SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Hundreds of thousands of red baby crabs are invading the Cayman Islands in a seasonal migration that residents say is unusually heavy this year.

The crabs are blanketing roads, scurrying across yards and scratching their way up homes and buildings in a process that scientists say will last about a month.

“People living in the coast will have them everywhere,” said Tim Austin, deputy director of the Cayman Islands’ Environment Department, on Wednesday. “They get in houses, into your AC system. Anywhere there’s a gap, they’ll find it. They’re trying to get somewhere where they’ll live happily.”

The baby crabs, which are smaller than a thumbnail, were born in the ocean a few weeks ago and are emerging along rocky shores, seeking forests and wetlands near the coast where they will remain until they reproduce and head back to sea to deposit their eggs, Austin said. While the babies are red, the species is known as the black land crab because of the dark purple color it takes on as it ages.

It is likely that the recent “supermoon” and low tides have made it easier for the baby crabs to reach land, which could help explain the increase this year, he said. Most of them are overrunning Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, two of three islands that make up the archipelago.

The baby crabs do not migrate every year, in part because of ocean currents, tides and wind conditions, but adult crabs migrate every year to the ocean during the start of the rainy season, usually in May. Their migration has already occurred.

The government urges people to try to avoid the crabs as they drive, but it is nearly impossible not to hit them.

“It’s a minefield of flattened crabs. You’ll just see hundreds of splats,” said Jim Andrews, 48, who lives with his family in the southeast end of Grand Cayman.

His house has been invaded by crabs as well.

“This year, we just saw tons of the tiny little newborns,” he said. “You can hear them crawling on the windowsills.”

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Hundreds of thousands of baby red crabs invade Cayman Islands

Baby red crabs have infested the Cayman Islands by the hundreds of thousands, in an unusually heavy migration season that has caused havoc. If local superstition is any indicator, the Caribbean may face a rough hurricane season.

The crabs have scurried on past the immediate coast, onto roads, residents’ yards, climbing up homes and scratching their way into homes. Most are infesting two of the three islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

“People living in the coast will have them everywhere,” Tim Austin, deputy director of the Cayman Islands’ Environment Department, told the AP. “They get in houses, into your AC system. Anywhere there’s a gap, they’ll find it. They’re trying to get somewhere where they’ll live happily.”

Austin believes low tides and the recent “supermoon” combined to make life easier for the baby red crabs, allowing more of them to reach land.

The crabs’ red hue is misleading, as the creatures climb ashore after they’re born and lay low in forests and wetlands until they grow and reproduce, heading back into the water as a large black land crab seeking to deposit their eggs.

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The creatures grow from the size of about a thumbnail to nearly a foot in some cases. Fully grown crabs can scamper at up to six feet per second, have been known to claw at the tires of passing cars.

Locals colloquially call them “Hurricane Crabs” because a superstition connects their presence to a particularly bad hurricane season.

Baby red crabs, up to the size of a thumbnail, have climbed up windows and into AC units, among other places.

“There’s a very strong feeling on the island that they relate to the arrival of a hurricane,” District Commissioner Ernie Scott of Cayman Brac told the Cayman Compass. He added: “I’ve seen them here in hurricane seasons when we didn’t have any hurricanes and I’ve seen them in a season where we’ve experienced hurricanes.”

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Baby Red Crabs Invade Cayman Islands, Could Signal Tough Hurricane Season

“There was nothing from us in writing, but verbal undertakings were given” … Richard Woolcott. Photo: Jon Reid

DEFENCE’S plans to develop the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean as a base for Australian and US spy drones and aircraft run counter to assurances Canberra has given the United Nations, one of Australia’s most senior foreign policy figures has warned.

Australia promised it would not ”militarise” the islands when persuading key nations at the world body not to oppose the transfer of the former British possession to Australian sovereignty, the former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Richard Woolcott, said.

The recent Defence Force Posture Review suggested Defence consider upgrading the Cocos Islands airfield to support the new P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft likely to be acquired by the Royal Australian Air Force to replace its P-3C Orions.

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In March, The Washington Post reported the US was looking at the islands, in the north-east quadrant of the Indian Ocean, as a base to watch over a vast sweep of Asia.

The Cocos Islands were considered an ”ideal site” to base not only manned US surveillance planes but also the Global Hawk, an unarmed high-altitude surveillance drone, the newspaper said. Spy flights could be launched over the South China Sea, scene of growing disputes between China and other countries with overlapping claims to marine and seabed resources.

The Australian posture review said Global Hawks could already operate from the Cocos Islands airfield, though the condition of the airfield and its limited infrastructure imposed constraints.

But Mr Woolcott recalls that when he was Australian ambassador to the UN in 1984, he gave Australia’s assurances that the islands would not be converted to military purposes. ”There was nothing from us in writing, but verbal undertakings were given,” he said yesterday.

