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Portugal Closes All Schools and Non-Essential Services Ahead of a Major Atlantic Storm

Varieties Heavy machinery clears the debris from a landslide along the Marocos road in Machico municipality, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, due to severe weather caused by the passage of Storm Charles, 11 November 2026. (EPA)

Portugal Closes All Schools and Non-Essential Services Ahead of a Major Atlantic Storm

Portugal closed all schools and shuttered non-essential public services on Wednesday as a major Atlantic storm headed for the country's mainland. Streets…

Varieties The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. (Getty Images)

Once the World's Fastest, Ocean Liner Will Become Largest Artificial Reef

An ocean liner that is longer than the Titanic and was once the fastest on the seas is headed to a final home on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico as the world's…

Varieties Celine Dion. (AFP)

Medical Breakthrough for People with Same Disorder as Celine Dion

People suffering from stiff person syndrome (SPS), which affects Celine Dion, the singer, could soon benefit from a new medicine which improves symptoms. …

Varieties View of a flooded area after storm Leo passed by Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, February 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Portugal Storm Alert Closes Schools

Portugal will shut schools and non-essential public services on Wednesday, with the government urging people to shelter from winds potentially reaching 140…

Varieties British author John Harrison poses after winning the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel "The End of Everything" at the awards ceremony in London, Britain, 09 November 2026. (EPA)

British Writer John Harrison Wins 2026 Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’

British author ‌John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel, "The End of Everything," a dystopian satire that the prize says probes the…


Varieties Staff members and guests react as they watch the progress of Moon landing of Resilience, a Moon lander built by Japan-based startup ispace, during a live event in Tokyo, Japan, early 06 June 2025. (EPA)

Japan’s ispace Fails Again: Resilience Lander Crashes on Moon

Japanese company ispace said its uncrewed moon lander likely crashed onto the lunar surface during its touchdown attempt on Friday, marking another failure two…

Varieties This handout photo from NASA shows images from NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover at its new home in Jezero Crater on February 21, 2021, after touching down on the planet several days earlier. Handout / NASA/JPL-CALTECH/AFP/File

The Promise and Peril of a Crewed Mars Mission

A crewed mission to Mars would rank among the most complex and costly undertakings in human history -- and US President Donald Trump has vowed to make it a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A woman shops for cuts of meat from a butcher at the weekly market in Khemisset in the Rabat region, about 100 kilometres east of the Moroccan capital, on June 3, 2025 amidst preparations ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

Morocco Celebrates Sheepless Eid as Drought Persists

As Eid al-Adha came, Fatima Kharraz can't seem to find the usual sense of celebration after King Mohammed VI decided to cancel the traditional animal sacrifice…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khemisset)
Varieties A de-horned rhino grazes in South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Cutting Off Rhinos' Horns is a Contentious Last Resort to Stop Poaching. New Study Found it Works

Cutting off the horns of sedated rhinos with a chainsaw has been viewed by wildlife conservationists in Africa for more than 30 years as a necessary evil to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Marks World Environment Day, Urges Global Action on Plastic Pollution

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture reiterated on Thursday the Kingdom's unwavering commitment to environmental protection, the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
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…

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…