Japan set to start hunting large fin whales
Tokyo: Japan’s Fisheries Agency has proposed expanding commercial whaling along the country’s coast to fin whales, a larger species than the three currently permitted.
The proposal comes five years after Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019.
It ended 30 years of what Japan called “research whaling” that had been criticised by conservationists as a cover for commercial hunts banned by the commission in 1988.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose electoral district is traditionally known for whaling, said the government supports sustainable use of whales as part of Japan’s traditional food culture and plans to promote the industry.
“Whales are an important food resource and we believe they should be sustainably utilised just like any other marine resources, based on scientific evidence,” Mr Hayashi said.
The Fisheries Agency said it is seeking public comments until June 5 on the proposed plan.
George: Hope was fading last night for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa.
The death toll rose to nine after a worker who was in a critical condition died in the hospital.
Of the 28 workers rescued from the site, 21 were in critical condition or had life-threatening injuries following Monday’s collapse of the five-storey apartment complex being built in the city of George.
Authorities said large earth-moving equipment had arrived and rescue teams were removing thousands of tons of concrete and rubble to reach deeper into the wreckage. More than 600 personnel are involved in the rescue operation
Croatia: Conservative leader Andrej Plenkovic was formally appointed as prime minister-designate yesterday for a third consecutive term after he forged an alliance with a right wing party following an inconclusive election.
Mr Plenkovic’s ruling Croatian Democratic Union won the most votes at last month’s parliamentary vote, but not enough to stay in power on their own.
The party has agreed to form a coalition with the far-right Homeland Movement for a parliamentary majority.
MPS are set to approve Mr Plenkovic’s new government next week. It will have a slim majority of 78 in the 151-member assembly, which could herald political uncertainty.
Delaware: Hunter Biden’s federal gun case should move forward, a US appeals court has ruled, setting the stage for the president’s son to stand trial on criminal charges next month.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers went to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals after the judge overseeing the case last month rejected his bid to dismiss the prosecution.
A three-judge panel of the appeals court did not rule on the merits of his claims, but said the court does not have jurisdiction to review the matter.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to lying about his drug use in 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware. He has acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers have said he did not break the law.