By: Pots de Leon, InterAksyon.com January 12, 2013 8:58 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - China has published new maps that for the "first time" put disputed islands in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) being claimed by the Philippines "in equal scale" to that of Chinese mainland, Xinhua, China's official press agency, reported on Friday. The maps also featuredislands in East China Sea being claimed by Japan.

Quoting information from China's National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, Xinhua said the country had included in its new vertical-format maps over 130 islands and islets in the South China Sea, "most of which have not been featured on previous maps of China."

Also, the report said that a "zoomed illustration" of the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands being claimed by Japan had been included in the bottom-left corner of the maps "displaying their positional relations and those of their affiliated islets with the Chinese mainland and Taiwan."

In the old horizontal maps, only bigger islands such as the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha, and Nansha islands were featured, which were illustrated in the bottom-right corner at half the scale used for the Chinese mainland, the report said quoting Zhou Beiyan, editor of the new maps.

China considers Scarborough or Panatag Shoal (Huangyan Island) as part of Zhongsha Islands. The shoal, located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon Island, is being claimed by the Philippines.Also, the Philippines claims portions of Nansha Islands or the Spratly Islands.

The new maps published by China's national map publisher SinoMaps Press will be available to the public by end of January this year.

Xinhua quoted Xu Gencai, chief editor of SinoMaps Press, as saying that the new maps "have marked clearly the major South China Sea islands and demonstrated their geographic relations with surrounding island countries as well as surrounding islands and islets."

The report further said that according to Xu, "the maps will be very significant in enhancing Chinese people's awareness of national territory, safeguarding China's marine rights and interests and manifesting China's political diplomatic stance."

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China publishes new maps highlighting islands being claimed by PH, Japan

Sandy Hook Elementary, Tribute from The Turks and Caicos Islands
Sandy Hooking Elementary, Tribute from The Turks and Caicos Islands.

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Sandy Hook Elementary, Tribute from The Turks and Caicos Islands - Video

Canary Islands Spain investment opportunities
house for sale located in front of the coast , 360 days of sunshine in the year Canary Islands Spain. Excellent opportunity for investors We also have banking opportunities expandnet@gmail.com

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By: Lilybeth Ison, PNA, Xinhua, and Pots de Leon, InterAksyon.com January 10, 2013 8:27 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - As the Philippines on Thursday got Japan's backing in peacefully addressing territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, China on the same day announced that it would launch this year a national survey on its territorial islands that include areas being claimed by the Philippines.

According to Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario, Japan, which also has a dispute with China over Senkakus Islands, was "aware of the magnitude of the challenge" of resolving the conflict.

He said that both the Philippines and Japan "understand that the assertions being made by China in terms of their nine-dash line claim... do pose threats to the stability of the region."

Del Rosario made the statement during a news briefing in Malacanang on Thursday after the courtesy call of visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on President Benigno Aquino III.

Japan has committed to empower the Philippine Maritime Security in terms of its multi-role response vessels, which will be funded by the Japanese government, according to Del Rosario.

"We also discussed this communication system for maritime safety which also would be for the benefit of the (Philippine) Coast Guard," he said.

Del Rosario also said that both countries had agreed on the need to ensure the "freedom of navigation" in the region.

According to the DFA chief, this freedom is being threatened by China's claim to practically all territories in the West Philippine Sea.

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China to launch surveys on disputed islands; Japan backs PH in sea row

Manote Tripathi

The Nation

Publication Date : 07-01-2013

An author tells foreigners how to enjoy the best 100 islands in Thailand

ML Kalyakorn "Khem" Kasemsri feels very unhappy if she is away from the sea for too long. Devoted to the deep, the waters have a calming effect on her spirit while the islands in the Andaman and Gulf of Thailand offer a haven for her soul.

Out of this lifelong love affair with our world-renowned but fast-changing marine resources has come Khem's first book "Ultimate Islands: Thailand's Best Tropical Islands". In the coffee-table tome, which runs to more than 300 pages, she tells foreigners how to enjoy the best 100 islands out of the 300 islands in Thai waters in the right way.

"My main goal is to promote Thai tourism," she says, adding: "Most books on our islands are written by foreign authors. These books are either positive about our islands or very critical of them. But I am Thai. I know my subject well, and have some accurate information and objectivity that allows for a better understanding of our country. It's not all praise nor is it negative. I just present the right information, and through this, readers will form their own judgement."

Kalyakorn chose to launch her book on the relatively unknown Coral Island, a 30-minute speedboat ride from Phuket. The launch also included island hopping on a yacht from Wahoo Big Game Fishing (Thailand) and first-class accommodation at Vijitt Resort.

