MADRID Spanish startup PLD Space has signed an agreement with France's Arianespace to develop joint services to launch

The Tennesse car crash involving four vehicles in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s motorcade has revealed that his campaign has misused government vehicles by using cars owned by the state of Florida in his presidential run, a report claims. The crash that took place on Tuesday as the campaign team was travelling to fundraisers in three cities in the state shows how the campaign is using state resources, but it remains almost impossible to discover who’s funding it after a new law passed by the Florida legislature to shield Mr DeSantis’s travel records from the public, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The research director for nonprofit government watchdog Integrity Florida, Ben Wilcox, told the paper: “The legislature has enabled him to hide his travel records so we don’t know and have no way to hold him accountable if he is using state resources in his campaign or if that is even the case”. Orlando Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani told the paper that “It’s absurd that he’s using public resources and public infrastructure to campaign. He’s using state resources to boost himself politically”. The crash took place as the campaign was heading to a fundraiser when an accident further ahead caused traffic to slow down. A Tennessee Highway Patrol officer heading the motorcade stopped short, and the cars behind the officer rear-ended each other, according to Chattanooga Police. “If the accident hadn’t been reported, we wouldn’t have known otherwise about the use of state vehicles,” Ms Eskamani added. “It makes you wonder how often state vehicles and public employees are being used at out-of-state campaign events.” One DeSantis staffer was treated on the scene of the crash for minor injuries. There were no further injuries, police said. Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents were also involved in the accident. Police said all the vehicles in the crash were government-owned. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger told the paper: “We’ve never answered questions about our protective operations assets (number of agents used, vehicles etc.)” The federal campaign finance report filed on 15 July covering the three months leading up to 30 June doesn’t include any payments to FDLE for travel or security. The report states that $76,256 were spent on private security. The DeSantis campaign has recently been in the news for spending large amounts without much to show for it, and recently laying off 38 people – a third of the campaign staff. Travel and staffing appear to be large expenses for the campaign as Mr DeSantis has been reported to be travelling with a larger group of staffers compared to other candidates. The campaign had raised $20m as of 30 June and they had spent $8.2m – more than a million on payroll and almost as much on travel – $896,000. Mr DeSantis is reported to prefer to fly in private jets provided by a number of top donors, the Sentinel notes. Since the start of his gubernatorial re-election campaign last year, there have been questions about whose private jets he’s using and if they’re reported as in-kind contributions or gifts. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a sitting governor run for [president],” Mr Wilcox told the paper. The director of public access for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, Michael Barfield, told the paper that “at the end of the day, taxpayers don’t know what their money is being spent on”. He added that the group is considering its next legal steps. “We’re questioning the validity of the exemption,” Mr Barfield said. “We don’t think it meets a public purpose, so we will brainstorm about potential legal action.” Ms Eskamani said the legislature could repeal the public records exemption, but that “It would take a political will that doesn’t exist, even for something as nonpartisan as access to travel records”. The Independent has reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment. Read More A new challenger has emerged to Trump – and his extreme anti-woke message is working DeSantis cornered on his Bud Light boycott after threatening legal action over stock drop Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Disney’s efforts to neutralize governing district takeover Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Disney’s efforts to neutralize governing district takeover DeSantis questioned about his Bud Light boycott after complaining about stock drop Trump calls additional charges in Jack Smith’s superseding indictment ‘harassment’

The US State Department is preparing to officially designate the military takeover in Niger as a coup d'etat as soon as next week, three US officials told CNN, a decision which could have dramatic implications on the ability of the US to work with a crucial counter-terrorism partner in the region.

Ruoning Yin wasn't feel very good about her game before she teed off in the CME Group Tour Championship

Uncle Albert was a key part of the success of the timeless comedy Only Fools and Horses for years, but people are only just releasing how ripped he is. Only fools and horses work out, it seems… Buster Merryfield played the part of Rodney and Del Boy’s uncle on the hit show from series four onwards, replacing the late Lennard Pearce who played Grandad. His character was known for living an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking as he regaled Rodney and Del Boy with tall tales from his time in the Navy. But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth, as Merryfield was the model of health off-camera. He spoke back in 1997 revealing that he’d never smoked or drank in his life, and use to be a successful boxer in his youth. Merryfield was a keen exerciser too, swimming regularly well into his 70s. The last episode may have aired back in 2003, but people are only just appreciating how jacked Uncle Albert was in the show. A Twitter/X user shared a pair of screengrabs from the series, adding the caption: “Is it just me or is Uncle Albert f***ing hench?” The post sparked a big reaction from fans of the show, with one joking: “Well he did used to box in the Navy.” Another vibed: “This is the standard old man build for Peckham, only way to have survived it back then. Hit the weights or get weighed in.” "Buster Merryfield was a unit mate... Had great shape, you wouldn't want to receive a real life 'Trotter's Trembler',” another commented. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Draymond Green was ejected from the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday under unusual circumstances.

Ohio State fans react to losing the number one spot in the CFP rankings to Georgia, even after blowing out a bad Michigan State team.

Marques Kelvin Potts is currently charged with felony murder for the July 29 death of Melissa Fowler

Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj did not collaborate for the song but fans could not get over how great the AI-generated version sounded

Taijuan Walker threw 6 2/3 solid innings and became the first pitcher in the major leagues with 12 wins as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 4-2 in the opener of their four-game series

One of Wall Street’s most bearish strategists said US equities are facing a wall of worry, which could

Developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific are set to see slower growth this year and next