World
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
![Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway? Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/hvaldimir.jpg)
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with “Equipment St Petersburg” written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED WHALE SEEN OFF CALIFORNIA COAST: ‘EVERY SIGHTING IS INCREDIBLE VALUABLE TO US’
Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a “free-swimming whale” by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
“It’s absolutely horrible,” marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. “He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
BREACHING WHALE CAPSIZES BOAT AFTER LANDING ON TOP OF IT OFF NEW HAMPSHIRE, SHOCKING VIDEO SHOWS
![Hvaldimir being fed](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/hvaldimir1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
“We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,” the organization said on social media.
![Hvaldimir engaging with a boater](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/hvaldimir-with-boater.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a “free-swimming whale” by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir “bridged the gap” between humans and wild animals in a way “few can.”
“Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,” the organization said. “Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.”
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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World
Tennis-Sabalenka Beats Pegula to Win U.S. Open Women's Title
World
Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro leads ‘free speech’ rally in Sao Paulo
![Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro leads ‘free speech’ rally in Sao Paulo Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro leads ‘free speech’ rally in Sao Paulo](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AP24251684237083-1725738122.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has rallied thousands of protesters in central Sao Paulo to protest against the country’s ban of the social media platform X.
The demonstration was timed to the country’s Independence Day on Saturday.
It also unfolded while Bolsonaro’s political rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, led an official parade with the country’s military in the capital Brasilia.
Dressed in the colours of the Brazilian flag, Bolsonaro climbed atop a temporary stage erected on Sao Paulo’s main thoroughfare, Paulista Avenue, and addressed the crowd.
His remarks took aim at one of the main figures responsible for the ban on X: Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
“I hope that the Federal Senate puts the brakes on Alexandre de Moraes, this dictator who does more harm to Brazil than Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself,” Bolsonaro told the crowd.
De Moraes had called upon the social media platform to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, as is required under Brazilian law.
In August, when X refused to comply, De Moraes released an order for the suspension of all the platform’s activities in Brazil.
It was the culmination of an ongoing spat between De Moraes and X’s owner, Elon Musk.
The billionaire entrepreneur had closed X’s offices in Brazil earlier that month, to avoid having to comply with separate court orders to suspend accounts peddling misinformation.
On September 2, Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decision to ban X, with all five judges offering their support.
Explaining the decision, Justice Flavio Dino said, “A party that intentionally fails to comply with court decisions appears to consider itself above the rule of law.”
But that failed to quell the uproar, particularly among members of the far right in Brazil, who considered the shuttering of X as an infringement of their free-speech rights.
Bolsonaro, a figurehead of Brazil’s far right, seized the moment to call for protest.
“When freedom of expression and the press are threatened, democracy cries out for help,” he wrote on social media on September 4.
“Therefore, I call on all Brazilians who love freedom and our democracy: Come to Paulista Avenue next Saturday, September 7!”
Bolsonaro himself has had clashes with De Moraes, who formerly led the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which oversees Brazil’s elections.
In the lead-up to the 2022 presidential elections, Bolsonaro, the incumbent, spread misinformation about electoral fraud. After he lost the vote, Bolsonaro and his allies proceeded to challenge the results, using unfounded claims to sow suspicion.
The result was weeks of protests and a violent assault on Brasilia’s government buildings on January 8, 2023, as Bolsonaro’s supporters looted the premises.
De Moraes led the Superior Electoral Court in voting to ban Bolsonaro from office until 2030 for his role in spreading false information.
At the Independence Day protest in Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro re-upped his false claims about the 2022 election.
“The 2022 elections were completely biased by the president of the Superior Electoral Court, Alexandre de Moraes,” he told the crowd, adding that the January 8 riot was a “set-up”.
World
Venice Film Festival Award Winners List (Updating Live)
![Venice Film Festival Award Winners List (Updating Live) Venice Film Festival Award Winners List (Updating Live)](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/leone-cinema-2019.jpeg?w=750&h=500&crop=1)
The Venice Film Festival draws to a close this evening with its glamorous awards gala, and though the feeling on the ground was that the 21-title-strong main competition was a touch off the pace of recent years, still the festival is looking pretty good for an 81-year-old. Especially one who has spent the past 11 days stewing in the scorching humidity of the Lido.
Light on the kind of genuine, potentially crossover breakouts — like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” last year — that sound the starter’s gun on the Oscars race in earnest, there was also some speculation about whether this year’s jury would want to skew less American in terms of their Golden Lion top pick (five of the last seven of those have gone to a US production or co-production). But that, of course, was before US director Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” emerged as the closest thing to a consensus critical pick that this edition has fielded.
Here is where we will keep you updated live on the decisions of the main jury, headed up by Isabelle Huppert and comprising filmmakers James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore and Julia von Heinz and actress Zhang Ziyi. And also we’ll be revealing the winners in the Horizons sidebar section, where the jury of seven (president Debra Granik, Ali Asgari, Soudade Kaadan, Christos Nikou, Tuva Novotny, Gábor Reisz, Valia Santella) made their selections from among 19 features and the Horizons Short Film program.
See the full list of Venice Film Festival award winners below:
COMPETITION
Golden Lion for Best Film:
Grand Jury Prize:
Silver Lion for Best Director:
Special Jury Prize:
Best Screenplay:
Volpi Cup for Best Actress:
Volpi Cup for Best Actor:
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor:
HORIZONS
Best Film:
Best Director:
Special Jury Prize:
Best Actress: Kathleen Chalfant, “Familiar Touch”
Best Actor: Francesco Gheghi, “Familia”
Best Screenplay: Scandar Copti, “Happy Holidays”
Best Short Film: “Who Loves the Sun,” Arshia Shakiba
LION OF THE FUTURE
Luigi de Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Feature: “Familiar Touch,” Sarah Friedland
HORIZONS EXTRA
Audience Award: “The Witness,” Nader Saeivar
VENICE CLASSICS
Best Documentary on Cinema: “Chain Reactions,” Alexandre O. Philippe
Best Restored Film: “Ecce Bombo,” Nanni Moretti
VENICE IMMERSIVE
Grand Jury Prize: “Ito Meikyu,” Boris Labbé
Special Jury Prize: “Oto’s Planet,” Gwenael François
Achievement Prize: “Impulse: Playing With Reality,” Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla
GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI (announced earlier)
GdA Director’s Award: “Manas,” Marianna Brennand
Audience Award: “Taxi Monamour,” Ciro De Caro
Europa Cinemas Label Award: “Alpha,” Jan-Willem van Ewijk
CRITICS’ WEEK (announced earlier)
Grand Prize: “Don’t Cry, Butterfly,” Dương Diệu Linh
Special Mention: “No Sleep Till,” Alexandra Simpson
Audience Award: “Paul & Paulette Take a Bath” Jethro Massey
Verona Film Club Award for Most Innovative Film: “Don’t Cry, Butterfly,” Dương Diệu Linh
Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution: “Homegrown,” Michael Premo
Best Short Film: “Things That My Best Friend Lost,” Marta Innocenti
Best Director (Short Film): “Nero Argento,” Francesco Manzato
Best Technical Contribution (Short Film): “At Least I Will Be 8 294 400 Pixel,” Marco Talarico
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