TARPON SPRINGS "Night in the Islands," a free city-sponsored event, returns this Saturday with Greek music, dancing and food on the Sponge Docks.

The event is held the first Saturday of each month from 6 to 11 p.m. along Dodecanese Boulevard between Hope and Athens streets.

Saturday's event features live music by Ellada, a band that performs nisiotika, the lively traditional music of the Greek islands, as well as old and new Greek tunes.

"The live band plays from 7 to 11, and the tables start filling up around 6 despite the heat," said Tina Bucuvalas, Tarpon Springs' curator of arts and historical resources. "When the sun goes down, it's really quite pleasant out there by the river. Restaurants put tables by the docks, and a lot of the dancing is in the street."

"It's very culturally Greek. People say it's kind of like a village celebration. It's as close as you can get to being in Greece."

Night in the Islands also will be held on Sept. 8, Oct. 6 and Nov. 3.

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'Night in the Islands' serves up Greek culture Saturday in Tarpon Springs

An asylum seeker boat carrying six people has been intercepted near the Cocos Islands.

Customs says those on board have been taken ashore for health and security checks.

They will then be transferred to Christmas Island.

The boat ,which was spotted by an RAAF surveillance aircraft, is the third to be found in the area in the past day.

Yesterday a boat carrying 67 Tamil at the Cocos Islands.

The boat was 200 metres from the Cocos Islands when four of the men onboard swam ashore.

The first boat, carrying 28 asylum seekers, had been intercepted west of the islands early on Wednesday.

The asylum seekers from those boats are in custody and will also be transferred to Christmas Island.

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Third asylum boat intercepted near Cocos Islands

Published: Aug. 2, 2012 at 5:07 PM

MIAMI, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Ernesto heading for the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, U.S. forecasters said Thursday.

At 5 p.m. EDT the storm was 295 miles east of the Windward Islands moving west at 22 mph, sporting maximum winds of 50 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

The center said the storm should be near the Windward Islands Friday.

A tropical storm watch had turned into a warning for Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The center predicted 2 to 3 inches of rainfall across the Windward Islands Friday.

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Storm closing in on Windward Islands

A group of 63 asylum seekers, including four who swam ashore, have joined another group on the Cocos Islands awaiting transfer to detention on Christmas Island.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said the asylum seekers who made it to shore were detained on their arrival.

"An additional four people left the vessel and swam to shore, where they were detained by waiting Customs and Border Protection and Australian Federal Police officers," Mr Clare said in a statement.

Australian Customs Vessel Hervey Bay headed to the scene on Wednesday morning.

The group is having initial checks with Australian authorities on Cocos Island before they are transferred to Christmas Island.

More and more asylum seekers have been bound for the Cocos Islands in recent weeks, rather than heading for the usual target of Christmas Island.

Local resident Jack O'Donnell says he spotted a boat about 8am local time on Wednesday about 200 metres offshore.

"About 10 minutes later four of the refugees, they're Tamils, swam with life jackets through the surf," Mr O'Donnell told the ABC.

The boat was crowded, and one of the men who swam ashore told Mr O'Donnell in broken English there were 69 people on board who were exhausted and in need of food, he said.

"We were just worried that they might try and traverse the surf, which would be dangerous. Well, it would be catastrophic because it's jagged reef," Mr O'Donnell said.

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Asylum seekers reach Cocos Islands

Some islands in the Philippines are being considered as prospective venues for a two-month tropical "hackathon" by 12 programmers.

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PHL eyed for 2-month hackathon

A boat carrying 69 asylum seekers is believed to have arrived undetected at the Cocos Islands.

Local resident Jack O'Donnell, who has a beachfront house, says he spotted the boat just after 8:00 am local time, about 200 metres offshore.

He says four men on board then swam ashore.

"About 10 minutes later four of the refugees, they're Tamils, swam with life jackets through the surf," he said.

Mr O'Donnell says one man, who spoke broken English, said there were 69 people on board who were exhausted and in need of food.

"It was obviously crowded with bodies," he said.

"We were just worried that they might try and traverse the surf which would be dangerous, well, it would be catastrophic because it's jagged reef."

Mr O'Donnell says he alerted police who showed up and spoke to the four men.

It is understood the boat has been towed to the island's lagoon.

Customs has not been able to confirm any details.

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Asylum seekers swim ashore at Cocos Islands

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI.PH) said Wednesday its first-half net profit surged 52% to 9.4 billion pesos ($225 million) from PHP6.2 billion a year earlier, supported by a 24% improvement in revenues.

Net interest income in the January-June period rose 9% and fee-based income gained 51%, the bank said in a statement to the stock exchange.

The lender's loan portfolio totaled PHP480 billion in the first half, a 17% increase from a year earlier.

Net profit for the second quarter rose 8% to PHP3.6 billion from a year earlier.

Write to Cris Larano at cris.larano@dowjones.com and Rhea Sandique-Carlos at rhea.sandique-carlos@dowjones.com

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Bank of the Philippine Islands 1st Half Net Profit up 52% at PHP9.4 Billion

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI.PH) said Wednesday its first-half net profit surged 52% from the year-earlier period helped mainly by record profits in the first quarter but the company's chief operating officer warned of challenges ahead, including a squeeze on interest margins, which may weigh on earnings in the second-half.

