THE International Whaling Commission (IWC) has entered unknown territory after a majority of members resolved to overturn the moratorium on commercial whaling.

The 20-year-old ban on commercial whaling remained intact today, but the International Whaling Commission entered unknown territory after a majority of its members voted to overturn the moratorium.

Japan and other pro-whaling nations will today try to rebound from two early defeats to win a majority at the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting and pave the way for commercial whale hunting, which was banned 20 years ago.

The Japanese government today said it expected the resumption of limited commercial whaling to be approved in May next year at an international meeting in Japan. The statement drew immediate criticism.

The opening ceremony of the World Athletics Championships was followed by the men’s marathon which was won by Gezahenge Abera of Ethiopia in a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 42 seconds.