Over 400 endangered sea turtles have washed ashore on India’s east coast near the city of Chennai in the last two weeks in an event not witnessed in over two decades. Olive ridley turtles travel thousands of miles for ideal nesting conditions on India’s coast. But the species has been threatened for years as the number of nesting beaches around the world shrinks, and mass deaths like these can be caused by fishing nets that can catch and harm the species. In a typical year, the city’s coastline can expect between 100 to 200 adult turtle deaths, said Shravan Krishnan, a volunteer with Chennai-based Students Sea Turtles Conservation Network. “This year, we’ve already crossed 200 dead turtles in a little more than two weeks,” he said. Krishnan is also concerned about the low num...
Read MoreDay: January 18, 2025
Benin’s mecca of spirits and gods draws tourists and followers with famed Voodoo festival
As children dance with great speed and energy in colorful robes, guided by the drumbeats and chants from dance troupes, the gods and spirits that are evident all around the arena are beckoned upon by the old and young for peace and prosperity. And on the sidelines, camera clicks from foreigners and locals follow the festivities. Welcome to the ancient town of Ouidah, in southern Benin, a mecca of gods and spirits where the celebration of the annual Voodoo festival brings a mix of tourism and religion in a clash of cultures and the ability for ancient traditional beliefs to adapt to modern life. The small West African nation held the annual festival last weekend, with Voodoo day marking the “return to the source for all Africans and Afro-descendants,” said Christian...
Read MoreArchaeologists have unearthed a lavish private bath complex in Pompeii, highlighting the wealth and grandeur of the ancient Roman city before it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the site said on Friday. The baths, featuring hot, warm and cold rooms, could host up to 30 guests, allowing them to relax before heading into an adjacent, black-walled banquet hall, decorated with scenes from Greek mythology. The private thermal baths complex discovered by archaeologists in a villa of the ancient city of Pompeii is seen, in Pompeii, Italy, in this undated handout picture released on January 17, 2025. Pompeii Archeological Park/Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism/Handout via REUTERS The pleasure complex lies inside a grand residence that has been uncovered ov...
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