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Islands in the sun

Earth from Space: Green islands
Earth from Space is presented by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels from the ESA Web-TV virtual studios. In the forty-ninth edition, we look at a rare cloud-free view of Ireland, Great Britain and northern France.

By: ESA

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Earth from Space: Green islands - Video

Be it fragile little creatures in wet nooks, grand vistas and everyday scenes caught with a paint brush, or broad nods to origins of physical might, life at the Channel Islands goes on in delicate forms and big-picture wonder.

That's the common ground in three very different artistic impressions of the islands and mainland shoreline that are on view at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura. The three exhibits opened last month and run together through March 3.

Photographer Dan Harding of Santa Paula reached into pools of seawater for the tiny yet vibrant life within, including an octopus with a head no bigger than a corn kernel.

Sculptor Len E. Burge III of Ventura rolled some physics and imagination, along with a part from an Apollo mission and perhaps a dash of Hollywood, into his unique take on Santa Cruz Island. Meanwhile, Marla Daily of Carpinteria provided paintings and other artwork from her Santa Cruz Island Foundation that capture activity and landscapes at the islands from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The tide pool guy

Harding's milieu is the colorful and robust world of tiny creatures that people can see but often don't. He gives these familiar microscopic organisms their personal close-ups via macro-portraiture.

The two-spot octopus on display has a head the size of a kernel of corn. Harding photographed starfish and other marine life so tiny that two or three of them barely fill a coin's surface. The 17 creatures in his exhibit could collectively fit in a film canister, he added.

Many of these "really small animals," he noted, are in between larval stage and adulthood.

Thus, most people miss them in tide pools, those often-teeming puddles of seawater many shallow, but others larger and deep that are left behind in rocky outcroppings and low-lying spots when the ocean recedes during low tide.

There, Harding finds a bonanza in miniature, mostly invertebrates such as shrimp, crabs and starfish.

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Pools, paintings and physics -- art of the Channel Islands takes many forms

Islands of Danger Gameplay (DOS)
A unique and interesting ASCII text-mode game where the object is to destroy all of the missile launchers on each island. Download at: downloaddosgamesfree.com

By: downloadDOSGamesFree

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Islands of Danger Gameplay (DOS) - Video

Lost In My Mind - Islands Camels
A travelogue of experiences in the Philippines and India in 2012.

By: Joseph Hilario

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Lost In My Mind - Islands

Khazar Islands New city Azerbaijan Tower

By: Mehdi Bashirli

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Khazar Islands New city Azerbaijan Tower - Video

Jan 10 2013

Shetland Islands Council faces difficult financial decisions in its efforts to continue delivering high-quality services, a report has found.

The Accounts Commission report revealed that while the local authority has made significant progress in addressing problems, it faces major challenges in the future.

The follow-up report was carried out by the Controller of Audit after previous reviews highlighted concerns about working relationships and governance at the council, and the management of finances.

The Commission welcomed the council's progress, particularly improved relations among councillors and between councillors and officers, and the significant improvements in how it manages finances and information.

However, it warned that careful consideration of options and costings would be required if services for islanders are to be delivered sustainably in the future.

Progress at the council was aided by local government elections in May last year, after which the council appointed a new political leader and convener, and welcomed 13 new councillors.

The Commission found that the new leader and the convener have been working well together and, with other members, are setting a clear direction for the council.

Accounts Commission chair John Baillie, said: "This is a very positive report.

"There has been a real desire to tackle long-standing problems at Shetland Islands Council. I am pleased that this has led to improvements in the way the council is run.

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Scottish News: Islands council 'faces challenges'

3g-vietnam-china In the ongoing dispute over the Spratly Islands claimed by China and Vietnam, the latest development is that China is opening up 3G services on the islands, not only to Chinese soldiers but also for the countrys fishermen. The development will be yet another drop of lemon in the souring of Sino-Vietnamese relations in the past year. The Vietnamese government even voiced its complaint on nguyentandung.org, the Vietnamese Prime Minister's website. The island disputes recently ignited with anti-China protests in May 2011 after Chinese patrol boats attacked two Vietnamese oil exploration ships near the Spratly Islands. Chinese soldiers and fishermen will now be able to text message, call, and chat online with family back home over the new 3G network. This upgrade to 3G from regular cellular coverage (started in 2011) and the recent 3G network in the disputed Paracel Islands in July 2012 signals a more permanent Chinese presence on the rocky outposts. Amid Chinas escalating 3G and infrastructure support for the islands, and other points of contention between the two neighbors, my question is this: Have Vietnamese telcos provided 3G to Vietnamese citizens living on those same islands? If not, Vietnam is falling behind in the race for an administrative claim over the islands. Vietnam has had cellular coverage on the Spratly Islands since 2006 but word on the street is there's no 3G yet. This news comes just a couple of weeks after a Chinese computer game was banned in Vietnam for showing the contested islands as being Chinese in the in-game maps. The Spratly Islands are claimed by six different countries in total, including Brunei, the Peoples Republic of China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. (Source: China Starts Providing 3G on Spratly Islands) The post Vietnamese Complain As Chinese 3G Comes to Disputed Spratly Islands appeared first on Tech in Asia.

