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Iceland to end whaling from 2024

AFP

Iceland, one of the only countries that still hunts whales commercially together with Norway and Japan, plans to end whaling from 2024 as demand dwindles, the fisheries minister said Friday.

“There are few justifications to authorise the whale hunt beyond 2024”, when current quotas expire, Svandis Svavarsdottir, a member of the Left Green party, wrote in Morgunbladid newspaper.

“There is little proof that there is any economic advantage to this activity,” she said.

Iceland’s current annual quotas for 2019-2023 allow for the hunting of 209 fin whales — the planet’s second-largest species after the blue whale — and 217 minke whales, one of the smallest species. 

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But for the past three years, the two main licence holders have suspended their whale hunts, and one of them hung up its harpoons for good in 2020.

Only one whale has been killed in the past three years, a Minke whale in 2021.

Demand for Icelandic whale meat has decreased dramatically since Japan — the main market for whale meat — returned to commercial whaling in 2019 after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The hunt had also become too expensive after a no-fishing coastal zone was extended, requiring whalers to go even further offshore.

Additionally, safety requirements for imported meat were more stringent than for local products, rendering Icelandic exports more difficult. 

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Social distancing restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic also meant Icelandic whale meat processing plants were unable to carry out their tasks.

In Iceland’s last full season in 2018, 146 fin whales and six Minke whales were killed. 

Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2003 despite a 1986 IWC moratorium, which it had opposed.

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International

Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.

Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.

In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.

Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.

“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.

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He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.

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International

Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking

Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.

Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.

The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.

“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.

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International

Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing

Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.

“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.

He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.

A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.

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Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.

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