more than 60 whales were found dead on the Beach Kaitaia in New Zealand

60 whales died on a beach in New Zealand. Whale that died after it beached.This was disclosed by Carolyn Smith of the New Zealand Ministry of Nature Protection. Carolyn announced that more than 60 whales were found dead on the Beach Kaitaia in New Zealand. Whales can not be saved because rescuers could not save enough time for the whales.

Carolyn guessed it before the fish were stranded at first. He was stranded due to make sure they can not survive. Similarly as reported from all voices, Saturday, August 21, 2010.Carolyn adds there are actually about 73 whales that were stranded but there are some among the fish who saved themselves by returning to the sea.Ministry of Nature Protection explained the type of pilot whales were stranded since Thursday night.

Some volunteers are trying hard to restore the large fish in the sea. But, not easy to do so.whale on the beach of New Zealand is not this just happened the first time only. Last December, about 100 whale also beached in the country and then they can not survive presumed dead.

Tokyo court convicts New Zealand anti-whaling activist

TOKYO A Tokyo court on Wednesday convicted a New Zealand activist of assault and obstructing Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic Ocean, and sentenced him to a suspended prison term.Peter Bethune was also found guilty on three other charges: trespassing, vandalism and possession of a knife. He had pleaded guilty to all but the assault charge when his trial started in late May.The court sentenced Bethune to two years in prison, with the sentence suspended for five years – meaning he will not be jailed.The assault conviction was for throwing bottles of rancid butter at the whalers aboard their ship, including one that broke and gave several Japanese crew members chemical burns.

Bethune, 45, climbed onto the Shonan Maru 2 in February from a Jet Ski to confront its captain over the sinking of a protest vessel the previous month. He slashed a protective net with a knife, which the court said he possessed illegally, to enter the ship.The former activist for Sea Shepherd, a U.S.-based conservation group, was held on board the ship and arrested when it returned to Japan in March.

The group has been protesting Japan’s whaling for years, often engaging in scuffles with Japanese whalers. Sea Shepherd claims the research whaling mission, an allowed exception to an international whaling ban, is a cover for commercial hunting.Judge Takashi Tawada said Sea Shepherd has been engaged in “acts of sabotage” against the whalers, and that the use of such violence should not be tolerated.

Bethune “assaulted the crew members and interfered with their mission and the impact was extremely serious,” Tawada said. “His actions are based on his selfish beliefs.”However, Tawada said there was room for leniency given that Bethune had acknowledged what had happened, indicated that he wouldn’t return to similar protest activities and had no criminal record in Japan.Bethune did not make a statement in court Wednesday, but flashed a message written on a notebook to his lawyers saying he wanted to go home as soon as possible, one of his attorneys said.The lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of attacks by ultra-rightwing activists, said Bethune would not appeal the ruling. Bethune is expected to be deported within days.

In Wellington, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully welcomed Bethune’s suspended sentence. Arrangements have been made through consular officials for his return home, McCully’s spokesman, James Funnell, told The Associated Press.”What a relief all right,” Bethune’s wife Sharon said of the ruling. She credited her husband with raising awareness of Japanese whaling, but added, “We don’t want him to be doing it again, though.”In his tearful closing statement June 10, Bethune apologized for the trouble and said he never intended to hurt anyone.During earlier trial sessions, Bethune said he just wanted to confront the ship’s captain and hand him a $3 million bill for the destruction of the Ady Gil, a Sea Shepherd vessel that sank during a collision in January.Outside the court Wednesday, about 30 right-wing protesters chanted and held up placards, including one that said, “Give Sea Shepherd terrorist capital punishment.”Shuhei Nishimura, one of the protesters, called the sentence “too lenient.”Sea Shepherd recently said it expelled Bethune because he violated its policy against carrying weapons. The group said he had a bow and arrows with him while he was aboard the Ady Gil, although he never used them.

Still, on Wednesday, the group called Bethune “a hero” and said his mission helped save hundreds of whales which were to be killed by Japan.Sea Shepherd also said it is free to return to the Antarctic, vowing to be “more effective next season.”Japan, Norway and Iceland hunt whales under exceptions to a 1986 moratorium by the International Whaling Commission. Japan’s whaling program involves large-scale expeditions to the Antarctic Ocean, while other whaling countries mostly stay along their own coasts.

