BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – As wildfires rage in France and Spain and a renewed heat wave is bearing down on Western Europe, a prolonged drought half a continent away is setting record low water levels on one of Europe’s largest rivers, disrupting tourism and industry and confronting residents with the realities of climate change.

BUTHA-BUTHE, Lesotho (AP) – One may not expect thousands to flock each winter to Lesotho but for many ski enthusiasts from across southern Africa, the small, landlocked mountain kingdom has become the go-to place in recent years.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries.

HONG KONG (AP) – When former Macao pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San was arrested in July 2025, his family and observers of the politics in the Chinese special administrative region were shocked. A year on, little is known about his case even by his daughter.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported a record operating profit of 89.5 trillion won ($62 billion) for the April-June period, a day after crosstown rival SK Hynix also reported record earnings, as the world’s two largest memory chipmakers continue to ride the global artificial intelligence boom.

METAIRIE, La. (AP) – New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee left the opening practice of training camp with a non-contact knee injury that “doesn’t look good,” coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday night.

Today in History – Major Events on This Day

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Puka Nacua says he never considered holding out of training camp as he enters the final year of his rookie contract with the Los Angeles Rams.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – The townspeople of St. Mary’s can breathe a sigh of relief. They are finally getting rid of the foul smell of rotten fish that has for years – when the wind blows their way – wafted over their tiny community in Canada ‘s easternmost province.

HAVANA (AP) – In an effort to fend off a mounting humanitarian crisis, Cuba on Wednesday eased up on longtime restrictions on private vendors and imports, opening up a sector firmly controlled by the Communist-led government.