Abrolhos Islands

Bring binoculars and a large-capacity camera to this string of 122 uninhabited islands teeming with sealions, humpback whales, giant Samson fish and millions of seabirds.

Meet the quokkas the islands cute, smiley little marsupials found nowhere else in the world except Western Australia. Locals love to relax on this island playground just 11 miles off Perth and the quokkas enjoy the company. Jump on an eco boat tour to discover the marine animals that call the waters surrounding Rottnest home.

Visit the worlds smallest penguins at this popular destination 45 minutes south of Perth, home to a little penguincolony. A short ferry ride takes you to the island, where rangers arrange regular penguin feedings and visitors stand a good chance of seeing dolphins and sealions as well.

Sealife spotters will be in heaven on this island famed for its proximity to dolphins, whales, rays, dugongs and turtles.

Down in the blue lagoons lie colourful coral, masses of marine life and even a shipwreck, all part of the Rowley Shoals Marine Park.

In March 2018, Qantaswill launch the first-ever non-stop flight from the UK to Australia, using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to reach Perth in around 17 hours.

Perth provides an extraordinary gateway to exploring Western Australiaand Qantas multi-city itineraries make it easy to visit other great Australian destinations on the Qantas domestic network.

Trailfinderscan offer a 13-night holiday to Western Australia including the new non-stop service from London to Perth return with Qantas, internal flights between Perth and Broome, 11 days Maui motorhome hire and three nights Karijini Eco Retreat.

London Heathrow to Perth flights are non-stop, scheduled from 25 March 2018 (subject to aircraft and schedule change). Subject to government and regulatory approval.

Read the original post:

Where are the best islands for wildlife in Western Australia? - Telegraph.co.uk

FUKUOKA Two Chinese coast guard ships briefly entered Japanese waters Saturday around two islands off Kyushu, in the first confirmed entry by Chinese government vessels into the area, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, vessels of every country have the right to sail through territorial seas as long as they do not harm the safety of the countries concerned.

The Japan Coast Guard requested the ships exit from the territorial waters, though it has not made it clear whether it considered their presence an intrusion into territorial waters.

According to the coast guard, it was notified by the Defense Ministry that one Chinese coast guard ship entered territorial waters near the southern tip of Tsushima Island around 11:50 a.m.

The ship exited the waters around 12:20 p.m. after the coast guard contacted the ship by radio and asked it to leave.

But the coast guard confirmed this ship and another Chinese vessel entered waters some 19 km north of Okinoshima Island around 3:50 p.m. The two exited the waters by shortly after 5 p.m., the coast guard said.

Tsushima Island is located about halfway between the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula and the northwest coast of Kyushu.

Chinese ships often enter Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, in the East China Sea, a group of uninhabited islets controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.

Earlier this month, Okinoshima Island was added to UNESCOs World Heritage list. The whole area belongs to Munakata Taisha Shrine, and entrance by general citizens is tightly restricted.

Original post:

Chinese coast guard ships confirmed in waters off northwest Kyushu islands for first time - The Japan Times

A 36-year-old St Paul man is about to embark on a never-before-done swimming adventure in the chilled waters of Lake Superior and its off-shore archipelago of the Apostle Islands.

Daniel OKane, who lives in the citys Highland Park neighborhood with his wife and cats and works as a bartender at Fitzgeralds, was planning Saturday to set off on a nearly monthlong journey that will feature him swimming to each of the 22 islands, which lie off Wisconsins Lake Superior shoreline near the town of Bayfield.

Everything is just about ready, he said in a telephone interview Friday. Two days of sunshine will make it almost safe in the water. Couple of bear issues on a few islands, and the wind hopefully will change to make it so I can have the wind at my back during some early stretches.

Others have swum from island to island before, but heres OKanes distinction: Its the first self-supported, people-powered circum-tour of the Apostle Islands, he said in a phone interview Friday.

His route pinballing between the islands will not be entirely submerged in the waters, which ranged between 45 and 54 degrees Friday. I cant swim in anything colder than 48 or Ill get hypothermia too fast, he said.

Hell swim, in a wetsuit, from one island to another and then get out of the water as soon as I can. Nearby, his partner, attorney Paul Voge of Duluth, will paddle a kayak filled with their supplies and towing a paddleboard. The paddleboard is essentially a life raft for OKane should he need it.

Then, depending on the island, OKane will bicycle, hike or, most often, stand-up paddleboard along the shore of the island until they reach the a point close to another island. Then hell swim to that island.

As such, OKane is expecting to swim only 48.75 miles, while Voge will paddle 100. In all, OKane expects to paddleboard 20 to 30 miles, hike 10 to 20 miles and bike for 30 miles on the route. He expects it will take 24 to 28 days.

The trip required a special blessing from the National Park Service. Much of the islands are within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, which is administered by the agency. The parks regulations dont allow people to stay for more than two weeks, so OKane and Voge received special permits for the endeavor.

If we dont make it out after 30 days, we have to call for a water taxi, he said.

OKane said he decided to do the trip after he completed a swimming race from Bayfield to Madeleine Island, the largest of the Apostles.

There was a woman there greeting us who handed me a Popsicle stick and said Welcome to Madeleine Island. It was this really cool feeling that washed over me that everyone with a pioneering spirit can reach anywhere they want under their own power, he said.

OKane has a satellite-connected device to update his family on his whereabouts and an Instagram account, but there will be no practical way for the public to follow his adventure.

Read more:

St. Paul bartender will brave hypothermia, bears on around-Apostle Islands swim - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Two former aides to Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett (D) have been indicted on federal charges over the unauthorized leak of Plaskett's sex tape last year.

According to a Justice Department press release, former general counsel Juan McCullum and schedulerDorene Browne-Louis were indicted Thursday in Washington, D.C.

McCullum worked for Plaskett fromApril 2015 until June 2016 in herlegislative office in Washington, D.C. According to the statement, Browne-Louis worked in the same office from January 2015 until April 2016.

According to the press release,McCullum offered in March 2016 to take Plaskett'smalfunctioning iPhone to a local Apple store for service. The device contained lewd photos shared between Plaskett and her husband, which McCullum later distributed online using a fake Facebook account.

McCullum was charged with two counts of cyber stalking, while Browne-Louis was indicted on one count of obstructing justice. Prosecutors said Browne-Louis deleted text messages from McCullum from her phone and made false statements to investigators.

Prosecutors added that McCullum sent many of the leaked pictures and videos to Browne-Louis in emails and text messages, the latter of which she attempted to delete.

Plaskett commented on the leaks when they occurred last July, blasting the hackers for using her marriage to "besmirchme politically.

The theft and distribution of these personal images via the internet marks a new low in Virgin Islands politics. I am shocked and deeply saddened that someone would stoop to such a level as to invade my marriage and the love of my family in an attempt to besmirch me politically, Plaskett said last July.

Private photographs shared between my husband and me, as well as a private playful video of our family, including one of our children, were illegally obtained and disseminated via the internet. To say my family and I are greatly upset would be a tremendous understatement," sheadded.

"As a mother, I am outraged that one of my children was exploited in such a way. The theft and dissemination of these images via the internet is a shockingly disgusting invasion of my familys and my privacy not to mention criminal acts in violation of both territorial and federal law."

According to the Justice Department, cyber stalking carries a maximum of five years in prison, while obstruction of justice charges carry a much higher maximum sentence of 20 years.

Browne-Louis made her first court appearance today according to the release, and plead not guilty. McCullum's first appearance in court has not yet been scheduled.

See the original post:

Two former aides indicted over release of Virgin Islands delegate sex tape - The Hill

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Nuclear weapons and climate change: A double whammy for the Marshall Islands Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists On May 30, an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the Kwajalein Atoll military base in the Republic of the Marshall Islands collided with an interceptor launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. Planned for years, the ...

See more here:

Nuclear weapons and climate change: A double whammy for the Marshall Islands - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

In late 2016, a new edition of 101 Best Australian Beaches featured 300 metres of palm-fringed sand on an uninhabited speck in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as its top choice.

As near to perfect as a beach can be, enthused one of the guides authors, who claimed to have visited each of the other 11,760 beaches in Australia before making an announcement that attracted all the media attention no doubt intended. Few Australians had even heard of Direction Island before, let alone visited it.

The Cocos two atolls and 27 coral islands are a four-hour flight northwest over the Indian Ocean from Perth. The view to the left just before landing is of a necklace of low-lying strips of coral that surround a limpid lagoon tousled-palm desert islands too perfect to be true.

A single pretty beach is far from the only reason to visit, not least because so few other people do the same the islands receive fewer than 2,000 leisure travellers a year. Imagine the Maldives without the millions. In fact, imagine the Maldives but without anyone else on the beach at all.

The good, bad and ugly sides of the Maldives

The airport runway dominates West Island and about 150 residents live loosely clustered around this source of supplies. Tourist information, the post office, assorted accommodation, modest restaurants, a supermarket, tour operators and the Cocos Club the hub of the islands social life are all here. The easy-going affability thats typical of Australia is amplified by having a population so small, everyones on first-name terms. From rental car to guest room, no one bothers to lock anything.

