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UNCCD Executive Secretary Praises Saudi Efforts to Combat Desertification

Varieties The current conference session focuses on enhancing capacities to address global drought challenges - SPA

UNCCD Executive Secretary Praises Saudi Efforts to Combat Desertification

The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ibrahim Thiaw, highlighted that the world is currently facing a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The event is the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East and North Africa region. - SPA

Royal Commission for AlUla Highlights Sustainability Endeavors at COP16

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is taking part in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (L) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. (Handout / New Zealand Department of Conservation / AFP)

Scientists Gather to Decode Puzzle of the World’s Rarest Whale in ‘Extraordinary’ New Zealand Study

It is the world’s rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. Almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species. But on Monday a small group of…

Varieties  An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)

Thailand, Malaysia Brace for Fresh Wave of Floods as Water Levels Ease

Malaysia and Thailand are facing a second wave of heavy rain and potential flooding this week, authorities said on Monday, even as some displaced residents…

Varieties  Part of the 2500 panda sculptures are displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport during the welcome ceremony of the panda-themed exhibition "Panda Go!" in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP)

Hong Kong Launches Panda Sculpture Tour as the City Hopes the Bear Craze Boosts Tourism

Thousands of giant panda sculptures will greet residents and tourists starting Saturday in Hong Kong, where enthusiasm for the bears has grown since two cubs…


Varieties This satellite image provided by NOAA on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 shows Hurricane Oscar. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Oscar Brushes Past Turks, Caicos and Heads Toward Cuba

Hurricane Oscar formed Saturday off the coast of the Bahamas and brushed past the Turks and Caicos islands to the south during the night. The National…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Photo by SPA

Reef National Foundation Launches Initiative to Empower Rural Women across Saudi Arabia

The Reef National Foundation has launched an initiative to economically empower rural women by boosting their skills in managing and growing small and medium…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) Eng. Abdulrahman Alfadley released 15 Arabian Sand Gazelles at Buraydah Oasis Park. (SPA)

Saudi NCW Releases 15 Arabian Sand Gazelles at Buraydah Oasis Park

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) Eng. Abdulrahman…

Varieties  Actors perform for passengers during the "Zombie Shinkansen" event on a bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, ahead of Halloween on October 19, 2024. (AFP)

Japan ‘Zombie’ Train Spooks Passengers Ahead of Halloween

It’s usually a serene two-and-a-half-hour ride on Japan's famously efficient bullet train. But the journey quickly descended into a zombie apocalypse, with…

Varieties Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University Ranks 11th in Arab World in QS Arab Rankings for 2025

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University Ranks 11th in Arab World in QS Arab Rankings for 2025

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University secured a prestigious position in the QS Arab Region University Rankings 2025, placing 11th among 246 universities from…

Varieties An image of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla is projected onto Sydney Opera House, as they arrive for a visit to the country, in Sydney, Australia, October 18, 2024. (Reuters)

King Charles Given Military Honors on First Day of Australia Tour

King Charles was granted five-star rank in each branch of Australia's armed forces Saturday, a ceremonial gesture to mark the first full day of his landmark…

Varieties A woman walks past Hotel Yugoslavia, once a symbol of progress in the former socialist state of Yugoslavia that broke apart in the 1990s and a favorite gathering place for local residents as well as world leaders, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Belgrade's Landmark Hotel Yugoslavia Faces Likely Demolition, With Many Opposed

Belgrade’s iconic Hotel Yugoslavia, once a symbol of progress in the former socialist state of Yugoslavia that broke apart in the 1990s and a favorite…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS

Monkeys Who Recently Died in Hong Kong's Zoo Had Been Infected with Melioidosis

Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong's oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS

Animals Found Living Underground Near Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vents

A deep-diving robot that chiseled into the rocky Pacific seabed at a spot where two of the immense plates comprising Earth's outer shell meet has unearthed a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Reporters gather around a piece of a meteorite, which according to local authorities and scientists was lifted from the bottom of the Chebarkul Lake, placed on display in a local museum in Chelyabinsk, October 18, 2013. REUTERS/Andrey Tkachenko/File Photo

