Sun-soaked beaches, legendary nightlife, and now the official title of Europe’s most LGBTQ+ inclusive country—Spain has claimed the crown.
According to ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Map, which ranks 49 European countries on LGBTQ+ rights and protections, Spain has taken the number one spot for the first time, ending Malta’s decade-long run at the top.
For anyone who’s wandered Madrid’s Chueca or Barcelona’s Gaixample, the news probably feels inevitable.
Spain legalized same-sex marriage back in 2005, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. Every summer, Madrid hosts one of the world’s largest Pride celebrations, attracting more than 1.5 million people, while the city itself is home to many LGBTQ+ residents.
As one traveler famously put it: “In Chueca, it’s not gay-friendly—it’s hetero-friendly.”
— @MovieStrictly Jul 4, 2026
Day: July 3, 2026
During the Cold War, the CIA used gutted rats as dead drops-places to hide messages, money, and film to be passed to agents. The rats were doused with pepper sauce to deter scavenging cats. spymuseum.org/exhibition-exp… #cia #deaddrop #spycraft
— @Robert4787 Jul 4, 2026
Russia looks to students to make up for mounting losses in Ukraine bbc.in/3QUsTkM
— @BBCWorld Jul 3, 2026
James Jesus Angleton retired in 1975 as the head of counter intelligence at the CIA. For more than 50 years, he was one of America’s top counter spies. #CIA
Interview 18/11/1976
Video
— @CaptureMICE Jul 3, 2026
⚡️Russia’s mass missile attacks on Ukraine ‘must continue,’ Putin says.
“(M)assive, coordinated strikes against the infrastructure of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex … must continue.”
kyivindependent.com/russias-…— @KyivIndependent Jul 3, 2026
Ukraine says its long-range drone campaign has reached a new scale, with deep strikes inside Russia increasing by 1,150% since the start of 2026, according to the Unmanned Systems Forces.
In June alone, Ukrainian drone units carried out 2,359 deep-strike missions targeting sites 500–2,000 km behind the front line, hitting 172 military-industrial and energy facilities.
The military says its operations are now focused on Russia’s defense industry, oil refineries, logistics hubs, ammunition depots, and command infrastructure, alongside continued pressure on occupied Crimea.
Officials say the aim is to reduce Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort by hitting production and supply systems far from the battlefield.
“The facts speak for themselves: in 2026, our drones have brought the painful effects of war onto the occupier’s territory. There is no longer a peaceful rear across the European part of Russia,” Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi said.
🔗Read more: euromaidanpress.com/2026/07/…
— @EuromaidanPress Jul 3, 2026
‘The Iranian regime’s oligarchic clans are at war with each other. But this fight is not over ideology or the future direction of the Islamic Republic’
‘They are competing to protect and advance their power and economic interests amid the vacuum that emerged after the elimination of Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, who had operated as the godfather of these clans’
@KasraAarabi and Saeid Golkar argue why ‘this conflict may soon spiral beyond control’ 👇
telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07…— @Telegraph Jul 3, 2026
Pavlichenko’s story shows how one trained, determined person can shape a battlefield. Snipers are not just shooters. They gather intelligence, slow enemy movement, break morale, and make commanders think twice before exposing their troops.
businessinsider.com/lyudmila…— @Robert4787 Jul 3, 2026
Adrenaline-seeking Russian couple behind viral extreme climb in New York City | Caliber.Az caliber.az/en/post/adrenalin…
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Jul 3, 2026
Acting DNI Pulte fires dozens of intelligence officials: MS Now cnbc.com/2026/07/03/acting-d…
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Jul 3, 2026