AGUADILLA / AP The sun had just risen along Puerto Rico’s northwest coast when Paul Schmidt hopped off his surfboard and emerged from the water at Wilderness Beach, ending another session at a remote area that draws surfers from around the world looking for the next big wave. That day, he and only about 20 fellow surfers shared waves …

  Frankfurt / DPA Russian tsars and Polish princes once hunted in the forest of Bialowieza, which stretches over a huge area now divided by the Poland-Belarus border. This primeval forest, prized for the variety of its wildlife, came to the attention of nature conservationists in the 20th century. In 1979 the national park on the Polish side of the …

    DUBAI / WAM Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced plans to build 97 new 132/11 kilovolt (kV) substations over the next three years, at a projected cost of AED 10 billion. “This supports the directives of the wise leadership, and shows DEWA’s commitment to meeting growing demand for energy in Dubai,” the authority said, adding that the …