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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 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo

Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

Intuitive Machines sent final commands to its uncrewed Athena spacecraft on Thursday as it closed in on a landing spot near the moon's south pole, the company…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A bone tool made from a 1.5-million-year-old elephant bone discovered at the Olduvai Gorge site in Tanzania is seen in this picture released on March 5, 2025. Pleistocene Archaeology Lab/Handout via REUTERS

Tools Made from Elephant, Hippo Bones Show Ingenuity of Human Ancestors

An assemblage of tools found in Tanzania that was fashioned about 1.5 million years ago from the limb bones of elephants and hippos reveals what scientists…

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Varieties This photo taken and released on March 6, 2025 by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency shows firefighters walking amongst burnt trees as they battle a wildfire in Ofunato city of Iwate Prefecture. (Handout / Fire and Disaster Management Agency / AFP)

Rain Checks Spread of Japan Wildfire 

Rain appears to have halted the spread of Japan's worst wildfire in more than half a century, officials said Thursday, as residents expressed relief the smoke…

Varieties (FILES) An aerial view of icebergs and ice sheet in the Baffin Bay near Pituffik, Greenland on July 19, 2022 as captured on a NASA Gulfstream V plane while on an airborne mission to measure melting Arctic sea ice. (Photo by Kerem Yücel / AFP)

Global Sea Ice Cover Hits Record Low in February as World Continues Hot Streak

Global sea ice cover reached a historic low in February, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, with temperatures spiking up to 11C above average near the…

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Varieties FILE - A pedestrian wears a face mask amidst a thick layer of smog in New Delhi, India, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

Scientists Raise Concerns as US Stops Sharing Air Quality Data from Embassies Worldwide

The US government will stop sharing air quality data gathered from its embassies and consulates, worrying local scientists and experts who say the effort was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Members of the media look out across the bay at smoke rising from a mountain in the rain as firefighters continue to battle a wildfire near the city of Ofunato on March 5, 2025. (AFP)

Rain, Snow Offer Hope in Japan’s Worst Wildfire in 50 Years 

Japan battled its worst wildfire in half a century on Wednesday in a region hit by record-low rainfall, as wet weather gave hope for some relief. The blaze…

Varieties New Delhi says it plans to level the massive Bhalswa landfill by March 2026. Prakash SINGH / AFP/File

New Delhi Vows to Flatten Monster Garbage Pile in Indian Capital

India's capital New Delhi has vowed to clear one of its largest trash piles by next year as part of a plan to eradicate unsightly landfills dotting the…

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Varieties In this webcam photo provided by the US Geological Survey, a fountain of lava shoots up from the latest episode of an ongoing eruption of Kilauea volcano inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Hawaii. (US Geological Survey via AP)

Lava Fountain Spews Over 100 Feet into the Air from Hawaii Volcano 

Lava from a Hawaii volcano shot into the sky Tuesday in tall fountains that were expected to grow even bigger as part of an off-and-on eruption. The eruption…

Varieties This 2022 photo provided by Victory Junction shows llama Whitetop sitting at Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children, in Randleman, N.C. (Victory Junction via AP) 

World’s Oldest Llama Enjoys Comforting Chronically Ill Children in North Carolina 

A bucktoothed llama that spends its days comforting chronically ill children at a North Carolina camp founded by NASCAR royalty has been crowned the world’s…

Varieties A resident watches massive waves stirred by tropical cyclone Alfred break onto the North Wall breakwater located at the coastal town of Ballina on March 5, 2025. (AFP)

Residents Prepare for the First Cyclone in 51 Years to Hit the Australian Coast Near Brisbane 

Residents were stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties Wednesday ahead of a tropical cyclone forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the…

Varieties  The new recruits, 40 women and 26 men, all from local communities within the reserve, join the existing ranger team of 180  - SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Welcomes Fifth Ranger Corps

On World Wildlife Day, observed annually on March 3, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve officially welcomed its fifth ranger corps after their…

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Varieties Metro users flood in after work hours or finishing their shopping trips (Photo: Turki Al-Ogaili)

