Marine biologists raced Thursday to save more than 100 pilot whales after a mass stranding on an Australian beach, with officials fearing many will have to be euthanised. Western Australia's Parks and Wildlife Service said 26 of the beached pilot whales had already died.   As many as 160 pilot whales became stranded Thursday morning at Toby's Inlet, officials said, located about three hours' drive south of the state capital Perth.  "A team of experienced staff including wildlife officers, marine scientists, veterinarians are on site or on their way," the Parks and Wildlife Service sa ..read more

The ticket office is in place and the inspectors are primed -- Venice launches a new scheme Thursday to charge day-trippers looking to enter the historic Italian city, a world first intended to ease the pressure of mass tourism. Visitors entering the UNESCO World Heritage site for the day will have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, with inspectors carrying out spot checks at key entry points. Considered one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, Venice is one of the world's top tourist destinations -- but is drowning under the weight of the crowds. Under the trial system, so-called Acces ..read more

Germany is waging a charm offensive inside the Republican Party. Japan is lining up its own Trump whisperer. Mexican government officials are talking to Camp Trump. And Australia is busy making laws to help Trump-proof its US defense ties. Everywhere, US allies are taking steps to defend or advance their interests in the event former President Donald Trump returns to power in the November elections, an even chance based on recent opinion polls in swing states. They want to avoid the cold slap that Trump's "America First" policies dealt them last time around, which included trade wars, a shakeu ..read more

US President Joe Biden took a dig at Donald Trump on Wednesday, joking that when his rival famously remarked about injecting bleach to tackle Covid it instead went in his much-discussed hair. "Remember when he was trying to deal with Covid...He suggested just inject a little bleach in your veins," Biden said at a construction workers event in Washington. "He missed, it all went to his hair!" the Democrat quipped, eliciting a burst of laughter among the audience at North America's Building Trade Union, which has endorsed the 81-year-old in this year's election. Biden made a similar gag on socia ..read more

A woman in South Korea was tricked into losing over $50,000 (Rs 41 lakh) following a scam involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk. According to the Independent, the woman identified as Jeong Ji-sun, believed she was interacting with billionaire Elon Musk on Instagram. In reality, it was just a deepfake video.  The woman opened up about how she first started talking with the con artist, who claimed to be Musk. "I experienced something like a dream last year. On July 17 last year, Musk added me as a friend on Instagram. Although I have been a huge fan of Musk after reading his biography, I doubt ..read more

The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, collapsed during the night, firefighters said on Thursday, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics. There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said. The reason for the accident was not yet known. "Fortunately this happened after closing," a Moulin Rouge official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Every week, the cabaret's technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems," the source said, adding that there was no more information on the reason for the ..read more

Two white-tailed deer inside Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia recently tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease found in deer and similar species. This marks the first CWD-positive detection for a national park in West Virginia, the National Park Service (NPS) said.  According to an NPS press release, the two deer which tested positive were killed during a routine population reduction effort on the Park Service property.  Deer at the nearby Antietam and Monocacy battlefield parks, both on the Maryland side of the Poto ..read more

Some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the US - the strongest ally of Israel - have been facing protests over the Gaza war. Their demands include a ceasefire, an end to US military aid to Israel, and the withdrawal of university investments from arms supplies and companies benefiting the war. At New York's Columbia University, where the protests began, over 100 students were arrested after a pro-Palestine rally was dispersed by the cops last week. Amid spiralling tensions, it cancelled in-person classes last Monday and switched to virtual learning. At the University of Texa ..read more

In a scary incident, a fabricated audio clip featuring Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructing his military to respond to China has raised significant alarm among Manila's government officials. They caution that this could have implications for the nation's foreign policy.  The manipulated audio features a deep fake voice of Marcos Jr, where he purportedly indicates to his military to intervene if China poses a threat to the Philippines. He adds that he cannot tolerate further harm to Filipinos by Beijing.  Deepfake technology involves the use of artificial intelligence ..read more

Strong winds carrying dust from the Sahara Desert turned the sky apocalyptic "orange" over Athens and other Greek cities on Tuesday. Social media was awash with orange images of the Greek capital as locals and tourists alike were stunned by the phenomenon. One user posted a video of their windshield covered in sand, while another branded the scene as "apocalyptic" as they posted footage of their surroundings on X (formerly Twitter).  It's apocalyptic in Athens right now. Mind you, no filter used. pic.twitter.com/YMTWKnVA6P — Elly Vintiadis (@EllyVintiadis) April 23, 2024 According to Sky ..read more