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Food Industry Pushes Back on WHO Guidance for Products with Added Color, Sweeteners

Varieties Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study. (Getty Images)

Food Industry Pushes Back on WHO Guidance for Products with Added Color, Sweeteners

Governments should consider regulating foods that include added colors, flavors or sweeteners designed to make the product more appealing to consumers,…

Varieties Dozens of Pakistani farmers are suing German firms RWE and Heidelberg Materials in a rare bid to make big polluters pay damages for climate impacts. Aamir QURESHI / AFP

Pakistan Farmers in Long Fight to Make German Firms Pay for Flood Damage

In a Pakistani village nestled in rice fields, Abdul Hafeez Khoso remembers the vast industrial zones he saw in Germany when he visited to file a pioneering…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A tourist holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun while walking on a hot day in Tokyo on July 15, 2026. (AFP)

This Year Set to Be One of Four Hottest on Record, UN Report Says

This year is ‌on track to be one of the four hottest on record, driven by a powerful El Niño and perpetuating a warming streak of more than a decade, a UN…

Varieties A white-tailed eagle over the Isle of Mull in Scotland. (Natural Resources Wales)

Reintroduction of White-Tailed Eagles Puts Seabird Colonies at Risk of Wipeout

White-tailed eagles reintroduced into England and Wales imperil endangered seabird populations and risk wiping out some colonies, The Guardian reported quoting…

Varieties Residents extend a supply hose to fill a barrel with clean water from a tanker truck in Kavling Bakau Serip, amid local water shortages linked to data center developments in Batam. ANDARU / AFP

Can't Cook or Shower: Indonesians Take Aim at Data Centers

Cooking and bathing became difficult when taps ran dry in Batam, an Indonesian island where residents are protesting as data centers spring up to power the…

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Varieties Coral Hart says she has been heavily criticized for using AI to produce books. GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP

370 Books in 20 Months: S.African Author Defends Her Use of AI

South African writer Coral Hart has published more than 370 books since February 2025 using artificial intelligence, a process she passionately defends despite…

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Varieties The boom in French cooking schools in India reflects a growing demand for high-end hospitality workers in the world's most populous country. Arun SANKAR / AFP

India Stirs Up Its Gastronomy with French Cooking Schools

Fiercely proud of its culinary traditions, India is increasingly open to foreign influences, with French cooking schools attracting students eager to make…

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Varieties A general view of apartment and office buildings in Hanoi, Vietnam, 21 October 2026. EPA/LUONG THAI LINH

No More Taking Out the Trash at Your Airbnb

The days of having to take out the trash or wash the dishes before leaving an Airbnb are numbered as the short-term rental platform is tightening rules on what…

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Varieties Fries are a national passion in Belgium. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

Champion-chip: Best Fries Contest Heats Up Belgium

Thick or thin, greasy or crispy, with samurai sauce or a more traditional mayo dip? A TV show has been on a quest to find the best fries in potato-mad Belgium…

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Varieties A general view of Nanmoku village, Gunma prefecture is seen on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Rie KIKUCHI / AFP)

Aging Japanese Village Turns to Peru in Search of New Residents

In a misty mountain village in Japan, residents recently welcomed unlikely guests from a Peruvian district along the Amazon River, seeing a chance to revive an…

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Varieties Effigies of Ravana are transported on a truck ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

India Capital Steps Up Air Pollution Controls Ahead of Winter

India began annual measures on Thursday to tackle toxic air pollution in New Delhi, a megacity of 30 million people regularly ranked among the world's most…

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Varieties Blazes in Indonesia have burned through nearly two million hectares this year, according to a deforestation monitor. MUDA SAGALA / AFP

Focus Turns to Firms as Indonesia Fire Haze Worsens

After months of fires in Indonesia that have caused thick regional haze, attention is turning to whether companies can be held accountable for the blazes and…

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Varieties A critically endangered Philippine crocodile, considered the rarest in the world, looks out from its newly opened enclosure at the zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

An Affinity for Warm Climes has Helped Crocs Thrive for Eons

Crocodilians — today's crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials and their many extinct relatives — have been a roaring success since debuting more than 240…

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Varieties AstraZeneca Says FDA Approves Drug for Rare Kidney Disease in Adults

AstraZeneca Says FDA Approves Drug for Rare Kidney Disease in Adults

AstraZeneca said on Wednesday the US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for its treatment for adults with immunoglobulin A nephropathy,…

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Varieties A woman holds handful of fresh Tsiperifery (wild pepper) on display at the Analakely market, on September 21, 2026. (AFP)

Prized Wild Pepper at Risk in Madagascar’s Shrinking Forests

A rare wild pepper endemic to Madagascar and prized by international chefs is facing an uncertain future, victim of its own success and the destruction of its…