The former chief diplomat writes in the Sydney Morning Herald today of his feelings of ”guilt” at the way two ”crumbs from the British Empire’s table” that fell to Australia during his career were now being ”misused” in ways that damaged Australia’s standing in Asia.

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Militarising Cocos Islands will be betrayal, says former ambassador

16 May 2012 Last updated at 04:37 ET

China and Japan are holding talks on maritime issues, with a group of disputed East China Sea islands top of the agenda.

The talks in China are being attended by foreign, defence and maritime officials from the two countries.

They were expected to discuss the row over the resource-rich island chain known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu.

The islands are controlled by Japan, but also claimed by China.

Both side were expected to discuss how to avoid future clashes around the islands, which lie northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and southwest of Japan’s southern-most prefecture, Okinawa.

Relations between China and Japan hit a low point after Japanese coast guards arrested a fishing boat captain near the Senkaku islands in September 2010 following a collision.

“China and Japan reached consensus in December to set up a China-Japan high-level consultation mechanism on maritime affairs,” said Hong Lei, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, in a press conference on Tuesday.

But Japan’s decision to allow the World Uighur Congress (WUC) to meet in Tokyo could cast a shadow over the Hangzhou meeting, reports from Beijing suggest.

Beijing says the WUC has links to terrorist organisations that aim to separate the restive region of Xinjiang from China. WUC says it seeks to promote the right of Uighurs to use peaceful, democratic means to decide the future of Xinjiang.

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China, Japan discuss islands row

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China, Japan hold maritime talks on islands row

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Baby red crabs invade Cayman Islands

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The World's 10 Best Islands, According To National Geographic (PHOTOS)

15 May 2012

The Cayman Islands government has sought to bolster business relations with Brazilian investors by taking part in the recent Brazil Investment Summit.

The government said the event presented the opportunity to hold meetings with private equity and institutional investors and provide valuable insight into how the Cayman Islands is perceived internationally, and what policy makers could do to maximize the territory’s potential to act as a conduit to investment flows to Brazil.

During the visit, meetings were held with members of Brazil’s private sector, key industry associations, including the Brazilian Alternative Investment Managers Association, and representatives from the Portuguese and American Chambers of Commerce.

A team from the government hosted a booth at the summit to offer information on the financial services products being offered from the islands, including in the maritime and aviation spheres.

Welcoming the success of the event, Cayman Premier and Minister for Finance, Tourism and Development, McKeeva Bush, stated: The government has given the Ministry of Finance a mandate to focus energies on emerging economies such as Brazil. Our private sector has long established strong links with Brazil. It is important that we do our part to ensure that the Cayman Islands service providers remain the service providers of choice for the facilitation of Brazilian investment flows.

The Cayman Islands is one of the top five jurisdictions in the world for investment in and out of Brazil, according to 2010 data from the International Monetary Fund. Dr Dax Basdeo of the Cayman Islands Ministry of Finance said that inward portfolio and direct investment flows amount to USD27bn annually, while outward flows amount to nearly USD40bn.

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Cayman Islands Target Brazilian Investors

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire -05/15/12)- Canadian Orebodies Inc. (TSX-V: CO) (“Canadian Orebodies” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its plans for the upcoming 2012 exploration season on the Belcher Islands, Nunavut. Beginning in June, the Company intends to evaluate a number of high priority exploration targets in the areas around Haig Inlet on the Belcher Islands. The company plans to conduct the exploration drilling this season in two phases: wide-spread exploration holes on 3 separate targets, followed by infill drilling on the areas which would be most amenable to developing an open-pit mineral resource.

“This summer’s exploration program will form part of a defining year for the Company and the Haig Inlet project, as we continue toward our goal of establishing the Belcher islands as Canada’s next iron ore district,” said Gordon McKinnon, President and CEO of Canadian Orebodies. “We are targeting 3 very large and highly prospective areas to show the wide spread iron formations on the Belcher Islands. The goal for this year is to establish a new deposit to be brought into a 43-101 resource, all while we advance the Haig Inlet deposit through our planned technical studies.”

Three Large Untested Targets to be Drilled – Goal of Establishing New Deposit

The company has identified three large untested target areas that have been selected for drilling during the 2012 exploration program. Each target was selected for having the highest potential to host near surface iron mineralization that may be amenable to open pit mining.

Target 1: Haig West Property

Exploration in the 1950s by the Belcher Mining Corporation Ltd. included a number of regional magnetic surveys which identified a continuous magnetic anomaly along the western shore of Flaherty Island. In the fall of 2011, Canadian Orebodies staked 13 claims to cover this geophysical target, which lies approximately 10km to the west of the Haig Inlet Project. The magnetic anomaly contained within this claim group extends approximately 29.4km in a north-south direction and is coincident with a single exposure of the Kipalu Iron Formation mapped in 1959. The Company plans to initiate exploration of the stratigraphy on western Flaherty Island in 2012 with a magnetic survey followed by widely-spaced drill holes.