The main traffic along the islands 12km single main road is of red crabs and wild chickens that scatter into thick plantations of coconut palms if a vehicle approaches. There are plenty of pocket-sized beaches to visit and a modern jetty for ferries to Home Island, the only other one with a permanent population. A retired wooden ferry has become the Big Barge Arts Centre, displaying and selling items made by imaginatively recycling faded beach-found flotsam.

Solomon Islands bloody history makes Pacific archipelago a must-see for war buffs

Bays facing the waves of the Indian Ocean are lined with unsupervised surfboards while those facing the placid lagoon offer bathwater-warm waters in every shade of turquoise. These beaches are restless, alive with red hermit crabs in every size from fingernail to fist, parading prettily in their white shell homes, their tracks texturing the sand in a herringbone pattern. An old jetty provides a viewing point for small reef sharks, a variety of fish, and turtles, of which the lagoon boasts an estimated 30,000.

A sleek modern catamaran ferry skims regularly across the lagoon to Home Island, locals in its air-conditioned interior and three or four visitors exposed on the upper deck, drawn by the brilliance of the colours and views of the Morse code of palm-topped islands on the horizon, all dots and dashes.

Home Island is occupied by about 600 Cocos Malays, descendants of labourers originally brought in to cultivate the coconuts and prepare copra for export. Here, theres a mosque and a museum, invitations to try Malay curries and to see local crafts being made, and to discover some of the islands history.

Top eight Asian beaches

The uninhabited islands were spotted by one Captain Keeling, in 1609, but following their accidental acquisition for the British crown in 1857, when they were mistaken for islands nearer Burma, Queen Victoria granted the Clunies-Ross family control in perpetuity. Several generations of relatively benevolent feudalism failed to survive the collapse of the copra industry, and the Australian government bought out the last Clunies-Ross in 1978, before the islanders chose in 1984 to join Australia.

The message quickly carved in planking and left to mark the original British claim is on display at two-storey Oceania House, completed in 1897 and once home to the Clunies-Ross family. Its shining white ceramic exterior is curiously constructed from the same sort of Victorian brick originally used to line the platforms of Londons Tube, but its pleasing interior is of dark local hardwoods and stuffed with antiques. It now offers accommodation, with several quaint bedrooms up a spiral staircase.

Motorbike heaven: Sri Lankas laid-back and friendly southern coast

The Pulu Cocos Museum, in a shed near the Home Island jetty, displays Malay cultural items such as wayang puppets, tools used in fishing and the copra industry and locally made shallow-keeled jukong boats, built for collecting coconuts from around the lagoon. Theres also a history of Australias first naval battle, between light cruisers HMAS Sydney and Germany's SMS Emden (a frequent visitor to Hong Kong), sunk off North Keeling Island in 1914.

On Thursdays and Saturdays, the ferry continues to Direction Island and the newly minted Cossies Beach.

Charles Darwin wrote about the islands beauty in his The Voyage of the Beagle(1839), but described a white calcareous beach, the radiation from which under this sultry climate was very oppressive.

SMS Emden: Hong Kongs favourite foe

He should have got his trunks on. Today, the perfect curve of narrow, talcum-like sand is shaded by palms that hide a few tables for picnics. Should pure relaxation pall, theres the option of a brisk swim across the rip, where ocean waters pour through a narrow gap to the lagoon, to be carried by the current past a cliff of coral, thick with fish of tropical brilliance. Timing the tide is important.

Back on West Island, the main social event of the week is the welcoming Scroungers Golf, on Thursday afternoons, not to be missed even by those whove never hit a ball in anger. This is played on the only course in the world bisected by an airport runway, using whats described as Ambrose (group golf) rules with Cocos variations the main ones being that no one pays much attention to the rules and that to have an ice bag full of beer dangling from your golf cart is more or less compulsory.

Any hangover can be slept off on a beach the next day. No ones likely to disturb you.

More here:

Australia's Cocos Islands: too perfect to be true - South China Morning Post

In this world there are some things only seagulls understand. One of them is Milos. For most of us, its a mountainous crumb of golden limestone, rising up out of the Aegean.

Sprout wings, however, and a glorious, secret landscape appears. You can now see fjords and blowholes, and the coves become a luminous peacock-blue. In the wind-sculpted cliffs, there are arches and organ-pipes, and the valleys turn turquoise as they find the sea and tumble off into the deep. Then a monastery appears, way out on a knob of rock. Now that, you say, is proper prayer.

Ill never forget being a bird or, rather, my ride in a Cessna 182-F. The pilot, Kostas, seemed to know every bay, and wed whirr along at 35 beaches an hour. Sometimes hed swoop down on his favourite places: a Roman amphitheatre perhaps, a Venetian fort or an island of goats. Occasionally, the rock itself would open up, and sulphur mines would appear, like giant staircases descending into the Earth. At the far end of the island we circled a magnificent egg-shaped headland, mounted with a tiny sprig of rust.

An anti-aircraft gun, said Kostas, left by the Germans.

Flying around the Cyclades isnt just about birds-eye views. People have been sailing from crumb-to-crumb for more than 8,000 years, and even Pliny mentions the sulphur.

In the 1850s, an entire French fleet filed into Milos harbour as they hopped their way to Crimea. These inter-island leaps are still fun, of course, but ships can take time, and the ferries keep curious hours.

The other option is to fly. Even this can be a heart-sinking thought for those weary of queues and lounges. Thats why Aria Hotels has devised a new service, to get their guests around. For the price of a scheduled flight, you go whenever you want. They just ring up Kostas, and the Cessna appears. Its your own little airline, at your beck and call. The Uber of the gods, I suggested.

Kostas smiled although I now realise that G-IART isnt simply a taxi. Built in 1963, every bit of her is loved, and shes a little jewel of engineering. Amid all that retro and chrome, it sometimes felt as if we were flying along in a Wurlitzer (except that all the windows were filled with islands). Even her buzz sounded well-machined: more mosquito whine than cackle of birds. In just 50 minutes she can hop the Aegean and be back in Athens.

I spent the night on Milos before flying on. Naturally, this being a tale of air and propellers, I stayed in a windmill. Its old walls were so thick there was only space for three cosy rooms.

Every window looked out to sea, and the front-door key weighed almost a pound. But the miller would have been puzzled by the transformation of his attic, and the arrival of flat screens and Egyptian cotton. Only at breakfast did real life intrude, when the goats appeared like a river of bells.

That morning, I took a walk through the landscape Id known from above. Milos can be not only enchanting but also surprisingly sheer. After the fort and a field full of cats, I arrived in Plaka, where the churchyard falls hundreds of feet on to the plains below.

My own little hill was called Trypiti, or The Hollows, and was honeycombed with tombs. In 1820, a ploughman had slithered into one of these holes, only to emerge with the Venus de Milo. Although shes now in the Louvre, it was up here that shed perfected those curves.

On the way to the airstrip, I stopped for a swim at Firopotamos. My taxi-driver chatted about the old silver mines, and the annual dynamite-throwing competition. But Firopotamos, he said, is the softest place in the world, and the people live in caves. This made more sense down in the inlet, surrounded by silence and by fishing lofts deeply embedded in the rock.

Id have happily paddled around all day if my plane hadnt had a passenger to catch. Id arranged with Kostas to leave after lunch. Like Icaruss father, we never flew too high. At 2,500ft, our planet looks satisfyingly spherical and yet you can still peer down on peoples lives.

We began with Kimolos, which produces the worlds cimolite, and has 80 churches for 600 souls. Then we were over open water, trilling past Folegandros, and little silvery Sikinos. I was just thinking how idyllic it all looked when a great black disc appeared on the horizon: Santorini.

No wonder the ancients called it Devils Island. Close-up, the caldera was prettier but no less forbidding. The whole of central London would fit inside its submerged crater, and the remnants of its rim are marbled in pinks and oranges, and rise the height of The Shard.

Circling around it, I suddenly felt as though I understood what had happened. After millions of years spent blasting Greece with dust and pumice, in about 1628BC, the great volcano had imploded. The ensuing tsunami would wipe out much of Crete, bringing Minoan civilisation to an abrupt end.

The radio crackled, and we had permission to enter the crater. This is how a fly must feel as it buzzes through our world. Amid the dizzying perspectives I spotted a cruise ship the size of a nit, and Nea Kameni, a new volcano, nosing up from the depths.

Then we were soaring over the rim, and down the islands outer slopes. Even here, Santorini can look magnificently post-apocalyptic. Everythings layered in ash; there are no rivers or ponds; the farms look like forts, and it all ends in a band of black sand and wild surf.

I spent the rest of the week picking my way through this fantastical scenery. Although arc-shaped Santorini is only the size of Guernsey, much of it is vertical. I dont think I ever lost that feeling of being airborne.

It helped that my exquisite little hyposkapha or cave-house was built right on the lip of the caldera, with a drop of more than 970ft into the sea below. It was a view full of drama and shipping (in 2007, one of the liners had sunk, leaving nothing but a ring of buoys). I even caught one last glimpse of Kostas, as he flew along the cliffs and out of the crater.

Everyone lives in caves up here, in varying states of boutique-ification. Mine had a Jacuzzi but others had swimming pools and gardens dangling over the void.