Separately, Japan has said the leader of Sea Shepherd, Canadian citizen Paul Watson, 59, is now on an Interpol wanted list for allegedly ordering Bethune’s actions as part of the group’s disruption of Japanese whaling in the Antarctic. Watson was placed on the Interpol list in late June at the request of Japan, which accuses his group of risking whalers’ lives during their expedition.(AP)

South African split on Mandela's attendance at opening

JOHANNESBURG South African soccer fans are split whether Nelson Mandela should attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.Mandela, who emerged from 27 years in prison under the former government’s oppressive apartheid system to eventually become president, is expected to make an appearance at Soccer City on Friday ahead of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

“It is important for our country (that he attend) as he is the one that united our nation, especially through his attendance of the 1995 Rugby World Cup,” said Lardus Bosman, a 21-year-old university student in Pretoria. “And as he might be reaching the end of his life, it is important that he should attend this historical South African event.”Mandela took over as president in 1994, four years after being released from jail, and will be remembered for his role in changing the fate of many South Africans by fostering democracy in the country.

His attendance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, when South Africa surprisingly beat New Zealand following years of exile from international sport, was seen by many as the moment when South Africans were truly united – partly because “Madiba” congratulated former captain Francois Pienaar while wearing a green Springboks shirt.But some people are more concerned about the 91-year-old Mandela’s health, and believe he should not travel to Soccer City if he is too frail.

“The Bafana team should rather visit him at his house before the opening match so that he can wish them good luck,” said An-Li Pretorius, a 23-year-old professional cyclist.Rebecka Lesedi, a 49-year-old domestic worker, agreed that Mandela should stay indoors and watch the ceremony at home.

“He’s too old,” Lesedi said.Hanco Kaggelhoffer, another professional cyclist, suggested that Mandela should appear at the ceremony via satellite. And Mmathapelo Zondo, an 18-year-old university student, agreed that a video message would be OK if the former president can’t make it on his own.

“If his health is not good, he should not be pushed to attend the ceremony, and a live message from him to the South African team should rather be broadcasted,” Zondo said.FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday he did not know if Mandela would be at the ceremony, but if not, “his spirit will be present.”

Mandela has a reputation for inspiring teams to victory with his presence, known as the “Madiba magic.” A year after the Rugby World Cup, he wore a Bafana Bafana shirt before their triumph in the 1996 African Cup of Nations – still South Africa’s only major soccer title.

But Mandela, who stepped down as South Africa’s first black president in 1999, has rarely appeared in public since 2004. He did, however, make a surprise appearance last year at an ANC rally before the national election, and was photographed with the World Cup trophy last month.

The World Cup is being in held in Africa for the first time, and Mandela was a key factor in South Africa’s winning bid. But Johannes Segeri, a 25-year-old waiter, said the raucous African atmosphere that is sure to mark the festive occasion could cause problems for Mandela.”The loud vuvuzelas and the excitement of the crowd will be too much for him to handle,” Segeri said.(AP)

Three people were killed and one critically injured after a deadly accident in Iroquois military helicopters north of Wellington

Wellintong Three people were killed and one critically injured after a deadly accident in Iroquois military helicopters north of Wellington, New Zealand, on Sunday morning.Police and ambulance officers said they were deployed to the scene in farmland near Paekakariki Hill Rd, about 40 kilometers north-east of Wellington around 6:45 pm .Helicopters will fly to Wellington to perform service in the capital at dawn Anzac Day.Female ambulance service spokesman said three people were killed in the accident and a fourth was seriously wounded and is now taken by ambulance to Wellington Hospital.The cause of the accident is being investigated, he said. (AFP)

5.9-magnitude earthquake hit near the Pacific island of Tonga on Thursday

WELLINGTON, New Zealand A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit near the Pacific island of Tonga on Thursday, but no casualties or damage were reported and no tsunami warning was issued.The quake struck 65 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Hihifo, Tonga, at a depth of 21 miles (35 kilometers).Many residents of American Samoa felt the quake and went out to look at the ocean while listening to radio broadcasts.

“Nothing is registered on our censors for tsunami waves,” according to Carol Baqui, a forecaster with the American Samoa weather service.No tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

Police in the Samoan capital, Apia, said they had no reports on the temblor. “We didn’t feel any earthquake,” an officer, who declined to be named, said.Julie Dutton, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado, it was a relatively small quake.”Right now we don’t have any reports of it being felt. It’s pretty far off the coast so we’re not anticipating anything damaging,” Dutton said.Preliminary estimates put the quake at 6.2, but that was later downgraded to 5.9.