BPI, the Philippines' third-largest lender by assets, said net profit in the January-June period climbed to 9.4 billion pesos ($225 million) from PHP6.2 billion a year earlier due mainly to strong revenue growth and record earnings in the first quarter, when the lender booked large trading gains.

In the April-June quarter, net profit just rose 8% to PHP3.6 billion from a year earlier.

"We expect challenges going forward especially on our net interest margin with the recent cut in the BSP overnight borrowing rate," said BPI COO Gil Buenaventura, referring to the 25-basis-point rate cut implemented by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in July, increasing the total rate cut to 75 basis points since the start of the year.

Still, Mr. Buenaventura said the bank was ready to seize on opportunities arising from strong domestic economic growth. He said the bank is "actively participating" in several infrastructure deals, particularly those being pushed by the government under its public private partnership program.

He said that BPI remains confident it remains "on track" to delivering its target of 15% return on equity for 2012. With first-half net profit pointing to a 21% return on equity, the bank's earnings growth could moderate in the second half, he said.

Net interest income in the January-June period rose 9% and fee-based income gained 51%, the bank said in a statement to the stock exchange.

The lender's loan portfolio totaled PHP480 billion in the first half, a 17% increase from a year earlier.

At 0355 GMT, shares of BPI were up 1.9% to PHP74 as investors welcomed the first-half result. In comparison, the bellwether PSEi was down 0.2%.

Write to Cris Larano at cris.larano@dowjones.com and Rhea Sandique-Carlos at rhea.sandique-carlos@dowjones.com

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Bank of Philippine Islands 1st Half Net Jumps 52%; Record 1Q Profit Boosts

What Do Greece, the United States, and the Cayman Islands Have in Common?

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Here's Why the Cayman Islands Is Considering Fiscal Suicide

How much do you know about the legends and lore surrounding those little islands — Gould, Hope, Hen and others — that dot our bay waters?

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The little Portsmouth islands that could

SOCHI, Russia, July 29 (UPI) -- Russia and Japan are far apart in resolving their Kuril Islands dispute but they agreed during the weekend to hold frequent high level talks to find a solution.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, who held talks with his Russian hosts in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, told a news conference although wide gaps remain between the two countries over the issue, the two sides intend to keep talking in an attempt to resolve their territorial feud, Kyodo News reported.

The dispute is over four islands in the Kuril chain held by Russia since the former Soviet Union took them after World War II. Japan has been demanding the return of the islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, Kyodo said. The territorial issue has prevented the two sides from concluding a formal postwar peace treaty.

"With regard to the issue of a peace agreement, in reality, positions of the two countries are still different," Kyodo reported Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters with Gemba. "But both sides agreed setting their territorial dispute is essential to boost economic and security cooperation."

The Japanese foreign minister also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit and the two agreed Japanese and Russian economic relations hold much potential, the news service said.

Gemba's Russia trip follows that of a visit by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Kinashiri, one of the four islands, early this month, which drew protest from the Japanese government, Kyodo said.

Lavrov was quoted as saying any protest would not help create an environment for constructive bilateral talks.

Putin, who wants the peace treaty concluded, was quoted as expressing hope of meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum leaders' gathering in Vladivostok in September.

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Russia, Japan seek to resolve islands feud

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Sports Briefs: Islands High to hold volleyball tryouts

Beijing (China Daily/ANN) - Tokyo announced twice in the past two days the possibility of dispatching troops to the Diaoyu Islands, a move Beijing on Friday slammed as "extremely irresponsible".

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Japan's reaction on Diaoyu Islands slammed

By Michael Botsford & Sami Yazdanyar

SAN ANTONIO - The members of Islands & Tigers may only be in their teenage years but theyre proving that age really aint nothing but a number. With some high-energy dance moves and musical diversity to the max, the band hopes to take over the San Antonio vintage dance/rock world by storm.

Coming from an artsy magnet high school in San Antonio, the band has a laundry list of talents they incorporate into their live show. Despite the Xs on their hands while performing, they never have a hard time surprising concertgoers.

For our live shows I bring my glockenspiel. I also play tambourine and keyboards. Ive been teaching myself how to play because its a hobby I like to do. It wasnt stressful, it was cool I get to do it in a band now. Now Im cooler than everybody, says Alexa Rivas.

Members Dane Rousay and Daniel Escalante have no trouble switching off from bass to drums to keep their set fresh. Each member is able to play different instruments, a talent thats helped set them apart from their peers.

Being a young band and booking shows is the last thing on their minds.

We are confident that once people hear us theyll want to book us. If you dont book us because were young, your loss, says lead man Bobby Rivas.

With tons of live shows at bars and parties under their belt, there is one appearance that the band wont be forgetting anytime soon.

