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UAE to Send 4 Astronauts to the International Space Station Within Five Years

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister and Dubai Ruler. Asharq Al-Awsat
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister and Dubai Ruler. Asharq Al-Awsat
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UAE to Send 4 Astronauts to the International Space Station Within Five Years

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister and Dubai Ruler. Asharq Al-Awsat
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister and Dubai Ruler. Asharq Al-Awsat

The UAE revealed on Wednesday its plan to send four astronauts into space within five years through a specialized program that prepares and trains young men and women to be sent on various assignments to the International Space Station.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister and Dubai Ruler said the Emirates Astronauts is the first program of its kind in the Arab world to select and train four Emirati astronauts and send them on various missions to the International Space Station.

The program aims to invite young women and men to join the program under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Center of space.

Sheikh Mohammed said: "On this day, a new chapter in our history begins with the launch of the first UAE Astronaut Programme, dedicated to sending four Emirati Astronauts into space.

"The people of the UAE will break new barriers; nothing can stand in the way of those who believe nothing is impossible," he added.

"Our ambitious goals are fuelled by dedicated people, who support us until, without hesitation or scepticism, we succeed"

Sheikh Mohammed called on all young UAE men and women to register for the UAE astronaut program through the program's official website.

"I invite young Emiratis to register for the UAE Astronaut Programme through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)."

Sheikh Mohammed said that the most competitive applicants will be chosen to be ambassadors for the UAE in space exploration.

"The most competitive applicants will be selected to be ambassadors for the UAE in space exploration. However, every single Emirati will contribute in his or her own way to the future of the UAE, whether it’s on land, or in the skies," he tweeted.

The UAE is investing in science programmes to help serve national interests in the future, actively participating in global space exploration, and exploring the prospects of human life in space, including the possibility of inhabiting other planets.

Finalists will go through training in theory and science, as well as specialty qualification courses, over several months and in accordance with the highest international standards and requirements.

The top students will be screened before four Emirati astronauts will be selected to form the UAE’s Astronaut Team.

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Varieties

Experts: Malnutrition Causes Unrecognized Type of Diabetes

A woman sits with her malnourished child as they wait for treatment at the emergency ward of Dikwa Primary Health Center, where children are stabilized for severe malnutrition, in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria, August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun
A woman sits with her malnourished child as they wait for treatment at the emergency ward of Dikwa Primary Health Center, where children are stabilized for severe malnutrition, in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria, August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun
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Experts: Malnutrition Causes Unrecognized Type of Diabetes

A woman sits with her malnourished child as they wait for treatment at the emergency ward of Dikwa Primary Health Center, where children are stabilized for severe malnutrition, in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria, August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun
A woman sits with her malnourished child as they wait for treatment at the emergency ward of Dikwa Primary Health Center, where children are stabilized for severe malnutrition, in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria, August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun

Malnutrition can cause its own form of diabetes, health experts said Thursday, calling for "type 5 diabetes" to be recognized globally to help fight the disease in countries already struggling with poverty and starvation.

The most common form of diabetes, type 2, can be caused by obesity and occurs when adults become resistant to the hormone insulin. Type 1, mostly diagnosed in childhood, arises when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin.

But diabetes researchers have been tracking another form of the disease, which often appears in people aged under 30. It also affects insulin production but is less severe than type 1.

And rather than being linked to being overweight or obese like type 2, it affects people who are underweight because they do not eat enough.

A paper published in medical journal The Lancet Global Health shows that more than 25 million people suffer from this "type 5 diabetes", mostly in developing countries.

"We call upon the international diabetes community to recognize this distinct form of the disease," the authors wrote, reflecting a consensus reached by the International Diabetes Federation earlier this year.

The experts settled on calling this form of diabetes type 5, though types 3 and 4 have not been officially recognized.

Diabetes driven by malnutrition is not a new discovery -- in the 1980s and 1990s, the World Health Organization classified a form of "malnutrition-related diabetes".

