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Category Archives: Islands

Japan says Chinese ships too close to disputed Senkaku Islands

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TOKYO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Japan made a formal complaint to China after Chinese ships strayed too close to disputed islands in the East China Sea, the chief Cabinet secretary said.

"It is extremely disappointing and regrettable that the intrusions by Chinese official vessels have occurred frequently," Yoshihide Suga said Monday.

Kyodo News reported that four Chinese coast guard vessels sailed near the disputed Senkaku Islands Monday. The report said it was the 68th time such an incursion has occurred since the Japanese government staked its claim to part of the region last year.

China defends its policies in the area and officials said recent training missions for manned and unmanned aircraft were conducted according to international laws.

China's Xinhua News Agency quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yangsheng as saying Saturday, "Chinese aircraft have never infringed on other countries' airspace and China never allows other countries' aircraft to infringe on China's airspace."

Japan said recently it would shoot down any aircraft that strayed into its territorial airspace.

Geng said China reserved the right to retaliate if Japan shot at a plane.

China and Japan both claim jurisdiction over the East China Sea territories.

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Japan says Chinese ships too close to disputed Senkaku Islands

Channel Islands Average Joe – Shred Show ep. #34: Al Merrick Average Joe surfboard – Video

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Channel Islands Average Joe - Shred Show ep. #34: Al Merrick Average Joe surfboard
Click here: http://bit.ly/1c5iGqS for Average Joe dimensions. This is Shred Show #34 - New episodes every Saturday. The Average Joe by Channel Islands fills ...

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Channel Islands Average Joe - Shred Show ep. #34: Al Merrick Average Joe surfboard - Video

Japan protests over South Korea drill on disputed islands

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Islands disputed by two Asian neighbours are at the centre of a fresh flare-up of tension.

South Korea has flexed its military muscles, staging a defence drill to drive back any foreign landings from the outcrop it calls Dokdo. This has outraged rival claimant Japan. Tokyo has formally protested, deploring an unacceptable exercise on what the Japanese know as the Takeshima islands.

We have maintained that the Takeshima islands are both historically and under international law Japanese territory and that is why we have lodged our protests, said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

Seoul however defends its right to stage the drill. South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Wee Yong-sub said that the exercise was aimed at preventing people from Japans far-right from landing illegally on the islands.

South Korea staged the drill, while celebrating what it calls Dokdo Day. Koreans still harbour bitter resentment of Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

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Japan protests over South Korea drill on disputed islands

Japan deploys YouTube as new weapon in islands dispute

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By Ramy Inocencio, for CNN

updated 5:35 AM EDT, Fri October 25, 2013

This disputed islands in the East China Sea are known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Japan is using YouTube to bolster assertions of ownership over islands also claimed by neighboring China and South Korea.

Japan's Foreign Ministry published the two videos on its official YouTube channel, under the username MOFAchannel, October 16.

In one, Tokyo's claim over the Senkaku islands -- known as the Diaoyu islands in China -- are supported through old black-and-white photographs and a timeline of events starting with a document dating back to 1895.

In the other, similar pictures and a chronology of events starting from 1900 illustrate Japan's claim to the Takeshima islands, known as the Dokdo islands in Korean.

Both videos have received more than half a million page views since they were published.

China and South Korea both criticized Japan's social media push.

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Japan deploys YouTube as new weapon in islands dispute

Former DJ in court in Virgin Islands on sex charge

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By JASON BRONIS/Associated Press/October 25, 2013

ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) A retired New York radio personality accused of trying to set up a sexual encounter with a 7-year-old girl said he wont fight extradition to New Jersey during a court appearance Friday in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

David Herman did not enter a plea on a charge of attempting to transport a minor with intent to engage in sexual acts. He faces up to life in prison.

Hermans lawyer and two supporters declined comment after the hearing.

Magistrate Judge George Cannon ordered that Herman be returned to New Jersey, but it is unclear when he would be transferred. Assistant Federal Public Defender Gabriel Villegas said Herman had health and medical issues that should be treated in the U.S. mainland, but he did not elaborate.

Herman, a pioneering rock and roll disc jockey at former FM radio station WNEW, lives in Airmont, New York, and St. Croix.

Authorities say he exchanged online messages with an undercover agent posing as a 36-year-old woman with a young daughter. Prosecutors said Herman tried, in multiple phone and online conversations, to arrange illegal sexual encounters with the child in New York and Bergen County, until indicating he wanted to fly the pair to St. Croix so he could have sex with the girl there.

Herman bought airline tickets Sept. 30 for the woman and her child to fly from LaGuardia airport to St. Croix, according to prosecutors. He arrived at the airport Thursday to pick up the woman and child, according to the U.S. attorneys office, but was instead met by agents with U.S. Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who arrested him.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Former DJ in court in Virgin Islands on sex charge

S Korea in disputed islands drill

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25 October 2013 Last updated at 00:58 ET

South Korean forces have carried out a drill aimed at repelling foreign landings on disputed islands at the heart of a row with Japan.

The drill took place at an outcrop known in South Korea as Dokdo and in Japan as Takeshima.

The long-running row over the islands has affected ties between the two nations.

Both Japan and South Korea say they have long-standing historical ties to, and claims over, the island grouping.

The drill, which included destroyers and combat jets, took place on what South Korea has designated "Dokdo Day".

"It is a regular drill aimed at repealing non-military forces that approach Dokdo via a sea or air route," an unidentified military official told Yonhap news agency.

A defence ministry official said that it was important to show the area "would be defended by South Korea, in whatever circumstances".

Tensions over the disputed islands between South Korea and Japan have worsened recently, reports the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul, with both sides taking their conflict online and posting videos supporting their claims on the YouTube website.