The coolest show weve played so far was in a Barnes and Noble bathroom. It was an acoustic set. We huddled up and did some covers and a few of our songs. We built up this big crowd of people in the bathroom. When we finished playing they were all clapping, we didnt even know they were there because we were crowded into a little stall. On a toilet with a guitar, you cant beat it, says Rivas.

While the band is keeping the details of their new album under wraps until later this summer, they shared 2 songs with us in The Garage studio.

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‘Islands & Tigers’ in the WOAI.com Garage

Japan's defence minister on Friday warned Tokyo could send troops to a chain of East China Sea islands at the centre of a territorial row with China if the simmering dispute escalated.

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Japan may send troops to disputed islands

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) - Known as a tax haven for the mega rich around the world, the Cayman Islands is proposing the unthinkable: a direct tax on expatriates to help fix the budget woes of the British territory. The proposal - called a "community enhancement fee" and unprecedented in the island's history - is effectively a 10 percent payroll tax on all foreign workers earning ...

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Cayman Islands proposes income tax on foreign workers

Survival International Press Release

July 24, 2012

Indian Islands Challenge Supreme Court Move To End Human Safaris A ruling by Indias Supreme Court which would have drastically curtailed the notorious human safaris in the Andaman Islands is being ignored by the islands authorities.

Earlier this month Indias Supreme Court imposed a 5-kilometer buffer zone around the Jarawa Reserve, to help reduce the exploitation of the tribe by tourists.

The ruling puts an end to tourist resorts near the Reserve, and closes other commercial attractions such as the Islands mud volcano and limestone caves. However, at the time of going to press, more than two weeks on, the volcano and caves remain open.

Activists have welcomed the ruling as, even though it did not close the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) that runs through the Reserve, it would significantly reduce the amount of traffic using it.

At least 250 vehicles use the road through the Reserve on a daily basis, and many are tour operators, transporting visitors from the south of the islands. Officially they are travelling to see the volcano and caves, but for many their real reason for taking the trip is for the human safari en route. If enacted properly, the new buffer zone will significantly minimise the number of tourists on the road, as there will be little reason for tour operators to use the ATR.

However, the Andaman administration is refusing to close the volcano and cave sites, having appealed for the Supreme Court to exclude them from its recent order.

The Andaman administration has now filed a plea to the Supreme Court for an eight-week suspension period so it can submit plans for a new buffer zone. It is believed that these will not include the cave and volcano.

Survival Internationals Director Stephen Corry said today, The Supreme Court missed an opportunity by leaving the ATR open - the main artery to Indias human safaris. However the decision to close the caves and mud volcano is a positive step and would deny tour operators the chance to run human safaris by stealth. If the mud volcano and limestone caves remain open, hundreds of tourists will continue to drive through the reserve every day ogling at the Jarawa. The Andaman administration must demonstrate its commitment to ending these tours by closing the cave and volcano.

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Indian Islands Challenge Supreme Court: End "Human Safaris"

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Theres a healthy rivalry between fans of either Marthas Vineyard or Nantucket. I, for one, am a Vineyard girl at heart. But why choose sides when you can visit both gorgeous Massachusetts islands during the same trip?

Hotelier Mark Snider has it both ways as the owner of the family-friendly Winnetu - steps away from the Vineyards South Beach with its lobster bakes, penny candy and vintage fire truck rides - and The Nantucket hotel and resort, an old hotel made new again.

"I think they share so much in common in terms of natural beauty, location off the mainland, everything is a step slower," Snider says.

Originally built as the Point Breeze in 1891, The Nantucket, located downtown, is the last of the grand dame hotels on the historic whaling island.

"This is a wonderful building filled with whimsy and individuality and we wanted to bring this back as much as possible and make this a year round hotel that is really something special," Snider notes.

With the largest ballroom on the island, The Nantucket features indoor/outdoor dining, and an outdoor pool. A lap pool and spa are still in the works.

Visitors choosing the Two Island Vacation Adventure can decide which island to visit first while island transfers will be tacked on to the room rate so you can leave your car on the mainland.

The tandem package is available through September 8, when the inter-island ferry stops service. After that you can fly between islands, or choose to stay at just one property.

Each resort has hotel rooms, suites and cottages and depending on when you stay, may have nightly minimums.

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Bay State Islands Offer Competitive Charm

The Cayman Islands Calls for Income Taxes while Premier is under investigation.

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You Know It's Bad When The Cayman Islands Calls For Income Taxes

Jul. 25, 2012 02:06 PM The Republic | azcentral.com

The Islands Community Association is organizing an art festival Nov.3 and 4 at its community park in Gilbert and invites fine artists to participate.

The Islands Art in the Park will feature gallery-quality fine art and fine crafts chosen by a jury process. The festival also features a children's area, a food court and a beer and wine garden.

All participants will receive hassle-free parking and setup, a reception by the lake, continental breakfast and other extras. Artists may win prizes, which will be awarded Nov.3 at a reception. The application deadline is Aug.1. The park is at 825 S.Islands Drive West, Gilbert. Apply at zapplication.org.

Details: islandscommunity.org.

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Islands in Gilbert seeks art-fest artists