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Vietnamese Complain As Chinese 3G Comes to Disputed Spratly Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially called the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), celebrates its Commonwealth Day today. This holiday commemorates the recognition of the Island's full commonwealth status on November 3, 1986, in its relationship with the United States of America.

The Commonwealth has a total land area of 179 square miles in 15 islands. The island's population is around 54,000, around 90% of which lives on the island of Saipan, the country's capital. The population of the island has been decreasing due to the recession, declining tourists, and the closing of some garment companies which employed some local residents. Saipan is located in Western Micronesia; together with Guam, they compose the Mariana Islands.

The official languages of the Northern Mariana Islands are English, Chamorro, and Carolinian although Japanese and Korean languages are widely spoken. The main religion is Roman Catholic.

The commonwealth's economy depends mostly on Japanese tourists and earnings from the garment manufacturing sector. The economy is also dependent on the government of the United States for development assistance and subsidies to the Commonwealth.

We congratulate the people and government of the Northern Mariana Islands led by Their Excellencies, United States of America President Barack H. Obama, Governor Benigno R. Fitial, Lt. Governor Eloy S. Inos, Department of Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas, and Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Melvin Faisao, on the occasion of its National Day. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

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Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Day

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde Islands ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:

Previous appearances in African Nations Cup finals: none

FIFA world ranking Dec. 2012: 69th

Coach: Lucio Antunes has won himself near-mythical status in his homeland for guiding the Cape Verdians to the Nations Cup. The 46-year-old worked his way up through the federation ranks as a coach of the national youth teams before being appointed in 2010 to take over the senior side. He previously won the national championship with Academica Sal.

Key players:

Heldon (Maritimo). Age: 24 Pos: Forward

Scorer of vital goals in the qualifying competition which ensured the island archipelago's progress to the Nations Cup finals. He moved to Portugal in 2007 and worked his way up through the amateur ranks to sign for Maritimo in 2010. He played and scored for the Madeira-based club in the Europa League this season.

Ryan Mendes (Lille). Age: 23 Pos: Forward

Pacey player who likes to run at defenders and has made a successful transition to Ligue 1 with former champions Lille from Le Havre this season. He was regarded as one of the best players in Ligue 2 over the last three seasons after Le Havre spotted him as an 18-year-old participating in a youth tournament.

Fernando Varela (FC Vaslui). Age: 25 Pos: Defender

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FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde Islands

Islands council 'faces challenges'

Shetland Islands Council faces difficult financial decisions in its efforts to continue delivering high-quality services, a report has found.

The Accounts Commission report revealed that while the local authority has made significant progress in addressing problems, it faces major challenges in the future.

The follow-up report was carried out by the Controller of Audit after previous reviews highlighted concerns about working relationships and governance at the council, and the management of finances.

The Commission welcomed the council's progress, particularly improved relations among councillors and between councillors and officers, and the significant improvements in how it manages finances and information.

However, it warned that careful consideration of options and costings would be required if services for islanders are to be delivered sustainably in the future.

Progress at the council was aided by local government elections in May last year, after which the council appointed a new political leader and convener, and welcomed 13 new councillors.

The Commission found that the new leader and the convener have been working well together and, with other members, are setting a clear direction for the council.

Accounts Commission chair John Baillie, said: "This is a very positive report.

"There has been a real desire to tackle long-standing problems at Shetland Islands Council. I am pleased that this has led to improvements in the way the council is run.

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Islands council 'faces challenges'

Grinchmas 2012 Universal Orlando Finale Grinch Islands of Adventure
Here is the finale from 2012 Grinchmas.

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Grinchmas 2012 Universal Orlando Finale Grinch Islands of Adventure - Video

LAUNCH OF A NEW ERA: The first sea-going hybrid ferry in the world was launched from the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow last month. Picture: Marc Turner

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Damien Henderson Transport Correspondent

Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL), which owns the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet of vessels, said new demand for overnight electricity generation will be created by berthing the world's first hybrid and hydrogen cell ferries on the islands.

The first of two Clyde-built hybrid ferries, which are powered by a combination of two lithium-ion battery banks and diesel generators, is due to enter service this spring following a 20 million investment by the Scottish Government.

CMAL is also carrying out a feasibility study into using hydrogen fuel cells created as a by-product of renewable energy generation to power zero emission ferries.

