Reykjavik, Iceland (AFP) – Iceland’s government said Tuesday that it had granted a license to hunt 128 fin whales for the country’s sole whaler amid widespread criticism of the practice.

“The Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdottir, has issued a license to Hvalur for the hunting of fin whales,” the government said in a statement. The license for the 2024 season permits the hunting of 128 whales, down from 161 whales the previous year.

nzg/jll/js

© Agence France-Presse

Featured image credit: Andrea Holien | Pexels

Satellite Image: River Towy, Wales, United Kingdom
Image of the day: Flooding along the River Towy after Storm BramNews

Image of the day: Flooding along the River Towy after Storm Bram

Flooding along the River Towy in Wales illustrates the impact of Storm Bram, which swept across the United Kingdom and Ireland in early December, bringing…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskDecember 12, 2025 Full article
Image: Infographic showing typhoon Kalmaegi's track heading in the direction of the Philippines
Tens of thousands shelter as typhoon slams into PhilippinesNews

Tens of thousands shelter as typhoon slams into Philippines

Manila, Philippines | AFP More than 150,000 people took shelter in coastal provinces of the Philippines on Monday as powerful Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in a…
SourceSourceNovember 3, 2025 Full article
Fire globe - abstract (s. climate, temperatures, forever chemicals, wildfires)
France breaks average temperature record for June: weather serviceNews

France breaks average temperature record for June: weather service

Paris, France | AFP France's average temperature broke a record for the month of June on Monday, the national weather service said, as the country swelters…
SourceSourceJune 23, 2026 Full article