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The Antonov-12 operated by a Ukraine-based company was flying from Serbia to Jordan when it went down on Saturday. It was not immediately known how many people were on board and whether there were any survivors. Greece's ERT state broadcaster reported that the aircraft had been carrying a 12-tonne cargo, describing it as potentially dangerous. The pilot reportedly requested an emergency landing at Kavala airport due to an engine problem but was unable to reach the runway. Some reports say eight people may have been on board the aircraft. Footage has emerged purportedly showing the plane already on fire as it descended followed by a large explosion after it hits the ground. "At 22:45 (19:45 GMT) I was surprised by the s...

Saudi Arabia was always going to be the controversial stop on Joe Biden's first trip to the Middle East as US president. Just four weeks earlier, Mr Biden had said he wouldn't meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his visit here. As he settled into the White House during his first few weeks in the job, he refused to even speak to Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler. Mr Biden made the "pariah" comment on the US election campaign trail back in 2019. It came after the CIA concluded the crown prince had approved the brutal killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Istanbul consulate. Relations were frosty. Then came the announcement of the president's visit. The stage was set long before Air Force One roared Steve Madden Sho...

In northern Portugal, a pilot died when his waterbombing plane crashed in the Foz Coa area, near the Spanish border. Fires are ravaging areas of France's Gironde region, where more than 12,000 people have been evacuated. In southern Spain, near the Costa del Sol, about 2,300 people had to flee a wildfire spreading in the Mijas hills. Holidaymakers on the beach in Torremolinos saw big plumes of smoke rising in the hills, where several aircraft were tackling the blaze. Ashley Baker, a Briton who lives in Mijas in southern Spain, Hoka Shoes  told the BBC that the fire appeared more threatening on Friday, but since then the wind had blown it away from his area. Planes have been a dropping fire retardant substance, as helicopters shuttle to...

More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in the past few days. Dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain where temperatures have surged above 40C. At least 281 deaths in both countries were linked to the heat and several towns in western Spain were evacuated. Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain. The head of France's firefighters' federation has warned of the impact global warming is having on civil protection. "It's firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis - and these effects aren't in 2030, they're right now," said Grégory Allione. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last long...

Temperatures are expected to soar well above average with highs close to 30C (86F) on Monday. Met Éireann has also issued a yellow warning for high temperatures in the Republic of Ireland. The RNLI warned visitors to the seaside to take "extreme care". "The message is really simple this weekend is to respect the water if you do visit the coastline," the charity's head of water safety, Gareth Morrison, said. "The number one piece of advice if you are heading Oofos Outlet  to the coast this weekend is to visit a lifeguarded beach. "If you're bringing children or yourself to the water, the safest place you can possibly do that this weekend and into next week is at a lifeguarded beach, and I cannot emphasise enough that one simple action c...

With the jailing on Friday of one man for burglary at the home of ex-footballer Ashley Cole - in which he and his partner were bound with cable ties - how are wealthy homeowners fighting back to defend their homes? "We're in high demand that's for sure," says John Moore, who heads up Westminster Security, a private security firm protecting homes in affluent areas like Holland Park. The area of Kensington, where white stucco-fronted villas sell for millions, has become a "real hotbed of criminal activity", said Mr Moore. "It is namely high-end burglaries, the criminal gangs are very professional and they're travelling from overseas, targeting properties and getting out of the country quickly. "Literally every other night there is an incident.....