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14 bodies Found by Sri Lanka Navy As Chinese Boat Capsizes

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At least 14 bodies have been recovered by Sri Lanka’s navy inside a Chinese fishing boat that had capsized last week with 39 crew on board.

The discovery came a day after a preliminary Chinese government probe concluded there were no survivors.

The Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 overturned on May 16, with 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos on board within Australia’s vast search-and-rescue region, 5,000 kilometres (2,700 nautical miles) west of Perth.

The Sri Lankan navy said its divers had recovered two bodies and spotted 12 more on Tuesday, releasing photos showing the upturned red hull of the vessel and bodies being hauled out of the water.

“Due to decomposition and the potential health hazards posed by operating in contaminated waters with limited protective gear, it was determined that retrieving those bodies would be exceedingly dangerous,” the navy said in a statement.

It said the locations of the 12 bodies inside the boat were mapped and handed to Chinese authorities. The nationalities of the located bodies were not immediately known.

The Sri Lankan navy statement came a day after a preliminary probe by the Chinese transport ministry concluded that all those on board had died.

Australia had sent three aeroplanes and four ships to help in the international search-and-rescue efforts.

Rescuers had trawled an area of around 64,000 square kilometres (18,700 square nautical miles), and “did not find any sign of survivors”, according to the Chinese transport ministry.

The fishing vessel’s distress beacon was first detected last week as Cyclone Fabian drove waves as high as seven metres (23 feet) and winds as strong as 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour) through the area.

Rough weather held back rescue efforts, with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Canberra warning of “challenging” survival conditions.

The vessel was owned by the Penglai Jinglu Fishery Company, one of China’s major state-run fishing firms.

It was authorised to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury, according to the North Pacific Fisheries Commission.

It left Cape Town in South Africa on May 5 for Busan in South Korea, according to the Marine Traffic tracking website, which last located the vessel on May 10 southeast of Reunion, a tiny French island in the Indian Ocean.

Penglai Jinglu Fishery also runs squid and tuna fishing operations in international waters, including the Indian Ocean and seas surrounding Latin America.

AFP

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International

BREAKING: US bombs nuclear sites in Iran

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The United States President, Donald Trump, has announced that the US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump said, “All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace.”

Trump made this known via his social media platform, Truth Social.

According to the US President, “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.

There is no other military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

This is the first time the United States Army will use the bunker bombs in its military history.

A bunker buster is a type of munition that is designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground, such as Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, buried deep inside the mountains, believed to be around 300 feet deep.

As of the time of filing this report, Iran has yet to react to the US military action, but the State media told journalists that the three sites bombed by the US have all been evacuated some time ago before the strike.

This attack is coming as a surprise to many who believed that diplomacy, rather than military action, should be engaged after US President Trump gave a two-week window for negotiation with Iran.

It was earlier reported that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khemenei, vowed to retaliate if the United States strikes nuclear targets in Iran, threatening to attack US military bases in the Middle East if Trump entered the conflict with Israel.

Ayatollah had earlier yesterday named three successors after several assassination threats from Israel and the United States.

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Netherlands returns over 100 Benin Bronzes looted from Nigeria

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Nigeria has taken delivery from the Netherlands of 119 pieces of priceless “Benin Bronze” artefacts looted more than 120 years ago, the country’s museum commission and the Dutch embassy said June 18.

It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.

“On this historic occasion it gives us great joy to finally welcome the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands,” said Mr Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

“This represents the largest physical return to Nigeria and the people of Benin since the looting of the Benin Royal Palace by the British in 1897,” he said in a statement jointly issued with the Dutch embassy in Nigeria.

“The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria,” added Mr Holloway.

The story of the Benin Bronzes is one of violence and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed on a trade mission to the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.

The British reaction was fierce. London deployed a military expedition to avenge its officers.

The troops killed several thousand locals and torched Benin’s capital city. They looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes.

Most of the ornate bronzes were then sold to finance the expedition, auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.

This was in 1897, and 128 years later, Nigeria is still negotiating the return of the bronzes around the world – with mixed results.

Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd hailed Nigeria for persistently campaigning for the return of the cultural artefacts.

“We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums,” said Ms van de Weerd in the joint statement.

Of the 119 objects, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the Rotterdam municipality returned the other six. The pieces will be officially handed over on June 21.

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Israeli Forces Bomb Iranian State TV During Live Broadcast (Video)

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The Israeli missiles has reportedly struck Iran’s state television headquarters on Monday while a live news broadcast was underway.

The development sent shockwaves through the studio and caused the immediate stoppage of the broadcast.

A viral video circulating on social media and reposted by Daily Iran Military shows the moment chaos erupted during a live transmission.

A visibly shaken female anchor was delivering the news when a thunderous explosion rattled the studio.Thick smoke and falling debris forced her to flee her desk mid-broadcast.

It was earlier reported that at least eight people were killed on Saturday night when Iranian aerial strikes on Israel.

The deceased included four children, with more than 200 others injured, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The barrage came in retaliation for Israel’s surprise strike early Friday on Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to Israeli officials, that operation killed several nuclear scientists and high-ranking military leaders.

Meanwhile, a fresh report by SBM Intelligence has warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran could lead to an increase in fuel prices in Nigeria.

The report attributed this to the fact that Nigeria still relies heavily on importing fuel to meet local demand.

Click the link below to watch the video:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BfVW6i2gC

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