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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 Stork nestlings lie in their nest in Ale, Denmark, July 19, 2025. (Reuters) 

Denmark Records Highest Number of White Stork Nestlings in Decades 

Once extinct in Denmark, the white stork is making a comeback with the highest number of nestlings in decades, sparking hope it may once again become a…

Varieties A child climbs a giant troll sculpture created by the Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo that's part of an installation of six sculptures called "Trolls Save the Humans" on display at the historic estate Filoli, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Woodside, Calif. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Giant Trolls Built from Trash Want to Save Humans from Themselves 

Nestled in forests around the world, a gentle army of giant wooden trolls want to show humans how to live better without destroying the planet. The Danish…

Varieties A fire burns in a forested area in Feneos, Corinth, Peloponnese, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)

A Major Forest Fire in Greece Forces Several Villages to Evacuate 

A major forest fire broke out near the Greek city of Corinth on Tuesday, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of several villages. More than 180…

Varieties Newlyweds Jade Rick Verdillo right, and Jamaica walk hand in hand during their wedding at the flooded Barasoain church in Malolos, Bulacan province, Philippines on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Photos Show a Filipino Couple Walking Down a Flooded Aisle on Their Wedding Day

Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day. Even if it meant walking down a flooded one. On Tuesday,…

Varieties Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP

Greece to Create New Marine Reserves to Protect Underwater Wildlife

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday said that his government was creating two new protected marine areas, fulfilling a promise he made at a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Smoke and lava rise from a volcano eruption near Reykjanes, Iceland, 19 July 2025. EPA/JAKOB VEGERFORS

Iceland Engulfed by Volcanic Cloud

Iceland experts on Monday blamed a lack of wind for a volcanic cloud that has lingered over much of the island since an eruption last week. Two craters of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties KAUST Develops Deep Learning Tool for Pre-Pregnancy Human Embryo Evaluation

KAUST Develops Deep Learning Tool for Pre-Pregnancy Human Embryo Evaluation

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have announced the development of a new deep learning tool, deepBlastoid, to study…

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Varieties AlUla's mango farms yield over 1,125 tons from 125,000 hectares, and fig, grape, and pomegranate farms produce over 3,141 tons from 348 hectares. - SPA

AlUla Kicks Off Summer Fruits Season, Celebrates Abundant Harvest

The Royal Commission for AlUla announced the launch of AlUla's harvest season, starting with the AlUla Summer Fruits Season. This seven-day event from July 22…

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Varieties Innovation zones aim to strengthen their role in transforming Saudi Arabia into a globally competitive innovation hub (SPA)

Saudi Innovation Zones: Building a Knowledge-Based Future

Saudi Arabia is rapidly transforming into a global hub for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, thanks to the establishment of more than 10 Innovation…

Omar al-Badwi (Riyadh)
Varieties The characters also inspired a long-running Japanese cartoon series and numerous video games and merchandise. Getty 

Pokemon Gangs Threaten British Retailers

Criminal gangs have forced retailer HMV to withdraw Pokemon trading cards worth thousands from its shop floors and online. Phil Halliday, boss of the high…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Varieties 20 July 2025, Italy, Castel Gandolfo: Pope Leo XIV visits the Vatican Observatory to mark the anniversary of the 1969 moon landing in the summer papal estate in Castel Gandolfo. Photo: -/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa

Pope Calls Buzz Aldrin to Mark 1969 Moon Landing

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called astronaut Buzz Aldrin and visited the Vatican's astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo to mark the 56th anniversary of man's…

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Varieties Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo

Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing at Least 5

A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people caught fire at sea on Sunday off Sulawesi island in Indonesia, killing at least five people, officials said. More…

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Varieties Collapsed bamboo scaffolds of a residential building are seen as Typhoon Wipha approaches, in Hong Kong, China, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Rains from Typhoon Wipha Batter Hong Kong as it Heads for Mainland China

Rain pounded Hong Kong on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha skirted southwards, packing winds exceeding 167 kph (103 mph), disrupting 400 flights and public transport,…

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Varieties Japan is hoping ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help it meet renewable energy goals. (AFP)

Japan Sees Bright Future for Ultra-Thin, Flexible Solar Panels

Japan is heavily investing in a new kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panel that it hopes will help it meet renewable energy goals while challenging China's…

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Varieties Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Surfing enthusiasts have cheered the reopening of a beloved whitewater site in downtown Munich, the German city better known for partying at Oktoberfest than…

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Varieties An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)

Hundreds of Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Southern France

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and helicopters battled a wildfire about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of France's second-largest city Marseille on Friday, but…

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Varieties A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust

Sunken WWII Japanese Warship Found Off Solomon Islands

An international research team has located a Japanese World War II destroyer on the deep seabed off Solomon Islands as the 80th anniversary of the war's end…

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Varieties  A firefighting plane drops water during efforts to extinguish a wildfire near Navalcarnero, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (A. Pérez Meca/Europa Press via AP)

An Uncontrolled Wildfire Sends a Cloud of Smoke over Spain’s Capital

An uncontrolled wildfire burned outside Madrid on Thursday, sending a giant cloud of smoke over the Spanish capital. The fire broke out in the town of…

Varieties Austria skydiver Felix Baumgartner holds the Laureus World Action Sportsperson trophy as he poses for pictures during the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 11, 2013. (AP)

First Skydiver to Fall Faster than the Speed of Sound Dies in Crash in Italy, City’s Mayor Says

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade…

Varieties A drone view shows archaeologists diving in the lake of Ohrid to uncover objects, in the village of Lin, Albania, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci

Europe's Oldest Lake Settlement Uncovered in Albania

Archaeologists working on the shores of Ohrid Lake in Albania are convinced they have uncovered the oldest human settlement built on a European lake, finding…

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Varieties Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File

Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media. The company…

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Varieties The video game industry has undergone rapid evolution over the past decades. (SPA)

'Retro Park' Revives 80s and 90s Gaming Nostalgia at the Esports World Cup 2025

The video game industry has undergone rapid evolution over the past decades, with various devices and platforms shaping the features of successive generations,…

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Varieties A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, at Sotheby's, in New York, July 9, 2025. (AP)

Largest Piece of Mars on Earth Fetches $5.3 Million at Auction, but Young Dinosaur Steals the Show

The largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was sold for just over $5 million at an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York on…

Varieties  A couple watches a storm passes in the distance, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP)

Puppies Rescued from Flood-Stricken Texas Arrive at Chicago Shelter

Nine puppies from parts of Texas submerged by catastrophic flooding that killed at least 132 people arrived Wednesday at the no-kill shelter PAWS Chicago,…