Target 2: Kihl Bay Anticline

The second target is located to the northeast of Haig Inlet and is comprised of relatively closely spaced anticlines and synclines plunging north. The Company believes the anticlines may elevate the Kipalu Iron Formation stratigraphy proximal to surface, as these folds are well defined by the Aster satellite imagery work completed by Wickert in 2007. Although the iron formation is not exposed in this area, Orebodies is excited about the possibility for significant additional iron mineralization near surface.

Target 3: Haig North Extension

The third target for further exploration is the northward extension of the Kipalu Iron Formation, which runs north for an additional 17km from the northern most 2011 drill holes. Only two areas of iron formation outcrop have been examined along this trend. One occurs near the extreme north end of the property and another near the northwestern most 2011 drill holes. Exposures in both areas are comprised of Fe-rich argillite and dip towards the east. The Company plans to drill widely-spaced holes along this 17km trend.

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Canadian Orebodies Announces 2012 Exploration Program on the Belcher Islands

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Remote islands seek help from US finance guru

NASSAU, The Bahamas, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —

– With Photo

Sixteen lucky brides and their grooms-to-be touched down in Nassau before heading off to 16 different islands where Bahamian wedding planners are making the finishing touches to arrangements for the 16th May wedding ceremonies. Each won by the couples in the Bahamas 16 Islands Wedding Invitation.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120516/531519 )

Two couples will take a short taxi ride, one staying in Nassau for their ‘Colour Me with Love’ ceremony and the other travelling over the connecting bridge to Paradise Island for their ‘Royal Bliss’ wedding in the 14th century Cloister.

Inter-island flights lasting from just 15 to 90 minutes will take the 14 remaining couples to other main islands in this tropical archipelago. Also joining them will be their 32 witnesses, two per couple, plus about fifty extra family and friends who have booked through joint sponsor Kuoni to join the couples’ once-in-a-lifetime Caribbean wedding experience.

Not simply beach weddings, these are destination weddings with a difference. For example:

Jade & Mikhail have so many guests coming from around the world to The Berry Islands that the small CarrieEarl hotel cannot accommodate them all. Berry Islands’ residents are opening their homes to put up the extra guests so that all can enjoy the wedding ceremony at sea. No need for a beribboned bridal car when you are tying the ‘Nautical Love Knot’ aboard a white catamaran floating on an azure ocean.

There’s no limousine either for Carla and Daniel for their ‘Light Up My Love’ marriage ceremony in The Abacos. A small boat ferries the groom and witness across the harbour to await the bride’s arrival, travelling by little golf cart with her witness to the candy-striped Elbow Cay Lighthouse.

The ‘Colour Me with Love’ wedding in Nassau will be a loud, lively and colourful celebration with a band of Junkanoo musicians, in bright handmade costumes. A wedding party that’s sure to be a hit with the 7 children in Claire and Jason’s wedding party of twelve.

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Touch Down for Romance in 16 Islands of The Bahamas

MEDIA RELEASE

Date: 11 May 2012

Feature Article

Islands in the sky conserving the cloud forests of Samoa

The cloud forest of Savaii could look like a wildlife scene out of a David Attenborough nature film next week, once biodiversity specialists and community members set up camp in untouched forestlands to conduct a special survey of the flora and fauna.

Known as the BIORAP, this project is the Rapid Biological Survey of the plants, birds and animals; the kaleidoscope of living creatures that inhabit the forests of Savaii. It will be the first time for the biodiversity in these cloud forests to be properly surveyed.

The BIORAP is very much a joint partner initiative that involves the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Conservation International, New Zealand Department of Conservation and the NZ Defence Force, as well as several other cooperating agencies. Funding is being provided by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

A select team of wildlife biologists and locals will venture into approximately 65,000 hectares of cloud forest owned by village communities on Savaii, who are responsible for the care and stewardship of these natural resources.

Samoa, in particular Savaii, is of special biodiversity significance with the island ranked 23rd out of 226 South Pacific Islands in terms of conservation value. Savaiis forest ecosystem has been rated by Conservation International as one of two hotspots for biodiversity in Samoa and, it has also been said that the Savaii cloud forests are the largest remaining intact high-altitude forests in Polynesia.

The cloud forests could hold the key to the survival of the Samoan Woodhen punae which has not been recorded since 1873. A detailed survey of the habitat could also confirm the conservation of the tooth-billed pigeon manumea and even more exciting is the prospect of the project team discovering a new species.