Some of my neighbours were Japanese, and Id often see them, wandering around in their wedding dresses. There were also a few troglodytic locals.

My landlord told me that many had fled after the 1956 earthquake but now The Crisis was driving them home. Life is miserable in Athens, he shrugged, but not here. Our economy is different.

From my cave, I set out in all directions. To the north, the cliff path led all the way round the rim, five miles to Oia. Along the way, I met lizards, hawks, a greengrocer with a handcart, and a man selling coffee from his moped. Oia, meanwhile, has risen from its rubble, and is now a spectacle of plate-glass and colours. You can even walk home in a pair of new Jimmy Choos.

Walking in the other direction, I came to Fira. Exuberant and terraced, it was like a theatre perched on the rim.

Every day, the towns donkeys would haul an audience into place, up 587 steps from the cruise ships below. Everything was sold with a flourish. Santorini, ran one ad, The island in the bowels of the Earth.

On my last morning, I boarded a catamaran and sailed around the crater. From down here, Fira looked minute. It was a day of colours: green sand, white stacks, scarlet cliffs, and gorgeous submarine blues. At one point, we clambered over some charred black lava, which had only emerged from the sea in 1866.

The water here was orange and fizzy, and it was like swimming around in mulled Lucozade. I asked the skipper if hed been born here, in this fabulous newly-minted world. No, he said, Santorini had no maternity hospital then. I was born on the ferry.

I was sorry to be tearing myself away, and would regret not calling Kostas. Instead, I took the hydrofoil, 4 hours back to Piraeus. As we pulled out of the crater, I took one last look at Nea Kameni, now the most active vent in the south Aegean. I remember thinking how utterly awesome it had looked from the air, and how harmless it looked from the sea. After that, I was shown to my seat, and saw nothing at all but the reel-to-reel repertoire of Mr Bean.

John Gimlette travelled as a guest of Aria Hotels (0030 210 8996056; ariahotels.gr). Its Fly Me to Aria service (ariahotels.gr/en/pages/fly_me_to_aria) allows guests to travel by air between Arias hotels or villas, wherever there is an airport. The Cessna used can accommodate three passengers, and prices are broadly equivalent to those of scheduled flights (rates supplied on request). The ferry from Piraeus to Milos costs 39 per person, and a hydrofoil from Santorini back to Piraeus costs 76 per person (directferries.co.uk)

Aera Milos, Milos: This old stone windmill has been stylishly restored by the Aria Hotels group, with polished concrete floors and designer furnishings. Although there is no kitchen, there are plenty of local restaurants (from 160 (140) per night for two people).

Caipirinha Residence, Santorini: With a balcony on the lip of the caldera, this is the kind of place you could spend all week, just gawping. The traditional one-bedroom residence has been given a new lease of life by the Aria group, and has an interior spa and an outdoor whirlpool spa, both heated, among its facilities (from 450 per night for two people).

A half-day catamaran trip around the caldera in Santorini costs around 155, including drinks, snorkelling equipment and dinner. The site of Akrotiri, the city destroyed by the volcano circa 1628BC, is reached by bus from Fira (2); entrance costs 12. Akrotiris treasures are displayed at Firas Museum of Prehistoric Thera (entry 6). Boat trips to the volcano in the centre of the crater, Nea Kameni, cost 20, or around 150 for a day-trip by catamaran. Its another 2 to enter the national park.

9 Telegraph expert rating

9 Telegraph expert rating

From 1,618 inc. tax

Rates provided by

Mr & Mrs Smith

6 Telegraph expert rating

From 1,233 inc. tax

Rates provided by

Booking.com

Excerpt from:

The hotel that offers guests their own plane to explore the Greek islands - Telegraph.co.uk

July 14, 2017 Environmentalist Kevin Iro has been campaigning for the creation of the Cook Island's marine sanctuary Marae Moana for more than five years

The Cook Islands has created one of the world's largest marine sanctuaries, protecting a vast swathe of the Pacific Ocean more than three times the size of France.

Legislation setting up the 1.9 million square kilometre (735,000 square mile) reserve passed through the tiny nation's parliament late Thursday.

Environmentalist Kevin Iro, who first proposed the idea more than five years ago, said it was a landmark achievement that would help preserve the ocean for future generations.

"It's a historic time, particularly because everyone supported it, including our traditional leaders who spearheaded the whole thing," he told AFP.

The Cook Islands has a population of just 10,000 and its 15 islands have a combined landmass of 236 sq km, barely the size of Washington DC.

But its isolated position in the Pacific, about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii with no near neighbours, means it has a huge maritime territory.

Iro said Cook Islanders had an affinity with the ocean and viewed it as sacred but overfishing and pollution had damaged the marine environment, including the coral reefs that once ringed all the islands.

He said the marine reserve, known as Marae Moana, would give the environment a chance to heal, allowing the islanders to protect their legacy.

"When I moved back here (from New Zealand) about 16 years ago I saw what was happening to the lagoons and reefs and really wanted to protect them for my kids," he said.

"I want them to have the same experience I did as a boy growing up."

The idea is not to ban commercial fishing or mineral exploration outright, but to ensure it is carried out in a sustainable manner.

However, there will be a core no-fishing zone totalling about 320,000 sq km, extending 50 nautical miles from the coastline of each island.

Prime Minister Henry Puna said Marae Moana provided a blueprint for managing ocean environments worldwide.

"Together we had a vision to turn our little country into the cleanest and greenest tourism destination in the whole wide world," the Cook Islands News quoted him as telling parliament.

"We not only recognise that the ocean brings us revenue in terms of fishery and tourism and potentially sea bed minerals - it also provides us with clean air, clean water, and clean food to nourish and sustain us."

Puna's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Explore further: Cook Islands declares world's largest marine park

2017 AFP

The Cook Islands announced the creation of world's largest marine park at the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum, a vast swathe of ocean almost twice the size of France.

An ambitious plan to link marine parks across a vast swathe of oceanwhose surface area would equal that of the Moonis slowly coming together piece by piece, say conservationists.

The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau created a vast marine sanctuary the size of Spain on Wednesday, banning fishing across the bulk of its waters to preserve the ocean for future generations.

Britain on Thursday announced plans to double the area of ocean under marine protection around the country's overseas territories to a size greater than the landmass of India.

Britain on Wednesday said it intended to create what will be the world's biggest fully-protected marine reserve, covering an area nearly the size of France and Germany put together in the Pacific Ocean.

Victoria University of Wellington student Lea Raymond is gaining new insights into a Cook Islands "brain drain", as part of her Master of Development Studies.

Land mammals and reptiles in the Pacific islands facing extinction due to habitat loss, hunting and other threats could be decimated by climate change, a study published Thursday said.

More than 170 years after Edgar Allan Poe's fictional raven croaked, "Nevermore," scientists are reporting that real-life ravens think about the future.

Stress is a major risk factor for a range of psychopathologies. However, stress does not affect everyone equally: in the face of sustained adversity, some people develop depression symptoms while others adapt and remain resilient. ...

Scientists have made an important step in understanding how cells keep themselves clean and healthy - a finding that may have implications for combating neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Squirrels can remember problem-solving techniques for long periods and can apply them to new situations, researchers have discovered.

The malaria parasite's success is owed to the stripping down of its genome to the bare essential genes, scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have found. In the first ever large-scale study ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Read the original here:

Cook Islands creates huge Pacific Ocean reserve - Phys.Org

Two former employees of Stacey Plaskett, Congress delegate from the Virgin Islands, have been indicted in connection with the circulation of nude images of Plaskett and her husband.

One former aide, Juan McCullum, was charged with two counts of cyberstalking, and the other, Dorene Browne-Louis, faces two obstruction of justice charges in a case investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and prosecuted by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Story Continued Below

According to authorities, both aides worked for Plaskett for more than a year before they departed in mid-2016. The images had been circulated widely by late July 2016 and Plaskett confirmed at the time they had been stolen from her.

According to the U.S. attorneys description of the charges, in March 2016, Plaskett asked McCullum to take her iPhone to an Apple store for repairs. While he had her phone, he created Hotmail and Facebook accounts under a pseudonym to distribute and post nude images of Plaskett and her spouse. He used these social media accounts to encourage others to spread the images and videos around Plasketts congressional district, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

McCullum allegedly alerted Browne-Louis to his actions, who later deleted his text messages from her phone and gave false, incomplete, and misleading statements to law enforcement about her knowledge of McCullums actions. She is due to appear in federal court on July 19, while McCullums first appearance has yet to be scheduled.

The allegations, if proved, would represent a shocking betrayal by the delegates own staff, and a turnabout from her initial suggestion that her political enemies had hacked her computer and distributed the files.

The theft and distribution of these personal images via the internet marks a new low in Virgin Islands politics, she said at the time. I am shocked and deeply saddened that someone would stoop to such a level as to invade my marriage and the love of my family in an attempt to besmirch me politically.

A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Private photographs shared between my husband and me, as well as a private playful video of our family, including one of our children, were illegally obtained and disseminated via the internet. To say my family and I are greatly upset would be a tremendous understatement," Plaskett added. "As a mother I am outraged that one of my children was exploited in such a way. The theft and dissemination of these images via the internet is a shockingly disgusting invasion of my familys and my privacy - not to mention criminal acts in violation of both territorial and federal law."

