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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
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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.

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Baby Flamingos Saved from Drought-decimated Lake in Algeria

A rescued flamingo is pictured at a sanctuary. (Photo by AFP)
A rescued flamingo is pictured at a sanctuary. (Photo by AFP)
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Baby Flamingos Saved from Drought-decimated Lake in Algeria

A rescued flamingo is pictured at a sanctuary. (Photo by AFP)
A rescued flamingo is pictured at a sanctuary. (Photo by AFP)

Around 300 pink flamingo chicks were rescued by volunteers in eastern Algeria after the salt lake where they hatched dried up following years of high temperatures and drought.

Thousands of flamingos migrate each year to nest in Lake Tinsilt, located around 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) southeast of the capital Algiers, Agence France Presse reported.

It is one of the largest wetlands in the country, with an area of more than 20 square kilometers.

"Barely a month ago there was water here," volunteer Mourad Ajroud told AFP on Friday, pointing to what is now a vast expanse of cracked earth littered with the carcasses of dead birds.

The disappearance of the lake, which locals and Algerian media attribute to high temperatures and a years-long drought, has driven the adult flamingos away.

They left behind their unhatched eggs and defenseless chicks, dozens of which have died from hunger, thirst, poaching and wolf attacks.

A group of volunteers provided their cars and trucks to transfer 283 pink flamingos about 50 kilometers away to Lake Mahidiya, about 50 kilometers away.

The wetland near Ain Mlila remains flush thanks to a steady flow of water from nearby rivers and lakes.

The rescue operation was initiated by local amateur photographer Tarek Kawajlia, who documents the wildlife in his area, and noticed the decrease in the size of the lake and the flight of birds.

The volunteers carry out "morning and evening patrols to follow the chicks until they recover and are able to fly, so that they can return next year to the sabkha (marsh) and life can resume its normal course," Kawajlia told AFP.

Ajroud, 53, said the group was not able to save all the birds.

"We couldn't transport them all," he said sadly, as another volunteer takes an injured bird to a veterinary clinic.

A few hours after the chicks were released at their new habitat, some adult birds joined them.

"The operation was successful and the parents found their little ones in a magnificent scene," Kawajlia said in a comment on one of his photos posted to Facebook.

Lake Tinsilt is one of the around 50 bodies of water in Algeria declared wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar international environment treaty to protect wetlands.

Last year, about a hundred pink flamingos died at Lake Telamine in western Algeria's Oran province due to wastewater pollution, according to environmental activists.