综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

   

Japan kills whales as protesters pull out: report

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-01 10:21

SYDNEY -- Japanese harpoonists killed five whales in one day after protesters who had halted the hunt in Antarctic waters were forced to return to port to refuel, an Australian report said Friday.


Greenpeace members hold the Kanji symbol 'nise', meaning "FAKE" - next to the word "RESEARCH" written on the hull of the Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship Nisshin Maru, in the Southern Ocean, January 18 2008. [Agencies]

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith had raised the issue and voiced his "disappointment" during a face-to-face meeting with his counterpart in Tokyo late Thursday, his spokesman said.

The meeting came shortly after reports were received that the whalers were hunting again after low fuel forced Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd ships to abandon their protests.

Officers aboard the Australian customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, witnessed the killing of the whales and took video evidence of the slaughter, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The Oceanic Viking was despatched by the Australian government to gather evidence for a possible international legal challenge to end Japan's whaling programme.

Related readings:
 Whaling to hurt Japan economy: Greenpeace
 Japan to resume 'investigative whaling' as soon as possible
 Anti-whaling activists freed from Japanese boat
 Dolphin hunt sags amid mercury fears

Amid the diplomatic tension over whaling, Smith flew to Tokyo on Thursday for a two-day visit and later met with Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.

"Mr Smith expressed disappointment that whaling had resumed in the Southern Ocean, and conveyed the Australian government's strongly held view that Japan's whaling programme should cease," the foreign ministry spokesman said. "During the meeting the two countries have agreed to disagree on this issue."

Japan, which uses a loophole in a 1986 global whaling moratorium that allows lethal research, aims to slaughter about 1,000 whales this year despite strong opposition from Western countries and environmental groups.

"Japan's position is that this is research based on science and is a completely legal activity," Komura was quoted as telling Smith. "What's important is to handle this issue without getting emotional."

Harassment of the Japanese fleet by Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd ships had halted the killing of whales from about the middle of last month.



Top World News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
新丰县| 增城市| 成安县| 承德市| 内江市| 额敏县| 遂宁市| 滨海县| 塔河县| 长武县| 晋江市| 潞西市| 张家港市| 和硕县| 峡江县| 民勤县| 蕲春县| 乌海市| 韶关市| 富源县| 察隅县| 贞丰县| 富平县| 马尔康县| 贡觉县| 波密县| 廉江市| 保康县| 丰城市| 扶沟县| 海门市| 临夏县| 吉安市| 丁青县| 南昌县| 拉孜县| 马公市| 明光市| 沈丘县| 罗田县| 常宁市|