The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, the city's most famous monument, was vandalised on Friday but police and commentators were puzzled as to who might have done it and what their message really is.
"We can confirm that The Little Mermaid has been vandalised some time before 9am this morning," Copenhagen police said in a statement to AFP.
"An unknown person has written the words 'Racist Fish' on it. We are investigating the case."
The Little Mermaid, inspired by a character in Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairytale of the same name, is a 175-kilogram statue by sculptor Edvard Eriksen.
The statue has been vandalised numerous times over the years, including when the mermaid's head was stolen in 1964 and again in 1998, as well as when an arm was cut off in 1984.
The meaning of the apparent racist accusation has however so far left some scratching their heads.
"Of course in general with literary works, you can read them with various glasses," Ane Grum-Schwensen, an expert at the University of Southern Denmark, told Danish broadcaster TV2.
"However, I do find it a little difficult to see, what would be especially racist in the adventure "The Little Mermaid," she added.
Cultural icons targeted
According to police other statues around Copenhagen have also been vandalised with "various phrases”.
One of missionary Hans Egede, who launched Lutheran mission efforts to Greenland, and one of Mahatma Gandhi in the northwestern part of the city were defaced.
Police also said that last month, someone had written "racist" on a statue of Danish King Christian IV, who ruled between 1588 and 1648.
Statues of historical figures in many countries have come under fire from activists protesting against racism following the death of George Floyd, an African-American killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May.
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
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Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
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