Genetic Testing Sheds Light on International Debate to Cull Minkes WASHINGTON, Jan.

The Japanese government argued in support of its latest whaling mission on Wednesday, claiming that its call for the killing of 60 minke whales is for research purposes only.

According to a recent report, endangered migratory whales will have reduced feeding areas due to the shrinkage of Antarctic sea ice from global warming.

A JAPANESE whaling fleet set sail yesterday to target humpbacks for the first time in nearly 40 years. Four ships left Shimonoseki port in south-west Japan for the Antarctic Ocean. Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said their mission was to hunt whales for commercial purposes.

An 18-foot minke whale ran aground on a sandbar in the Amazon jungle some 1,000 miles from the ocean, Brazilian media reported Friday.