International
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.
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.
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.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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