Bluefin tuna record Fukushima radioactivity
Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California have been found to have radioactive contamination from last year's Fukushima nuclear accident.
The fish would have picked up the pollution while swimming in Japanese waters, before then moving to the far side of the ocean.
Scientists stress that the fish are still perfectly safe to eat.
However, the case does illustrate how migratory species can carry pollution over vast distances, they say.
"It's a lesson to us in how interconnected eco-regions can be, even when they may be separated by thousands of miles," Nicholas Fisher, a professor of marine sciences at Stony Brook University, New York, told BBC News.
Fisher and colleagues report their study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
They examined the muscle tissues of 15 Bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) taken from waters off San Diego in August 2011, just a few months after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
These were animals whose parents would have spawned in Japanese waters and spent one to years locally before heading to feeding grounds in the eastern Pacific.
All the fish examined in the study showed elevated levels of radioactive caesium - the isotopes 134 and 137.
Caesium-137 is present in seawater anyway as a result of the fallout from atomic weapons testing, but the short, two-year half-life of caesium-134 means the contamination can be tied directly to Fukushima. There is no other explanation for the isotope's presence.
The measured concentrations were about 10 times the total caesium radioactivity seen in tuna specimens taken from before the accident.
As a control, the team also examined Yellowfin tuna, which are largely residential in the eastern Pacific.
These animals showed no difference in their pre- or post-Fukushima concentrations.
The research is likely to get attention because Bluefin tuna is an iconic species and a highly valuable fishery - thousands of tonnes are landed annually.
But consumers should have no health concerns about eating California-caught tuna from last year, the team says.
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News
US Denies Sending Commandos to Spy on North Korea
U.S. military officials are rejecting a report suggesting that U.S. military commandos have been parachuting into North Korea to gather intelligence on Pyongyang's underground military installations.
The Diplomat, a Tokyo-based political journal, on Monday carried a report alleging that a senior U.S. special operations commander revealed the supposed commando program at a conference in Florida last week.
But Colonel Jonathan Withington, a spokesperson for the United States Forces Korea, dismissed the story when contacted by VOA on Tuesday. He said the report took “great liberal license” with the comments made by Army Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, saying some of the quotes were “made up and attributed to him.”
The Diplomat quoted Tolley as saying that both U.S. and South Korean commandos were taking part in the reconnaissance mission, which it said was aimed at uncovering information on “thousands of tunnels” built by Pyongyang since the Korean war.
Col. Withington said it is well-known that North Korea uses tunnels to hide its sensitive military operations. But he said “at no time” have U.S. or South Korean forces parachuted into North Korea to conduct special reconnaissance.
The author of the report in The Diplomat, David Axe, rejected suggestions he fabricated the quotes attributed to the general. He said if the general was speaking hypothetically, “he did not say so” and that “he spoke in the present tense” and “at length.”
Indian PM to Meet with Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets Tuesday with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as he wraps up his three-day visit to strengthen trade and investment links between the two Asian neighbors.
Prime Minister Singh met with Burmese President Thein Sein on Monday. The two leaders signed about a dozen trade and investment agreements, including deals on air services and the Indian promise of a $500 million line of credit.
Mr. Singh is the first Indian prime minister to visit Burma since 1987.
He will visit Aung San Suu Kyi in the commercial capital, Rangoon, before the Nobel laureate departs for Thailand on her first international trip in 24 years.
The meeting is seen as an indication that India is open to reaffirming ties with the opposition activist. New Delhi has long been criticized for its ties with Burma's oppressive former military leadership, which stepped down last year.
Bilateral trade between Burma and India is currently valued at $1.5 billion annually. Analysts say it is expected to exceed $3 billion by 2015.
New Delhi is pressing its quest for energy supplies needed to fuel its booming economy, and Burma's new, nominally civilian government seeks to shed its image as a closed authoritarian state ruled for a half century by military generals.
Egyptians Torch Shafiq Headquarters as Election Results Trigger Violence
Egyptian demonstrators incensed that ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister has advanced into a run-off presidential election have vandalized his main campaign office and set it on fire after officials confirmed the vote results.
Emergency personnel said late Monday the blaze at Ahmed Shafiq's Cairo headquarters had been extinguished and that no one was hurt.
