Iceland has opted out of commercial whaling.
For the first time in 17 years, Hvalur HF, the company certified to hunt whales in the country, failed to renew its license in time.
This means there will be no hunting of the endangered fin whale or the common minke whale for the remainder of the year
A shrinking appetite for whale meat was cited as the reason for foregoing the hunt.
164 confirmed dead after two major earthquakes strike Venezuela
At least 164 people were confirmed dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around Venezuela's capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks.
Europeans told to protect themselves as deadly heatwave takes its toll
The city mayor told busy Parisians to slow down on Thursday as large parts of Western Europe remained in the grip of a deadly heatwave that has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.
Trump asks Congress for more funds to fight Iran, defying rebuke on war powers
President Donald Trump's administration has asked the US Congress on Wednesday for $87.6 billion in additional funding, most of it related to the Iran war, setting the stage for another fight with lawmakers already frustrated with the conflict.
Magnitude 6.9 quake strikes Japan's northeast, no tsunami warning
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 has struck Japan's northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.
US, Iran at odds on nuclear inspections, frozen assets in deal to end war
US President Donald Trump has stated on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity," while Tehran said it had made no such concession in negotiations, raising questions about the viability of their fragile peace deal.
