A barge carrying a stranded humpback whale nicknamed Timmy has begun its journey toward the North Sea. The whale was spotted near Germany's Baltic Sea coast in March, far from its Atlantic Ocean habitat. Its health deteriorated as it repeatedly became stranded in shallow waters. Rescuers used a flooded barge and a dredged channel to move the whale. The barge is expected to travel around Denmark's northern tip. German officials describe the operation as unprecedented and successful. The whale's condition has sparked debate, with some experts concerned about stress, while others believe it is fit for transport.
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President Donald Trump says the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The vital sea route for Persian Gulf oil is closed to most ships, and that's a strain on the global economy. Experts say sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran in the war. Any future claims that the U.S. cleared the waterway where 20% of the world’s oil typically passes might fail to convince commercial freighters and their insurers that it's finally safe.
AP Wire
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s post on social media Thursday came shortly after the U.S. military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil. That ratcheted up a standoff with Tehran over the strait through which 20% of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes. The Defense Department released video footage of U.S. forces on the deck of the oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean. Trump also announced that a ceasefire in Lebanon would be extended by three weeks.
One of the most comprehensive studies ever of flood risk has determined that more than 17 million people in eight cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at the highest risk of being affected by flooding. Using machine learning, historic flood data and 16 factors representing hazards, exposure and vulnerability, the study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances has come up with what is likely the most comprehensive model of coastal cities’ risk of flood damage. Researchers are alarmed by the findings, including that more than 4 million people are at risk in New York City, alone, and that 99% of people and buildings in New Orleans are vulnerable.
A humpback whale’s likely final days in the Baltic Sea have been livestreamed across the globe as multiple rescue efforts failed to coax it back into deeper waters while the marine mammal gets sicker and weaker. Nicknamed Timmy by local media, many fear it may soon die in the Baltic Sea’s shallow waters near the eastern German town of Wismar. The animal faces long odds in finding its way back out into the North Sea, a journey of several hundred kilometers (miles), and then to the Atlantic Ocean. Timmy was first spotted swimming in the region on March 3.
Trump says Iran, with help of US, is working to remove all sea mines from Strait of Hormuz.
Germans are preparing a rescue operation for a sick humpback whale stranded off the Baltic Sea coast. The whale, nicknamed Timmy, has barely moved for days, raising fears it may soon die. The animal's plight has drawn significant attention through livestreams and protests. State officials have approved a private initiative to transport the whale back to the North Sea and possibly the Atlantic Ocean. Rescuers plan to lift the whale onto a tarp using air cushions, secure it to pontoons and attach it to a tugboat Thursday. Previous rescue efforts temporarily freed Timmy but it became stranded again.
Some Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels that have left the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz have stopped or turned around. They appear to have jammed or faked their locations in some instances, complicating an uncertain and risky shipping situation. The head of U.S. Central Command says the blockade that started Monday “has been fully implemented" and that U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea. The blockade could put serious pressure on the Iranian economy. The U.S. military says 10 vessels have complied with directions to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or Iran’s coastal area.
A super typhoon steadily battered a pair of remote U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean with ferocious winds and relentless rains. The storm shredded tin roofs and forced residents to take cover from flying tree limbs on Tinian and Saipan, which are home to 50,000 people. A spokesperson for Saipan's mayor says preliminary reports of damage from Super Typhoon Sinlaku include a lot of flooding, uprooted trees and downed power lines. There were no reports of deaths. The National Weather Service says the tropical typhoon was packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph when it made landfall on the islands.
Iranian news agencies publish chart suggesting Revolutionary Guard put sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the war.