More than 60 false killer whales have died and authorities are trying to save dozens more after a mass stranding on a remote Australian beach

Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment said a pod of 157 had beached near Arthur River, in the island’s north west.

About 90 of the animals – which witnesses say include juveniles – are still alive, with conservation experts and veterinarians at the site evaluating whether any can be returned to the sea.

Tasmania has seen a series of mass whale strandings in recent years – including the country’s worst-ever in 2020 – but false killer whales haven’t mass stranded there in over 50 years.

False killer whales are technically one of the largest dolphin species, like their orca namesakes, and can grow up to 6m and 1.5t.

Authorities says the pod has been stranded at the site – about 300km from the city of Launceston – for 24 to 48 hours, and it will be an uphill battle to save any of them.

“Initial assessments indicate that refloating the whales will be difficult due to the inaccessibility of the site, ocean conditions and the challenges of getting specialised equipment to the remote area,” department spokesman Brendon Clarke told media.

While rescuers have successfully saved whales at other recent stranding events on the west coast, the complexity of this incident means the same techniques can’t be used.

Teams on site are triaging the whales with the best chance of survival and trying to keep them alive and comfortable while rescue options are discussed.

Animal welfare is a priority, but there are concerns about the safety and wellbeing of rescue teams to consider too.

“We have… surging tidal waters and breaking surf, and so to try and refloat the animals directly back into that surf would be challenging, and then, of course, that would also present some enormous safety risk for our staff and personnel.”

“Because the fact that these are large animals, potentially in their death throes, and they could be writhing and moving around on beaches, [there’s a] likelihood of somebody being injured.”

Sharks are also a concern.

Authorities have asked members of the public to avoid the site, with bushfires burning nearby and limited road access.

Local resident Jocelyn Flint told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she had travelled to the site on Wednesday morning after her son noticed the pod while out shark fishing overnight.

“There are babies… There’s just families of them. Their eyes are open, they’re looking at me, like ‘help’.”

“It’s just absolutely horrific. They’re all struggling.”

More than 80% of Australian whale strandings take place in Tasmania – often on its west coast.

Around 470 pilot whales were stranded further south at Macquarie Harbour in 2020 and about 350 of them died despite rescue efforts. Another 200 become stranded in the same harbour in 2022.

Whales are highly social mammals and are well known for stranding in groups because they travel in large, close-knit communities which rely on constant communication.

There are a range of theories for why beachings occur. Some experts say the animals can become disoriented after following fish they hunt to the shore.

Others believe that one individual can mistakenly lead whole groups to shore.

(BBC News)

A Delta Airlines plane crashed while attempting to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, flipping upside down on the snowy ground. 

The incident, which occurred around 2:15 p.m. ET, involved Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members. 

Eighteen passengers were injured, with no fatalities reported, according to Delta.

Toronto Pearson CEO Deborah Flint confirmed that two runways will remain closed for investigation “for the rest of tonight and into the next several days.” Arrivals and departures on the airport’s three other runways, initially halted, resumed by 5 p.m. local time.ච
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed gratitude to first responders and assured that the airline is prioritizing care for those affected. Passengers’ families can contact Delta’s Passenger Inquiry Center for updates. The flight originated from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Further details are expected as the investigation progresses.

Singapore’s opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.The charges against Singh relate to his handling of Raeesah Khan, a former lawmaker from his party, who lied to parliament in a separate case.

The verdict in this high-profile trial comes as Singapore is gearing up for its next general election, which must be held by November. Singh’s Workers’ Party holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament.

In Singapore, any MP can lose their seat or be barred from running for office for five years if they are fined at least S$10,000 ($7,440; £5,925) or jailed for more than a year.

The verdict on Monday, which lasted more than two hours, was delivered to a packed courtroom. Members of the press who could not fit into the courtroom, including the BBC, viewed a livestream of the verdict from a separate room.

District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the verdict, said several pieces of evidence showed that Singh “never wanted Ms Khan to clarify [her] lie” and had “direct and intimate involvement” in guiding Khan to continue her narrative.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum fine of S$7,000 ($5,200; £4,200) for each of Singh’s two charges, while the defence are asking for S$4,000 ($3,000; £2,400).

Singh, 48, maintained his innocence throughout the trial, arguing that he had wanted to give Khan time to deal with what was a sensitive issue.

Singh’s case has gripped the city-state, where a usually uneventful political scene – dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party – has in recent years seen a rare string of scandals.

The saga started in August 2021 when Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed the police misbehave towards a sexual assault victim. She later admitted that her anecdote was not true.

Khan was fined S$35,000 ($26,000; £21,000) for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. She has since resigned from the party and parliament.

During a parliamentary committee investigation into the incident later that year, Khan testified that the party’s leaders, including Singh, had told her to “continue with the narrative” despite finding out that it was not true. This was prior to her eventual admission.

Singh denied this, but also said that he had given Khan “too much time to settle herself before closing this issue with her”.

The parliamentary committee concluded that Singh was not being truthful and referred the case to the public prosecutor.

Judge Tan said on Monday that Singh’s actions after learning of Khan’s lie were “strongly indicative that the accused did not want Ms Khan to clarify the untruth at some point”.

Singh’s Workers’ Party is the opposition party with the largest presence in parliament.

The party made significant gains during the 2020 election, increasing their number of seats from six to 10 – the biggest victory for the opposition since Singapore gained independence in 1965. Singh was named the opposition leader after the polls.

One of those seats has since been vacated by Khan.

(BBC News)