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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 Private lunar lander Blue Ghost’s shadow is seen on the moon’s surface after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)

Private Lunar Lander Blue Ghost Falls Silent on the Moon after a 2-week Mission

It’s lights out for the first private lunar lander to pull off a fully successful moon mission. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) scientist measures the amount of H7N9 avian flu virus which was grown and harvested in an unnamed CDC laboratory in 2013. James Gathany/CDC/Handout via REUTERS

US Reports First Outbreak of Deadly H7N9 Bird Flu since 2017

The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties (FILES) A chimney is seen at the Keihin Industrial Zone as Mount Fuji (background L), Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), looms in the background as viewed from the observation deck of Kawasaki Marien in Kawasaki on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Mount Fuji Hikers to be Charged $27 on All Trails

Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of 4,000 yen ($27) from this summer, after local authorities passed a bill…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The authority noted that the reproduction of animals within the reserve reflects the quality and suitability of its natural habitats for wildlife. SPA

Saudi Arabia: King Salman Royal Reserve Records Birth of Nubian Ibex

The field team at the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve recorded the birth of a Nubian ibex in March. The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties Saudi KAUST Researchers Develop Lithium-Metal Battery

Saudi KAUST Researchers Develop Lithium-Metal Battery

Scientists at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in collaboration with their counterparts at King Abdulaziz City for…

Varieties  A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost,…

Varieties A view of the Anzac Bridge and Sydney Tower Eye at sunrise in Sydney, Australia, March 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Australia’s New South Wales Sweats through Heatwave, Faces ‘Extreme’ Bushfire Risk

Australia's New South Wales on Sunday sweated in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue a total fire ban for state…

Varieties Peruvian fisherman Maximo Napa, who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol, reunites with his brother after being rescued in Paita, Peru March 14, 2025 in this screengrab taken from handout video. (La Republica/Handout via Reuters)

Peru Fisherman Lost for 95 Days in Pacific Ocean Returns Home

A Peruvian fisherman who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean, eating roaches, birds and sea turtles to survive, is returning home to his family. Maximo…

Varieties  This image made from video by NASA shows astronauts Don Pettit, bottom center, hugging Kirill Peskov as astronauts greet each other after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (NASA via AP)

NASA's Stuck Astronauts Welcome Their Newly Arrived Replacements to the Space Station

Just over a day after blasting off, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering the replacements for NASA's two…

Varieties FILE - This is the Starbucks sign on Black Friday shoppers line at a Starbucks kiosk in the Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

California Man Wins $50 Million in Lawsuit over Burns from Starbucks Tea

A delivery driver has won $50 million in a lawsuit after being seriously burned when a Starbucks drink spilled in his lap at a California drive-through, court…

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Varieties (FILES) The SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13, 2024, for the Starship Flight 5 test. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES / AFP)

Musk Says Starship to Depart for Mars at End of 2026

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday its massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla humanoid robot Optimus onboard, adding…

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Varieties FILE - Otto, a Tasmanian wombat, waddles around the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo's newest exhibit in Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

American Influencer Apologizes for Snatching Australian Baby Wombat

An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia apologized on Saturday,…

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Varieties Passengers board a driverless mini-bus, presented by WeRide and Renault Group, in Barcelona downtown, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Driverless 'Bus of the Future' is Tested in Barcelona

Commuters in downtown Barcelona have been able to ride the bus for free this week. There’s just one catch: this mini-bus has no one at the wheel. The bus…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE PHOTO: A man pulls a cart as he transports sacks filled with potatoes at a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage/File Photo

Sri Lanka Counts Monkeys, Peacocks and Squirrels to Tackle Crop Damage

Sri Lanka began a wildlife census on Saturday to count monkeys, peacocks and giant squirrels, aiming to manage their populations as farmers complain of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The number of visitors surpassed one million during the first week of the season's launch (SPA)

Ramadan Season in Jeddah : ‘Year of Handcrafts’ Boosts Business Growth

The historic Jeddah area (western Saudi Arabia) blends authentic heritage with the modernity of the city during Ramadan nights, offering visitors a unique…

Ibrahim al-Qurashi (Jeddah)
Varieties The moon is seen behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Stargazers Marvel at ‘Blood Moon’, Rare Total Lunar Eclipse 

Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red "Blood Moon" during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of Friday morning. The…

Varieties This picture taken on February 5, 2025, shows a red panda at the central zoo in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. (AFP)

Nepal Community Efforts Revive Red Panda Population 

Nepali police officer Jiwan Subba still feels pangs of regret decades after he bludgeoned a strange creature he found wandering in his barn, not realizing it…

Varieties Machine learning is helping scientists track down hidden oil spills and pollution. Cris BOURONCLE / AFP

From Oil Spills to New Species: How Tech Reveals the Ocean

The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of our planet but scientists say we have barely scratched the surface of what lives in our seas. But new technologies…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A wombat walks at a wildlife sanctuary in Bendalong on the South Coast, of Australia, Tuesday, May 26, 2020. (AAP Image via AP)

American Who Snatched a Baby Wombat from Its Mother Leaves Australia 

An American influencer left Australia on Friday after the government announced it was reviewing her visa over a video she posted of her snatching a baby wombat…

Varieties A demonstrator holds a house-shaped sign that reads "from touristic flat to temporary rent to Airbnb" during a protest to demand lower housing rental prices and better living conditions, in Barcelona, Spain, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Spain’s Top Court Backs Barcelona’s Plan to Ban Holiday Apartments

One of Spain's top courts on Thursday backed a plan by Barcelona to ban holiday apartment rentals by 2028, rejecting an appeal that argued the measure…

Varieties The NASA SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will carry the NASA's Crew-10, is docked after the launch was scrubbed at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida, USA, 12 March 2025. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH

NASA, SpaceX Delay Flight that Was to Retrieve Stuck Astronauts

NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday delayed the launch of a replacement crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station that would have set in motion the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A Department of Public Safety trooper walks into Flores Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, US, September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Nuri Vallbona

Manhole Explosion at Texas Tech University Causes Fires, Outages and Cancels Classes

An explosion on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock set off fires and power outages Wednesday, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey." AFP

Australia Tells US Influencer: 'Leave Baby Wombat Alone'

Australia's top diplomat urged a visiting American influencer on Thursday to "leave the baby wombat alone", after a video appeared to show the woman pestering…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A patient, who is a part of a project in which doctors prescribe museum visits, looks at artworks in the Art and History Museum in Neuchatel, Switzerland March 11, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Art as Therapy: Swiss Doctors Prescribe Museum Visits

Swiss doctors are expanding the range of prescriptions for patients with mental health conditions and chronic illnesses to include strolls in public gardens,…

Asharq Al Awsat