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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 Sydney residents experience a heatwave at Dee Why in Sydney, Australia, 27 January 2025. (EPA)

Extreme Fire Danger Grips Australia’s Southeast Amid Heatwave 

Australia's southeast sweltered in a heatwave on Monday, raising the bushfire risk and prompting authorities to issue fire bans for several parts of Victoria…

Varieties People walk across the Ebisu bridge (C) into the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street in central Osaka on January 18, 2025. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)

Japan's Osaka Bans Street Smoking Ahead of Expo 2025

The Japanese city of Osaka on Monday imposed a smoking ban on public streets as part of efforts to become more visitor-friendly ahead of this year's World Expo…

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Varieties The eight-day program features 20 events - SPA

Hail Toyota International Rally 2025 Activities Start Tomorrow

The activities accompanying the 20th Hail Toyota International Rally 2025 will kick off on Monday at Al-Maghwa Park. The events will take place under the…

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Varieties The expo will include workshops and panel discussions addressing topics such as Saudi industry, Saudi Vision 2030, future opportunities in the Kingdom (file photo)

Kuwait to Host Second Edition of Saudi National Products Expo

Kuwait is set to host the second edition of the Saudi National Products Expo (SNP Expo) on Tuesday. The four-day event will feature participation from over 12…

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Varieties Musician Paul McCartney performs during his Got Back tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, US, May 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Don't Let AI 'Rip Off' Artists, Beatles Star McCartney Warns UK Government

Beatles musician Paul McCartney has warned that artificial intelligence could be used to "rip off" artists, urging the British government to make sure upcoming…

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Varieties The US and Canadian Coast Guards are continuing efforts to break up ice and free a freighter that has been trapped in a frozen Lake Erie since Wednesday. The ship wasn't damaged, and its crew is safe, according to officials. - The AP

Freighter on the Move after it Was Freed from Ice on Frozen Lake Erie

A freighter was on its way to Canada on Sunday after it was freed from ice that trapped it in a frozen Lake Erie for days, the US Coast Guard said. The…

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Varieties This is the Kingdom's hosting of the first-ever championship in the Middle East and North Africa  - SPA

Guinness World Records Recognizes Riyadh Drone Racing World Cup Edition as Largest

Riyadh has hosted the largest edition of the Drone Racing World Cup, held under the patronage of Riyadh Season and organized by the Saudi Federation for…

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Varieties  A man takes a picture of a fallen tree, after Storm Éowyn hits, in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, January 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Ireland and UK Clean up after Unprecedented Storm Brings Record Winds and Damage

Emergency crews began cleaning up Saturday after a storm bearing record-breaking winds left at least one person dead and more than a million without power…

Varieties  A woman directs passengers at the departure hall at the Beijing West Railway Station ahead of the Lunar New Year in Beijing on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP)

China Travel Peaks as Millions Head Home for Lunar New Year

Train stations and airports across China saw the biggest peak in travelers on Saturday ahead of the Lunar New Year, as millions of people returned home to…

Varieties Rudiger Koch has breakfast in his underwater home before emerging as a world record holder. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP

German Man Sets World Record Living for 120 Days Underwater

A German aerospace engineer celebrated setting a world record Friday for the longest time living underwater without depressurization -- 120 days in a submerged…

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Varieties  This photograph taken on December 26, 2024 shows a worker holding shredded recyclable plastic waste at the Green Road Waste Management processing facility in Pokhara. Cars speeding along a smooth, black-colored street in Nepal's Pokhara are also driving over heaps of discarded plastic, transformed into an ingredient in road construction. (AFP)

Rubbish Roads: Nepal Explores Paving with Plastic

Cars speeding along a smooth, black-colored street in Nepal's Pokhara are also driving over heaps of discarded plastic, transformed into an ingredient in road…

Varieties This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)

Man Says He Was behind Some of the Viral Googly Eyes on Public Art in Oregon

A resident of the central Oregon city of Bend says he was the person behind some of the googly eyes that appeared on sculptures around the city in recent…

Varieties The iceberg could threaten penguins as they forage to feed their young. Patrick HERTZOG / AFP/File

Mega-iceberg Drifts towards Antarctic Penguin Island

The world's biggest iceberg -- more than twice the size of London -- could drift towards a remote island where a scientist warns it risks disrupting feeding…

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Varieties The sun sets behind burning gas flares at the Dora (Daura) Oil Refinery Complex in Baghdad on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

Smog Chokes Baghdad as Oil-Fired Factories Belch Out Smoke 

Iraqi grocery store owner Abu Amjad al-Zubaidi is grappling with asthma, a condition his doctor blames on emissions from a nearby power plant that fills his…

Varieties Two maintenance workers clean the tables of one of the classrooms of Zakia Madi middle school, five days before the students return to school, in the village of Dembeni, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on January 22, 2025. (AFP)

Nearly 250 Million Children Missed School Last Year Because of Extreme Weather, UNICEF Says 

At least 242 million children in 85 countries had their schooling interrupted last year because of heatwaves, cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather, the…

Varieties A statue of Captain James Cook is covered in red paint after being vandalized, in Randwick, Sydney, Australia, 24 January 2025. It is the second time in 12 months that the statue has been vandalized. (EPA)

Captain Cook Statue in Sydney Defaced Ahead of Australia’s National Day 

A statue in Sydney of British explorer James Cook, captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia, was sprayed with red paint and…

Varieties A snake can be seen at Pythonism, a pet store, that offers customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake, in Taipei, Taiwan January 23, 2025. (Reuters)

Coffee and Snake - Taipei Pet Shop Aims to Break Down Prejudice Against the Animal 

As the Year of the Snake approaches, a pet store in Taipei is offering adventurous customers an opportunity to enjoy the company of snakes while sipping coffee…

Varieties Chef Quin Jianoran has a taste of the Hawaiian, ham, and pineapple-topped pizza at Lupa Pizza restaurant in Norwich, Britain, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Pineapple Pizza Debate Heats Up as UK Pizzeria Sets 100-pound Price Tag

A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering 100 pounds ($123) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put…

Varieties Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools Friday -- around a hundred more than the previous day. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

Bangkok Air Pollution Forces 352 Schools to Close

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years. Bangkok…

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Varieties Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, California, US January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

Massive New Los Angeles-area Fire Balloons as Winds Pick Up

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions were expected to pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a…

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Varieties File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.

Saudi Arabia Takes Part in 56th Cairo International Book Fair

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance is participating in the 56th Cairo International Book Fair, which runs from January 23 to February 5 and…

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Varieties File photo by SPA

Riyadh Region Governor to Patronize Grand Horse Racing Festival Event on Saturday

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and deputizing for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin…

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Varieties People view an endangered plant known as the “corpse flower” for its putrid stink, which is about to bloom at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

A Rare Plant Emits a Stink of Death When it Blooms. Thousands in Australia Queued to Get Close to It

The rare unfurling of an endangered plant that emits the smell of decaying flesh drew hundreds of devoted fans to a greenhouse in Sydney on Thursday where they…

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Varieties FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen between displayed US flag and Linkedin logo in this illustration picture, August 30, 2018. To match Exclusive LINKEDIN-CHINA/ESPIONAGE  REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Microsoft's Linkedin Sued for Disclosing Customer Information to Train AI Models

Microsoft's LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties…

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