Varieties Andy Sheath and his family. (Andy Sheath)

British Family to Return Home After 5 years At Sea

A family from the Isle of Man is returning home after spending five years at sea aboard the world’s largest floating book fair, according to the BBC. Andy…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Varieties FILE - The coal-fired Mountaineer Power Plant, near New Haven, W.Va., operates across the Ohio River from the Lock 24 RV Park and Campground in Racine, Ohio, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

UN Sees Higher Global Warming, Even in Best-case Scenario

Global warming is now projected to exceed previous estimates, with even the most optimistic scenario seeing average temperatures rise to 1.7-1.8 degrees…

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Varieties A Bangka slow loris hangs from a tree on the Indonesian island of Bangka, east of Sumatra, in this undated photograph released on October 20, 2026. Andre Septian/Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center/Handout via REUTERS

Feared Extinct, Bangka Slow Loris Primate Rediscovered in Indonesia

The Bangka slow loris is one of Earth's most exotic primates, a slow-moving tree dweller that happens to be venomous. It was listed as critically endangered…

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Varieties Visitors watch a 3.5-meter shark trapped in an artificial waterway in the southeastern port city of Busan on October 7, 2026. Jung Yeon-je / AFP/File

South Korea Launches New Bid to Guide Crowd-pulling Shark to Sea

South Korean authorities began a new attempt Wednesday to coax a shark-turned-viral sensation back to sea, with falling temperatures in the Busan canal where…

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Varieties People watch the launch of the H3 rocket, carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on October 20, 2026. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)

Japan Launches Spacecraft to Mysterious Moons of Mars

A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. Five of the world’s space agencies…

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Varieties Hoa sua, or "milk flower" trees, as Hanoi considers relocating some trees after residents complain their fragrance is too strong, in Hanoi, Vietnam, October 17, 2026. REUTERS/Thinh Nguyen

Too Much of a Good Scent? Hanoi Curbs Iconic Trees

Vietnam's capital Hanoi has launched a large-scale program to prune hundreds of its iconic blackboard trees and is considering relocating some after their…

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Varieties Mitchell Fairbarn breaks down while testifying during his trial at the Regional Justice Center Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Man who Snatched a Flamingo from US Hotel Exhibit Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty

A Canadian man was convicted of animal cruelty charges Monday for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel…

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Varieties Rare banknotes donated to a British Heart Foundation. (Noonans)

Anonymous Donation of Banknotes at Charity Shop Sold for Nearly $114,000

A mysterious donation to a charity shop in Scotland turned out to be worth a small fortune — and the employees who worked there couldn’t believe their luck. …

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Varieties The booklet includes the season’s program of concerts, theatrical and comedy shows, exhibitions, and festivals. (GEA)

Turki Alalshikh Launches Guide for Riyadh Season’s 7th Edition

Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Alalshikh launched on Monday the Riyadh Season Booklet for its seventh edition,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties The season further reflects RCU’s commitment to developing Saudi capabilities in archaeology and heritage through fieldwork - SPA

Royal Commission for AlUla Launches 2026–2027 Archaeology Season in AlUla and Khaybar

As part of its ongoing efforts to preserve AlUla’s cultural heritage and strengthen its position as a global center for archaeological research and knowledge,…

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Varieties  A drone view of a palm oil plantation area shrouded in haze from wildfires in South Arut, West Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 18, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesia Fires Burned Over 1.9 Mn Hectares Through September, Says Monitor

Fires in Indonesia burned through over 1.9 million hectares between January and the end of September this year, a monitor analyzing satellite imagery said on…

Varieties People cross the street at a busy intersection in Beijing, China, 19 October 2026. (EPA)

Beijing’s Population Expected to Become Super-Aged by 2035

The ‌Chinese capital Beijing is expected to become "super-aged" by 2035, with around one-third of its population aged 60 and above, the official Beijing…

Varieties A harlequin poison dart frog (Oophaga sylvatica) is pictured at the Tesoros de Colombia (Treasures of Colombia) sustainable farm in Nocaima, Cundinamarca department, Colombia, on July 9, 2024. (AFP)

The Painstaking Task of Cataloguing the World’s Species

A bumblebee-like insect that was last seen in France 150 years ago was spotted again in the Paris region in 2025. Had the creature, known by its scientific…

Varieties The four-masted sailing vessel Santa Maria Manuela sails in the open sea off the coast of Madeira, on October 12, 2026 during the "Madeira Ocean" scientific expedition. (AFP)

On the Front Line of Ocean Conservation off Portugal’s Madeira

Juan Mayorga smiled as a stingray glided across his computer screen, moving gracefully over the seabed near Portugal's Desertas Islands, part of the Madeira…