Plaskett, a lawyer and former congressional staffer, is in her second term as a delegate.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning in your inbox.

Read the original here:

Former employees indicted for leaking nude images of Virgin Islands delegate - Politico

(CNN) Fact: If you tried to visit one South Korean island a day, it would take you more than nine years to get to them all (there are 3,358 officially affirmed islands off the South Korean coast).

While most travelers in the region have most likely heard of Jeju, South Korea's most famous island and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula are peppered with lesser-known islands with spectacular views and awesome fishing.

Many are familiar with Moses dividing the Red Sea, but this biblical story has its own, more scientifically plausible version on Seonjaedo.

At low tide, the ocean parts to reveal a sandy path from Seonjaedo to the smaller satellite island of Mok. Who knew the city of Incheon, best known for its airport, had such a patch of natural beauty?

Sinuido, which was featured in a 2008 episode of the KBS2 channel's travel program, "1 night 2 days" (1 2), is the largest producer of sea salt in South Korea.

One visits this island not for the fishing, hiking or swimming -- but rather, to gawk at the surreal mounds of salt in the salterns, waiting to be harvested.

The rocky, diminutive (6.47 square kilometers) Hongdo, with its killer sunrises and wealth of peculiar rock formations, has been likened to a flower floating on the water.

Named for the crimson light that envelops the entire island at sunset (hong is Korean for "crimson"), Hongdo's 6.47 square kilometers is home to about 270 subspecies of evergreen and about 170 species of animals.

With turtledoves and black coral, mountain goats and clean seas, it's not surprising that in the past people once (well, more than once) fought over possession of Cheongsando.

It also doesn't hurt that the fishing is superb, with abalone porridge and hoe (raw fish) as local specialties.

This popular vacation destination is the major fishery of the eastern coast -- that is, even more so than all the other coastal fishing villages along South Korea's peninsular shoreline. This, as we know by now, translates into good seafood. Ulleungdo's signature catch is the cuttlefish.

Otherwise the island is packed with dazzling little nooks -- caves, waterfalls, seaside walks and ancient trees -- all very well-equipped for visitors.

Deokjeokdo's formula of forest, mountain and shore may not be anything particularly new, but it works.

Near Incheon, this northern island of mud flats, pebbled beaches and 300-year-old pines can nonetheless hold its own in a beauty contest against some of South Korea's better-known southern beauties.

We already have an island that looks like a cow (Udo). But who knew? We also have the Yellow Sea's Uido, Uido meaning "cow ear."

And while this resemblance is even more tenuous, Uido also has beaches for swimming and fishing, and a rather famous sand dune.

As the fifth largest island in South Korea, Ganghwado, accessible via a short drive over a bridge, doesn't really feel like an island.

Its main attractions are its many mountains, rather than its beaches -- the tallest and most popular being 468-meter Mount Mani.

Not to say there aren't other activities: You can check out the 120-odd dolmen at the foot of Mount Goryeo, which date back to the Bronze Age, or roll around in the mud flats.

The "Wan" in Wando means "to smile broadly."

Easily done on Wando -- from hiking to the top of 644-meter Sanghwang Peak (or any of its lesser neighboring peaks) to fishing. The island, from beach to peak, is bustling and wonderfully scenic.

While it may be a difficult and lonely place to live, lacking its own water source (water is either collected rainwater or water brought over from neighboring Ulleungdo) and difficult to come and go (the only entrance to the island is a spiral staircase of 365 steps), Jukdo's attractiveness lies in its tranquil seclusion -- its current population is two.

With a prospering tourist industry, Geojedo, the second largest island in Korea (second only to Jejudo), while smack at the center of the beaten track, is remarkably clean and well preserved.

Representative attractions include the grassy green hill by the sea, "The Hill of the Wind," and Hakdong Black Pearl Mongdol Beach, where the beach is composed of round, black pebbles that make muted jangling noises when the waves splash against the shore.

Although but four kilometers away from Geojedo, the subtropical Oedo was once a lonely, craggy place without electricity.

Today it is one huge (over 132 square kilometers) botanical garden with over 3,000 species of exotic plant life and fetching Western-style buildings and sculptures, a regular backdrop for K-Dramas and often called a "paradise."

Somaemuldo, one of Hallyeo Hasesang (Maritime) National Park's main attractions, actually owes a great deal of its popularity to another tiny island right off its own coast.

The "Deungdaeseom" or "Lighthouse Island" is nonetheless still considered a part of Somaemuldo, much in the same way that even if you eat a cookie crumb, you're still kind of eating the cookie.

Speaking of cookies -- Somaemuldo's Lighthouse Island is also known for being featured in an advertisement for "Couque D'asse," a Korean biscuit snack.

Udo has South Korea's only coral beach (Seobin Beach), black lava cliffs and a lighthouse with a view of the surrounding countryside.

It is also known for its haenyeo ("sea women") -- tough, resilient female divers who traditionally made their living (and their families' livings) by diving for abalone and shellfish.

Seonyudo, named for its 100-meter mountain, Seonyu Peak, which supposedly resembles two gods playing Go (baduk) with each other, packs a lot of view.

Popular sights are the sunset, the three tiny uninhabited islands tucked into a cove literally a stone's throw away, the autumn leaves of Weolyeong Peak, the sandbar shaped like a seagull, the beach in the moonlight, and Mangju Waterfull.

Bogildo, covered in evergreens, is best known as the home of Joseon-era poet Yun Seon-do and his remaining relics.

Best known amongst Yun's relics is Seyeonjeong, a pavilion in which he composed poetry, built over a pond he dug. The name means "to wash away the grime of the world."

Gageodo is famous for its beautiful, rocky seashores and insanely good fishing.

While in some ways it's similar to the other islands along this coast, with the rocks and the fishing communities, the isolation is what sets Gageodo apart. Literally.

Geomundo actually refers to three separate islands -- Seodo, Dongdo and Godo -- clustered tightly together in a ring, forming a lake-shaped bay in a quasi-enclosure.

The island was claimed by British sailors in 1885, but was almost immediately taken back by Admiral Jeong Yeochang. For treasure hunters: centuries-old coins and celadon have been discovered on the island..

"Eocheong" means "water mirror." Eocheongdo was named thus because of the surrounding sea, clear as a mirror, supposedly due its location, relatively far out in the ocean.

The island is also known for its rare and varied species of birds.

Gwanmaedo, with three villages and 300 residents, is an attractive island of wide, white beaches and shallow, family-friendly waters bordered by dense forests of black pines, and ludicrous (but entertaining) legends.

For example, at the north of the island is the adjacent Bangado, upon which a small rock sits balanced precariously on a hill.

Supposedly the balancing rock is a masculine emblem where infertile women can go to pray for babies.

A mere two kilometers below the 38th parallel, Baeknyeong Island is the further north you can get by island hopping in South Korea. But the place is more than just a strategic military point.

While some of its attractions (like enormous piles of shells from our early ancestors) aren't as attractive as others (spotted seals plashing in protected habitats), there is a lot to pick from.

Such as Sagot Beach, where the hardness of the sand also makes the beach a great natural airstrip; Sagot Beach is only one of two such naturally occurring airstrips in the world (the other is in Naples, Italy), and served as a temporary runway for United Nations' aircraft during the Korean War.

Today it's just an awesome beach.

Dokdo (called Takeshima in Japan) is best known for its central role in a property dispute between Japan and South Korea that dates back to the 15th century.

Dokdo actually consists of multiple islands, with the two largest East Island (Dongdo) and West Island (Seodo) and 89 even smaller islands scattered around. And despite its heavily politicized reputation, it's actually quite important ecologically, too.

Because of its delicate ecosystem, visits to Dokdo are still limited; tourists must fill out an application and reserve with a travel agency. Call the Ulleung-gundo Administration Office for more information at +82 54 790 6645, 6646.

Heuksando, "black mountain island," is where classical scholars (sunbi) of antiquity were banished when they managed to displease the higher-ups. (Like 17th-century scholar Jeong Yak-jeong, who spent his exile here writing an important treatise on fish).

But it couldn't have been that bad; Heuksando and its people supposedly so charmed these academics on time out that they were sorry to leave.

Maybe it was the local delicacy, fermented skate ray, said to taste great with a swig of makgeolli. You can taste it at any of the pubs crowding Heuksando's relatively sizable port, Yerihang.

One of Korea's best-known folk songs, the Jindo Arirang, originated here; Jindo is also hometown to the beloved Jindo dog, a domestic hunting breed known for its loyalty and intelligence.

Once a year, in either February or March, the sea parts to open a 35-meter wide, 2.8-kilometer-long path between Jindo and neighboring Modo.

This tidal "miracle" is celebrated each year with a huge festival that attracts thousands of visitors.

This island in the south sea (namhae) is so densely packed with trees it would not be an exaggeration to call it a floating forest. Out of Jisimdo's 37 species of trees, about 60% to 70% are Japanese Camellias. These "winter rose" trees bloom from early December to late April.