Riyadh Metro: A New Way to Reach Home Before Iftar During Ramadan

The Riyadh metro, a new addition to the city's transportation network, is becoming a preferred option for many residents. It helps them complete tasks and…

Omar al-Badawi (Riyadh)
Varieties A killer whale swims next to a grebe in the waters just off Seattle on Sunday, March 3, 2025, moments before the bird was taken under water. (Kersti Muul via AP)

Killer Whales Amaze Seattle Onlookers with a Rarely Seen Bird Hunt 

A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The…

Varieties Military and fire department helicopters have been trying to douse the wildfire. Handout / Japan's Ministry of Defense/AFP

Japan's Worst Wildfire in Half a Century Spreads

Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents…

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Varieties Experts warn that climate change will create better conditions for malaria mosquitos. Olympia DE MAISMONT / AFP

Malaria Deaths Soar in Shadow of Ethiopia Conflict

Lema Tefera's voice broke as he described losing four children to malaria in just one month -- deaths that could likely have been prevented if not for the…

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Varieties In this May 2011, photo provided by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood donor James Harrison, credited with saving 2.4 million babies through his record-breaking blood plasma donations over decades, is giving blood at donation center in Sydney. (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood via AP)

Australia’s Most Generous Blood Plasma Donor Dies Aged 88 

An Australian man credited with saving 2.4 million babies through his record-breaking blood plasma donations over six decades, has died aged 88, his family…

Varieties Using cutting-edge technologies, the project will develop rehabilitation plans aligned with global standards and best practices as part of a broader strategy covering multiple regions of the Kingdom. (SPA)

NCVC to Study, Assess Degraded Vegetation Cover in Western, Southern Saudi Arabia 

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) launched a new project to study and assess degraded vegetation cover…

Varieties Visitors can take to the skies with daily hot-air balloon flights. (SPA)

AlUla Skies Festival 2025 Promises Celebration of Celestial Heritage, Adventure

Saudi Arabia's AlUla is set to welcome the return of the AlUla Skies Festival, taking place from April 18 to 27, as part of the AlUla Moments calendar. The…

Varieties The SS United States is towed at sunset past Key West, Fla., headed to Mobile, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, where it will be prepared to be used as an artificial reef. (Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP)

Historic Ship Completes First Leg of Journey to Become World’s Largest Artificial Reef

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef has completed the first leg of its final voyage. …

Varieties Japan's Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and second in line to the throne, takes part in his first press conference to mark his coming-of-age at the Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo on March 3, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT

Teen Heir to Japanese Throne Says Marriage Not on his Mind

Prince Hisahito, the Japanese imperial family's last hope for the monarchy's long-term survival -- unless succession rules change -- said marriage is not on…

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Varieties MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 02: Firefighters attend to a flare-up in the Carolina Forest neighborhood on March 2, 2025 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. AFP

Crews Battle Wildfires in North, South Carolina amid Dry Conditions and Gusty Winds

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds as residents were forced to evacuate in some areas. The…

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Varieties The world's strongest ocean current could slow as melting Antarctic ice sheets flood it with fresh water, according to new research. Juan BARRETO / AFP

Study: Melting Ice Could Slow Vital Antarctic Ocean Current

The world's strongest ocean current could slow as melting Antarctic ice sheets flood it with fresh water, according to research published on Monday that warned…

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Varieties In this photo provided by the Australian Defense Force Australian Navy sailors from HMAS Choules used an inflatable boat to rescue Lithuanian rower Aurimas Mockus, second right, Monday, March 3, 2025. (CPOIS Helen Frank/Australian Defense Force via AP)

Australian Navy Rescues Adventurer who Hit a Cyclone while Rowing Across Pacific

An Australian warship on Monday rescued a Lithuanian solo rower who had encountered a tropical cyclone while attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean from…

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Varieties An aerial views shows a forest fire on a mountain in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, February 28, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via Reuters)

Thousands Flee after Japan’s Biggest Wildfire in Decades

Thousands of people evacuated from parts of northern Japan as the country's largest wildfire in three decades raged unabated Sunday after killing at least one…