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Sea Turns Red As Whales, Dolphins Are Butchered In Yearly Ritual In Faroe Island

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Sickening pictures show the sea turning red with blood as dozens of whales are slaughtered in an annual ritual in the Faroe Islands.

Activists have voiced their horror as the killings – a tradition believed to date back 1,000 years – got underway in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the year’s first hunt, more than 250 whales were killed, campaigners said.

Animals are surrounded as they migrate past the shores of the Danish territory and herded toward the beach, where they are hacked to death.

It has been described as an “insane blood sport” by charity ORCA, which is lobbying to end the slaughter, carried out with knives by licensed hunters.

Pictures shared by campaign group Sea Shepherd show hunters in the water butchering the whales. It has described the hunts as a “barbaric”.

In a statement, Sea Shepherd said: “252 long-finned pilot whales and 35 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed in Hvalba last night after the huge pod was found off Sandvik.

“This is the first organised grindadrap hunt of 2020 with the meat from the hunt distributed first to the approximately 70 hunt participants from the boats and those killing on the beach – and then the remainder to villages on Suðuroy with all recipients then free to sell their share of the meat if they so wish.”

Around 100,000 pilot whales swim close to the Faroe Islands, located in the North Atlantic between Norway and Iceland and comprising of 18 tiny islands, each year.

The Faroese hunt on average 800 whales annually. All hunters must have a hunting license.

The Blue Planet Society has condemned the tradition and said the animals had been “brutally and cruelly slaughtered”.

In 2014 Sea Shepherd was able to disrupt the slaughter, but since then legislation has been passed banning its ships from the country’s waters.

Charity ORCA posted on Twitter: “To the beautiful family of pilot whales that were brutally murdered in the Danish #FaroeIslands, we are so deeply sorry… We will keep fighting to end this insane blood sport. RIP beautiful family… Please Boycott the Faroe Islands!

World

10 killed as two military helicopters collide in Malaysia

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Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 crew onboard, the country’s rescue agency said.

Footage shared online showed several helicopters flying low in formation over the Lumut naval base, located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The helicopters were participating in a flypast rehearsal ahead of Naval Day celebrations in May.

One chopper was seen clipping the rear rotor of another, causing both to go into a tailspin and crash.

“The two helicopters collided during flight training,” said Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, senior operations commander from the fire and rescue department, adding that all 10 crew members on board were confirmed dead by medical officers.

The two aircraft involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, the rescue agency said.

Photos showed the Eurocopter model heavily mangled in the wreckage on the naval base stadium track with rescue personnel surrounding it as well as various debris.

The AgustaWestland helicopter crashed at the naval base’s swimming pool area.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent his condolences to the families of the victims, saying “the nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy”.

“I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, especially TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy), to find the cause of the crash,” he said.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

“Queen Zarith and I feel very sad over the loss of national heroes in this tragedy,” he said in a social media post.

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Israel launches counterattack on Iran

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Oil prices have surged by nearly 4 percent as Israel launched a missile attack on a target in Iran, according to international media reports.

Explosions were reported in Isfahan province in central Iran, where the country’s nuclear plant is located.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later announced that there was no damage to the plant.

Israel had promised a response to missile and drone attacks by Iran last weekend.

Iran had launched the attacks in response to the April 1 strike that killed its senior security officials at its embassy in Syria apparently carried out by Israel.

A US official told ABC News that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran, confirming reports of the explosion by the Asian country’s media.

There were also reports of blasts in Iraq and southern Syria.

Commercial flights we re-routed as parts of the Iranian airspace were closed.

Iran says it activated its air defence systems.

Israel is not planning further attacks and Iran is not going to retaliate either, according various officials quoted by the media.

Brent crude price is now over $90 per barrel, up from $87 before the strike.

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Dubai international airport cancels flights as flood ravages runway, UAE

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A year’s worth of rainfall in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, left the city flooded and disrupted airport operations.

A video posted online showed the tarmac of Dubai International Airport — recently crowned the second busiest in the world — underwater as massive aircraft attempted to navigate floodwaters.

CNN reports that nearly four inches (100 mm) of rain fell over the course of just 12 hours on Tuesday, according to the weather observations at the airport.

According to United Nations data, the rainfall was around what Dubai usually records in an entire year.

The flooding disrupted airport operations in the city, with multiple airlines announcing flight delays and cancelled flights on Wednesday.

Jets were said to have looked more like boats moving through the flooded airport, while other parts of the UAE also recorded heavy rainfall.

“Operations continue to be significantly disrupted. There is major flooding on access roads around Dubai leading to the airport,” the airport was quoted as saying.

The rain reportedly fell so heavily and quickly that motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles as the floodwater rose and roads turned into rivers.

Dubai, like the rest of the UAE, has a hot and dry climate. As such, rainfall is infrequent and the infrastructure to handle extreme events is not in place.

Many roads and other areas have insufficient drainage due to the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

The rain that ravaged the city is associated with a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula, moving across Oman and Iran.

Experts said torrential rainfall will become frequent in the region due to human-driven climate change.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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