This distant island (53 kilometers from the nearest port, Daecheon Harbor) is relatively untouched by tourist hordes.

It also has a small claim to fame in its wall art, part of a 2011 project to make the island more tourist-friendly.

Supposedly, the island is closer to the Chinese shore than to the Korean coastline, and people say that on quiet windless mornings, you can hear roosters crowing on the Chinese mainland.

Sado consists of seven islands that remain separate for most of the year but connect to form an angular, rough "C" shape every February when tide fluctuations part the sea to reveal natural underwater bridges.

Sado is also known for its rocks -- or rather, the tall tales surrounding them; there is one turtle-shaped lump that is said to have inspired national hero General Yi Sun-shin's "turtle ship."

As the sixth largest South Korean island, this 113-square-kilometer weekend getaway spot is known for its fishing (and to those who don't enjoy this hobby, this translates into fresh, delicious seafood), its verdant pine forests and its beaches.

This finger-shaped island was actually once a peninsula, connected to the mainland by a thin band of land. During the Joseon Dynasty, however, this thin band was flooded to make it easier for ships to pass through.

In 1970 a bridge was built to reconnect Anmyeondo to the mainland. Talk about an identity crisis.

Besides the distinction of being home to South Korea's first modern lighthouse, erected in 1903, Palmido was also the launching point for the pivotal Battle of Incheon (1950) in the Korean War. As a militarily sensitive area, the island was also closed to the public until 2009.

Since then the island has also featured in scenes from the hit TV drama "Boys Over Flowers."

Not bad for an island that was closed for over a century.

Marado, shaped like a sweet potato, is South Korea's southernmost point (about 10 kilometers south of Jeju).

The coastline is rocky and dotted with caves, the white-painted buildings are low and pleasing and further inland (as far inland as you can get on an island of 0.3 square kilometers) there are meadows of flame grass.

With the longest sand beach in South Korea (12 kilometers), sandy plains that resemble a desert and an enviable breadth to the beach (over 300 meters when the tide has receded) that make you wonder why the hell people are still crowding to claustrophobic sweat fests like Haeundae, Imjado is, unsurprisingly, famous for its sand.

With Bogildo to the west and Wando to the north, fishing community Soando is best known for being a focal point in the anti-Japanese Colonialism movement in the early 20th century.

It's always had a reputation for courageous residents defending Soando against potential intruders; the name "Soando" originates from this legendary reputation.

Excellent fishing, pristine beaches and still relatively unknown -- Hyojado is small (two hours is enough for a full tour), with just enough community to be cozy.

The name, which comes from the Korean word for "dutiful son or child," hyoja, is supposedly a reference to the virtuous sons and daughters of the island.

The island makes good on its name, honoring one of its own with a stone monument that tells the legend of a certain Mr. Choi who cut off flesh from his own thigh to feed his starving parents.

OK, so maybe that story doesn't exactly strike us as cozy. But the fishing is still great.

Editor's note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted and republished in 2017.

See the article here:

33 beautiful islands to visit in South Korea - CNN

Authorities in the Balearic Islands have asked for an alcohol ban on flights and in airports as they try to crack down on anti-social tourism.

The request was made to Spain and the EU in Brussels on Tuesday by Pilar Carbonell, Head of Tourism for the islands. In astatement reported by the BBC, she wrote:We ask the central government and the European commission to ban the consumption of alcoholic drinks on flights and in airports.

The aim of the measure is to improve passenger security and also that of security forces in planes and airports in our islands, who are often faced with drunk passengers.

Carbonell explained that the ban was being sought to guarantee security ... and tackle anti-social tourism.

The plea follows a series of alcohol fuelled incidents that have drawn attention to the holiday destination. Resorts such as San Antonio in Ibiza and Magaluf in Mallorca have long attracted fun-seeking crowds,but some holidaymakers now choose to start the party en route, causing problems for fellow travellers, airlines and the police.

In May, Spanish police arrested three members of a stag party on a Manchester to Palma Ryanair flight, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News. The group drank wine and Jgermeister on the 6.20am flight before brawling in the aisle, preventing staff and passengers from moving around the aircraft.

Last month two strangers allegedly had sex in a window seat on a Manchester to Ibiza Ryanair flight. The incident was filmed by a fellow passenger who reported that they were both drunk.

After the footage went viral, a Ryanair spokesperson said: We will not tolerate unruly, disruptive or inappropriate behaviour at any time and any passengers who appear to behave in an unacceptable manner may be liable for further sanctions.

The statement did not specify whether local authorities were seeking a ban on all EU flights, or a special exemption for those travelling to the Balearic Islands.

Visit link:

Balearic islands ask EU to ban alcohol on flights - The Independent

The Maritime Research Institute Netherlands is testing a floating mega island that may one day expand the liveable space offshore (Credit: MARIN)

The Netherlands is a fairly small country, so to support a growing population, the Dutch people have historically expanded out to sea. It's a remarkable feat of engineering how much land they've managed to reclaim by building dikes, but it might not be a sustainable solution nowadays. To update that tradition, the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) is testing the concept of an artificial floating island.

MARIN's floating island is made up of large triangles that connect to each other in a modular fashion. Structurally, it works like the Italian Floating Piers and walkways we saw last year, but on a much bigger scale: MARIN says that floating islands built in this way could be as big as 5 km (3.1 miles) wide, and used for a variety of purposes.

UPGRADE TO NEW ATLAS PLUS

More than 1,200 New Atlas Plus subscribers directly support our journalism, and get access to our premium ad-free site and email newsletter. Join them for just US$19 a year.

"As sea level rises, cities become overcrowded and more activities are carried out at sea, raising the dikes and reclaiming land from the seas are perhaps no longer an effective solution," says Olaf Waals, project manager of MARIN's floating islands. "An innovative alternative that fits with the Dutch maritime tradition is floating ports and cities."

An artist's representation of how the final floating island might look (Credit: MARIN)

These new floating spaces could support offshore homes, public spaces, docks for the loading and unloading of ships, fishing and seaweed-harvesting facilities, and renewable energy systems like wind, solar, tidal or wave energy generators.

But there are still plenty of questions surrounding the project's viability. The MARIN team is investigating the best ways to lock the triangles together and anchor the island to the seabed. Whether the undulations of the water will be too disruptive to the structures or people onboard, and how to minimize the environmental effects of the new islands are other issues that need to be addressed.

To answer these questions, MARIN is running computer simulations and testing the idea with a scale model island made up of 87 triangles, in a facility it calls the Offshore Basin. This 40 x 40 m (131 x 131 ft) pool allows the team to simulate wind, waves and currents, and study how the island would handle these conditions in the real world.

The team's tests, as well as computer images of what the end result might look like, can be seen in the video below.

Source: MARIN

Read more:

Artificial floating islands could expand liveable space at sea - New Atlas

Joseph Billy says his community is losing land to climate change every year. Photograph: Brian Cassey/Oxfam Australia

Torres Strait residents face being forced from their homes by climate change, as their islands are lost to rising seas.

On Boigu Island, the most northerly inhabited island in Australia, just six kilometres from Papua New Guinea, the communitys cemetery faces inundation and roads are being washed into the sea. A seawall installed to protect the community is already failing.

Boigu elder Dennis Gibuma says the situation is worsening every season.

Every year I have moved my shed back from the beach another few metres.

Our seawall is no longer any good, he says. When the high tide and strong winds come together, it breaks. We pray we dont lose our homes. We dont want to leave this place.

Masig Island, to the south-east of Boigu, is less than three kilometres long, and just 800m across at its widest point. Also known as Yorke Island, the low-lying coral cay is steadily being lost to the waves.

The island is being eaten, says Songhi Billy, an engineering officer on Masig. This is a big issue. I kind of feel hopeless in a sense. Our land is part of us.

In the short term, we can do what we can. We cant stop the erosion, our hope is to slow it down.

But he says he has to face the possibility that his people may have to abandon their ancestral home.

Long term, we may have to evacuate the island, he says. But I am not going. Slowly, I see Masig Island getting out of something I can control.

Fisherman Joseph Billy says his community is losing land every year.

Last five year, every year, I have moved my shed back from the beach another few metres. We used to have a road that went all around the island but now it is broken. We will lose our land eventually.

Sea levels around the world are expected to rise between 75cm and 1.5m by the end of the century, depending on greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Australian Department of Environment and Energy, a rise of just 50cm would increase the risk of flooding around Australia by 300 times making a once a century flood likely to occur several times a year. In some areas of Australia, flooding risk would rise much more up to 10,000 times.

The precise sea level rise around the Torres Strait, and the projected inundation, has not been calculated but low-lying islands are expected to experience a much greater flooding risk than mainland Australia. The department identifies the remote islands of the Torres Strait as some of the most vulnerable, as does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which warns communities they may be forced to relocate.

The chief executive of Oxfam Australia, Helen Szoke, who visited the Torres Strait at the invitation of the Torres council mayor, Vonda Malone, says the people of the strait have contributed almost nothing to the causes of climate change but are being hit first and hardest by its impacts.

The islands face a combination of risks including coastal erosion and inundation from rising seas, damage to the critical marine ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend, higher temperatures and shifting rainfall. Roads are being washed away and seawalls cannot protect communities from flooding.

