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 parallel 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. So far this year, a total of nine EMT vehicles have burst into flames, with two of these incidents taking place last week. 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. Hans-Olaf Henkel, the vice chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, urged the UK “not to listen” to Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator. .. Mr Henkel raised specific concerns about the UK Government’s plan to withdraw from the Euratom nuclear regulator which critics fear could make it difficult for Britain to access radioactive material for medical treatments post-Brexit. 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. Frans Timmermans, the Commission’s first-vice president, said the executive was prepared to take the so-called nuclear option of triggering Article 7 of the EU’s treaties. In the UK New petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2040 to improve air quality. The crackdown could also see the introduction of levies on busy roads for owners of the most polluting vehicles.And hopes of a major scrappage scheme to help those who were encouraged to buy diesels appear to have been dashed. The BBC pay row deepened last night after it admitted some of its richest stars use a potential tax dodge. The high-profile presenters have their salaries routed through personal service companies so they can avoid income tax.The corporation refused to say which individuals benefit from the cosy deals, which it supposedly banned five years ago. BBC chiefs have been under siege since obeying a government order to name their 96 staff who earn more than the Prime Minister’s £150,000 salary. Princes William and Harry had not seen their mother for almost a month before her death, they have revealed in a documentary about Diana’s life. Her divorce from Prince Charles meant the boys were ‘bounced’ between their parents, losing out on time with both of them, Harry said. She died the day before they were due to be reunited. In the film, which airs tonight, the princes lavished praise on their mother and her ability to ‘smother’ them with love. 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.Guy Anker, from finance website Moneysavingexpert. com, said: ‘Gone are the days when passengers pay the headline price for a flight. I think people will be quite rightly annoyed by this. 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. Almost a third of pupils are leaving primary school with no skills in the water because teachers are focusing on subjects which are graded by inspectors. Many more have insufficient ability to get themselves out of trouble according to parents of pupils in Year 6 (their last year at primary school), two-thirds of whom fear their children could not save themselves without help.One in 20 schools do not teach swimming at all, despite the subject being on the curriculum for more than 20 years.
