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Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

Varieties A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

As Birthrates Fall, Türkiye’s Government Steps In

Alarmed by the fact that Turkish women are having fewer children, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved to tackle falling birthrates -- "a threat greater…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Many pilgrims praise Saudi hospitality and warm welcome upon arrival - Asharq Al-Awsat

28 Saudi Chefs Serve Pilgrims Meals with Local Flavor

This year’s Hajj season was anything but ordinary for a group of 28 young Saudi chefs, whose childhood dreams and culinary talents found purpose in one of the…

Ibrahim al-Qurashi (Holy Sites)
Varieties A person holds up Labubu dolls in a store during an organized press tour to Popland, a theme park opened by Chinese toy company Pop Mart, in Beijing, China, 02 June 2025. (EPA)

Part Toy, Part Fashion, the Arrival of the Viral Labubu Was a Long Time in the Making

Labubu, the plush toy from China's Pop Mart is a social media darling, but the toothy little monsters are far from an overnight success. Having appeared a…

Varieties People walk along a pedestrian crossing at a shopping street Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP)

Japan Births in 2024 Fell Below 700,000 for First Time 

The number of births in Japan last year fell below 700,000 for the first time on record, government data showed Wednesday. The fast-ageing nation welcomed…


Varieties A grandfather talks to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi on June 4, 2025. (AFP)

Vietnam Scraps Two-Child Limit as Birth Rate Declines 

Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles…

Varieties A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. (Reuters)

Zimbabwe to Cull Elephants and Distribute Meat to People 

Zimbabwe will cull dozens of elephants and distribute the meat for consumption to ease the ballooning population of the animals, its wildlife authority said…

Varieties One of the three unexploded bombs from the Second World War is fenced off with screens as specialists prepare to defuse them in Cologne, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

Cologne Starts Its Biggest Evacuation Since 1945 To Defuse WWII Bombs 

More than 20,000 residents were being evacuated from part of Cologne's city center on Wednesday as specialists prepared to defuse three unexploded US bombs…

Varieties A researcher shows a sample of ocean-degradable plastic at the Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) of Japanese research institution Riken in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, Japan May 27, 2025. (Reuters) 

Scientists in Japan Develop Plastic that Dissolves in Seawater within Hours 

Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting…

Varieties  This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

Heavy smoke from intense wildfires in Canada has reached northwestern Europe, the European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday. The huge…

Varieties  A Portuguese official during a search operation in a vast area between the cities of Lagos and Praia da Luz for Madeleine McCann, in Lagos, Portugal, 03 June 2025. (EPA)

New Searches Underway in Portugal Near Where Madeleine McCann Disappeared in 2007

Police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann searched near an abandoned rural building in southern Portugal on Tuesday as they…

Varieties NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring - SPA

NEOM Nature Reserve Reintroduces Six Animal Species

As part of its bold rewilding strategy, NEOM has reintroduced more than 1,100 animals across six species to its expansive Nature Reserve—an important milestone…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP

Year after Exodus, Silence Fills Panama Island Threatened by Sea

Streets once filled with children's laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the threat of the sea…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Tourists Told to Heed Warnings after Etna Eruption 

Tourists have been told to check for warnings before climbing towards the summit of Italy's Mount Etna after an eruption sent hikers scurrying for safety. …

Varieties The Milky Way as seen from Bali. (AFP/Getty Images) 

How a New Planetarium Show Helped Scientists Unlock a Cosmic Secret 

Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system's many secrets from an unexpected source: a planetarium show opening to the public on Monday. At the…

Varieties A drone view shows cityscape in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2025 REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour

Saudi Arabia Takes Part in 64th COPUOS Legal Subcommittee Session in Vienna

Saudi Arabia, represented by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA), participated in the 64th session of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties  Smoke billows from Mount Etna volcano, Italy, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Sicily’s Mount Etna Erupts in a Fiery Show of Smoke and Ash Miles High

Sicily’s Mount Etna put on a fiery show Monday, sending a cloud of smoke and ash several kilometers (miles) into the air, but officials said the activity posed…

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Varieties German police said in June 2020 that McCann was assumed dead. (AFP)

German Police to Start New Search in Portugal Near Where Madeleine McCann Disappeared in 2007

German police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann are to carry out fresh searches near the Portuguese holiday resort she was…

Varieties This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers (167 miles) north of the city of Cairns. (AFP)

In a Hotter Future, What Comes After Coral Reefs Die? 

The fate of coral reefs has been written with a degree of certainty rare in climate science: at 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, most are expected to die…

Varieties This aerial view shows fish floating on the surface of the water during during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh, about 25 kilometers northeast of Najaf in central Iraq on June 1, 2025. (AFP)

Iraq Probes Fish Die-off in Southern Marshes 

Iraqi authorities on Monday launched a probe into a mass die-off of fish in the southern marshlands, the latest in a string of such events in recent years. …

Varieties A police officer checks documents of homeless people in Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport in Madrid, on May 28, 2025. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Homeless Seek Refuge at Madrid Airport as Rents Soar

Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A combination of coke with salted French fries could help hundreds of people with migraines (AFP) 

After Extolling Its Virtues on TikTok… Is Cola-Fries Combination Helping Migraine?

Migraine is a painful and disturbing condition that affects many people. So when a hack comes along that says it can “cure,” or at the very least fend off a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties By promoting thinness, strictly controlled diets and relentless exercise, social media can drive eating disorders. Loic VENANCE / AFP/File

How Social Media Can 'Trigger' Eating Disorders in Young People

Social media can push vulnerable young people towards developing eating disorders by glorifying thinness and promoting fake, dangerous advice about diet and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Smoke rises from the Nopiming Provincial Park wildfire EA061 east of Bird River, Manitoba, Canada May 29, 2025. (Manitoba Government/Handout via Reuters)

Thousands Evacuated in 3 Provinces as Canadian Wildfires Threaten Air Quality Into Some US States

More than 25,000 residents in three provinces have been evacuated as dozens of wildfires remained active Sunday and diminished air quality in parts of Canada…

Varieties The Chinese national flag is seen in Beijing, China April 29, 2020. (Reuters)

China’s Yunnan Hit with Floods, Mudslides from Intense Rains

Heavy rainfall triggering flash floods and mudslides have damaged roads, destroyed buildings and claimed bridges, wreaking havoc in China's southwestern Yunnan…

Varieties Thailand's Opal Suchata Chuangsri reacts after being crowned Miss World at the 72nd Miss World finale in Hyderabad, India, May 31, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Opal Suchata Chuangsri from Thailand Crowned Miss World 2025

Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand was crowned Miss World on Saturday in India, where the international pageant was held this year. Chuangsri topped a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims. - SPA

Kidana Completes 1st Phase of Double-Story Tent Project in Mina to Expand Hajj Capacity

Kidana Development Company, the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has successfully completed the first phase of its double…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Hailstones covered the ground and battered seafront businesses during the storm in Egypt's Alexandria © Hazem GOUDA / AFP

Sudden Hailstorm Lashes Egypt's Alexandria

An unseasonal rainstorm battered the Egyptian city of Alexandria on Saturday, flooding roads and damaging seafront businesses in the latest bout of erratic…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Competitors take part in the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Dragon Boats Thunder Through Hong Kong Waters to Mark Ancient Chinese Festival

Throngs of people flocked to southern Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the iconic dragon boat races, a highlight of a Chinese festival with over 2,000 years of…

Asharq Al Awsat