650-728-8211
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Daycare Workers Arrested After Video Appears to Show Caregiver Shoving Toddler's Head into Wall and Forcing Child to Eat
Four people in Spain were arrested after an intern took a video of a nursery worker violently pushing the head of a toddler against a wall while trying to feed him. Three employees and the daycare's director were arrested by Spanish National Police, according to El Mundo. In the video, the woman, in Spanish, appears to tell the child to swallow the food being pushed toward the toddler's face. 'Spit it out, I'll put it back,' she tells the crying child. After pushing the toddler's head against a wall, the caregiver appears to quickly yank the child and flip him over, again trying to feed him. Another employee is seen in the background of the video apparently doing nothing to intervene. El Diario reported that of the four people arrested, two were charged with child abuse while the other two are accused of failing to report the Mundo reports that the incident was reported by a 17-year-old intern who took the video. The paper reported that the intern alleged the caregiver, who was arrested on a charge of crime against moral integrity, was abusive toward other children at the daycare while trying to get them to eat. Antena 3 reported that the four people arrested in connection have been released from custody but are ordered to report to court every month and are prohibited from working with children as the investigation proceeds. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
Local Spain
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
‘Law of the jungle': Madrid's tuk-tuk problem complicates local life
Locals and residents associations in Madrid are pleading with the local council to take measures against the growing numbers of 'tuk-tuk' taxis in the capital. Tuk-tuks, which are a form of motorised tricycle or rickshaw taxi popular in Asia, are increasingly drawing criticism for their contribution to traffic congestion in Madrid city centre as well as a lack of training for drivers who often act as unofficial tour guides or take business from regulated taxis. The rising problem, combined with alleged police inaction, is becoming so bad that some in the Spanish media have dubbed the tuk-tuk scene in Madrid the "law of the jungle." Many complain about tuk-tuks travelling at speed in pedestrianised parts of town. Another outlet has described them as 'conquering Madrid' with surging numbers of tuk-tuks and little oversight. Víctor Rey, president of the Sol y Letras Association, a residents group, told Spanish daily El Diario about the problems these tricycle taxis generate in the neighbourhood, saying the problem is nothing new. 'The inconvenience on certain streets in the Letras neighbourhood and the Palacio district is widespread and well known. We've been putting up with a situation for years that is not at all pleasant and is out of control. It causes real chaos to traffic, especially in narrow streets that already have a high level of traffic," Rey said. Tuk-tuks have very quickly become a familiar feature of traffic jams and over-tourism in central Madrid, meaning their presence has grown unaccompanied by specific rules to regulate them. But now Madrid council, spurred on by pressure from locals and opposition parties, is finally turning its attention to the unlicensed taxis. Primary discussions about drawing up specific legislation were held at Cibeles city council in January, with the current lack of tax obligations made on tuk-tuk drivers in particular being raised as a potential way of cracking down. Spokesperson for Más Madrid, Esther Gómez, asked councillor Engracia Hidalgo about specific tax regulations, but it seems they are still at the developmental stage. Hidalgo referred only to 'a previous evaluation that, due to its complexity, is still being developed.' For Gómez, the three-wheel taxis 'raise many questions about the legal margins they are using to provide their services,' adding that tuk-tuks are essentially able to 'use public space for an economic activity that is free of charge as they are not affected by municipal taxes.' Gómez compared this to the taxes paid by newsagents or ice cream sellers, licensed taxi drivers themselves or any other street business. Similarly, Madrid's Professional Taxi Federation has raised concerns for some time, which it claims instead of being simply a tourist attraction is silently eating away at the legal taxi market: 'We are starting to see them picking up tourists with suitcases from hotels and taking them to the stations.'
