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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…

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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 Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP

Hong Kongers Bid Farewell to 'King of Umbrellas'

Scores of residents flocked to a cramped shop in Hong Kong's old district to bid farewell to the city's "king of umbrellas", who is retiring after spending…

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Varieties  Workers clear snow from the ice rink at Bryant Park during a winter storm in New York City, US, December 26, 2025. (Reuters)

Winter Storm Bears Down on US Northeast, Disrupting Airline Travel

A winter storm packing a frosty mix of snow and ice bore down on the US Northeast early on Saturday, disrupting post-holiday weekend airline traffic and…

Varieties  A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)

Cypriot Fishermen Battle Invasive Lionfish and Turn Them into a Delicacy

Photis Gaitanos’ rough fingers adroitly untangle the venomous spikes of a lionfish from a net, throwing the exotic-looking creature into an ice-filled rubber…

Varieties  Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

Massive Crash on Highway in Japan Kills 2 People, Injures 26 as Holiday Season Starts

A massive crash involving 67 vehicles in snowy weather killed two people and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its…

Varieties FILE - The 7-foot tall "2026" numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)

Times Square to Feature Patriotic Crystal Ball for New Year's Eve, Kicking Off US's 250th Birthday

After the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York City, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue to usher in 2026 and kick off months of…

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Varieties This handout picture taken with a camera trap and released on December 26, 2025, by Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and Panthera Thailand shows a recently rediscovered flat-headed cat in southern Thailand's Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary. (AFP / Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) / Panthera Thailand)

Elusive Wild Cat Feared Extinct Rediscovered in Thailand

An elusive wild cat long feared extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered three decades after the last recorded sighting, conservation authorities and an NGO…

Varieties This picture taken on June 6, 2024 shows a claw crane game shop in Akihabara district of Tokyo. (AFP)

Hooked on the Claw: How Crane Games Conquered Japan’s Arcades

As school and work wrap up, crowds fill Tokyo's many bustling arcade halls -- not to battle it out in fighting games, but to snag plush toys from claw machines…

Varieties Liz Swan sets up food and a trap for stray cats near the Kealakehe Transfer Station and Recycling Center, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (AP)

Hawaii’s Big Island Bans Feeding Feral Cats in an Effort to Help Endangered Native Species

Throngs of feral cats emerge from the shade of parked trucks and bushes as soon as the familiar Subaru Forester pulls into a dump on Hawaii's Big Island. They…

Varieties On any given day, multiple venues in Shanghai host hours-long dance sessions, a phenomenon born of the city's deeply of ballroom culture. Hector RETAMAL / AFP

Shanghai's Elderly Waltz Back to the Past at Lunchtime Dance Halls

A group of retirees cheered under disco lights as 60-year-old Xu Li leapt into her partner's arms, her legs spread akimbo in perfect splits. It was just a…

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Varieties Palestinian actor Mohammed Bakri poses during the photocall for the film “Wajib” at the 70th Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, on Aug. 5, 2017. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP, File)

Mohammad Bakri, Renowned and Controversial Palestinian Actor and Filmmaker, Dies at 72

Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both…

Varieties These efforts align with the National Environment Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA

Over 60 Endangered Species Released into King Khalid Royal Reserve

In collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority has released over 60…

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Varieties This photo provided by the family shows Ryu Lopez in California in October 2025. (Lopez family via AP)

'The Best Gift Ever': Baby is Born after the Rarest of Pregnancies, Defying All Odds

Suze Lopez holds her baby boy on her lap and marvels at the remarkable way he came into the world. Before little Ryu was born, he developed outside his mom’s…

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Varieties Britain's Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi leave after attending the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Daughters of King Charles' Brother Andrew Join Royals for Christmas Service

Britain's Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attended the royal family's traditional Christmas Day church service on Thursday, while their father Andrew, recently…

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Varieties  A car sits buried in mud after flooding Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP)

Heavy Rains Drench Southern California, Spawn Flash Flooding, Mud Flows

Torrential rains unleashed widespread flash flooding and mud flows across Southern California on Wednesday, as authorities warned motorists to stay off roads…

Varieties Zhuque-3 rocket by China’s private rocket firm LandSpace, takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, December 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from handout drone footage provided by LandSpace. LandSpace/Handout via REUTERS

China's LandSpace Hopes to Complete Rocket Recovery in Mid-2026

Chinese rocket developer LandSpace plans to successfully recover a reusable booster in mid-2026, a company executive said in an interview, underscoring the…

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Varieties November's full moon, also known as Beaver Moon, rises over Fort-de-France in the French overseas island of Martinique, on November 5, 2025. (AFP)

Russia Plans a Nuclear Power Plant on the Moon within a Decade

Russia plans to put ​a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next decade to supply its lunar space program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station as…

Varieties People visit Rawdat Muhanna after recent rainfall. (SPA)

Seasonal Rains Transform Saudi Arabia’s Rawdat Muhanna into Natural Lake

Rawdat Muhanna, or Muhanna's Garden, located near the town of Al-Nabqiyah in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia’s Qassim region, has witnessed a notable influx…

Varieties AlUla’s exceptionally clear night skies allow many stars to be observed with the naked eye, as well as through advanced astronomical tools. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla’s Sharaan, Wadi Nakhlah Reserves Officially Designated Dark Sky Places

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) announced that the Sharaan and Wadi Nakhlah reserves received official accreditation from the DarkSky…

Varieties This picture taken on December 12, 2025 shows a member of staff grilling fish over a hearth at a restaurant which offers bear meat in Chichibu, Saitama prefecture. (AFP)

From Predator to Plate: Japan Bear Crisis Sparks Culinary Craze

Since Japan recorded a spike in deadly bear attacks, Koji Suzuki has struggled to keep up with booming demand for grilled cuts of the animal at his restaurant…

Varieties The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Sets Guinness World Record with 95 Tons of Seasonal Seeds in Vegetation Cover Efforts

Saudi Arabia has reached a new global environmental milestone by earning a Guinness World Records title for the largest seasonal seed storage collection in the…

Varieties Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

'Call of Duty' Co-creator Vince Zampella Killed in Car Crash

Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of video gaming juggernaut "Call of Duty," has died in a car crash, gaming giant Electronic Arts confirmed on Monday…

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Varieties Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)

GEA Chairman Named 2025 ‘Promoter of the Year’ by Boxing News

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the…

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Varieties The event features six pavilions that allow visitors to explore a wide variety of foods and beverages made from local ingredients, reflecting the Kingdom’s diverse environments and regional flavors - SPA

Al-Qatif Street Food Festival Celebrates Saudi Culinary Arts

The Culinary Arts Commission launched Al-Qatif Street Food Festival, which runs until December 30, 2025, offering visitors a rich cultural experience that…

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Varieties A woman reads a book in the afternoon sun on a bench outside South Station in Boston, on Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Want to Read More in 2026? Here's How to Revive Your Love of Books

People stop reading in adulthood for lots of reasons. But it’s never too late to turn the page on old habits and start again. Curling up with a good book can…

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