Spain/ Mass car graveyard in Catarroja shows scale of Spain's devastating floods
A mass car graveyard in Catarroja in Spain's eastern Valencia region provides a stark reminder of the scale of October's devastating floods.
There are many such makeshift cemeteries throughout Valencia where wrecked cars must be stored, waiting to be picked up and removed.
In some parts of the region, sports fields were pressed into service to store vehicles caked in mud to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
But while many of these vehicles will never be roadworthy again, what remains of them still poses a danger.
"The risk is that a battery will explode and catch fire with the fuel still in the car," said another man.
The catastrophic floods, which hit eastern Spain the most, began on October 29 when torrential rain hit parts of Valencia, with some areas receiving a year's worth of rain in just eight hours.
At least 224 people have been confirmed dead and seven are still reported missing.
London/ David Lammy and Jean-Noël Barrot warn of the danger of the attempt to 'Putinize' the world
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has met his British counterpart David Lammy for talks in London against a backdrop of what Lammy called "difficult geopolitical times".
"We have very important discussions," Lammy said.
"We've already had a lot to talk about - Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and beyond and I look forward to continuing those discussions today."
Lammy hosted Barrot at Carlton Gardens, which was the seat of the Free French government in exile between 1940-1944.
They warned of the consequences of what they called an attempt to 'Putinize' the world as the war in Ukraine spreads beyond Europe.
They criticized the "illegal and intolerable" occupation of Ukraine and accused the Russian leader of trying to "rewrite the international order".
Both France and the UK have been staunch supporters of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion, providing billions of euros in military and humanitarian aid to Kiev.
Romania/ Romanians abroad start voting ahead of Sunday's presidential election
Romanian citizens living abroad have started voting ahead of Sunday's presidential election.
147 polling stations have been set up in locations across Spain, which opened at midday on Friday.
Two are at the Romanian consulate in the capital Madrid, where voters lined up before the building opened.
"I want the new president to be a man of integrity and be for the people, not for the mafia," said a man waiting in line to vote.
Meanwhile, 67 polling stations will be open across France, including an additional location in the Principality of Monaco.
Italy/ Four Italian soldiers were injured in Hezbollah attacks on the UN peacekeeping base in Lebanon
Four Italian soldiers were wounded on Friday at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon after the base was hit by rockets allegedly fired by the militant group Hezbollah or its affiliates.
Italian soldiers were slightly wounded when two 122 mm high-explosive rockets hit the UN mission's base in Shama in southern Lebanon, Italy's Defense Ministry said.
According to initial reports, the rockets hit parts of the UNIFIL premises and where the blue helmets were sheltering after alert level 3 was activated.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the attack as 'unacceptable' and expressed sympathy for the officers and their families.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed Meloni's words. "Just as we told Israel to pay close attention, we tell Hezbollah just as strongly that the Italian army cannot be touched," Tajani said.
Earlier on Friday, a spokesman for the mission known as UNIFIL, Andrea Tenenti, said UNIFIL was monitoring "heavy clashes" between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters in various areas in southern Lebanon, including the coastal town of Naqoura and the village Chamaa in the northeast.
