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Humpback Whale Stranded in Germany Released into North Sea

01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
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Humpback Whale Stranded in Germany Released into North Sea

01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Denmark, Skagen: An aerial view of the the humpback whale towed in its barge by the tugboat Fortuna B along the Danish coast, just south of Skagen in the Skagerrak, through the Baltic Sea. (dpa)

A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast was Saturday released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported in a barge, a member of a rescue mission said.

Dubbed "Timmy" by the German media, the whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Luebeck before freeing itself and then becoming stuck again several times.

The whale left the barge it had been towed on from Wismar Bay on the Baltic coast at around 8:45 am (0645 GMT), said Karin Walter-Mommert from the rescue initiative.

It is now swimming on its own and freely, and at least for the time being, in the right direction, she said.

At the start of April, German officials gave up on trying to rescue the animal, saying they believed it could not be saved.

But this triggered an outcry and authorities were persuaded to approve a privately financed rescue plan proposed by two wealthy entrepreneurs.

The barge idea was hatched after their initial attempt to save the whale with inflatable cushions and pontoons was unsuccessful.

The rescue effort was seen as a long shot and criticized by experts who said it would only cause the animal more distress.

The whale's ordeal has sparked a media frenzy -- with non-stop coverage from TV channels, online outlets and social media influencers -- but has also led to angry spats and conspiracy theories.

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Venezuela Says Oil Spill from Trinidad and Tobago Could Hurt Fishing, Environment

An Indian fisherman washes his hands in the waters of Ennore Creek covered with an oil spill after Cyclone Michaung, in Chennai, India, 11 December 2023. (EPA)
An Indian fisherman washes his hands in the waters of Ennore Creek covered with an oil spill after Cyclone Michaung, in Chennai, India, 11 December 2023. (EPA)
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Venezuela Says Oil Spill from Trinidad and Tobago Could Hurt Fishing, Environment

An Indian fisherman washes his hands in the waters of Ennore Creek covered with an oil spill after Cyclone Michaung, in Chennai, India, 11 December 2023. (EPA)
An Indian fisherman washes his hands in the waters of Ennore Creek covered with an oil spill after Cyclone Michaung, in Chennai, India, 11 December 2023. (EPA)

Venezuela's government said on Friday that an oil spill originating from Trinidad and Tobago is putting at risk fishing in the region, ‌as well ‌as the environment.

"This event ‌exceeds in ⁠magnitude the one ⁠that occurred in May and confirms the drift of pollutants toward Venezuelan waters," the government said in a statement, without providing further details ⁠on the extent of ‌the spill, ‌which it said was confirmed by ‌satellite imagery.

Trinidad and Tobago's government ‌did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In the statement, Venezuela's foreign ministry asked Trinidad ‌and Tobago to take measures to “prevent further incidents”, adding ⁠that ⁠it "reserves the right to take appropriate action before the competent international bodies to determine liability."

In May, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked Trinidad and Tobago for compensation for another oil spill that had affected areas in the far east of the country.

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Timmy, Germany's Humpback Whale, Likely Lived for Only 5 Days after Rescue Effort

FILED - 30 May 2026, Denmark, Anholt: Two people sit in the sand near the carcass of "Timmy," a famous humpback whale washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt. Photo: Marcus Golejewski/dpa
FILED - 30 May 2026, Denmark, Anholt: Two people sit in the sand near the carcass of "Timmy," a famous humpback whale washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt. Photo: Marcus Golejewski/dpa
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Timmy, Germany's Humpback Whale, Likely Lived for Only 5 Days after Rescue Effort

FILED - 30 May 2026, Denmark, Anholt: Two people sit in the sand near the carcass of "Timmy," a famous humpback whale washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt. Photo: Marcus Golejewski/dpa
FILED - 30 May 2026, Denmark, Anholt: Two people sit in the sand near the carcass of "Timmy," a famous humpback whale washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt. Photo: Marcus Golejewski/dpa

The humpback whale that kept Germany spellbound for months likely lived for roughly five days after the final controversial rescue attempt failed to guide it back to its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Friday.

The whale, nicknamed “Timmy” and “Hope” by German media, was found dead on May 14, stranded just off the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat, the broad strait between Denmark and Sweden that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.

The discovery of the body ended months of a spectacular and contentious rescue effort that culminated May 2, when the mammal was transported toward the North Sea in a barge in the final rescue attempt.

Scientists, government officials, the public and a private initiative sparred over whether it was more humane to let the weakened and sick animal die on its own or continue the rescue efforts.

Data from a tracking transmitter attached to its dorsal fin shows that the whale’s death likely occurred on May 6 or 7, according to Till Backhaus, the environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

It had swum roughly 215 kilometers (134 miles) over the five days and was heading back toward the Baltic Sea, which is the wrong direction for it to reach the Atlantic Ocean.

The data shows that the whale likely drifted aimlessly after that — or the transmitter's signal was lost, Backhaus said Friday during a news conference.

Timmy was first spotted off the German coast on March 3, prompting a media frenzy that included push alerts and updated live blogs with the status of its health.

It’s not clear why it swam into the Baltic Sea, which it wasn’t suited to, although some experts said it may have lost its way while swimming after a shoal of herring or during migration, The Associated Press reported.

An autopsy of the carcass has not yet determined the cause of death, Backhaus said, though officials were able to figure out that “Timmy” was a female whale, after months of assumptions that it was male.

The minister said no serious injuries were discovered during the autopsy, as well as no indication of violence or any items that would have caused its death.

“Did it have any nets or other foreign objects on its body, in its mouth or on its body?” Backhaus said. "Nothing was found.”

Some of the remains will be turned into biodiesel in Denmark, according to German news agency dpa. Some of the bones will go to a Danish museum.

Varieties

Hong Kong Seizes Haul of World Cup Fakes Worth $20 Million

Hong Kong customs authorities showcase various types of fake goods they seized during a news conference at its headquarters in North Point, Hong Kong Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
Hong Kong customs authorities showcase various types of fake goods they seized during a news conference at its headquarters in North Point, Hong Kong Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
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Hong Kong Seizes Haul of World Cup Fakes Worth $20 Million

Hong Kong customs authorities showcase various types of fake goods they seized during a news conference at its headquarters in North Point, Hong Kong Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
Hong Kong customs authorities showcase various types of fake goods they seized during a news conference at its headquarters in North Point, Hong Kong Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)

Authorities in Hong Kong have seized suspected counterfeit World Cup items including football jerseys and balls with an estimated value of HK$156 million ($19.91 million), officials said.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is running from ‌June 11 to ‌July 19, and ‌is ⁠being hosted jointly ⁠by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Wayne Chung, senior investigator at the city's Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, told reporters on Thursday ⁠that 230,000 items had ‌been ‌seized.

Chung said the jerseys seized had ‌a close resemblance to ‌genuine football shirts.

"Many of the jerseys are uniforms of the participating countries. We noticed all ‌of these clothes are set to be exported ⁠to ⁠other countries, not for local market. At least 80% of them head to America," he said.

He said that this was due to high demand for jerseys during the World Cup, which got underway on Thursday.