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Islands in the sky – conserving the cloud forests of Samoa

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Moral rides tour-record putting effort to lead at Madeira Islands Open

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Wilson leads Madeira Islands by one after 65

UpdatedMay 11, 2012 9:38 AM ET

Oliver Wilson of England boosted his hopes of capturing a first European Tour victory in shooting a second-round 65 on Friday to take a one-shot clubhouse lead at the Madeira Islands Open.

Wilson, who has nine second-place finishes in his tour career, moved to a 13-under par 131 with seven birdies on the mountainous Santa da Serra course.

”I again played really nice and no bogeys after two rounds is always very pleasing,” Wilson said. ”I am just trying to play sensible and felt also that I left a few out there.”

Wilson, 31, competed in the 2008 Ryder Cup but lost his main tour card at the end of last year after finishing 130th.

His effort in Madeira is his lowest opening 36-hole tally since a pair of 66s over the first two days of the 2010 Hong Kong Open.

Wilson kick-started his second round in style when he chipped in from 15 feet and then birdied the next from six inches.

”To start in that manner was great and gave me the momentum I needed,” he said. ”But there is a long way to go and the low scoring is going to carry on so I am going to have to keep going forward, and going forward low.”

The Swedish duo of Magnus Carlsson and 19-year old Joakim Lagergren, who both recorded rounds of 66, are joint second on 12 under.

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Wilson leads Madeira Islands Open

Published: 7:46AM Saturday May 12, 2012 Source: ONE News

Sir Geoffrey Henry – Source: ONE News

The state funeral of former Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry has been held today.

The 71-year-old, who served as prime minister for 10 years, lost his battle with cancer on Thursday.

He became leader of the Cook Islands Party (CIP) in 1979 after his cousin Albert Henry was forced to resign over using Government money to fly in voters from New Zealand.

Sir Geoffrey remained leader of the party until 2006 and was twice prime minister of the Cook Islands – for seven months in 1983, and again from 1989 until 1999.

He resigned as prime minister in July 1999 rather than face the break-up of the CIP due to party dissidents who opposed both his leadership and the nation’s growing debt of more than $100 million.

Desperate to raise funds, Sir Geoffrey issued letters of guarantee for (US) $1.1 billion.

New Zealand was forced to step in and implement harsh measures in order to stop the country from going bankrupt. An independent report found that the Cook Islands were a gullible victim in a fraud which could have cost the nation all of its assets.

Despite the turmoil, Sir Geoffrey will be remembered for his support behind the Cook Islands protest against French nuclear testing and his fierce nationalism.

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Former Cook Islands PM Sir Geoffrey Henry farewelled

Originally posted here:

Golf-Madeira Islands Open second round scores

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Golf-Madeira Islands Open third round scores

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands (AP) Oliver Wilson of England shot a 7-under 65 Friday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Madeira Islands Open.

He has nine second-place finishes on the European Tour but has yet to win. He lost his main tour card at the end of last year

Wilson is at 13-under 131 on the mountainous Santa da Serra course. Tied for second are Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson (66) and 19-year old Joakim Lagergren (66) and England’s Andy Sullivan (64).

The tournament is being played on a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles west of Morocco.

Link:

England's Oliver Wilson leads Madeira Islands Open

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands (AP) Ryder Cup golfer Nick Dougherty returns from a six-week absence from competition looking forward to the birth of his first child and playing without a fear of failure.

Dougherty is among four former Ryder Cup players and six former champions competing Thursday in the Madeira Islands Open.

It is only Dougherty’s third event this season after competing in two Challenge Tour events, capped by a tie for fourth in the Colombia Classic in March. He’s lost all playing rights on the European Tour, where he’s won three times, so he’s concentrating on the Challenge Tour.

”It’s been a long time since I can say I am looking forward to my golf as I just punished myself so hard trying to hold onto my main European Tour card,” he said after Wednesday’s pro-am. ”I just didn’t want to go out and play but I had to. Then when I did, I played absolutely horrible. Now if I don’t play well, then it’s not going to get me down.”

He won’t compete in the BMW PGA Championship on May 24, his 30th birthday. It’s a tournament he’s played every year since 2002.

”I am looking to build back my confidence, and if I manage to win back my European Tour card, then well and good,” he said. ”If not, I will stick out here on the Challenge Tour. There’s just not the intensity or the hype around the main tour.”

Dougherty married former TV presenter Di Stewart in 2010 at St. Andrews and the couple expects their first child, a boy, in August.

”I can’t wait to become a father and Di and I are so much looking forward to the birth,” he said. ”She’s here with me this week and that’s great.”

Others in the field include former Ryder Cup players Phil Price, Niclas Fasth, Oliver Wilson and Jarmo Sandelin.

The former Madeira Islands winners who will tee up are Spain’s Santiago Luna (1995), Sandelin (1996), Fasth (2000), Welshman Bradley Dredge (2003), Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik (2007) and Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth (2008).

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Dougherty: Not afraid of failing after losing card