More than 200 whales have been found stranded on a remote beach on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Half of the pod, thought to be pilot whales, are believed to be still alive. Rescuers are being sent to the area. It’s unclear what caused the whales to beach on a sandflat at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour, the same remote location where Australia’s worst stranding occurred two years ago. It comes a day after a separate mass stranding in northern Tasmania. The incident on Tuesday saw 14 young sperm whales found dead on King Island, in the Bass Strait. Experts were planning a rescue of the 230 whales discovered on Wednesday but the operation would be “complex” due to the location, Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment said in a statement. “It appears about half of the animals are alive.” Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow inlet in a rural area. More of the whales are expected to die overnight.(BBC)…[+]

Germany is to nationalise gas giant Uniper in an effort to secure energy supplies amid the war in Ukraine. The deal will see the German government take on a 98.5% stake in the firm at a cost of €8.5bn (£7.4bn). Germany is Europe’s biggest importer of Russian gas, and has been particularly squeezed as Russia has reduced supplies in recent months. Chief executive Klaus-Dieter Maubach said the deal would help Uniper’s role as “a system-critical energy supplier”. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine it supplied Europe with about 40% of its natural gas, and has responded to Western sanctions by gradually cutting off supplies. At the start of this month, it halted supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, claiming repairs were needed – but later said supplies would not resume until sanctions were lifted. Uniper is the biggest buyer of Russian gas in Germany. In recent months it has had to replace Russian supplies with alternatives from the open market, where prices have soared. Uniper’s Finnish owner Fortum said the company has accumulated close to €8.5bn (£7.4bn) in gas-related losses “and cannot continue to fulfil its role as a critical provider of security of supply as a privately-owned company”.(BBC)…[+]

The Queen of Denmark has tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time this year, the Danish Royal Court has confirmed. Queen Margrethe II has cancelled her appointments for this week after the diagnosis on Tuesday evening. The 82-year-old monarch was one of 2,000 guests who attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday. She is Europe’s longest-serving head of state following the British monarch’s death. She and Queen Elizabeth were third cousins, both being descended from Queen Victoria. Queen Margrethe has been vaccinated against Covid and last tested positive in February this year when she presented mild symptoms. In a statement on the palace website, a spokesperson said she would be recovering at Fredensborg Palace, north of Copenhagen.(BBC)…[+]