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake close to neighboring Samoa last Sept. 29 killed 34 people in American Samoa, 183 in Samoa and nine in Tonga, when tsunami waves up to 46 feet (14 meters) high crashed ashore. It also created a sea floor fault up to 190 miles (300 kilometers) long and 23 feet (7 meters) deep.About 90 percent of the world’s temblors occur in the so-called “Ring of Fire” – an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim.(AP)

tsunami threat along Australia's east coast, but authorities are still warning people to keep out of the water

An outgoing tide has eased the tsunami threat along Australia’s east coast, but authorities are still warning people to keep out of the water.Rising sea levels have been recorded at Norfolk Island, Southport in Tasmania and Port Kembla in New South Wales.A tsunami alert, issued after a massive earthquake in Chile, remains in place for Queensland, News South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.Sea rises of 10 to 50 centimetres have spared coastlines, but officials warn there is still the risk posed by strong currents caused by accelerating tidal movements.

The Bureau of Meterology’s spokesman, Alasdair Hainsworth, says the threat is abating now the tide is on the way out.”We’re no longer talking about any kind of foreshore flooding. We’re simply now concerned about strong currents,” he said.Phil Campbell, from the NSW State Emergency Service, says beachgoers should not go swimming under any circumstances.”We’re advising people that they should not engage in any recreational boating in small boats, particularly as there are those strong currents that are likely to make that quite hazardous,” he said.

“For those people thinking of taking part in some rock fishing or fishing from beaches, we’d also recommend against those activites as well.”The weather bureau says the tsunami has not caused any measurable increase in wave movement in Queensland, but a marine alert remains current for the state’s waters north from the NSW border to St Lawrence.

South of Sydney, Port Kembla measured a rise of 10 to 15 centimetres above the water table, with water levels still increasing.The bureau says a second spike is being recorded at Norfolk Island, with the surge expected to continue towards Queensland.In Sydney, hundreds of people lined the promenade at Bondi Beach, waiting to see what impact the Chile earthquake would have on Australian shores.

Beachgoers were directed off the sand shortly before 8.30am AEDT and the beach was closed.But many people remained on the beach and in the water in defiance of the warnings.Surf Life Saving NSW says it is concerned several local councils have decided to open beaches despite the tsunami warning.Spokesman Steven Leahy says larger waves and stronger currents and rips are expected along the state’s coastline this afternoon.”Our advice is that the risk has not declined and in fact over the next couple of hours there is still every possibility that we will see some tsunami event,” he said.

TasmaniaElsewhere, the tsunami warning forced the cancellation of surf lifesaving activities on Tasmania’s east coast and southern beaches.The first signs of the tsunami in Tasmania were recorded at Maria Island off the state’s south-east coast, just after 8:00am (AEDT).

The weather bureau says the waves were expected to get bigger, and Marine Safety Tasmania says people should delay launching boats until the threat passed.It is considered unlikely the tsunami will have an effect on land.Much of Australia’s east coast was put on tsunami alert late yesterday with boats urged to return to harbour.The alert was issued after a massive 8.8 magnitude quake hit Chile, killing hundreds of people and sending giant waves speeding across the Pacific.Meanwhile, waves up to 1.5 metres high rammed into New Zealand’s east coast.

JAPAN was warned of the possibility of 10ft waves early today as a tsunami swept across the Pacific after the huge earthquake that struck Chile early yesterday

JAPAN was warned of the possibility of 10ft waves early today as a tsunami swept across the Pacific after the huge earthquake that struck Chile early yesterday. The first 12ft tsunami waves generated by the earthquake hit French Polynesia and the Chatham Islands in New Zealand. On an island off Chile the high waves swamped a village with five people dying and 11 missing but elsewhere there were no reports of damage though authorities warned that higher tides could come later. Waves of up to 6ft hit Hawaii at about midday local time, washing over a low-lying park near the city of Hilo.In Chile itself, hours after the pulverising shock of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake, rippled across the southern Andes, ministers in Santiago, the Chilean capital, said they did not expect the toll to rise much above the official toll of 214.

It seemed that a combination of strict building regulations in Chile and tsunami alarms throughout much of the region had averted what President Michelle Bachelet had initially called a “catastrophe”. The worst damage was inflicted on Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city and the closest to the quake’s epicentre 70 miles out to sea. First reports described screams and cries from the ruins of a 15-storey building.

