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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 newly recognized geoparks will serve as key destinations for local and international visitors, offering an opportunity to explore the Kingdom’s geological wonders while fostering scientific and cultural awareness of geodiversity conservation - SPA

North Riyadh Geopark, Salma Geopark Join UNESCO’s Global Geoparks List

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has officially designated the North Riyadh Geopark and Salma Geopark as part of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties An illustration shows a hycean world – an exoplanet with a liquid water ocean beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere - orbiting a red dwarf star. Based on observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, the exoplanet K2-18 b might fit in this category. This illustration was obtained by Reuters on April 16, 2025. A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan/University of Cambridge/Handout via REUTERS

Scientists Find Strongest Evidence Yet of Life on Alien Planet

In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE – Clouds hang over the North Sentinel Island, in India’s southeastern Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nov. 14, 2005. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh, File)

US YouTuber Remains in Custody in India after Visiting Restricted Island with Diet Coke Can

A 24-year-old American YouTuber who was arrested after visiting an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean with hopes of establishing contact with a reclusive…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties KFSHRC's Organ Transplant Center of Excellence Wins Innovation Award

KFSHRC's Organ Transplant Center of Excellence Wins Innovation Award

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) Organ Transplant Center of Excellence (OTCoE) has received the Innovation Award in the Regional…

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Varieties Photo by SPA

NCVC Launches One Million Seedling Planting Project in Mahayel Aseer

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) branch in Aseer Region launched an environmental project to plant one…

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Varieties Skateboarder Juanjo Urbizu, 88, rides his skateboard in a bowl at the Etxebarria Skatepark in Bilbao, Spain, January 31, 2024. (Reuters)

Octogenarian Skateboarder Shreds Concrete in Spain’s Bilbao 

Grinning mischievously, Juanjo Urbizu dons a baseball cap, tucks his T-shirt neatly into his sweatpants and adjusts the velcro straps on his elbow pads before…

Varieties African elephant Pupy is seen in her enclosure at the Buenos Aires Ecopark, a few days before her transfer to the Brazilian Elephant Sanctuary, in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Pupy the Elephant Heads to a Vast Brazilian Sanctuary After 30 Years in an Argentine Zoo

An unusual convoy neared Argentina's lush border with Brazil on Tuesday, after snaking through traffic-snarled roads for hours. Inside the specialized iron…

Varieties Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx look on during the hearing of their case after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya April 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Belgian Teens Arrested with 5,000 Smuggled Ants as Kenya Warns of Changing Trafficking Trends 

Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities…

Varieties People visit the US pavilion on the opening day of the Expo 2025 in Osaka, central Japan, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)

Osaka Expo Opens in Japan Offering a Vision of the Future. Here’s What to Know 

The Expo 2025 opened in Osaka on Sunday with more than 10,000 people singing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to celebrate the start of the six-month event that…

Varieties This photograph shows a sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) displayed at their headquarters in Geneva on March 13, 2025. (AFP) 

WHO Says Member States Reach Agreement to Tackle Future Pandemics 

Members of the World Health Organization reached an agreement to prepare the world for future pandemics after more than three years of negotiations, the…

Varieties The forum will address trends and threats to maritime security in the AI era (File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT)

Riyadh Students Win 11 Medals, Awards at Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions 2025

Students from the General Administration of Education in Riyadh Region won 11 medals and awards while participating in the 50th edition of the Geneva…

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Varieties Saudi Reef Targets Producing Two Billion Roses Annually by 2026

Saudi Reef Targets Producing Two Billion Roses Annually by 2026

The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program (Saudi Reef) is showcasing its achievements in developing the rose and aromatic plant sector during its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A wheelchair-bound person is assisted by others to cross to a traffic island in the middle of a road in low visibility conditions amidst a massive dust storm in Iraq's southern city of Basra on April 14, 2025. (AFP)

Iraq Sandstorm Closes Airports, Puts 3,700 People in Hospital 

A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put more than 3,700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties,…

Varieties This undated photo, issued by SVT, shows Moose in Junsele, Sweden during preparations for the livestream "The Great Moose Migration" to document the annual Moose migration near Kullberg in northern Sweden. (SVT via AP)

Livestream of Moose Migrating to Their Summer Pastures Fascinates Millions Across the Globe 

Before Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration” began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn't miss a moment…

Varieties A person cycles along a flooded road after the overtopping of the River Thames on a spring tide, in west London, Britain, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

Europe Had Most Widespread Floods for More Than a Decade in 2024, Scientists Say 

Europe faced its most widespread flooding last year since 2013, with 30% of the continent's river network hit by significant floods, scientists said on Tuesday…

Varieties Diriyah Company Sets Guinness World Record for Largest Construction Safety Lesson

Diriyah Company Sets Guinness World Record for Largest Construction Safety Lesson

Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest construction safety lesson, with the participation of 2,864 workers in…

Varieties OceanQuest Launched in Saudi Arabia with a Mission to Accelerate Ocean Discovery

OceanQuest Launched in Saudi Arabia with a Mission to Accelerate Ocean Discovery

OceanQuest, a Saudi Arabian not-for-profit foundation, announced its official launch in Jeddah on Monday. Aligned with the United Nations Decade of Ocean…

Varieties Madinah to Host Second Umrah and Ziyarah Forum on Monday

Madinah to Host Second Umrah and Ziyarah Forum on Monday

The second edition of the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum will commence on Monday, under the patronage of Madinah Governor Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al…

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Varieties A total of 161 Saudi innovators vied for international recognition - SPA

Saudi Arabia Wins Grand Prix, Scores Record Haul at Geneva Exhibition of Inventions

Saudi Arabia has achieved a historic triumph at the 50th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, securing the prestigious Grand Prix, awarded to Dr…

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Varieties Two old African elephants Bully, left, and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hernan Muñoz)

Zoo in Spain Helps Elderly Elephants Age Gracefully

At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant places her foot through the metal barrier where a zookeeper gently scrubs its sole — the beloved pachyderm…

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Varieties An artist's concept shows a ring of hot gas left after a star consumed a planet, in this undated illustration. NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)/Handout via REUTERS

Quite Dramatic End to a Planet Swallowed by its Host Star

In May 2020, astronomers for the first time observed a planet getting swallowed by its host star. Based on the data at the time, they believed the planet met…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Varieties Puppeteers move cardboard animals through DRC's capital Kinshasa's botanical gardens Thursday, April 10, 2025, the first steps of "The Herds". (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

'The Herds' Begins its Journey from Central Africa to the Arctic Circle

In the Kinshasa Botanical Garden, a troupe of cardboard animals – monkeys, a gorilla, leopards, a giraffe – stand at attention in a clearing. Their handlers,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kinshasa)
Varieties  A child dressed as the emperor reacts after retrieving his crown blown away outside the Forbidden City during high winds in Beijing, China, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP)

Cold Winds Sweep Beijing, Closing Key Sites, Disrupting Travel

China's capital hunkered down on Saturday as rare typhoon-like gales swept northern regions, forcing the closure of historic sites and disrupting travel while…

Varieties  A capybara gets scratches from visitors at the Capybara Cafe in St. Augustine, Fla., March 14, 2025. (AP)

At Florida’s Capybara Cafe, Patrons Hang out with the ‘It’ Animals of the Moment — Furry Rodents

Animal lovers now have a place to hang out with the "it" animals of the moment — big furry rodents. In the back of a real estate office building in what is…