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Middle East crisis  Israel-Huthi
Report: Israel attacks Yemeni capital

Israel has carried out an attack on Yemeni capital Sanaa, Reuters reports, citing the Houthi-controlled Masirah TV channel.

Rockets reportedly landed near the presidential complex and several launch pads, residents in the area told Reuters.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have attacked Israel on several occasions since the war in Gaza began.

Putin's Russia
Kremlin attracts tourists with Arabic-speaking influencers

The number of tourist trips to Russia from one of the Gulf states has quadrupled since 2019, the Financial Times reports.

The region is particularly important for Russia due to sanctions from the West, and Russia has attracted visitors by sponsoring Arabic-speaking influencers who show off their visits on TikTok and Instagram.

- The prices and marketing made me go, says 27-year-old Aqeel al-Dejani from Saudi Arabia.

The increase is particularly evident in the case of tourists from Saudi Arabia, and tourism has become important in the attempts to strengthen diplomatic relations between the countries. 

The situation in North Korea
Russian tourist in North Korea: “They looked at us with surprise”

Russian Anastasia Samsonova, 33, was one of the first foreign travelers to visit the new tourist resort of Wonsan-Kalma in North Korea. In an interview with the BBC, she talks about the experience.

She was allowed to travel in a group of 14 people who were constantly monitored by guards and guides. They were not allowed to deviate from their carefully planned schedule. The reason was that the North Koreans who live there “would not be shocked.”

“When we walked down the street, the North Koreans looked at us with great surprise because the country has been closed for a very long time,” says Samsonova.

But despite all the restrictions, Samsonova enjoyed a vacation “without people” and clean beaches. 

Extreme weather in Europe
Heatwave “most intense ever recorded”

The heatwave in Spain in August is the “most intense” ever recorded in the country, the meteorological agency AEMET said, according to The Guardian.

The preliminary figures for the period 3-18 August are higher than the previous record set in July 2022. The average temperature was 4.6 degrees Celsius higher than during other periods of extreme heat.

The agency’s figures for heatwaves go back to 1975, and since then 77 heatwaves have been recorded. Six have been at least 4 degrees above average, and five of these have occurred since 2019.

The heatwave is believed to have worsened the country’s drought, fueling this summer’s forest fires.