Alejandra Gouet, a television reporter in Concepcion, said: “There isn’t a street without damage.” Other reports spoke of buildings on fire across the city. The death toll, however, rose more slowly than had been expected at the outset. In the capital of Santiago, 200 miles from the epicentre, Bachelet warned that “we undoubtedly can’t rule out more deaths and injuries” but emphasised: “The system is functioning.” Huge waves pounded Chile’s Juan Fernandez archipelago, which includes the island where Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor, was marooned in the 18th century, inspiring the novel Robinson Crusoe. Chile’s Easter Island, a world heritage site famed for its monumental Polynesian statues, was among the areas deemed most at risk. Tsunami warnings were issued to at least 59 nations and Pacific territories.

Charles McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, said waves reaching Hawaii could be the largest to hit the islands since 1964. People had left the coast and petrol stations were jammed. On Tahiti traffic was banned from going within 500 yards of the sea. Central Chile was severely affected by the earthquake, which struck at 3.34am and was followed by violent aftershocks. Much of the country lost power, water supplies and communications. It was one of the most powerful tremors recorded in a region plagued for centuries by seismic upheaval. Concepcion was destroyed by earthquakes or tsunamis five times between 1570 and 1751, when the city was moved to a different location on the Bio-Bio river. It was destroyed again in 1835.

Charlotte Mountford, a Briton living in Santiago, said the tremor lasted about 30 seconds. “We crouched in bathtub on 14th floor while things smashed around us,” she wrote on the Twitter networking site. “Was terrifying.” John Grace, a British mining consultant, 54, said: “I have lived in Santiago 15 years and never felt anything like this earthquake before. It was by far the worst. I have a TV attached to the wall in my bedroom and it just collapsed.”

Claire Cunningham, 29, an IT consultant from Bromley, south London, added: “I am in Santiago on holiday with my husband, Tom. Our hotel room just rattled and rattled for a good minute. I thought the ceiling was about to cave in. It was horrifying. “We went down to the street and discovered that a TV mast had collapsed. There was concrete everywhere. If I had been under that at the time, I am sure I would have been killed.” The earthquake damaged 1.5m houses in Chile, one third of them seriously. Cars overturned, roads were split by fissures and the country suffered more than 100 aftershocks many of them stronger than five on the Richter scale.

On May 22, 1960, southern Chile was hit by the most powerful earthquake recorded, at a magnitude of 9.5. At least 1,600 people died. As a result, almost every large building constructed in Chile can withstand tremors. Yesterday’s earthquake was much more powerful than the 7.0 tremor that killed an estimated 230,000 people in Haiti in January, but the wealth Chile derives from being the world’s third-largest copper producer proved a significant barrier against mass destruction. “Chile is not Haiti,” noted one reporter. “The building codes are quite strict.”

Chile Quake Victims Increase So 78 People

Santiago, The death toll from an earthquake measuring 8.8 Richter scale in Chile is expected to continue to grow. According to a statement issued last Chilean President Michele Bachelet, a victim through the numbers at least 78 people. earthquake that occurred at 3:34 local time or 13:34 pm at the knock down buildings and cracked roads. Reported similar large tsunami waves hit the region in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 660 kilometers from the coast of Chile.Previously had issued a tsunami warning for regions of South America, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, Russia, and several islands in the Pacific.Severe damage to President Bachelet declared a state of disaster in Chile. Still, he called on citizens not to panic and avoid travel due to dark conditions following turn off the  electricity.

The massive earthquake that struck near the coast of central Chile has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tsunami advisory for Southern and Central California. People are being told to avoid local beaches.Forecasters said widespread inundation is not expected, and officials don’t believe there is a major threat of damage.The NWS urged residents to stay away from the ocean waters though the early afternoon as a precaution, though forecasters stressed they don’t expect any damage. “Wave fluctuation” of 2 feet or less is possible at Santa Monica Pier around 12:25 p.m.
“The Coast Guard strongly encourages waterfront users to take extra precautions in preparation for the possibility of a surge, to include securing vessel mooring arrangements and possible sources of pollution,” according to a U.S. Geological Survey. statement.

The advisory was issued following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Here is the advisory from NWS:

A MINOR TSUNAMI MAY BE RECORDED IN SOME AREAS OF THE COAST WHICH COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS CURRENTS AND SURGES IN HARBORS AND BAYS.

PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BEACHES AND MARINAS. WAVE HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS ARE AMPLIFIED BY IRREGULAR SHORELINES AND ARE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT.

MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS TWO FEET OR LESS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIMES LISTED BELOW: PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR…AT 1235 PM PST. SANTA BARBARA HARBOR…AT 1231 PM PST. SANTA MONICA HARBOR….AT 1225 PM PST. SAN PEDRO HARBOR…….AT 1215 PM PST.

THESE MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS COULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. MARINERS IN WATER DEEPER THAN 600 FEET SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI.

Asia and Australia braced for a tsunami after a devastating earthquake hit the coast of Chile on Saturday

TOKYO Wide swaths of the south Pacific, Asia and Australia braced for a tsunami after a devastating earthquake hit the coast of Chile on Saturday.Officials in Japan and Australia warned a tsunami from the earthquake was likely to hit Asian shorelines within 24 hours. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami caution for areas across the region.”Sea-level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage,” the center said in a bulletin after the magnitude-8.8 quake. “Authorities should take appropriate action to respond to this threat.”

The center noted that the first waves after a quake are not necessarily the largest and said tsunami wave heights are difficult to predict because they can vary significantly along a coast due to the local topography.Earthquakes across the Pacific have had deadly effects on Asia in the past.A tsunami after a magnitude-9.5 quake that struck Chile in 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded, killed about 140 people in Japan, 61 in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. That tsunami was about 3.3 to 13 feet (one to four meters) in height, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.The tsunami from Saturday’s quake was likely to be much smaller because the quake itself was not as strong.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted earthquake experts as saying the tsunami would likely be tens of centimeters (inches) high and reach Japan in about 22 hours. A tsunami of 28 centimeters (11 inches) was recorded after a magnitude-8.4 earthquake near Chile in 2001.The Meteorological Agency said it was still investigating the likelihood of a tsunami from the magnitude-8.8 quake and did not issue a formal coastal warning.Australia, meanwhile, was put on a tsunami watch.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for a “potential tsunami threat” to New South Wales state, Queensland state, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Any potential wave would not hit Australia until Sunday morning local time, it said.The Bureau of Meteorology said a tsunami had already been observed off the coast of Chile that may threaten Australia.The earthquake struck early Saturday in central Chile, shaking the capital for a minute and a half.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for a swath of territories across the Asia-Pacific, also including New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan. (AP)

Japanese whalers clash with militant activists in the Antarctic Ocean

Antarctic Japan Whaling

CANBERRA, Australia  Japanese whalers and militant conservationists have clashed in the Antarctic Ocean over two days, with weapons including water cannon, blinding lasers and bottles of rancid acid, both sides said Wednesday.Each accused the other of coming dangerously close during the clashes. Neither reported any injuries or ship damage.The New Zealand-registered Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Ady Gil came within 66 feet (20 meters) of colliding with the bow of Japanese harpoon ship Sonan Maru No. 2 on Wednesday, the Japanese government-sponsored Institute of Cetacean Research said in a statement.

The activists tried to blind the Japanese crew with lasers and “fired ball-like projectiles with a projectile-launching device” during an attack that lasted 3.5 hours, the statement said.

Sea Shepherd accused the Japanese of using crowd-control sound technology known as a Long Range Acoustic Devices, or LRADs, as well as water cannon against the Ady Gil crew. The activists said they responded with lasers to get the Japanese to back off to a safe distance.

The Japanese said the attack on Wednesday was more dangerous than a confrontation late Tuesday between the same whaler and Sea Shepherd’s Netherlands-registered flag ship Steve Irwin.The Japanese accuse both Sea Shepherd ships of trailing ropes in failed bids to entangle the whaler’s rudder and propellor.

The whalers also accused the Steve Irwin crew of hurling bottles of butyric acid – a rancid liquid that occurs in spoiled butter – during a two-hour conflict on Tuesday.

Sea Shepherd makes an annual attempt to stop Japanese whalers from harpooning hundreds of whales during the southern hemisphere summer, which began this month.The first clash of the current whaling season happened Dec. 14 when the Steve Irwin and Sonan Maru No. 2 exchanged water cannon fire.

Japan’s whale hunts are allowed under international rules as a research program, despite a 1986 ban on commercial whaling. Whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunts.