Five people were arrested on a Greek island Tuesday and charged with trying to smuggle nearly a hundred migrants into Europe on an unsafe vessel last week, using what appears to be a new direct sea route from crisis-afflicted Lebanon to Italy.

It was the second such incident in about a month involving a boat departing Lebanon. The more common sea route for asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa seeking a better life in Europe is from Turkey to Greece or Italy. But it has become less used amid increased vigilance by Greek and European Union border agencies.

Lebanon's prosecutor general decided a Syrian ship allegedly carrying Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia may leave a port in the country's north, officials said Tuesday. The move came after an investigation showed the vessel wasn't carrying stolen goods.

However, the Laodicea cannot immediately leave the port of Tripoli because a judge ordered Monday that it may not sail for 72 hours at the request of Ukrainian authorities. If the judge does not extend the order, the ship could sail in two days, a move likely to anger Ukraine.

When ash began to fall and his throat was burning from the smoke, Franklin Thom decided it was time to leave the city where he grew up on the edge of the national forest in California.

He made it to a shelter with his daughter and just his medicine, some clothes and his shower shoes. Unlike some others, he was told that he had escaped California's largest fire of the year with his home still standing.

When Karim Benzema went down in pain after getting hurt in a practice session during Real Madrid's preseason tour in the United States, it was understandable why his teammates and the coaching staff appeared concerned.

Madrid can't afford to lose Benzema, who was the team's best player last season and had a key role as the club won the Champions League and the Spanish league.

After a disappointing season that followed its first Spanish league title in nearly a decade, Atlético Madrid leads the list of challengers to traditional powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Just behind is Sevilla, which was constantly near the top of the standings last season. Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Real Betis are among the outsiders.

AC Milan started pre-season the same way it ended its title-winning campaign, with two goals from veteran forward Olivier Giroud.

The goals in the 2-1 victory at Cologne in a friendly counted for a lot less than the double against Sassuolo that clinched Milan the Serie A title 55 days earlier, but it was a good sign for Giroud and his teammates.

Always known as a great motivator, José Mourinho is also excelling as a pitchman in his latest coaching job at Roma.

When "Mou" calls, players come running to the Italian capital.

Hino Motors, a truck maker that's part of the Toyota group, systematically falsified emissions data dating back as far as 2003, according to the results of an investigation released Tuesday.

President Satoshi Ogiso bowed deeply at a hastily called news conference and apologized to customers and other stakeholders.

Drought and unusually hot weather have raised the salinity in Italy's largest delta, where the mighty Po River feeds into the Adriatic Sea south of Venice, and it's killing rice fields along with the shellfish that are a key ingredient in one of Italy's culinary specialties: spaghetti with clams.

At least one-third of the stock of prized double-valve clams raised in the Po Delta have died off. Plants along the banks of the Po River are wilting as they drink in water from increasingly salty aquifers and secondary waterways have dried up, shrinking amphibians and birds' wetland homes.

Sri Lankans who have endured months of fuel and food shortages are bracing for more pain as a newly installed government scrambles to find solutions to the Indian Ocean nation's economic emergency.

Like many others, fish monger Gamini Mallawarachchi says he is pinning his hopes on President Ranil Wickremesinghe 's ability to revive the economy and restore stability after months of turmoil and protests.