But the UN agency abandoned this classification in 1999 due to a lack of agreement among experts about whether undernourishment alone was enough to cause diabetes.

Since then, numerous studies in countries including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Uganda, Pakistan and Rwanda have indicated that this is possible.

The exact link between malnutrition and this strand of diabetes remains unknown. The efficacy of existing diabetes treatments that do not focus on weight loss on type 5 is also unclear.

The best way to fight the disease involves supporting programs already working to combat poverty and hunger, the authors of the paper said.

This includes giving people access to "low-cost, energy-dense staple foods high in protein and complex carbohydrates" such as lentils, legumes, oil-enriched cereals and fortified grains, they added.

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Riyadh Municipality Announces Development in Four Districts to Promote Livability

The project represents a qualitative step within a package of development initiatives. SPA
The project represents a qualitative step within a package of development initiatives. SPA
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Riyadh Municipality Announces Development in Four Districts to Promote Livability

The project represents a qualitative step within a package of development initiatives. SPA
The project represents a qualitative step within a package of development initiatives. SPA

The Riyadh Municipality announced the enhancement of central areas across four districts to promote livability and people-centered urban development, covering a length of 14.2 kilometers and a total area of 376,000 square meters, as part of projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the capital’s districts and enhancing the efficiency of urban infrastructure in line with residents' needs.

The project covers the districts of Al-Rawdah, with a length of 4.4 km and an area of 121,000 square meters; Al-Rawabi, with a length of 2.8 km and an area of 52,000 square meters; Al-Suwaidi Al-Gharbi, with a length of 3.5 km and an area of 127,000 square meters; and Al-Mughrizat, with a length of 3.5 km and an area of 76,000 square meters.

The project includes the construction of pedestrian pathways with a total length of 14 km, bicycle lanes exceeding 9 km, the planting of 480,000 trees and shrubs, providing multiple urban plazas, and preparing 4,000 parking spaces.

The project represents a qualitative step within a package of development initiatives aimed at transforming urban spaces into vibrant environments and enhancing recreational, social, and economic activities within districts. It seeks to raise the level of urban sustainability by improving the efficiency of space utilization and linking these areas to key destinations and essential services.

The developments reflect the municipality’s approach to improving the urban environment by upgrading public facilities, enhancing their functional and visual appeal, and providing integrated settings that support modern lifestyles for residents and visitors.

The project also aims to strengthen the balance between urban development and community needs, in line with the objectives of sustainability and innovation in urban planning.

Varieties

12-million-year-old Porpoise Fossil Found in Peru

A complete petrified skeleton of Lomacetus sp., an ancestor of modern porpoises dating back more than 10 million years, is unveiled at the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) in Lima on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP)
A complete petrified skeleton of Lomacetus sp., an ancestor of modern porpoises dating back more than 10 million years, is unveiled at the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) in Lima on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP)
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12-million-year-old Porpoise Fossil Found in Peru

A complete petrified skeleton of Lomacetus sp., an ancestor of modern porpoises dating back more than 10 million years, is unveiled at the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) in Lima on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP)
A complete petrified skeleton of Lomacetus sp., an ancestor of modern porpoises dating back more than 10 million years, is unveiled at the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) in Lima on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP)

Peruvian paleontologists on Wednesday unveiled the 12-million-year-old fossil of a prehistoric porpoise found near the country's Pacific coast.

The fossil, which measures 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) long, was found in July by Peruvian paleontologist Mario Urbina in the Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometers (217 miles) south of the capital Lima, AFP reported.

Presenting his find at the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute in Lima, Urbina said it was a rare specimen of a porpoise from the Pisco geological formation, noted for its well-preserved marine fossils.

Another paleontologist, Mario Gamarra, said the relic's excellent condition would allow scientists new avenues for studying the prehistoric marine mammal: "how it moved, how it swam, what it ate and for how long it lived."

The Ocucaje desert is a paradise for fossil hunters.

The skeletons of four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks, and other species from the Miocene period (between five million and 23 million years ago) have all been discovered in the area.