عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Italy's Catania Airport Closed by Etna Volcanic Ash

The Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption in Sicily island, Italy, 15 July 2024 (issued 16 July 2024). EPA/ORIETTA SCARDINO
The Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption in Sicily island, Italy, 15 July 2024 (issued 16 July 2024). EPA/ORIETTA SCARDINO
TT
TT

Italy's Catania Airport Closed by Etna Volcanic Ash

The Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption in Sicily island, Italy, 15 July 2024 (issued 16 July 2024). EPA/ORIETTA SCARDINO
The Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption in Sicily island, Italy, 15 July 2024 (issued 16 July 2024). EPA/ORIETTA SCARDINO

Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Tuesday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, the airport operator said, bringing fresh travel woe during the peak summer tourist season.
Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has seen intense activity in recent days, spewing hot ash and lava, Reuters reported.
The airport of Catania had already been closed earlier this month due to ash in the sky. It acts as a hub for the east of Sicily and attracts more arrivals than the capital Palermo.
The statement said that authorities had decided on "the suspension of all incoming and outgoing flights."
"The suspension will result in cancellations and/or rerouting to other airports," it added, saying normal operations would resume once the ash fallout had ended.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
TT
TT

7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)

The second baby of a tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head out of its mom's furry white pouch.

The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, was born in December and is the second born to the same mother since 2022. It also was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008, The Associated Press reported.

The tree kangaroo species only gestate for about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their marsupial moms' pouches, the zoo said in a statement. It takes around seven months for the young to start peeking out of the pouch.

There are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos in the wild and 42 in captivity, the zoo said. In a statement Friday, a Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals.

"It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “So it's a rare and exciting event,” adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.”

The tree kangaroos are native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, where they are threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and hunting, the statement said. They live primarily in trees and are smaller than Australia’s better-known red kangaroo. An adult tree kangaroo weighs between 20 and 25 pounds (9–11 kilograms). The joeys are about the size of a human thumb when they are born, but grow to as long as 30 inches (76 centimeters).