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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 The procedure was carried out by a dedicated team of 36 consultants and specialists from multiple disciplines. SPA

Saudi Medical Team Separates Conjoined Twins in Groundbreaking 15-Hour Surgery

The medical and surgical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program successfully separated on Wednesday Eritrean twins Asma and Someya, who were joined at the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties This handout photo taken on March 29, 2025 and released on May 15, 2025 by OzFish shows a dead ornate cowfish washed ashore at Victor Harbor in South Australia. (Photo by Brad MARTIN / OZFISH / AFP)

Toxic Algae Killing Marine Life Off Australian Coast

A vast bloom of toxic algae is killing more than 200 species of marine life off the southern coast of Australia, scientists and conservation groups say. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Swimming in the Seine is seen as a key legacy of the Games. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP

Paris to Allow Swimming in Seine from July in Olympic Legacy

Remember the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics? The fortnight of intense and memorable sporting competition against the background of iconic landmarks amid…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The partnership combines the Smithsonian Institution's extensive scientific expertise with the breeding program for the Arabian leopard overseen by the commission. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s RCU, Arabian Leopard Fund Partner with Smithsonian to Protect Arabian Leopard

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the Arabian Leopard Fund announced a strategic partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo and…

Asharq Al Awsat (AlUla)
Varieties FILE - A view of Marseille, France, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Lightning at a Zoo in France Leaves Woman in Critical Condition

A lightning strike at a zoo in southern France on Wednesday left a German woman in critical condition, a fire service said. The Bouches-du-Rhone region fire…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties This photo provided by R.B. Toth Associates shows researchers using imaging technology on a copy of the Magna Carta from 1300 to reveal details that are not visible to the human eye on March 19, 2024, at the Weissman Preservation Center at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (R.B. Toth Associates via AP)

Harvard Thought it Had Cheap Copy of Magna Carta. It Turned Out to be Extremely Rare

Harvard University for decades assumed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta in its collection, a stained and faded document it had purchased for less than …

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Power Generation Loss in Spain’s Blackout Started in Granada, Badajoz, Seville 

An abrupt power generation loss that led to a massive grid disruption and blackout in Spain and Portugal on April 28 started in the southern areas of Spain…

Varieties The Okanogan County Search and Rescue team responds to a climbing accident in the North Cascades mountains in Washington on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Okanogan County Sheriff's Office via AP)

3 Climbers Fell 400 Feet to their Death. One climber Survived and Drove to Pay Phone

A rock climber who fell hundreds of feet descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties This undated image provided by the World Food Prize, shows Dr. Mariangela Hungria. (Antonio Neto/World Food Prize via AP)

Food Grown with Fewer Chemicals? A Brazilian Scientist Wins $500,000 for Showing the Way 

A Brazilian scientist who pushed back against chemical fertilizers and researched biologically based approaches to more robust food production has been honored…

Varieties Pope Leo XIV leaves the Augustinian General House in Rome after a visit, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)

Pope Leo XIV Is Back on Social Media, with a Message of Peace 

Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world…

Varieties A general view of the snowcapped Himalayan mountain range as pictured from the border town of Poonch in India's Jammu region on May 11, 2025. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)

The Himalayas Getting Harder to See Due to Severe Pollution

Navin Singh Khadka grew up in Nepal's capital watching the Himalayas. Ever since he left, he has missed sweeping, panoramic views of some of the highest…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Varieties According to KAUST, the study serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. SPA

KAUST Study: More Large Mammals Roamed Arabian Peninsula than Previously Thought

A new study by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), published in the Journal of Biogeography, has identified 15 large…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Varieties Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)

Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky 

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a massive grey plume of ash up about three kilometers (1.8 miles) into the sky and…

Varieties (FILES) A woman with her face covered walks past air coolers kept on display outside a shop during a hot summer day amid severe heatwave in Varanasi, India on May 30, 2024. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)

Scientists Exploring How to Beat Heat for Better Sleep

Cool showers and less coffee or alcohol: sleep quality is being harmed by hotter temperatures caused by climate change, and scientists say we need to learn how…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Dr. Raquel Gomez Pliego prepares "super tortillas" at the Industrial Microbiology laboratory of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Carl de Souza / AFP)

Scientists in Mexico Develop Tortilla for People with No Fridge

Peering through a microscope, food scientist Raquel Gomez studies microorganisms that add nutrients and preserve tortillas for several weeks without…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Götz Valien (Getty)

Götz Valien: The Last Dinosaur in the Movie Poster Industry

In a digital age, Götz Valien is Berlin’s last movie poster artist, producing giant hand-painted film adverts. For more than three decades, Austrian-born…

Asharq Al Awsat (Berlin)
Varieties  People walk at Waterloo station, after Transport for London (TfL) reported a power failure across the London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)

Power Failures Cause Disruption on London Tube

Power failures caused delays and disruption on London's Tube network on Monday, as several of its busiest lines were suspended. The Bakerloo line was…

Varieties Wetlands host 40 percent of the world’s species and plant life and store 30 percent of global carbon. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Joins Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), has officially joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance …

Varieties A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. Darren Staples / AFP

UK Towns Harness Nature to Combat Rising Flood Risk

In a stream near Leicester in central England, six volunteers in waterproof overalls and boots busily reinforced mini wooden structures designed to combat the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File

Copenhagen to Offer Giveaways to Eco-friendly Tourists

The city of Copenhagen will offer special rebates and freebies to eco-friendly tourists this summer, including free bike rentals to those arriving by train and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A person holds Nazi-related material that was originally confiscated by local authorities when it was shipped to Argentina in 1941, after several boxes containing the material were recently discovered by chance in the archives of the Supreme Court of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, Argentina in this handout picture released on May 11, 2025. (Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Republica Argentina/Handout via Reuters)

Argentina’s Supreme Court Finds Archives Linked to the Nazi Regime 

The Argentine Supreme Court has found documentation associated with the Nazi regime among its archives including propaganda material that was used to spread…

Varieties Pigeons walk in a park in the Hackney area of London, Britain, May 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Pigeon Rescue Crew Find Peace in Tending London’s Flocks 

Seeking solace in a turbulent world, Jennie Brennan and Jacob Peter have found an unlikely source of wellbeing: quietly rescuing and rehabilitating London's…

Varieties Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP

'Treasure Hunt': Tourists Boost Sales at Japan's Don Quijote Stores

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from nostril-hair wax to compact gadgets and colorful party costumes, thanks…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Aerial view showing a man looking down from the Obelisk observation deck in Buenos Aires on May 8, 2025. (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO / AFP)

Elevator at Obelisk Offers Breathtaking View of Buenos Aires

The famous Obelisk in Buenos Aires Obelisk now offers a breathtaking new perspective. With the addition of an elevator, visitors can ascend this iconic…

Asharq Al Awsat (Buenos Aires)