Summary: Spain’s political parties on Monday sealed a historic agreement against gender violence that seeks to protect women and their children from the moment a doctor identifies any signs of abuse. So far this year, 32 women and six minors have been killed in gender violence-related cases, up from figures for2016. At a historic court appearance on on Wednesday morning, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he had “absolutely no knowledge” about the possible existence of arallel accounts within his Popular Party (PP) that were allegedly used for opaque donations and illegal party financing. “I was never in charge of anything to do with accounting.” Madrid’s EMT municipal transportation company is set to hire 220 new maintenance workers between this year and next in a bid to combat the problem of fires breaking out on its fleet of buses. Supporters of Catalan independence have received a new setback, with the latest poll carried out by the regional government’s Opinion Studies Center (CEO) showing public support for secession from Spain has dipped 3% since March. A senior German MEP has warned that two of the EU’s top Brexit chiefs want to “punish” Britain to stop other countries trying to leave the bloc. The European Commission warned Poland it was “getting very close” to taking the unprecedented step of stripping Warsaw of its voting rights at EU summits, unless it stepped back from reforms that would undermine judicial independence. As the pier-master on the beaches of Dunkirk, Commander James Campbell Clouston organised the evacuation of more than 200,000 soldiers – only to be killed when his own boat was hit by German bombers.Now, although the Royal Navy officer's bravery has finally been recognised in the new acclaimed film about the 1940 battle, the pier-master in the movie does not use his real name – leaving his family bitterly disappointed. As families jet off for their summer holidays this weekend, the fees are likely to infuriate passengers already frustrated by having to pay for add-ons such as choosing their seats. Wizz Air, another low-cost airline, was this week forced to scrap a £9 fee for larger cabin bags following a backlash from 'confused' customers. Millions of young children’s lives are being put at risk because schools are not teaching them how to swim, a hard-hitting report has warned. One in 20 schools do not teach swimming at all, despite the subject being on the curriculum for more than 20 years.