Earlier, several thousand protesters gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other venues across Egypt, chanting slogans against the military, Shafiq and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohammed Morsi.The count from Egypt's first free presidential race last week showed the Brotherhood's Morsi as the top vote-getter and secularist Ahmed Shafiq a strong second.
Shafiq is widely viewed as an extension and symbol of Mubarak's rule and his run-off against Morsi is the most polarizing result possible. The outcome has divided Egypt and deeply disappointed the activist movement that galvanized the nation's 2011 revolt against Mubarak's entrenched old guard.
The presidential vote results were being contested even before they were released.
The expected three top candidates filed appeals with the election commission, alleging violations and fraud. Socialist Hamdeen Sabahi called for a partial vote recount in five provinces where the results are in dispute.
The presidential runoff, to be held June 16-17, will offer Egyptians a stark choice between candidates from divergent paths.
Morsi netted 5,764,952 votes, slightly ahead of Shafiq with 5,505,327. Sabahi took third place with more than 4.8 million votes, ahead of moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh with a little over 4 million. Former foreign minister Amr Moussa placed fifth, trailing with 2.58 million votes.
The commission said turnout was 46 percent of the 50 million Egyptians who were eligible to vote.
Morsi was not his Islamist group's first choice for its presidential candidate. But he got the role when the Brotherhood's lead candidate was disqualified, and then became a front-runner in a show of the group's political muscle.
During the campaign, Morsi delivered fiery speeches and vowed his presidency would be based on Islam but not be a theocracy.
Shafiq was Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister before he lost power during last year's pro-democracy protests.
The former Air Force commander was appointed prime minister in hopes of appeasing the popular revolt. But because of that connection to Mr. Mubarak, he is viewed with some suspicion by activists involved in the 2011 movement and has polarized voters.
A presidential victory for one of the secularist candidates would mark a significant turn from parliamentary elections just six months ago when more than 70 percent of Egyptian voters cast ballots for Islamist parties.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
EDITORIAL: SACRIFICING EDUCATION ON THE ALTAR OF LAW AND ORDER
In 1991 when C. Washington Misick became Chief Minister of our country, he was offered a development package by the British government that included the building of a prison. Mr. Misick asked that instead of allocating those funds to prison building, if it could be reassigned to the building of the Community College. He was told no! the money was earmarked for that purpose, and if you want to make use of those funds, that was what it was going to be spent on. Mr. Misick then advocated for the prison to be built in Middle Caicos for a number reasons in particular. The first one being that it would create some employment opportunities in that island, the use of agriculture as a rehabilitative exercise would be beneficial and seeing that it would be isolated from regular community activities, it would act as a deterrent. The British put nix to those proposals and said that the prison would be built in Grand Turk and available land must be found on which to erect it. It was their “British taxpayers’ money”, so it was a take it or leave it scenario. We know what happened. Johnston Construction built the prison in Grant Turk and the rest was history!
The same mentality that obtained in the 1990s can still be seen today, and they are using our money that we raised to carry out their agenda. Now that is the galling part. Even though they are responsible for preparing the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to relieve themselves of the yoke of colonialism, they continue to pay scant regard to that responsibility. Their focus is on law and order and the social, economical and educational advancement of the people over whom they lord just go out the window.
Let us examine things in the light of the recently “debated” budget for 2012/13. It can be said that I have taken a fool’s comfort in the number that there will be a projected surplus of some $3.7M. Since that is a significant “millstone”, that had to be met in order that elections can take place this year, I have no problem with that. However, it is the underlying numbers that give me pause and a reason to be concerned. As is captioned above, I would concentrate on the stark disparity between education and law enforcement.
I understand from the PS/Finance that the reduction in allocation for scholarships has been reduced to $2.65M this year because there are 70 or so returning students that no provision needed to be made for. But when I looked at the outturn of $3.823M for last year, something is definitely wrong with that picture. What was not said, was how many scholarships would be available to be given to students wanting to study abroad on government sanctioned programmes. While it is clearly laudable that, if programmes can be offered at the community College, that overseas funding should not be made available. If it is the express intention to build capacity at home, I am all for that once it does not take away from the beneficial experience of a proper education.