Astronomers Trace the Origin of Meteorites that Have Struck Earth

Meteorites - rocks that fall to Earth from space - have pelted our planet from its birth about 4.5 billion years ago to today, often causing scant damage but…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A group photo of Arab environment ministers following the Jeddah meeting (Ministry of Environment)

Riyadh Named Arab Environment Capital

Riyadh has been named the “Arab Environment Capital” for two years, during the 35th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment,…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Varieties The event took place in Riyadh, drawing the attendance of prominent figures from media, arts, and culture. SPA

Manga Productions Celebrates Premiere of Saudi Anime Future's Folktales 2

Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), marked the successful premiere of the second season of the Saudi anime series …

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties Adriana Brownlee, 23, youngest woman to scale all the world's 14 highest peaks, poses for a photograph at the summit of Shishapangma Tibet, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AGA Adventures via AP)

Youngest Female to Climb 14 Tallest Peaks Says Novice Climbers Should be Regulated

A British mountaineer who set the record as the youngest female to climb all the 14 tallest mountains in the world said Thursday that inexperienced climbers…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Waves hit the rocks on the shores of the Pacific Ocean at Rapa Nui national park area managed by the Mau Henua native community at Easter Island, Chile October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

Study: Deep Ocean Marine Heatwaves May be Under-reported

Heatwaves deep in oceans may be "significantly under-reported", highlighting an area of marine warming that has been largely overlooked, a joint study by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December. SPA

Saudi Arabia: International Video Art Forum Receives 67 Artistic Works from 27 Countries

The Organizing Committee of the International Video Art Forum announced on Wednesday that it has received 67 artworks from 27 countries for its sixth edition…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)

1st Ministerial Council of Middle East Green Initiative Adopts Decisions to Launch Implementation

Saudi Arabia reiterated on Wednesday the importance of strengthened regional collaboration to protect the environment and enhance vegetation cover to boost…

Varieties Prada and Axiom Space present the spacesuit (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) designed and developed for the Artemis III lunar mission, in Milan, Italy, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Prada and Axiom Space Shoot for the Moon with New Spacesuit

Italian luxury group Prada and Houston-based startup Axiom Space unveiled on Wednesday the design of a spacesuit that will be used for NASA's Artemis 3…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A view of the 'Apollo Belvedere' statue after it was unveiled after restoration at the Vatican Museums at the Vatican, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Vatican Unveils Restored 'Apollo Belvedere', Roman Marble Masterpiece

The Vatican Museums unveiled on Tuesday a restoration of one of the crown jewels of their collection, a 2nd century marble sculpture of the Greek god Apollo…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties One of the mountainous areas located in the south of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (File/Asharq Al-Awsat)

Over 95 Million Trees Planted Across the Kingdom Since Launch of Saudi Green Initiative

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) has said that collaboration with government, private, and non-profit…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties  People use a boat on a flooded street to reach safer place during heavy rains in Chennai, India, Wednesday, Oct.16, 2024. (AP)

Monsoon Flooding Closes Schools and Offices in India’s Southern IT Hubs

Schools, colleges and government offices were shut Wednesday in parts of southern India as heavy monsoon rains triggered severe flooding. The worst-hit…

Varieties  The moon rises behind the lighthouse at the harbor of Travemuende, northern Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP)

October’s Supermoon Pairs with a Comet for a Special Nighttime Spectacle

October's supermoon is the closest of the year and it's teaming up with a comet for a rare stargazing two-for-one. The third of four supermoons this year, it…

Varieties Britain's King Charles III (R) meets British actor Idris Elba and young people during an event for The King's Trust to discuss youth opportunities, at St James's Palace in central London on July 12, 2024. (AFP)

King Charles III Set to Visit Australia, Samoa on Trip Spanning a Dozen Time Zones

King Charles III, who is 75 and battling cancer, will travel halfway around the world to Samoa this month to take his seat as the head of the Commonwealth and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, female giant panda Qing Bao is prepared for transport from the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

The Pandas Are Coming to Washington Zoo!

The National Zoo's long dark panda drought seems to be coming to an end. Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had rescued a man whose tiny boat drifted for 67 days since August in waters edging the northwestern Pacific. (AFP file)

Russian Rescued after 67 Days Adrift in Waters Fringing Pacific

Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had rescued a man whose tiny boat drifted for 67 days since August in waters edging the northwestern Pacific, but his…