Leatherback sea turtles return to deserted Thai beaches

Leatherback sea turtles have built the largest number of nests in two decades on Thailand’s beaches, which have been cleared of people by the coronavirus outbreak.

Coastal areas normally teeming with tourists around Phuket and Phang Nga have seen a return of the shy sea creatures in recent months. The 11 turtle nests found by authorities since last November were the highest number in 20 years, said Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center.

"This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans," he told Reuters. No such nests had been found for the previous five years.

A newly-hatched baby leatherback sea turtle makes its way into a sea for the first time at a beach in Phanga Nga district, Thailand. Reuters

Leatherback sea turtles have built the largest number of nests in two decades on Thailand’s beaches since the coronavirus shutdown. Reuters

Coastal areas normally teeming with tourists around Phuket and Phang Nga have seen a return of the shy sea creatures in recent months. Reuters

High tides and nest thieves, who dig up and steal the eggs also pose a threat to the species, which are considered endangered in Thailand. Reuters

In March, staff at a national park in the southern province of Phanga Nga found 84 hatchlings after monitoring eggs for two months. Reuters

Numerous sightings of rare marine creatures including dugongs, pink dolphins and whale sharks have been reported in Thailand since parks and beaches were closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Reuters

“If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach.”

Usually, the nests are difficult to locate along the busy Andaman Sea coast, which is one of the country's most popular destinations for travellers. High tides and nest thieves, who dig up and steal the eggs, also pose a threat to the species, which are considered endangered in Thailand and listed as a “vulnerable species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sea waters have become visibly cleaner and corals are growing back following the drop in visitors since Thailand reported its first case of the virus in January, Sopon Thongdee, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said on Friday.

The turtles began laying their eggs last November, with nests under close surveillance to protect them from disturbance, local media reported. In March, staff at a national park in the southern province of Phanga Nga found 84 hatchlings after monitoring eggs for two months.

A single Leatherback sea turtle nest contains 60-120 eggs, which take about two months to hatch. Once hatched, the tiny turtles make their journey from the nest to the sea, a process happening in record numbers due to the coronavirus restrictions.

A nationwide lockdown has closed beaches and public parks, providing an opportunity for animals to roam freely in areas normally filled with people.

Grizzly commuter: bear fails to catch a ride at Turkish tram station under lockdown

UAE launches plan to save its turtles

Numerous sightings of rare marine creatures including dugongs, pink dolphins and whale sharks have been reported in Thailand, while worldwide, there have been pictures of deer in London suburbs, gazelles crossing motorways in the UAE, wild boars in the Israeli city of Haifa and a bear venturing into a Turkish tram station.

In the UAE, there are still a few months to go before turtle hatching season in July. Last year, 78 baby Hawksbill turtles survived from six nests protected by volunteers on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Hawksbill turtles are listed as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened species.

The female adults turtles return to Abu Dhabi’s shores between March and June to lay their eggs.

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

A second lockdown will be especially tough in cold countries

Hard-hit Canada is springing back to the cliched 'new normal'

Justin Trudeau 2.0 will need to take all of Canada with him

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Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

Sole survivors

Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

PRO BASH

Thursday’s fixtures

6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors

10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters

Teams

Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.

Squad rules

All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.

Tournament rules

The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Campaigners call for UAE supermarkets to charge for plastic bags

Staff at Abu Dhabi veterinary clinic help tackle plastic waste

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Ronaldo's record at Man Utd

Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09

Appearances 230

Goals 115

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

While you're here

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VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

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The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.