However, when you look at the subvention for the Community College this year, you would see that there is a reduction of some $200K. That does not reflect the stated pronouncement or policy decision. If it clearly the view that there should be more home grown educational attainment, then there must be a commensurate uptick in the subvention to reflect such a policy.
The numbers then reflect that in addition to staffing and other costs of the Education Department, there is just $4.25M allocated for ongoing education and training. The law and order component of the budget paints a different picture. First of all for SIPT and civil recovery there is $13.4M and added to that close to another $1M for the conversion of the former Myrtle Rigby Health Complex into additional court rooms to accommodate the impending trials of those persons that have had their sufficiency hearings and must attend at the Supreme Court on charges that include conspiracy and money laundering. Those amounts in and of themselves represent THREE times that for education. So you can see what the priority of the British continues to be with respect to Turks and Caicos islanders.
They see no problem in underfunding education or the social safety nets that would bolster the self-worth of the people of this country. Their response then, as it is now is to build bigger prison systems to take care of those persons that have fallen by the wayside because they were not given adequate opportunities to avail themselves to a proper education that would take them off the streets and into meaningful and beneficial occupational pursuits!
The British over the years have abdicated their responsibility to our country. They have failed in their oversight over time, and when the proverbial mess hits the fan, then, their reaction is to yank the chains of control, take absolute change and then do really nothing to alleviate the situation. On the one hand, they have said they have put in place systems that should work. However, instead of allowing that to happen, they put in another layer to insulate and isolate themselves fro the people that they are responsible for.
If you tell a child that the fire is hot and will burn him and every time he goes near the flame you pull him back, he will never know what the real effects are. Sometimes you have to allow him to get burn so that he can of his own volition put in mitigating measures to protect him from getting burn again in the future.
So what we can see from the 2012/13 budget is that it reflects the priorities of our British masters rather than what is required by the rank and file Turks and Caicos Islander. As flawed as the Consultative Forum might be, many of their members spoke to these inconsistencies. But like everything else, Todd will grin, smile and say in spite of what you who are feeling it say, I know best for you and would act accordingly and sign into law whatever Appropriations Bill that he sees fit so to do!
Royal s. Robinson, MBE
Police News
POLICE are investigating a burglary at a property in Pete Court, Kew Town.
The apartment was entered sometime between 9.30am on Thursday and 6.45pm the same day.
TWO laptop computers and a quantity of jewellery were taken during a break-in at a house in Kakeka Street, Grace Bay.
The incident occurred between 7.30am and 11.15pm on Thursday.
A WHITE 1993 Land Rover Discovery 3 REO was stolen from the side of the road by the Seven Stars roundabout in Grace Bay, sometime on Monday.
A QUANTITY of cannabis was seized by officers patrolling in the Bight, yesterday.
The drugs were taken away and will now be destroyed.
GRAND TURK
A MOTORIST was fined a total of $1,500 when he appeared before Magistrates in Grand Turk.
Jason Smith, was found guilty of dangerous driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, unlicensed driving and using a vehicle without valued insurance.
TRACEY Prospere was fined $250 after being found guilty of driving without a seatbelt by Magistrates in Grand Turk.
SOUTH CAICOS
A QUANTITY of Acer and HP laptops computers were taken from the School for Field Studies in South Caicos.
The theft occurred sometime between 7.30pm on Wednesday and 7.20pm on Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 911 or Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477.
Tips can also be left in English, French or Spanish at www.crimestoppers.tc or by becoming a friend of Crimestoppers TCI on Facebook.
Crime prevention tips are also available by visiting www.tcipolice.tc
TCI prepares for 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Turks and Caicos Islands preparations for the forthcoming 2012 Atlantic Hurricane continue apace Horatio Tuit, Assistant Director, TCIG Department of Disaster Management will explain later today, Fri, 25 May 2012.
Tuit will speak at a multiagency meeting held on Providenciales where the initial hurricane forecast for this year will be promulgated and he will remind all involved that disaster preparation is everyone’s business, the Department for Disaster Management’s theme for 2012.