Guy Platten, CMAL's chief executive, said he was hoping to secure Government funding for a further nine hybrid or hydrogen cell ferries over the next decade.

This would ensure 11 of the 18 routes off the west coast of Scotland operated by smaller vessels in the CalMac fleet would use the green technology.

As well as reducing the emissions from the ferries themselves, Mr Platten said they could be a game changer in making wind-farm developments more economically attractive on Scotland's islands.

He said: "It will create a market for green electricity which at the moment has no overnight demand.

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Pioneering ferries boost for islands' wind farms

Fernandez wrote in an open letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron that the Falklands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, were colonized by the UK 180 years ago and should be returned.

"The Argentines on the Islands were expelled by the Royal Navy, and the United Kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule, she said in the letter, which was also copied to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, CNN reported.

"Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity."

Fernandez cited a 1965 U.N. resolution, calling on the two countries to resolve the dispute, though Cameron has refused to engage in bilateral talks, emphasizing the rights of the Falkland Islanders to determine their sovereignty.

"Unlike the government of Argentina, the United Kingdom respects the right of our people to determine our own affairs, a right that is enshrined in the U.N. Charter and which is ignored by Argentina," Cameron said, according to the BBC.

"There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend, he added. "The islanders can't just be written out of history."

Argentina went to war with Britain over the islands in 1982, occupying them for more than two months until suffering defeat by a British naval expeditionary force. There were 649 deaths on the Argentine side and 255 on Britains.

The Falkland Islands became a British overseas territory after the colonial period -- which the UK Foreign Office claims extends back to 1765 and conflicts with Fernandezs 1823 date -- and continues to receive British military support.

Residents of the Falkland Islands, currently a population of roughly 3,000, have scheduled a referendum in March that will determine their position on the territorys sovereignty.

Cameron expressed his support for the referendum in response to Fernandezs letter.

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Argentina Demands UK Return Falkland Islands Ahead Of Independence Vote

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 08:56

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez called for talks with Britain over the disputed Falkland Islands in an open letter to prime minister David Cameron published in British newspapers today.

Britain and Argentina fought a 10 week war in 1982 over the remote South Atlantic islands, which are part of Britain's self-governing overseas territories.

Ms Fernandez has marked the 30th anniversary of the conflict with a sustained diplomatic campaign to assert Argentina's sovereignty claim.

The Falklands cause is a popular rallying cry in Argentina but the stakes have also been raised by oil exploration in the waters around the islands.

In her open letter, Ms Fernandez accused Britain of breaching United Nations resolutions urging the two countries to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the Falklands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas.

"The question of the Malvinas Islands is also a cause embraced by Latin America and by a vast majority of peoples and governments around the world that reject colonialism," Ms Fernandez wrote.

Britain's foreign office rejected Ms Fernandez's call for negotiations, sticking to London's long-established stance that the approximately 3,000 people of the Falkland Islands had chosen to be British.

"There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend. The islanders can't just be written out of history," the foreign office said. "As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish."

The islanders are due to vote this year in a referendum on whether they want to stay part of Britain's self-governing overseas territories. They are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the status quo.

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Call for talks on Falkland Islands

LONDON Argentina's president called on Britain on Thursday to relinquish control of the Falkland Islands, accusing London of taking part in an act of "blatant colonialism" in claiming the wind-swept archipelago.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner published an open letter in the Guardian newspaper urging Prime Minister David Cameron to honor U.N. resolutions which she says backs her case for the return of the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. She has made several similar demands in the past.

"180 years ago on the same date, January 3rd, in a blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism, Argentina was forcibly stripped of the Malvinas Islands, which are situated 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) away from London," she says in the letter, copied to U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Britain asserted control of the south Atlantic islands by placing a naval garrison there in 1833. Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands. More than 900 people died, most of them Argentines.

Cameron rebuffed the Argentine president's demand that the islands be handed over. "The future of the Falkland Islands should be determined by the Falkland Islanders themselves, the people who live there," the British prime minister said.

He said Kirchner should pay heed to the result of a referendum to be held on the islands this year, noting that whenever the islanders "have been asked their opinion, they say they want to maintain their current status with the United Kingdom."

The government of the Falklands Islands attacked Kirchner's letter as "historically inaccurate," saying that its relationship with the U.K. is "by choice" and based on shared ideals of "democracy, freedom and self-reliance."

The islands have a right, enshrined in the U.N. charter, to determine their own future and have exercised that to retain links with the U.K, the government said in a statement.

"It is this fundamental right that is being ignored by the Argentine Government, who are denying our right to exist as a people, and denying our right to live in our home," the statement said.

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On the180th anniversary of losing them, Argentina again claims the Falkland Islands