Not one, not two, but THREE good news stories on the whales front today!!!
1. An end to whaling in Iceland?
If elected at next month’s elections, Iceland’s Socialist/Green Coalition, who are leading in the polls ahead of a vote on 25 April, have said that they will end whaling in early 2010! The outgoing government sneakily introduced an increased quota for whaling before they left office, causing outrage by environment groups. Read more
2. Better bail conditions for the Tokyo Two
Junichi and Toru (the two Greenpeace activists persecuted for exposing the whaling industry in Japan) have had their bail restrictions eased such that they will be able to return to work and communicate directly with Greenpeace staff without a lawyer present. They are still unable to communicate with each other which means they will need to coordinate visits to the office but this is welcome news nonetheless. » Watch this short documentary on the Tokyo Two
3. Dominica stands up to Japan
Dominica, a long-time recipient of Japanese aid, has announced it will abstain from voting at this year’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) and buck the position of its Caribbean neighbours. This is despite the announcement last week of Japanese funding for a $7 million port facility in Dominica. Japan has long been accused of buying-off the votes of poorer countries at the IWC leading to deadlock at negotiations. Read more