The islets have become a lightening rod for unresolved historical issues between the two neighbours - a symbol, say many Koreans, of Japan's lack of remorse for its colonial past, our correspondent adds.

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S Korea in disputed islands drill

Channel Islands National Park Open for Visitors

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Channel Islands National Park reopens for visitors today. The five islands within Channel Islands National Park have been closed since October 1 due to the lapse in CongressionalAppropriations.

Channel Islands National Park is part of a system of over 400 National Park Service sites across the country that serve over 300 million visitors eachyear.

We are happy to be back at work serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national park, said Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau. Now is a great time to visit the Channel Islands with the fall conditions showcasing some of the best diving in the world along with opportunities to kayak, surf, hike, or camp on theislands.

The winter season is a great time to go whale watching and see the gray whales as they migrate in the Santa Barbara Channel from January through March. About one-third of the cetacean species found worldwide can be seen in the prolific waters of Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National MarineSanctuary.

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Channel Islands National Park Open for Visitors

Strong 5.5 Magnitude Quake Struck Santa Cruz Islands NE of Australia – Video

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Strong 5.5 Magnitude Quake Struck Santa Cruz Islands NE of Australia
http://www.harvestarmy.org - - SUBSCRIBE FOR PREDICTIONS THAT MAY AFFECT YOU - - Article-http://earthquake-report.com/2013/10/17/strong-earthquake-santa-cruz-islands-on-october-17-2013/

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Strong 5.5 Magnitude Quake Struck Santa Cruz Islands NE of Australia - Video

Knejjes Parrokkjali Maltin Madwar il-Gzejjer Maltin – Maltese Parish Churches Around Maltese Islands – Video

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Knejjes Parrokkjali Maltin Madwar il-Gzejjer Maltin - Maltese Parish Churches Around Maltese Islands
Il-Knejjes Parrokkjali Maltin madwar il-Gzejjer Maltin u hafna min dawn ir-ritratti huma mehuda meta Knisja Parrokkjali kellha l-Festa. Inside the Maltese Pa...

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Knejjes Parrokkjali Maltin Madwar il-Gzejjer Maltin - Maltese Parish Churches Around Maltese Islands - Video

Women disappearing from the Faroe Islands

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The Faroe Islands may not be the best destination for anyone looking to meet eligible women. Not because Faroese women are not attractive they are but because they are simply not there.

Young Faroese women often leave the tiny north Atlantic island nation to study in places like Oslo, Copenhagen or London and fully half never return home.

This drops the number of women of childbearing age dramatically, leading to a falling birth rate and an unsure future for the picturesque but rugged Faroes.

It is a question of survival, Hermann Oskarsson, a former chief economic advisor in the Faroe Islands, told Politiken newspaper. The young women that should be here to give birth to children are gone.

Asian brides There are already 2,000 more men than women on the Faroes which has a total population of just under 50,000 and some of those men have taken matters into their own hands by importing wives and companions from the Philippines and Thailand.

Filipinos and Thais make up two of the largest groups of foreigners on the Faroe Islands . There are now 200 Thais and Filipinos - mostly women - spread out over the islands.

In the tiny hamlet of Klaksvk located in the northern part of the islands, there are already 15 women from Asia.

Bjarni Ziska Dahl, who married his Filipino wife in 2010, said that the foreign women could well be the answer to the issues facing the Faros.

We must recognise that there is a problem, and welcome these strangers with dignity, Dahl told DR Nyheder. We need these people.

Both Dahl and his wife Che said that they have a lot in common: island life, a dedication to family and a longing for simplicity. Dahl said that Asian woman are often willing to take jobs that Faroese women will not do.

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Women disappearing from the Faroe Islands

Amelia Island Voted Among Top Islands in US, World in Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards

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AMELIA ISLAND, FL--(Marketwired - Oct 23, 2013) - Amelia Island, Florida has placed among the Top 25 Islands in the World in the 2013 Cond Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.Amelia Island finished in the #24 spot in a list comprised of destinations such as Bora Bora, Santorini and the British Virgin Islands. For the seventh consecutive year, Amelia Island was also voted among the Top 10 US Islands in the Readers' Choice Awards, finishing #10 among other popular US islands destinations such as Maui, Nantucket, Kauai and Hilton Head.

Two Amelia Island hotels also placed among the Top 40 Florida Resorts: the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, a 25-room, oceanfront boutique hotel (#15) and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, a 446-room beachfront resort (#8).

"It's always an honor to be ranked among the top destinations in the U.S., but to break into the Top 25 Islands in the World this year is especially gratifying," said Gil Langley, President of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau."It's encouraging to see our efforts pay off as we continue to promote our little island paradise to travelers around the globe."

The awards are based on the results of the magazine's annual Readers' Choice Survey, in which nearly 80,000 travelers voted this year.The destination was ranked based on scenery, friendliness, atmosphere, restaurants, lodging, activities and beaches. Winners will be published in the November issue of the magazine.

About Amelia IslandNortheast Florida's coastal treasure, Amelia Island is a barrier island rich in colorful history and breath-taking natural beauty.Consistently ranked in the top 10 North American Islands by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler, Amelia Island offers long, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, and pristine waters.Upscale resorts with world-class spas, championship golf and exclusive dining blend effortlessly with a captivating collection of bed and breakfast inns and historic districts.The island is home to Fernandina Beach, once a vibrant Victorian seaport village, and now a charming downtown district of eclectic shops, attractions and eateries.Forget the everyday getaway; Come make memories on Amelia Island.For visitor information and online planning, visit http://www.ameliaisland.com.

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Amelia Island Voted Among Top Islands in US, World in Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards


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