The strong, flourishing communities of the Torres Strait have a powerful connection to their land and sea country, Szoke says.

The gravest fear among community members is the loss of their connection to land and culture if they are faced with the last resort being forced to leave their islands. The longer-term challenges, including the threat of eventually being forced from their land, are complex and extremely confronting for communities with such a deep connection to their islands.

We have been advocating for years but it just does not seem to get enough attention.

Malone says leaving the islands is a last resort and the people of the Torres Strait want to do everything possible to remain.

These communities are facing ongoing challenges in retaining their foreshore and their gathering places this is their land and the land of their ancestors. These communities are seeing their land washed away. We have been advocating for years but it just does not seem to get enough attention.

Malone says while some funding for climate change adaptation is filtering through, there were few resources to address the social impacts of potential dislocation.

There is a feeling of hopelessness as communities do not know where this is going to lead to, Malone says.

Displacement caused by climate change is forecast to be a driver of massive forced migration movements in the 21st century.

Low-lying islands in the Pacific and Torres Strait islands like Masig and Boigu are likely to be at the forefront of forced displacement but large and densely populated countries such as Bangladesh also face widespread inundation.

Some forecasts have predicted up to 150 million people could be forcibly displaced by climate change by 2040 larger than the record number of people already forced from their homes globally.

The US and other militaries have said that climate change poses the greatest security threat to the Asia-Pacific.

But the global legal framework for resettling people displaced from their homes lost to natural disasters or climate change is unclear. The refugee convention established in 1951 to regularise the resettlement of those displaced by the second world war does not recognise someone forced from their home by rising seas, or natural disaster, as requiring protection.

Already, more than a dozen Pacific Islanders have attempted to claim refugee status in New Zealand on the grounds that their homes are uninhabitable because of rising seas or climate-related disaster. All have had their claims rejected.

On Masig Island, Hilda Mosby says climate change is already affecting the marine ecosystems on which communities depend for their livelihoods. Climate change is already affecting her community big time, she says.

But the greater existential threat for her home lies ahead.

When we talk about relocation, it is clear this is very much a last resort, Mosby says. This is our home. No one is willing to leave, to lose their cultural ties, the loved ones they have laid to rest here. We want to try everything to keep our community here.

Read more:

'The island is being eaten': how climate change is threatening the Torres Strait - The Guardian

The Chuuk flying fox. The Black-spotted Cuscus. The Fijian crested iguana. The Mariana skunk. The greater monkey-faced bat. Poncelets giant rat.

Not exactly household names, but these creatures have something in common: theyre all critically endangered and they all live on islands in the Pacific Ocean that are at high risk from rising sea levels.

Thats the conclusion of a new study, published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, which maps the distribution of 150 threatened species living on Pacific islands and their susceptibility to sea level rise.

Some of these creatures are found on just a single island, so losing their habitats to encroaching seas would mean global extinction, the lead author tells Carbon Brief.

A Mariana fruit bat named Babydoll hangs from a tree at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge in Guam May 20, 2013. The Mariana fruit bat (Pteropus mariannus) is currently listed as a threatened species. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released)

The new study focuses on a stretch of the southern Pacific Ocean from Palau in the west to the Pitcairn Islands in the east. Within this 85m square kilometre (sq km) area are more than 2,000 islands.

These islands come in all shapes and sizes most are volcanic or reefs but they are predominantly small and low-lying. Their average size is just 1.3 sq km some are just a tenth of that size and 42% of them have a maximum elevation of less than 10m.

These characteristics put the islands and the species that live on them at particular risk from sea level rise, storms and high waves, the study says.

On small islands, land-based creatures have fewer places to move to when their habitats are lost. In addition, through evolution, many island-living species no longer have the traits that would have helped them move on for example, many birds and insects have lost their ability to fly.

Putting all these factors together, species living on these Pacific islands are highly vulnerable to extinction, the paper says.

Indeed, the 1,779 islands assessed in the study area are home to 150 amphibians, mammals and reptiles that feature on the International Union for Conservation of Natures (ICUN) Red List of Threatened Species. Fifty-one of these species are classed as Vulnerable, 61 as Endangered and 38 in the most at-risk category of Critically Endangered.

Eighty-four of the 150 species arent found anywhere else on Earth. Fifty-four of them such as the Giant Bandicoot, the Goodfellows tree-kangaroo and the Taom Striped Gecko can only be found on a single island. Eleven species live on two islands and the remaining 29 live on three or more.

Goodfellows Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi). Credit: Minden Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo.

Using distribution data for the 150 species, the researchers mapped their locations across the islands. They then classified the susceptibility of each island to rising sea levels according to its size, elevation, shape and the hardness/softness of its rock.

In general, a small, low, narrow sandy island will usually be more vulnerable than a large, high, round volcanic island, explains lead author Prof Lalit Kumar from the University of New England in Australia. He tells Carbon Brief:

Islands that are of sandy/coral origin, that have low elevations, that are small in size and those that are thin and long are the most susceptible to climate change. Of course, there are other factors, such as where they are located tropical cyclone paths, significant wave heights, etc that will also impact the susceptibility.

You can see the results in the map below. The circles indicate islands that are home to at least one of the 150 threatened species. The colour of the circle shows how susceptible that island is to rising sea levels. The empty circles highlight islands that do not host any of the species.

Map of Pacific Ocean islands and threatened species. The circles indicate island that host at least one vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered terrestrial vertebrate species. The colour of the filled circles indicate that islands susceptibility rankings, from very high (red) to very low (dark green). Empty circles are islands that do not host any of the threatened species. Source: Kumar & Tehrany (2017)

Of the 1,779 islands, 674 were home to at least one of the 150 threatened species. Of these, the study classified 59 islands as having very high susceptibility to rising seas, followed by 178 for high, 152 for medium, 171 for low and 114 for very low.

Among the islands most susceptible to sea level rise are those of Tonga, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.

Glossary

RCP8.5: The RCPs (Representative Concentration Pathways) are scenarios of future concentrations of greenhouse gases and other forcings. RCP8.5 is a scenario of comparatively high greenhouse gas emissions brought about by rapid population growth, high energy demand, fossil fuel dominance and an absence of climate change policies. This business as usual scenario is the highest of the four RCPs and sees atmospheric CO2 rise to around 935ppm by 2100, equivalent to 1,370ppm once other forcings are included (in CO2e). The likely range of global temperatures by 2100 for RCP8.5 is 4.0-6.1C above pre-industrial levels.

Using climate model projections of sea level rise and wave heights, the researchers mapped the regional risks of the islands being inundated with seawater. Local variations in wind patterns, ocean currents and sea surface temperatures mean that sea level change wont be the same across the region.

The map below shows the regional sea level risks under a climate change scenario where global CO2 emissions arent curbed (RCP8.5). The risk is categorised according to the maximum sea level for any month during the average year at the end of the century (against a baseline of 1986-2005).

The coloured circles show the islands that host threatened species. The background shading indicates the risk from rising seas, from low (green) to very high (red).

Map of sea level rise risk and threatened species on Pacific Ocean islands. The coloured circles indicate island that host at least one vulnerable (blue), endangered (pink) or critically endangered (brown) terrestrial vertebrate species. The background shading indicates sea level rise risk, from low (green) to very high (red) under RCP8.5 for 2081-2100, compared to a baseline of 1986-2005. Source: Kumar & Tehrany (2017)

The map highlights that some of the islands that are home to critically endangered species are at high risk from rising seas, the paper says:

The Northern Mariana Islands, islands in Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia host most of the critically endangered species, and Fiji, Tonga and the Northern Mariana Islands all fall in the high and very high categories under RCP 8.5 projections.

Combining the susceptibility of the island with the risk from sea level rise, the study finds that the islands of Micronesia, Tonga, Tokelau and the Marshall Islands are the riskiest place for species to live. These islands are not home to any critically endangered species, but they are for many endangered species.

Fijian Crested Iguana, Brachylophus vitiensis, Kula Eco Park, Viti Levu, Fiji. Credit: Douglas Peebles Photography / Alamy Stock Photo.

The study concludes that many of these species may need to be reclassified as critically endangered. If they are lost from these islands, they will be lost to the world, warns Kumar:

These species are only found in this region of the world and so deserve extra attention since a loss of any of these species will mean global extinction.

Kumar, L. and Tehrany, M. S. (2017) Climate change impacts on the threatened terrestrial vertebrates of the Pacific Islands, Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05034-4

Follow this link:

Rising seas threaten scores of species on Pacific islands with extinction - Carbon Brief

Satellite images reveal a new barrier island forming off the coast of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.

How is a barrier island born? A new series of satellite images tells the tale.

Shots taken by an instrument aboard the Landsat 8 satellite between November 2016 and July 2017 show the formation of "Shelly Island," a mile-long (1.6 kilometers) spit off the coast of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. The island formed rapidly, adding most of its mass between April and May 2017. (The Landsat satellites are run jointly by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.)

