The period between January and June this year was the driest in England since 1976, the Met Office has said.

With water levels running low, the National Drought Group met on Tuesday to discuss how to cope with conditions.

The group stopped short of declaring a drought but water companies have been putting the early stages of their drought plans into action by urging people to save water.

It comes after the UK’s record temperature was broken last week.

Conditions have been particularly dry in the south-east of England with the west, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland seeing lower temperatures and more rainfall.

Officials from bodies including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency, the National Farmers’ Union and the Country Land and Business Association have met with water companies to discuss how to protect supplies.

Margat, also known as Marqab, is a castle that served as a fortress during the religious Crusade wars, located near the city of Baniyas in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Being one of the largest medieval castles in the world, the first fortification to be raised at the hilltop where the castle is at the moment, was built during the First Crusade in 1062 by the natives who were living on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

At a height of some 360 meters (1,180 feet) above sea level, the fortress was expanded in 12th and 13th centuries, when the land was ruled by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, most commonly referred to as the Knights Hospitaller.

Big advantage to Margat was its location which was used as a defensive feature, otherwise known as spur fortification, nonetheless, there are many typical elements of a concentric castle, which in fact means that has two concentric curtain walls.

To enter the castle, there is a bent entrance that leads through the base of a gate tower, and a very notable feature is the large circular tower, often called as donjon, which stands at the southern end of the castle.

Standing atop of an extinct volcano, Margat has survived waves of offensives starting from the Emir of Aleppo (Malik a- Daher) in 1204, to the Turkoman Emir (Saif al Din Balban) in 1280.

Due to the lack of “volunteers” from Europe made the fortress succumb to the bombardment and undermining of Qalaun in 1285.

That is when the Crusaders were surrounded and defeated, which at the time, it was allowed to them to flee to Tartus and Tripoli, which was the beginning of the end for the Crusaders in the region.

Having in mind the extensive damages the fortress had throughout the centuries, the castle was not taken care of up until 2007, when some reconstruction and renovation began.

Anyhow, with the beginning of the Syrian Civil War that is still going on since 2011, it is unclear whether Margat has been reconstructed fully, or just partially with hope that it will wait for a more peaceful time, so that it will see again the glory it once had.

Until then, this unusually colored fortress shall speak about the infamous history, as it is to some, and glorious history as it is to others, hoping that once again there will be visitors who would like to walk inside the remains of the walls, or to wonder in the deserted halls that are taking back in time every single person.

A more sustainable airship called Airlander is gearing up for full-scale production, with the first commercial flights planned for 2026.

An airship is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power.

Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.

A pioneering drone lifeguard service rolled out across Spanish beaches saved the life of a 14-year-old boy this month as he struggled against a powerful tide off a beach in Valencia, its operators said.

Footage captured by the drone shows the boy struggling to stay afloat and grabbing the life vest.

He can be seen wearing the life vest as a baywatch boat arrives at the spot to rescue him.

After being rescued, the boy was sent to a local hospital after being supplied with oxygen and was sent home 24 hours later.

Nearly a century after a seaside property was seized from its Black owners, the deed to Bruce’s Beach has been formally returned to the heirs of Willa and Charles Bruce.

Earlier this week, Anthony Bruce—the great-great-grandson of the original Manhattan Beach land owners—was presented with an official deed marking the transfer of land by Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.

the event was the final step in transferring Bruce’s Beach from Los Angeles County back into the hands of the family heirs.

“This transfer will allow the Bruce family to realize generational wealth, which they have been denied for generations simply because they were black in America,” said State Sen. Steven Bradford, who authored the state bill that allowed the land to be transferred back to the Bruce family.

Speaking at the ceremony where he was presented with the deed, he said: “Thank you so much. Without God, we would not be here today. And finally, most importantly, thank you all.”

The county will continue to use the land as per a 24-month lease agreement at a cost of $413,000 annually.

The county will also take care of operation and maintenance costs. The agreement includes a clause that allows the county to purchase the land at a later date for $20 million.