Halloween – a time for thrills, chills and wonderful traditions. But did you know that everyone’s favorite spooky holiday began in Ireland? Trace Halloween right back to its origins and you’ll find yourself in the mists of pagan Ireland over 3,000 years ago – a time when the ancient festival of Samhain was celebrated in the heart of Ireland's Ancient East to mark the beginning of winter. Marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, Samhain was a time when the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Bonfires were lit, costumes were worn to ward off spirits, and offerings were made to appease the otherworldly beings. Why not go back there this year where festivalgoers and fans of folklore are in for a treat as Púca Fest...
Read MoreYear: 2024
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas hosts Krug’s exclusive event in celebration of Global Champagne Day Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas recently hosted Krug Champagne's historic first-ever underwater tasting in an extraordinary celebration for Global Champagne Day. Krug’s President, Manuel Reman, joined the event at Anantara Kihavah’s iconic SEA Underwater Restaurant to share his insights and stories from the historic Champagne House, offering guests the rare opportunity to engage with the legacy and artistry of Krug. At the exclusive dinner, guests indulged in a curated seven-course menu paired with Krug’s exceptional Champagnes, including the renowned Krug Grande Cuvée, all while enjoying the unparalleled views offered by SEA’s glass-walled underwater dining space, surrounded...
Read MoreLongest and fastest e-go-kart circuit in Maldives - A thrilling experience for all ages, offering breathtaking Indian Ocean views! Ready, set, go! Kandima Maldives is revving up the excitement with the launch of Fast Track, the Maldives’ first-ever professional-grade electric go-kart track. Set against the spectacular backdrop of the Indian Ocean, this 500-metre track is the longest, fastest, and most exhilarating karting experience in the region, perfect for adrenaline seekers and families alike. Officially opening on 15 November 2024, Kandima builds upon its uniquely universal appeal with a seamless blend of active and entertainment offerings. The ultimate holiday destination for all with, Fast Track here to fuel unforgettable memories as the premier playground for guests of all ages...
Read MoreIts recovery in southeast leads to status change to threatened The red-cockaded woodpecker, an iconic bird in southeastern forests, has recovered enough of its population to be downlisted from an endangered species to a threatened one, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday. “The downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker marks a significant milestone in our nation’s commitment to preserving biodiversity,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement. At one point in the 1970s, the red-cockaded woodpecker population had dipped as low as 1,470 clusters — or groups of nests, wildlife officials said. Today, there are an estimated 7,800 clusters. “It’s an amazing bird that has an unusual communal nesting structure,” said Will Harlan of the nonprofit Center...
Read MoreFrom paddleboarding to shabby-chic bars, a Reuters journalist shares her favorite ways to spend downtime in Hungary’s capital My journalism career began almost by accident: I grew up in a small town in western Hungary and moved to Budapest, the capital, for university in 1987, just a few years before the fall of the communist regime. After returning from studying abroad in the U.S. and Scotland, I dropped copies of my CV in the mailboxes of 10 companies along an office block in downtown Budapest. One of them was Reuters. People talk at Szatyor, a bar on Bela Bartok Avenue. REUTERS/Marton Monus The then-bureau chief hired me as a translator. I later moved to reporting. Recently, as deputy bureau chief for Central and Eastern Europe, I have covered Hungary’s plans to ratify Sweden’...
Read MoreThey call him Bold and he is Brazil's most famous jaguar, seen on social media diving into rivers to capture a caiman and wrestle his prey ashore. Bold and his fellow jaguars are surviving the worst fires to engulf the world's largest tropical wetlands in central-western Brazil, the Pantanal. Unlike other animals trapped and burnt to death, jaguars know how to seek refuge on the banks of rivers where food is available in the caimans and capybaras they hunt. A female jaguar named Patricia, by NGO Jaguar ID, with her cub Makala are seen at Encontro das Aguas State Park, in the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world, in Pocone, Mato Grosso, Brazil, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Bold, or Ousado in Portuguese, survived a devastating fire in 2020 when he was rescued wit...
Read MoreScientists are racing to find out whether the rapid retreat of glaciers could drive a surge in eruptions as magma builds under the island nation — and if so, whether the same might occur at ice-covered volcanoes around the world, putting many lives at risk. Toxic sulphurous gas, carrying the telltale reek of rotten eggs, wafted through vents in the steep walls of Iceland’s Viti crater, while carbon dioxide bubbled to the surface of the milky blue crater lake. Veils of steam wreathed the landscape of loose rock in eerie half-light. Through this forbidding terrain – “Viti” is derived from the Icelandic for “hell” – Michelle Parks, a volcanologist with the Icelandic Meteorological Office, picked her way toward the water’s edge one day last August. With a monitor strapped...
Read MoreIndianapolis Zoo awards $1M to save critically endangered Blue-Throated Hillstar
Newly discovered hummingbird on brink of extinction The Indianapolis Zoo has awarded a $1 million grant to the Ecuadorian conservation group Fundación Jocotoco to save a newly-discovered hummingbird from the brink of extinction. The Indianapolis Zoo created the $1 million Saving Species Challenge with the specific goal of saving a single species from extinction. The plan to save the Blue-Throated Hillstar was chosen by a jury of international animal conservation experts. In total, 52 applications were received from 46 countries. "We are witnessing a global decline in biodiversity, and the Indianapolis Zoo is determined to make a positive difference. We are honored to support the work of Fundación Jocotoco, and I am confident the Blue-Throated Hillstar can be saved," said...
Read MoreA modern art museum designed by American architect Thomas Phifer opens its doors in the Polish capital Friday — a minimalist, light-filled structure that is meant to be a symbol of openness and tolerance as the city tries to free itself from its communist legacy. The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw sits like a bright white box on a major city street. Inside, a monumental staircase with geometric lines rises to upper floors, where large windows flood the gallery rooms with light. City and museum officials say the light and open spaces are meant to attract meetings and debate — and become a symbol of the democratic era that Poland embraced when it threw off authoritarian communist rule 35 years ago. Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said the museum’s opening is a “historic moment f...
Read MoreArchaeologists in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii have uncovered a richly decorated but uncommonly small house with finely preserved frescoes of mythological scenes, the site said on Thursday. The dwelling, called the House of Phaedra after the mythological queen of Athens who features in one of its wall paintings, sheds light on changing architectural styles in the first century AD, the Pompeii archaeological park said in a statement. A detail of a richly decorated but uncommonly small house with finely preserved frescoes of mythological scenes is pictured in the archaeological site in Pompeii, Italy, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on October 24, 2024. Parco Archeologico di Pompei/Handout via REUTERS Unlike many of the houses excavated at the site, it was not built ...
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