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Man describes being swallowed by whale
The first thing kayaker Adrián Simancas noticed after he was eaten by a whale was the slime.
“I spent a second realising I was inside the mouth of something, that maybe it had eaten me, that it could have been an orca or a sea monster,” the 23-year-old told BBC Mundo.
Adrián had started to think how he might survive inside the humpback whale “like Pinocchio” – then the creature spat him back out.
The Venezuelan kayaker had been paddling through the Strait of Magellan, off Chile’s Patagonian coast, with his father when he felt something “hit me from behind, closing in on me and sinking me”.
His father, Dall, was able to capture the short lived oedeal on video just meters away.
“I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I realised I was inside the whale’s mouth,” Adrián told the BBC. “I felt a slimy texture brush my face,” he recalled, adding that all he could see was dark blue and white. “I wondered what I could do if it had swallowed me since I could no longer fight to stop it,” he said.
“I had to think about what to do next.” But within seconds, Adrián started to feel as though he was rising toward the surface.
“I was a little afraid of whether I would be able to hold my breath because I didn’t know how deep I was, and I felt like it took me a long time to come up.
“I went up for two seconds, and finally I got to the surface and realised that it hadn’t eaten me.”
In a nearby kayak, Adrián’s father Dall Simancas watched on in disbelief.
The pair had just crossed Eagle Bay – down the coast from Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city – when he heard a crash behind him. “When I turned around, I didn’t see Adrián.”
“I was worried for a second, until I saw him coming up out of the sea,” the 49-year-old said.
“Then I saw something, a body, which I immediately interpreted as most likely being a whale because of its size.”
Dall had fixed a camera to the back of his kayak to record the rising waves – which captured his son’s remarkable experience.
Watching the footage back, Adrián – who moved with his father to Chile from Venezuela seven years ago in search of a better quality of life – was shocked to see just how enormous the whale had been.
“I hadn’t seen the moment when the back appears, and the fin is visible. I didn’t see it, I heard it. That made me nervous,” he said.
“But later, with the video, I realised that it actually appeared before me in such a huge size that perhaps if I had seen it, it would have scared me even more.”
For Adrián, the experience was not just about survival – but he said felt he had received a “second chance” when the whale spat him out.
The “unique” experience in one of the most extreme places on Earth had “invited me to reflect on what I could have done better up until that point, and on the ways I can take advantage of the experience and appreciate it as well”, he added.
But there is a simple reason he was able to escape the whale so quickly, according to a wildlife expert.
Humpback whales have narrow throats “about the size of a household pipe” designed for swallowing small fish and shrimp, Brazilian conservationist Roched Jacobson Seba told the BBC.
“They physically cannot swallow large objects like kayaks, tires, or even big fish like tuna,” he said.
“Ultimately, the whale spit out the kayak because it was physically impossible to swallow.”
The humpback whale likely engulfed Adrián by accident, Mr Seba suggested.
“The whale was likely feeding on a school of fish when it unintentionally scooped up the kayak along with its meal.
“When whales surface too quickly while feeding, they can accidentally hit or engulf objects in their path.”
He warned that the encounter served as “an important reminder” to avoid using paddleboards, surfboards or other silent vessels in areas where whales usually swim.
Boats used for whale watching and research must always keep their engines on, he added, as the noise helps whales detect their presence.
[BBC]
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Munoz sends Colombia into World Cup knockouts with 1-0 win over DR Congo
Daniel Munoz has fired Colombia into the World Cup round of 32 with a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K after goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had threatened to turn the match into a night of frustration.
Munoz struck the winner from the right side of the penalty area in the 76th minute on Tuesday, finally beating Mpasi, who had repeatedly denied Colombia with an inspired performance.
Colombia, who opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, commanded possession and created numerous chances.

James Rodriguez, making his 10th World Cup appearance to equal the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, forced Mpasi into action with a powerful strike in the 11th minute.
The goalkeeper stood firm, repelling efforts from Jhon Arias and winger Luis Diaz, who came close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute, controlling a chipped pass inside the penalty area, turning smartly, and firing a shot goal-wards, only for Mpasi to save it with his foot.
The African side, buoyed by their opening 1-1 deaw with Portugal, threatened sporadically through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa, but lacked a clinical finish.
By half-time, Colombia had registered 15 shots, including six on target, with nine of their 10 outfield players attempting efforts.

In the stands, DR Congo had support from Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, the team’s famous “living statue” fan, who made his World Cup debut after missing the opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine requirements.
Colombia resumed on the front foot after the break, with Diaz forcing another fine save from Mpasi in the 51st minute before Arias dragged the rebound wide.
Wissa almost snatched the lead for DR Congo in the 73rd minute, when his shot from Simon Banza’s assist was blocked, but Colombia struck shortly after through Munoz.
Diaz later thought he had doubled the advantage with a finish into the top corner, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Colombia moved to six points from two matches and guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage ahead of their final group game against Portugal, who beat Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday.
DR Congo remained on one point and will need a result against Uzbekistan to keep their qualification hopes alive.

[Aljazeera]
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July 6th declared as Sri Lanka National Legal Aid Day
The Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka was established under the Legal Aid Act No. 27 of 1978 with the objective of facilitating access to justice for all citizens, including vulnerable groups and marginalized persons.
The commission makes a significant contribution to the protection of fundamental rights through the provision of legal aid services promotion of legal awareness, strengthening the rule of law and promoting access to justice.
It has been identified the appropriateness of declaring a National Legal Aid Day to enhance the public awareness of legal rights and remedies, facilitate a national dialogue on law enforcement and enhance the public understanding of the importance of legal services.
Accordingly, having ratified the legal Aid Act No.27 of 1978, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Justice and National Integration to declare July 06th as the National Legal Aid Day.
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Appointment of a special Committee for protection of lands in Eastern Province
A series of political, economic, and administrative problems in the Eastern Province have arisen due to the misuse of government power and political patronage, as well as illegal land grabbing, unauthorized land grabbing, and unauthorized constructions along the coastline.
As a result, the natural ecosystem of the region has been severely endangered, and these informal and illegal human activities have also become a major factor in the rapid creation of severe soil erosion along the entire eastern coastal area.
Furthermore, despite 16 years having passed since the end of the civil war, the lack of a formal program to permanently resettle the displaced people and the deviation from common criteria in the formation of the administrative structure have had a direct impact on the development activities of the province, as well as national security.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President to implement the following proposals and find prompt and permanent solutions to the aforementioned problems, take legal action and strengthen institutional coordination.
• Appointing a committee by the name of “Protecting Eastern Province Lands’ with the chairmanship of the former Land Commissioner of the Southern Province and current Local Government Commissioner of the Southern Province, Senaka Palliyaguruge, and comprising of representatives of relevant institutions.
• Establishing of a special unit headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police and granting of full powers to the security forces to stop unauthorized land acquisitions and land reclamations carried out using political power.
• Taking over the government lands that were provided by the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority 05 years ago, to the government where no project has been implemented so far.
• Handing over the acquired lands to the Divisional Secretaries to use for the development activities of the people under a formal program.
• Preparing of a formal plan to promote the tourism industry by utilizing the high potential of the eastern coastline while protecting the coastal system.
• Formulating a mechanism to ensure that the government officials implement the law impartially and transparently when operating hotels along the eastern coastal area.
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