The following activities are part of the TCI’s preparations:
- Hurricane Preparedness Meeting: Provo - 25th May 2012
The DDME is holding a preparedness meeting in advance of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season today and involve at all Response Agencies in Providenciales as well as the District Commissioners' Office in North and Middle Caicos. The meeting will receive from DDME the Hurricane Forecast for 2012, a briefing on the updated Disaster Management Structure for TCI and the Standing Operating Procedures for the Emergency Operations Centre. It is also expected that the various agencies represented will update the DDME on their state of preparedness.
- United Kingdom Caribbean Overseas Territories & Bermuda: 5th Annual Disaster Management Seminar - 28th to 30th May 2012
This is an annual meeting for Directors of Disaster Managers and staff of the Governor's Offices from the five UK Caribbean Overseas Territories & Bermuda to meet and finalise plans ahead of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. They are supported by departments from the United Kingdom Departments that would normally provide support to the Overseas Territories in the event of an emergency. The UK Departments being represented includes Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development, Ministry of Defence.
The conference will also be attended by representatives from CDEMA, US SOUTHCOM, US Coast Guard, NOAA/NHC, Norwegian Cruise Lines, British Red Cross and Consular Services from Washington and Bridgetown.
- Disaster Management Briefing for Advisory Council: Provo - 31st May 2012
Members from the Disaster Management Fraternity from TCI, Caribbean and the UK will take the opportunity to brief members of Advisory Council on the response capability and mechanisms that will be available to respond to the TCI in the event that the territory is impacted during this hurricane season.
- Disaster Management Exercise: Provo - 31st May & 1st June 2012
A Disaster Management Exercise will be held in Provo to test the functioning of the Emergency Operations Centre. It will expose members of the EOC to a scenario based on a hurricane making landfall in Provo. The exercise will commence on 31 May with the territory under threat from a hurricane and the DM Executive receiving a briefing from the Director DDME. On 1st June, the exercise will resume with the territory under Hurricane Warning and the EOC being activated and making final preparations before the hurricane makes landfall. It then continues with the hurricane making landfall in Provo and the EOC is operational at first light, preparing an initial brief for the Governor and the Executive Group.
Health Prevention Measures promoted throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)
Public health officials have contacted all medical staff across the Turks and Caicos Islands in an effort to ensure that all possible data is gathered to help resolve an outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting being experienced in Providenciales.
Public and Environmental Health officials have been visiting hotels in Providenciales daily to educate hospitality staff about what additional hygiene measures they can put in place to prevent and reduce the spread of infection. Everyone affected is being asked to report immediately to a physician for treatment and to provide samples to help identify the cause of the infection.
Additional staff has been brought in from elsewhere in the TCI to address this issue. The TCI authorities are in regular contact with the appropriate regional health organizations such as the Pan American Health Organisation, World Health Organisation and CAREC, including their reference laboratory in Trinidad.
The Chief Executive of the Government and the senior management team met earlier today to ensure that all available resources are made available to support the public health effort.
The TCI Ministry of Health and Educations (MOHE) advice to the general public is to:
- Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before eating
- Carefully wash all tinned food products before opening
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, especially:
- before preparing and or eating meals
- after using the toilet
- after being out in the public
- after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- after handling trash or garbage
- before treating a cut or wound
- if you have been around someone who is ill
Hand washing is the single most important preventative measure to decrease the risk of infection. Hand washing should be frequent and thorough (scrub soap into hands for at least 15 seconds before rinsing, then dry with paper towels, a clean towel or blower).
If you become ill:
- Drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration and the need for medical attention
- Drink bottled water or water that has been boiled
- Drink clear liquids such as Gatorade and clear soup
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly
If You Have Nausea/ Vomiting/ Diarrhea and or cramping:
- Report to the nearest health care facility
- Stay at home until your symptoms have resolved and follow your health care providers instructions
The MOHE will continue to provide you with information to optimize your health.
NEW DEAL IS GOOD FOR TAXPAYERS AND LOAN HOLDERS
A better deal for taxpayers and lower payments for loan holders are the main benefits of the Turks and Caicos Island Government’s decision to restructure TCInvest it was announced today, Friday, 25 May 2012.
First Caribbean Bank, Royal Bank of Canada and Scotiabank will each take on a share of the TCInvest loan book in a deal that will net around $11m for the TCI taxpayer.
