Germany news: Rescuers launch fresh whale rescue effort

## Summary
https://p.dw.com/p/5BIzb Rescuers hope to guide the whale, if healthy enough, toward the North Sea Image: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Conservationists are trying to save a whale now stranded for a second time on Germany's Baltic coast A 13-year-old boy has died from stab wounds in Witten, western Germany Bavarian state premier heads to Texas Merz accuses Trump of "massive escalation" in Iran war Chancellor says German army could help clear mines from Strait of Hormuz German FM Wadephul says Germany now has clarity on US war aims Read below for the latest developments from across Germany on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29. The building remains inaccessible due to the fire, and traffic is being diverted in the area. https://p.dw.com/p/5BKiR Skip next section Bavarian state premier visits Texas, South Carolina 03/29/2026 March 29, 2026 Bavarian state premier visits Texas, South Carolina Markus Söder at Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt, ahead of his flight to the US Image: Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance Bavarian state premier Markus Söder is traveling to the United States for the first time in his current role. Fernandes accused her ex-husband of being behind the distribution of hundreds of AI-generated pornographic images of her online, as well as social media accounts pretending to be her, which he denies. https://p.dw.com/p/5BJmV Skip next section Rescued whale beached again off Germany's coast 03/28/2026 March 28, 2026 Rescued whale beached again off Germany's coast A whale that was freed after being stranded for days off Germany’s Baltic coast has become stuck on another sandbank, a Greenpeace spokeswoman said on Saturday. He was lying handcuffed on the ground, guarded by two police officers." https://p.dw.com/p/5BJHo Skip next section Merz: German military could help clear Hormuz of mines 03/28/2026 March 28, 2026 Merz: German military could help clear Hormuz of mines Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Bundeswehr armed forces could be deployed to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran has ended. "We can do that," Merz told an event by a German newspaper in Frankfurt on Friday evening. "If we are asked ... and it takes place within the framework of a genuine collective security mandate that is, the United Nations, NATO, the European Union — with a resolution from the Bundestag, that is an option." The Chancellor noted that the Bundeswehr has several minesweepers.

## Article Content
https://p.dw.com/p/5BIzb
Rescuers hope to guide the whale, if healthy enough, toward the North Sea
Image: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture alliance
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Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Conservationists are trying to save a whale now stranded for a second time on Germany's Baltic coast
A 13-year-old boy has died from stab wounds in Witten, western Germany
Bavarian state premier heads to Texas
Merz accuses Trump of "massive escalation" in Iran war
Chancellor says German army could help clear mines from Strait of Hormuz
German FM Wadephul says Germany now has clarity on US war aims
Read below for the latest developments from across
Germany
on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29.
Skip next section Rescue effort planned for stranded whale in Baltic bay
03/29/2026
March 29, 2026
Rescue effort planned for stranded whale in Baltic bay
Rescue teams and environmentalists have been preparing an operation to help a whale stranded in the Bay of Wismar, warning the animal must be freed quickly if it is to survive.
Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Maack said teams would intervene if the whale becomes stuck again, potentially using stimuli to guide it back into deeper water.
Experts from Greenpeace, the German Oceanographic Museum, and the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research plan to approach the animal by inflatable boat.
The whale is currently only a few hundred meters from shore, with a deeper shipping channel nearby, but it is described as very weak with severely damaged skin.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Environment Minister Till Backhaus also plans to assess the situation from a boat.
A ministry spokesperson said the priority is to first evaluate the whale's condition before deciding on further action.
The whale had previously been stranded for days on a sandbank near the town of Timmendorf before rescuers dug a channel to help it escape.
The animal was expected to move toward the North Sea and eventually the Atlantic, but instead was later spotted near Walfisch Island in the Bay of Mecklenburg, where it became stuck again.
Rescuers said the first priority was to assess the current health of the whale
Image: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture alliance
https://p.dw.com/p/5BKnW
Skip next section Hundreds flee to escape nightclub fire in border town
03/29/2026
March 29, 2026
Hundreds flee to escape nightclub fire in border town
Firefighters have been battling a major blaze at a nightclub in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with crews from nearby communities supporting the operation.
The fire, in the German town of Kehl just across the Rhine River from the French city of Strasbourg, broke out at about 3:45 a.m. local time at a dance club and spread to the entire building.
About 750 people were inside at the time, according to initial information from the operator, but all were evacuated and left the site on their own.
Police from Kehl and the city of Offenburg, along with emergency medical services, were deployed.
Three people have been treated by paramedics so far, according to initial reports.
Investigators will only be able to enter the site once firefighting operations are complete, while witness interviews are already underway to determine the cause.
The building remains inaccessible due to the fire, and traffic is being diverted in the area.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BKiR
Skip next section Bavarian state premier visits Texas, South Carolina
03/29/2026
March 29, 2026
Bavarian state premier visits Texas, South Carolina
Markus Söder at Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt, ahead of his flight to the US
Image: Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance
Bavarian state premier Markus Söder
is traveling to the United States for the first time in his current role.
The destinations of his trip are the economically powerful US states of
Texas
and South Carolina.
The last time a Bavarian state premier — Germany's equivalent of a state governor — visited the US in an official capacity was Edmund Stoiber in 2002. Unlike that time, Söder will be giving the capital, Washington, DC, and US President Donald Trump a wide berth.
Among the highlights on Söder's itinerary is a visit to the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston and a cowboy ranch.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich has long maintained a direct line to Texas — a connection that Söder aims to strengthen.
According to his own statement, Söder has already been to the US twice, "once to New York in 2012 and once to the West Coast in 2014."
This is his first official trip as head of Bavaria's government. “We want to forge alliances with power regions," he said.
As the largest states in their respective countries, Texas and Bavaria share some other similarities. Both southerly economic powerhouses have their own conservative and distinct cultures, each having existed as independent countries in the past.
As well as Texas, the visit also takes in South Carolina — where there's already a close co

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Munich-based carmaker BMW operates its largest and most important overseas plant in Spartanburg.

### Areas for Consideration
- Officials in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the environmental group Greenpeace said it is unclear whether the whale is stuck again, while water police continue operations in the area.
- The animal had managed to free itself overnight as water levels rose, but shallow coastal waters remain a risk.
- A police spokesperson said the incident began "with a domestic dispute that spilled out onto the street." Bild said police responded to an emergency call at 10:29 a.m local time (09:29 UTC/GMT).

### Implications
- https://p.dw.com/p/5BIzb Rescuers hope to guide the whale, if healthy enough, toward the North Sea Image: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Conservationists are trying to save a whale now stranded for a second time on Germany's Baltic coast A 13-year-old boy has died from stab wounds in Witten, western Germany Bavarian state premier heads to Texas Merz accuses Trump of "massive escalation" in Iran war Chancellor says German army could help clear mines from Strait of Hormuz German FM Wadephul says Germany now has clarity on US war aims Read below for the latest developments from across Germany on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29.
- Investigators will only be able to enter the site once firefighting operations are complete, while witness interviews are already underway to determine the cause.
- Unlike that time, Söder will be giving the capital, Washington, DC, and US President Donald Trump a wide berth.
- Experts say humpback whales are not native to the Baltic Sea and that it may have reached the area while following fish or due to underwater noise.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers germany, whale, march topics. Notable strengths include discussion of germany. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2381.