New islands are quite common on this stretch of shore, where waves and tides sculpt sand into shapes that sometimes protrude above the ocean surface. The shallow undersea expanses of sand associated with the capes are called shoals, and it is from these shoals that new barrier islands form, experts say. [See Images of a Volcanic Island Birthed in Japan]

"A likely process would be a high tide or storm-driven water elevation that piled up sediment to near the surface, and then water levels went down, exposing the shoal," Andrew Ashton, a geomorphologist atWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, told NASA' Earth Observatory, which released the new satellite images.

Satellite images revealed the island formed some time between November 2016 (left) and July 2017 (right).

"Waves then continue to build the feature while also moving it about," Ashton said.

According to The Virginian-Pilot, the island got its moniker from a visiting 11-year-old, who explored the spot on Memorial Day weekend. (It was loaded with seashells.) But by June, officials were warning people not to try to get to the island, after a series of attempted visits necessitated rescues. A strong rip current makes the 50-yard (45 meters) crossing from the cape to the island dangerous, the newspaper reported.

The first snapshot taken by the Operational Land Imager (aboard Landsat 8) on Nov. 16, 2016, shows Cape Point, a prominent local fishing spot, before the island formed. By Jan. 28, 2017, the white froth of breaking waves is visible just off the point, hinting at the very shallow sand below. In the final image, taken July 7, 2017, the island is fully formed.

Barrier islands like Shelly Island are both changeable and resilient. They can be destroyed or shifted by major storms, which happened to many barrier islands during Hurricane Sandyin 2012. But when big storms steal the sand from barrier islands, it often ends up just offshore, so it's available when smaller waves return and start gently building the island back up again, Brian Romans, a sedimentary geologist at Virginia Tech, told Live Science in 2011.

This natural process can be disrupted by human activities, like the building of piers or redirection of sediment.

Original article on Live Science.

More:

Satellite Images Reveal How a New Island Was Born Off North Carolina - Live Science

Three New England islands are among the best in the country, according to Travel + Leisure magazine readers.

As part of the magazines annualWorlds Best Awards, the publication released its list of Top 10 islands in the continental United States, and three New England spots made the list.

Nantucketis No. 2, second only to top dog Hilton Head, S.C. Mount Desert Island in Maine came in at No. 3 and Marthas Vineyardis No. 8. All three islands, as well as the seven others, offer the perfect vacation, according to the publication.

In the Massachusetts havens of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, as well as on Maines Mount Desert Island, joy comes from days spent picking berries and boating while the approaching evening brings in a fog, the publication wrote.

The islands were scored for their natural attractions and beaches, activities and sights, restaurants, friendliness, and value andthen given a numerical score based on those ratings.T+Ltabulated the results with the assistance of digital marketing firm Wylei.

Readers also rated airlines, airports, car rental agencies, cruise ships, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands, cities, tour operators, and safari outfitters. The results will appear in the August issue ofTravel + Leisure.

When packing for each of these islands, all that is necessary is a pair of binoculars, wonderful books, and a willingness to forget time, wrote the publication.

View the full list of islands here.

Boston.com on the go! Download our free app.

Read the rest here:

3 New England islands are among the top 10 in the continental U.S. ... - Boston.com

Every year, Travel + Leisure releases a ranking of hotels, cities, cruise ship lines, islands, and other travel categories, dubbing a select few the world's best.

This year, the 22nd annual awards list revealed that Palawan in the Philippines is the top island in the world for 2017.

The ranking is based on the results of a reader survey, in which participants rate their travel experiences. This year, the list includes three islands in the US, (Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Maui and Kauai, Hawaii) and two in the Philippines (Palawan and Boracay).

Keep reading to see the 10 best islands in the world, according to travellers.

10. Bali, Indonesia

Aside from relaxing on its gorgeous beaches, visitors can explore Bali's rich history and culture.

9. Hvar and the Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

Hvar's red-roofed homes overlooking the Adriatic give the island a classic Mediterranean feel.

8. Ischia, Italy

Located in the Gulf of Naples, Ischia is a volcanic island known for its thermal hot springs.

7. Kauai, Hawaii

Kauai is known as Hawaii's island of discovery.

6. Maui, Hawaii

One of the famous black sand beaches on the island of Maui.

5. Santorini, Greece

Santorini is famous for its whitewashed, cliffside homes.

4. Galpagos Islands, Ecuador

Sea lions on Punta Carola beach in the Galpagos Islands.

3. Boracay Island, Philippines

Boracay is only 4.5 miles long, but it has no shortage of white sand beaches.

2. Hilton Head, South Carolina

With 12 miles of beaches, 24 golf courses, and 350 tennis courts, Hilton Head is a resort lover's dream.

1. Palawan, Philippines

Palawan was named not only Travel + Leisure's top island in Asia, but also the top overall island for 2017.

Apples next iPhone could cost $1,200 or more Most people blow 70% of their money on these three things Hitler's three-mile-long abandoned Nazi resort is being transformed into a luxury getaway

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

Read more:

The best islands in the world, according to travellers - The Independent

For the second year in a row and the third time since 2013, Palawan, Philippines, has won the Travel + Leisure award for best island in the world.

The long narrow Palawan island , which is located on a province of 1,780 islands , is lined with sugar-white sand beaches and hidden coves, according to its tourism website . Palawan is filled with species unique to the region, with over 200 bird species and 600 butterfly species, according to the government's website . It contains the worlds largest navigable underground river, flowing five miles under a limestone cave out to sea, which visitors can tour by canoe, Travel + Leisure reports .

The sparsely populate island is also home to underwater shipwrecks and coral reefs filled with tropical fish that attract scuba diving or snorkeling visitors, according Travel + Leisure. The abundant wildlife on land and sea, as well as crystal-clear waters give Palawan breathtaking sights, especially viewed from the tops of its lush mountains, Travel + Leisure reports .

For the magazine's annual survey, readers rated experiences across 86 categories on a secure website, and scores were averaged in order to determine the Travel + Leisure awards for 2017. See the other top islands on the world's best islands list here .

Visit link:

Palawan Philippines Is Travel + Leisure World's Best Island | Money - Money Magazine

(CNN) From the cosmopolitan charm of Penang to the hippie getaway of the Perhentians, a diverse array of islands offer a huge variety of Malaysia holiday options.

Here, in no particular order, we present our top 10. Disagree? Share your favorite Malaysian island in the comments box below.

While many backpacker haunts have become gentrified over time, the Perhentians have managed to retain their low-key vibe.

They might not be easy to get to, but the Perhentian islands off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia have achieved iconic status on the backpacker trail.

And for good reason -- the waters are so clean that you can snorkel right off the beach and still see a diverse array of aquatic life.

Fishermen turned tour guides will also take you out in their small boat for a day trip to swim with sharks and turtles.

In the evening, beach bars set up cushions on the sand as wandering fire artists do their thing.

Getting there: Regular buses leave from Hentian Putra bus station in Kuala Lumpur, taking nine hours. Alternatively, fly from Kuala Lumpur's LCCT airport to Kota Bharu, and then catch a taxi to the port town of Kuala Besut.

The island of Tioman and the waters surrounding it are protected nature reserves, which has helped it retain its wild vibe.

Although part of the Malaysian state of Pahang, Tioman is actually reached from the Johor town of Mersing. There's also a direct ferry from Singapore.

This popular Malysia holiday island has two claims to fame that continue to be hyped by media and marketers. One, the dramatic topography of this teardrop-shaped isle in the South China Sea was (supposedly) used as a backdrop for the 1958 movie "South Pacific," while Time magazine named it one of the world's most beautiful islands in the 1970s.

Though it's now a firm fixture on the tourist trail and has lost a little of its exotic mystique, it retains --- where many of its Southeast Asian contemporaries have lost theirs --- the natural environment and wildlife that first made it famous.

First among animals, on land at least, are the giant monitor lizards that roam among the kampungs (Malay for villages) in search of food. Don't worry, they avoid humans. Most of the time.

Don't worry, Lankawai has the same stunning beaches as the rest of these islands. We just thought you might be tired of looking at white sand.

Located right by the border with Thailand, Langkawi is part of the Malaysian state of Kedah, not Perlis which is in fact directly adjacent.

Famously, the Malaysia island was believed to have been cursed in 1819, when a woman named Mahsuri, was put to death for alleged adultery. Before she died, she uttered the words, "There shall be no peace and prosperity on this island for a period of seven generations."

Two years later Langkawi fell to the invading Thais, with much of its population subsequently dying from starvation. The island was then indeed barren for a long time, before Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamed --- the colossus of Malaysian politics who also built Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers and the Sepang F1 circuit --- decided to turn it into a resort island in 1986.

He declared it a duty-free island, and ever since then Langkawi's growth has been nothing short of spectacular, with high-profile resorts dotting its sandy shores to make it a Malaysia holiday star.

The best way to take it all in is on the 2,200-meter-long cable car, which rises some 710 meters above sea level. Interestingly, Mahsuri's husband and son moved to Phuket after the Thai invasion, and it was on that island that her seventh generation descendant was born --- in the year 1986. Coincidence?

Getting there: Langkawi has by far the best flight connections of any Malaysian island, with dozens of daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang.

Historic Georgetown is a highlight of Penang.

The Pearl of the Orient has a long and illustrious history. "Discovered" by Captain Francis Light in 1786, Prince of Wales Island, as it once was known, was for a long time one of the jewels of the British empire.