The 240 loans in the deal will potentially save loan holders thousands of dollars thanks to the lower rates of interest offered by the private banks rather than those of the former statutory body.
TCInvest charge an interest rate of between 6.5% and 12% on loans. The new bank rates for the same loans will be charged at rates between 4.75% and 9%.
Someone with a $100,000 mortgage will be at least $200 a month better off under their new terms at the banks. Over a typical 20 year loan term this would save the mortgage holder in the region of $50,000.
TCIG has negotiated terms with the three banks that mean the banks will pay up to 50% of all the associated fees of transferring mortgages, for example, such as legal fees and loan processing charges. TCIG will waive any stamp duty, penalties and fund any residual costs associated with transferring the loans. Those individuals with more than one loan will be offered the opportunity to consolidate their loans into one arrangement to secure better terms. The Banks will begin the process of contacting these clients in the very near future.
There are also 85 non-performing loans, with a face value of $6m; TCIG is currently looking at two options to address this portion of the portfolio and negotiations are still being concluded.
The money raised from this process will be used by the Government to pay off TCInvest’s debt with the Caribbean Development Bank, European Investment Bank and National Insurance Board, which is guaranteed by the Government. This will allow TCIG to enter into negotiations in 2016 regarding refinancing its remaining national debt in a stronger position.
“This announcement emphasises why Government had to take action over TCInvest,” said Patrick Boyle, Chief Executive, TCI Government. “Due to the unclear way that TCInvest historically issued its loans in the first place, we simply had no clear idea what our financial liabilities would be."
“We have taken this affirmative action, therefore, to create the best possible deal in the circumstances for the taxpayer, and one that reduces significantly the monthly bills for those holding these loans.”
St Kitts-Nevis agrees landmark debt restructuring deal
A St Kitts and Nevis government delegation led by prime minister and minister of finance, Dr Denzil Douglas, has secured a landmark “stock-of-debt” restructuring deal from Paris Club creditors after an intense negotiation session held in Paris, France, on Thursday.
The discussions with the Paris Club were focused on how best to support the government’s economic transformation efforts through the restructuring of the debts owed by St Kitts and Nevis to the United Kingdom and the United States. The approach to the Paris Club was part of the comprehensive debt restructuring program launched by the government in June 2011.
After six rounds of complex negotiations, the government and the Paris Club agreed at the multilateral level to restructure over 20 years the entire stock of debt outstanding to the Paris Club, including the arrears. A grace period on principal repayments of seven years will also apply. Concessionary rates of interest will apply to the rescheduling.
In addition, the Paris Club confirmed during the negotiations that further concessions from the Paris Club creditors at the bilateral level are likely. The government expects that these concessions could involve the outright cancellation of over 60 percent of the debt treated at the multilateral level on 24 May 2012, as well as other additional concessions.
During the negotiations the Paris Club saluted the results of the government’s economic reform drive and general debt restructuring effort to date. The Club’s members, who include representatives from the world’s developed economies, acknowledged that the government’s determination to tackle the country’s problems in a decisive way will help ensure that St Kitts and Nevis is well placed to withstand the headwinds of an increasingly uncertain international environment.
The Paris Club also indicated that it was the government’s commitment to a sound macroeconomic course, as well as the approach taken with the general debt restructuring, that persuaded the group to grant restructuring terms that are exceptional for a country in the upper-middle income category.
Speaking after the signing of the agreed minutes, Douglas commented: “We understand that the negotiations were tougher and took a little longer than the Paris Club had expected. This may be the case, but it was important for us to have the opportunity to explain our situation properly, and to secure the right agreement for us.”
The prime minister added, “Even before we take into account the additional concessions from our creditors that are expected to come at the bilateral level, the agreement signed in Paris yesterday has no precedent in the Caribbean, and is amongst the most concessional ever to have been granted by the Paris Club to an upper-middle income country anywhere in the world. We are delighted at this recognition of our efforts, and thank the Paris Club for its support.”
The prime minister was accompanied during the negotiations by Janet Harris, Financial Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, and by the financial advisors from White Oak Advisory LLP.
The bilateral agreements that will implement the 24 May 2012 agreement, and that are expected to incorporate the additional concessions, are scheduled to be signed later this year.
CUOPM