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3 Sailors Rescued Off Australia after Sharks Attack their Boat

In this photo provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, a partially submerged catamaran is shown during a rescue of 3 sailors in the Coral Sea, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP)
In this photo provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, a partially submerged catamaran is shown during a rescue of 3 sailors in the Coral Sea, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP)
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3 Sailors Rescued Off Australia after Sharks Attack their Boat

In this photo provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, a partially submerged catamaran is shown during a rescue of 3 sailors in the Coral Sea, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP)
In this photo provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, a partially submerged catamaran is shown during a rescue of 3 sailors in the Coral Sea, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP)

Three sailors from Russia and France were rescued on Wednesday after the inflatable catamaran they were trying to navigate from Vanuatu to Australia came under attack from sharks, authorities said.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it responded to an alert from an emergency beacon at about 1:30 a.m. When rescuers arrived at the scene more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the Australian coast in the Coral Sea, they found both hulls of the men's 9-meter (30-foot) boat had been damaged after several shark attacks.
The agency enlisted the help of a Panamanian-flagged ship, the vehicle-carrying “Dugong Ace,” which was able to complete the rescue and take the two Russians and one Frenchman aboard. A rescue plane also flew to the scene.
“The three males were very happy to be rescued, and they’re all healthy and well, The Associated Press quoted Joe Zeller, duty manager at the agency's Canberra response center, as saying.
The men, aged between 28 and 64, are due to arrive in the Australian city of Brisbane on Thursday.
Zeller said a journey from the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu to Australia on such a vessel would usually take two to three weeks.
Aerial photos showed major damage to the catamaran, with the front section of one hull completely missing.
Zeller said the GPS-encoded emergency beacon had saved the men's lives by allowing rescuers to quickly pinpoint their location and mount an appropriate rescue.

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Riyadh Municipality Decorates Capital with Over 5,000 Lights for Founding Day

The capital's streets have transformed into vibrant displays of national pride, embodying 299 years of continuous development and progress - SPA
The capital's streets have transformed into vibrant displays of national pride, embodying 299 years of continuous development and progress - SPA
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Riyadh Municipality Decorates Capital with Over 5,000 Lights for Founding Day

The capital's streets have transformed into vibrant displays of national pride, embodying 299 years of continuous development and progress - SPA
The capital's streets have transformed into vibrant displays of national pride, embodying 299 years of continuous development and progress - SPA

The Riyadh Municipality has illuminated the capital's main streets, vital thoroughfares, and public squares with over 5,000 decorative lights in celebration of Saudi Founding Day.

The project involved installing 5,481 decorative lights across various locations to enhance the festive atmosphere throughout Riyadh's neighborhoods, giving the city a harmonious visual character that reflects profound pride in the nation's rich history, SPA reported.

As light and identity intertwine, the capital's streets have transformed into vibrant displays of national pride, embodying 299 years of continuous development and progress.

The transformation reflects the deep significance of Founding Day in the hearts of citizens and translates their loyalty to the leadership's blessed journey.

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Residents in Australia’s Victoria State Urged to Evacuate as Bushfire Rages

This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
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Residents in Australia’s Victoria State Urged to Evacuate as Bushfire Rages

This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)

An ‌out-of-control bushfire in Australia's Victoria state prompted an evacuation alert for residents near a remote mining settlement, authorities said on Saturday.

The alert, at the highest emergency rating, was for the area surrounding the A1 Mine Settlement in the Gaffney's Creek region, about 50 km (31 miles) ‌northeast of ‌state capital Melbourne.

"Leaving immediately is ‌the ⁠safest option, before ⁠conditions become too dangerous," Victoria Emergency said on its website, adding that the fire was not yet controlled.

Mountainous terrain was making it difficult for firefighters to battle ⁠the blaze from the ‌ground, the ‌Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Since the 1860s gold ‌has been mined in the sparsely-populated ‌area, which is also popular with campers and tourists.

Three other bushfires were burning on Saturday at watch and act ‌level, the second highest danger rating, Victoria Emergency said.

In January, ⁠thousands ⁠of firefighters battled bushfires in Australia's southeast that razed homes, cut power to thousands of homes and burned swathes of bushland. They were the worst fires to hit the southeast since the Black Summer blazes of 2019-2020 that destroyed an area the size of Türkiye and killed 33 people.

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Galapagos Park Releases 158 Juvenile Hybrid Tortoises on Floreana to Restore the Ecosystem

Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz Island for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz Island for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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Galapagos Park Releases 158 Juvenile Hybrid Tortoises on Floreana to Restore the Ecosystem

Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz Island for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz Island for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Nearly 150 years after the last giant tortoises were removed from Floreana Island in Ecuador’s Galapagos archipelago, the species made a comeback Friday, when dozens of juvenile hybrids were released to begin restoring the island’s depleted ecosystem.

The 158 newcomers, aged 8 to 13, have begun exploring the habitat they are destined to reshape over the coming years. Their release was perfectly timed with the arrival of the season’s first winter rains.

“They are large enough to be released and can defend themselves against introduced animals such as rats and cats,” said Fredy Villalba, director of the Galapagos National Park breeding center on Santa Cruz Island, noting that the best specimens with the strongest lineage were selected specifically for Floreana.

These released juvenile specimens, out of a total of 700 planned for Floreana, will be introduced gradually. According to Christian Sevilla, director of ecosystems of the Galapagos National Park, they carry between 40% and 80% of the genetic makeup of the Chelonoidis niger —a species that has been extinct for 150 years.

The lineage of these hybrids traces back to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, a discovery that still puzzles scientists today. By selecting adults with the strongest genetic makeup, said Sevilla, the breeding program aims to gradually bring the extinct Floreana species back to its former purity.

Two centuries ago, Floreana was home to approximately 20,000 giant tortoises. However, whaling, a devastating fire, and relentless human exploitation eventually led to their complete extinction on the island.

“In genetic terms, reintroducing a species to that island with a significant genetic component of the original species is vital,” biologist Washington Tapia told The Associated Press.

Tapia, a researcher and director of Biodiversa-Consultores — a firm specializing in the Galapagos Islands — emphasized that this process is about more than just numbers; it is about restoring a lost lineage.

Floreana, an island spanning approximately 173 square kilometers (67 square miles), is a volcanic landmass and the southernmost point of the Galapagos archipelago. Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean — roughly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the mainland coast — it remains a remote and vital ecological site.

The tortoises reintroduced to Floreana will share their territory with a diverse population of nearly 200 people alongside flamingos, iguanas, penguins, sea gulls and hawks. However, they must also contend with introduced plant species such as blackberry and guava, as well as animals like rats, cats, pigs and donkeys. These non-native species, introduced by human activity, represent potential threats to the island’s newest inhabitants.

Floreana resident Verónica Mora described the release of the turtles as a dream come true. “We are seeing the reality of a project that began several years ago,” she said, adding that the community feels immense pride in the return of the giant tortoises.

The United Nations designated the Galapagos Islands as a Natural World Heritage Site in 1978. This honor recognizes the islands’ unique abundance of terrestrial and marine species found nowhere else on the planet.