The Book of Genesis describes Eden as a paradise watered by a single river that split into four: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. While the Tigris and Euphrates are well-known rivers in modern-day Iraq, the Pishon and Gihon have long been lost to history, until now. The dry riverbed, called Wadi al-Batin, stretches from the western highlands of Hejaz near Medina northeast to the northern Persian Gulf near Kuwait.
Few competitions in the world have the capacity to turn wine into water quicker than the Six Nations. Only a few days ago players, coaches and fans of Ireland, Scotland and Wales were poring over the championship fixture list with their customary annual relish. Now, after just one round, they are having to deal with the most sobering Celtic wakeup call for more than a quarter of a century. Take your pick from the following trio of chastening outcomes.
For days, the 25,000 residents of the Sicilian town of Niscemi have been living on the edge of a 25-metre abyss. On 25 January, after torrential rain brought by Cyclone Harry, a devastating landslide ripped away an entire slope of the town, creating a 4km-long chasm. Roads collapsed, cars were swallowed, and whole sections of the urban fabric plunged into the valley below.
Most of the residency paths that still work for Americans fall into two buckets: you don't need a local job, or you already have income from elsewhere. Europe is fine with you being here, as long as you're not about to become a public expense. That's the quiet rule underneath all the glossy expat stories. The bar is not "Do you love the culture." The bar is Can you support yourself, prove it on paper, and keep proving it later.
Former justice minister Alan Shatter said he has been the target of a vicious and antisemitic smear campaign since Social Democrats justice spokesman Gary Gannon put up a social media post that linked him with Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Shatter, who was Fine Gael's justice minister from 2011 to 2014, said he has twice written to Mr Gannon and Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns in the last week seeking the withdrawal of false claims that he met Epstein while in office.
"Many of my first-time visitors naturally wish to see the world-famous landmarks like the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Pantheon," Dino Margiotta, a licensed tour guide, a Ph.D. in history, and a ToursByLocals Golden Guide 2025 "Lifetime Achievement" winner, tells Travel + Leisure. "While these are undoubtedly iconic, they are also among the most crowded places in the city. Yet, just a short distance away, it is possible to discover the true essence of the Eternal City and immerse yourself in centuries of history."
Portugal votes on Sunday in a second-round presidential election to pick a successor to conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for the largely ceremonial figurehead position. Polls will open at 8 a.m. local time/UTC/GMT on the mainland for about 11 million eligible voters to cast their ballots in a historic runoff the first in 40 years and only the second since democracy was restored in 1974.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of England's pursuit of the triple crown while Steve Borthwick has concerns over the fitness of Ellis Genge for the Calcutta Cup on Saturday. Feyi-Waboso pulled out of the 48-7 victory against Wales after sustaining a hamstring injury in training last Friday and was replaced by Tom Roebuck. According to Borthwick, the Exeter winger will be out for a number of weeks, ensuring he misses the trip to Murrayfield and the visit of Ireland to Twickenham a week later.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has vowed that he will lead Fianna Fáil into the next general election, and insisted he won't be stepping down as leader when Simon Harris becomes taoiseach next year. After a turbulent year for his party, Mr Martin appears to have warded off any threats of a heave against him, following a disastrous presidential election campaign in which his chosen candidate, Jim Gavin, withdrew from the race.
It is pre-dawn in the historic Podil district of the Ukraine capital, Kyiv, and warm light from the Spelta bakery-bistro's window pierces the darkness outside. On a wooden surface dusted with flour, the baker Oleksandr Kutsenko skilfully divides and shapes soft, damp pieces of dough. As he shoves the first loaves into the oven, a sweet, delicate aroma of fresh bread fills the space.
Germany and the European Union must fundamentally rethink their relationship with the United States, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) advocates, as President Donald Trump's approach to international affairs raises doubts about the US's reliability as a partner and ally. The SPD, the junior coalition member in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government, argues in a policy paper set to be adopted by the party executive board that Germany must carry out a realistic reassessment of the trans-Atlantic relationship.
Ukrainian officials said at least three people were killed in overnight Russian strikes that targeted residential buildings in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. The February 8 attacks included heavy "glide" bombs, officials said, weapons that Russia has used to devastate both Ukrainian frontline positions as well as residential areas. Nearly 20 people were injured in the early morning attacks, the National Police said. In total, Russia fired more than 400 drones and missile at locations across the country, President Volodymy Zelenskyy said.
Salvini, leader of the far-right League party and a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government, said he was "closely monitoring the situation". "The serious incidents of sabotage that occurred this morning near Bologna train station and in Pesaro, causing significant disruption to thousands of travellers, are worrying," he said in a statement. He noted the rail sabotage that paralysed France's high-speed train network hours ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony in July 2024.
"My mother and sisters were killed on that day. For 26 years, I have not known where their bodies are buried. Every time I see a pit, I think they might be lying there," Gashi says. For more than two decades, he has been haunted by the feeling that the truth could lie right beneath his feet, but remains out of reach.
Weather alerts were lifted for 13 counties yesterday, but emergency services stressed that the flooding threat will not ease for a number of days. The levels of the Rivers Liffey, Slaney, Nore, Suir, Barrow and Blackwater remain high, with pressure mounting on ESB to sanction releases from major reservoirs including Poulaphouca, which are near capacity and potentially adding to the flooding challenge.
