Author: Press Room
Around 6,000 members of Italy’s armed forces and security services marched through Rome on Saturday, demanding higher pay, better pensions and stronger workplace protections. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The demonstration brought together representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza in the first joint protest organised by the country’s main defence and security unions. The rally came just days after the government renewed the collective agreement covering around 430,000 military and security personnel. The deal includes a gross monthly pay rise of €188 and a one-off back payment of €2,448, as well as a commitment to open talks…
By Harry Bligh with AP Published on 19/07/2026 – 12:14 GMT+2 At least one person has been killed and 16 others injured in Russia’s latest strikes on Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The attack began at around 1.30 am local time and continued for several hours. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones, with most of them directed towards Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukraine’s emergency services say the strikes sparked fires across five areas of Kyiv, damaging homes, offices and industrial sites. Several people were rescued from burning buildings, while one person was later found dead. Fires were also…
Published on 19/07/2026 – 12:45 GMT+2 Two major wildfires remain active in north-eastern and central Spain, with emergency services focusing on a blaze near La Mierla in Guadalajara province and another near Orés in Zaragoza province. Together, they are already among the country’s most destructive fires this year. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The fire near La Mierla, around 100 kilometres north-east of Madrid, began on Thursday and has burned almost 9,900 hectares, according to the latest official figures. During the early hours of Sunday, firefighters concentrated on two areas. Crews directly attacked the southern edge of the blaze near Gascueña de Bornova,…
Published on 18/07/2026 – 20:20 GMT+2 Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha could wake up days after Saturday with the same concerns as today. The two major fires ravaging their territories have not been brought under control, and the outlook for the coming hours has given little cause for optimism among those leading the firefighting effort. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT What began on Wednesday as a small outbreak in Orés has, four days later, become the most destructive forest fire of 2026 on Spanish soil. Preliminary estimates put the burnt area at around 15,400 hectares, with a perimeter of roughly 60 kilometres. The good…
Published on 18/07/2026 – 21:28 GMT+2 Just before take-off, there was time for one last family photo – a few minutes later the head of Siemens’ Spanish division, Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children aged eleven, seven and four, together with the helicopter pilot, plunged into the icy Hudson River. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT More than a year after the disaster, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the findings of its investigation. According to the report, investigators discovered the remains of several geese in the helicopter’s rotor blades. According to police, four people died at the scene,…
Published on 18/07/2026 – 20:21 GMT+2 On Tuesday, 14 July, the government approved in the Council of Ministers a budget transfer of over €309,840 from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport to the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The purpose of the money, as set out in the agreement itself, leaves no room for doubt: to cover shortfalls in Chapter 1. In other words, the staff costs of the department headed by Félix Bolaños. That chapter includes payroll, social security contributions, length-of-service increments and pay supplements for civil servants assigned to the…
Published on 18/07/2026 – 14:52 GMT+2 Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, is set to face a “record” number of opponents in a by-election for the coastal constituency of Clacton in August. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A total of 34 candidates will contest the seat, thought to be the highest number recorded in any UK parliamentary election, according to Tendring District Council, the local authority administering the vote. The previous record for a by-election is believed to have been set in 2008, when 26 candidates contested the Haltemprice and Howden seat after Conservative MP David Davis stepped down,…
Jens Spahn, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, has announced his resignation, as pressure built over his decision to have a child through a surrogate mother in the United States. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a letter to members of the Union group, he said that he had already informed German Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder of his decision. “I have informed the party leaders of the CDU and CSU, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, that with this letter to our group I am stepping down from my post as chairman of…
After 14 years at the helm of the French national team, Didier Deschamps hopes to bow out with a victory. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Although he would have preferred to end this remarkable adventure with another title, the France coach will have to settle for the third-place play-off against England, after being soundly beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semi-finals. As a player, Didier Deschamps won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993, the World Cup in 1998 and then Euro 2000 with France. As a coach, he secured a second star for France at the 2018 World Cup, and also reached…
Published on 18/07/2026 – 11:47 GMT+2 Ukraine carried out large-scale strikes on central Russia overnight, targeting a number of warehouses and an oil facility, according to Kyiv and local Russian authorities. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had hit two “major” logistics facilities in the regions of Moscow and Tambov as part of Kyiv’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia. “The aggressor used them to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media, adding that an oil facility was also hit. Earlier on Saturday, Moscow Mayor Sergey…