Up to 90 whales died after becoming stranded in a remote bay at the Australian island state of Tasmania.
On Tuesday, rescuers said the mission to save another 180 still stuck would be a challenge.
Scientists said two large pods of long-finned pilot whales became stuck on sandbars in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's rugged and sparsely populated west coast.
Images showed shallow water and dozens of whales manoeuvring for space.
It seems to be a notorious whale trap... you do tend to get these mass stranding events there
Rescuers could be seen wading in the water tas they attempted to refloat the whales in deeper areas.
Government marine biologist Kris Carlyon said "about a third" of the 270 animals were dead by late Monday and rescuing survivors would take several days.
Though mass whale strandings occur relatively often in Tasmania, such a large group has not been seen in the area for more than a decade.
The animals can only be reached by boat, limiting the number of rescuers who can reach them.
About 60 people, including volunteers and fish farm workers, are involved in the rescue attempt.
They are battling cold, wet conditions, as well as the harbour's unusual tides, which are dictated by barometric pressure.
"In terms of mass whale strandings in Tasmania, this is up there with the trickiest," Mr Carlyon said from the nearby town of Strahan.
However, Mr Carlyon said many of the partially submerged whales should be able to survive for the several days it would take his team to complete the rescue, which was affected by inclement weather.
"It's pretty ugly for people on the ground but as far as the whales go its ideal – it's keeping them wet, it's keeping them cool," he said.
Mr Carlyon said rescuers would still have to triage the whales, prioritising the healthiest and easiest to reach.
Most of a group of 30 on a nearby beach were found dead on Monday, while about 60 other whales on the sandbars are also believed to have died.
Mr Carlyon said that once the whales are returned to the water, the biggest challenge would be herding them out of the sandbar-riddled harbour and back into the open ocean.
Mr Carlyon suggested the pod may have gone off track after feeding close to the shoreline or by following one or two whales that strayed.
Karen Stockin, an expert in marine mammals at New Zealand's Massey University, said Tasmania was a whale strandings were common in the area.
"It seems to be a notorious whale trap. You do tend to get these mass stranding events there," she told AFP.
Stockin said that while pilot whales were typically more resilient than other species, rescuers faced a race against the clock as the mammals can overheat, their muscles deteriorate and their organs become crushed outside their natural environment.
Their highly social nature was also expected to work against the rescue effort, she said, with some freed whales likely to re-strand themselves to remain close to the pods.
"Time is never your friend. So without doubt the more expedited rescue missions are, the more likely there is an increased chance of survival," she said.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
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.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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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