Alongside Melaka and Singapore it was known as one of the Straits Settlements, a string of outposts that dominated the sea trade between India and the rest of Asia.

However, its importance gradually waned over the centuries, before it was rediscovered as a Malaysia holiday destination and reinvented as an IT hub.

Today, under the close eye of Malaysian opposition and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the island is proudly parading its past --- the UNESCO status granted to historic Georgetown in 2008 guarantees that.

But its greatest attraction is its street food --- from Penang laksa off Macalister Road to banana leaf in Little India to seafood on Gurney Drive --- you'll find it all here.

Alongside a raft of improvements designed to attract even more visitors, including investment in public transport, a tree planting program, pedestrianization schemes and a schedule of new cultural festivals and fairs, this magnificent island --- only slightly smaller than Singapore --- is once again making its mark on the world stage.

Clear waters, white sands and offshore banks. What everyone looks for in an island.

Located off the coast of East Malaysia, sandwiched between Sarawak and Sabah, Labuan is one of three Federal Territories (the others are Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya).

Its special status as an international offshore financial centre and free trade zone has allowed it to attract outside investment from the financial sector (some 6,500 offshore companies are based here).

Long-term, the Malaysian government envisions the island as becoming one of the world's major offshore business centres, akin to the Middle Eastern hubs of Dubai or Bahrain.

While it has some way to go to achieve similar status, the nation has a track record of dreaming big and making it happen -- the Petronas Towers and annual F1 race attest to that.

If you're not involved in the financial services, there are other reasons to visit such as wreck diving. Over the years, numerous ships were sunk in the shallow waters off Labuan, making it ideal for novice divers. These are simply known as the American, Australian, Blue Water and Cement Wreck.

There is also a well-tended War Cemetery, where an annual remembrance ceremony is held for some 3,900 Allied soldiers who died during in World War II.

Getting there: There are daily flights to Labuan Airport from Kuala Lumpur, Miri in Sarawak and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. There is also an air-conditioned ferry to Brunei.

Would you call this an island? Layang-Layang's isolation makes it one of Asia's best diving experiences.

Little more than a coral reef with a runway, the tiny island of Layang-Layang is located some 300 kilometers northwest of the Sabah capital of Kota Kinabalu (KK), the state to which it belongs.

A creation of the Malaysian Navy, which reclaimed land from the sea in order to state the nation's sovereignty over the Spratlys, that South China Sea island group also claimed whole or in part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Surrounded by pristine waters that drop to 2,000 meters, Layang-Layang is often ranked as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world due to its remarkable array of marine life.

Due to the Navy's presence, the coral reef has been spared the explosive damage caused by dynamite fishing and other destructive practices, leading to underwater visibility of more than 40 meters.

Particularly of note are the schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, which can sometimes number in the hundreds, though you can also expect to see manta rays, dolphins, barracuda and turtles.

Getting there: The only way in and out of this Malaysia island is on a charter flight from Kota Kinbalu, with the price included in the various packages offered by the only place to stay on the island.

In his 1989 film "Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle," famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau said, "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art."

At the end of 2002, following a long dispute with Indonesia, the International Court of Justice ruled that the island of Sipadan was Malaysian.

The country, and the state of Sabah which it is part of, have reason to be relieved. Sipadan is often rated as the world's best dive site, with a location in the centre of the planet's most bio-diverse marine habitat.

In order to protect the fragile ecosystem of this Malaysia holiday destination, in 2004 the government ordered all of the dive resorts off the island, banned night dives and set a limit of 120 divers per day.

The move worked, as the surrounding waters continue to teem with life. It's home to 3,000 species of fish, hundreds of species of coral, an abundance of rays and sharks and large populations of green and hawksbill turtles --- so much so there is a famous turtle tomb, an underwater labyrinth that has drowned many of the unfortunate sea creatures.

Getting there: It's a 55-minute flight from Kota Kinbalu to the town of Tawau, an hour's drive to the even smaller township of Semporna, and then a 40-minute speedboat ride.

If you get tired of white beaches, Redang has plenty of wildlife, including monkeys, deer and monitor lizards.

The Redang archipelago actually consists of nine islands, namely Lima, Paku Besar, Paku Kecil, Kerengga Besar, Kerengga Kecil, Ekor Tebu, Ling, Pinang and Redang itself.

Together, they form a marine park situated 45 kilometers off the east Peninsular Malaysia state of Terengganu.

Unlike its close cousins, the backpacker-filled Perhentian islands to the north, Redang is very much an upmarket destination, with mostly resort accommodation on offer.

Accordingly, the island also has its own airport, served by Berjaya Air, which since 2004 has flown daily to Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport and Singapore's Changi.

With excellently preserved coral, the main attractions of Redang are snorkeling, diving and the crystal clear waters.

You'll need to stick close to the shoreline regardless, as the interior is mostly impassable, apart from a road that connects the airport with the coast.

In 2000, the Malaysian island was the setting for Hong Kong movie "Summer Holiday," which featured Cantopop star Sammi Cheng and Taiwanese heartthrob Richie Ren. The success of the film led to a sudden influx of tourists.

Getting there: If you don't want to pay to fly in directly, the alternative is to fly to Kuala Terengganu, and then continue by car and take a ferry from the port of Merang.

Not all of us have opportunities to stay in a sultan's lair. Rawa is the next best thing.

There aren't many chances to stay on a Sultan's private island. Rawa is one. Owned by the family of the Sultanate of Johor, Rawa is a small island 16 kilometers off the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia.

Only two resorts hug its white-sand fringed west coast, which is accessible by boat from the mainland port of Mersing (also the departure point for more distant Tioman).

Because of this exclusivity, Rawa attracts tourists looking for a more secluded vacation. While the west coast is postcard perfect, the rest of the shoreline consists of inaccessible, dramatic rocky cliffs that plunge directly into the sea.

To check these out, take the easy way and rent a canoe or hike up steep steps to the summit of the island, from where you have vantages of the eastern shore, the coast of Johor and the other 12 small islands that make up the Johor Marine Park.

As your choice of accommodation is limited -- it can often fill up quick with young Singaporeans looking for a weekend getaway -- so book up early.

Getting there: From Kuala Lumpur, catch a bus or drive to Mersing, from where regular ferries depart. Note that during low season (November to March), ferry frequency can drop sharply.

Tiny Pulau Pangkor lies off Perak on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia.

Despite measuring just eight square kilometres, Pulau Pangkor (pulau is the Malay word for island) is one of the most popular beach getaways in Malaysia -- among locals, that is.

Pangkor is one of the country's most accessible islands, yet it is overwhelmingly the preserve of Malaysians, who head there every long weekend for a little rest and relaxation.

There is little in terms of nightlife but instead you'll find uncrowded sandy beaches, a huge variety of amazing local cuisine and friendly people.

Getting there: There are direct flights to the island from Subang's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport via Kuala Lumpur, or it's a 30 minute ferry ride from the town of Lumut.

Editor's note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted and republished in 2017.

Go here to read the rest:

10 best islands for a Malaysia holiday - CNN

RED WING The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday brought another plan for Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River District. This one is designed to help reduce erosion and improve water quality in Lake Pepin, said study planner Sierra Keenan with the Corps.

"We're in the early stages of this study," Keenan said. The Corps is developing a plan that would place islands on the north side of Lake Pepin to provide habitat and help environmental stability in the lake. "The objectives we have are to improve habitat for waterfowl and aquatic vegetation."

Other goals of the project would be to dredge a route for motorboats to Bay City, Wis., dredge the backwaters to improve habitat for overwintering fish and improve or create new islands along the north side of Lake Pepin.

Tuesday's meeting at the Red Wing Public Library was designed to introduce the concept and gather public input. Keenan emphasized that the plan for islands in Upper Pool 4 was not related to the dredge material management plan for Lower Pool 4. The Upper Pool 4 plan would, at most, use about 1 million cubic yards of dredge material, while the Lower Pool 4 plan will need to move more than 10 million cubic yards over 40 years.

Of the 80-plus individuals who attended the meeting, several spoke up about the problems with retreating shorelines along the lake. Delbert Johnson, who lives along the lake, said the dredging usually is followed by shoreline erosion as the sand along the banks unsettled by passing boats moves to fill in the low spots.

Johnson suggested the lake needed a no-wake zone to prevent large waves from washing into the shoreline and eroding the sand.

Tom Novak, project manager with the Corps, said the no-wake zone was not likely due to the speed of barge traffic. He also said that building up the shoreline with dredge material would not be possible under the scope of the project.

As for the islands, he said it was likely two to five islands would be built in Lake Pepin along the north end.

"It's really shallow there," he said. "The islands knock the waves down. Over time, trees on the islands would knock the wind down, so you get a quiet area behind there."

Keenan said the next step was to develop a draft plan, conduct more public meetings to review the concept in 2018 and begin work in 2019.

Have some regional news from Houston, Goodhue, Wabasha or Winona County that you'd like to share? Contact Brian at 507-285-7715, or by email at btodd@postbulletin.com.

Read more from the original source:

Corps studies plans to create Lake Pepin islands - Post-Bulletin