Men rescued from Pacific island after writing SOS in sand
Wellington: Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above, authorities say. The men had been missing in the Micronesia archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted Sunday on uninhabited Pikelot Island by searchers on Australian and U.S. aircraft, the Australian defense department said.
The men had apparently set out from Pulawat atoll in a 7-meter (23-foot) boat on July 30 and had intended to travel about 43 kilometers (27 miles) to Pulap atoll when they sailed off course and ran out of fuel, the department said. Searchers in Guam asked for Australian help. The military ship, Canberra, which was returning to Australia from exercises in Hawaii, diverted to the area and joined forces with U.S. searchers from Guam.
The men were found about 190 kilometers (118 miles) from where they had set out.
I am proud of the response and professionalism of all on board as we fulfill our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea wherever we are in the world,” said the Canberra’s commanding officer, Capt. Terry Morrison, in a statement.
The men were found in good condition, and an Australian military helicopter was able to land on the beach and give them food and water. A Micronesian patrol vessel was due to pick them up.
SOS is an internationally recognized distress signal that originates from Morse code. (AP)
Miner strikes it rich again with huge gem find
Nairobi (Kenya): A small-scale miner in Tanzania who had become an overnight millionaire over a month ago when he unearthed two of the biggest rough tanzanite gemstones ever found has struck it rich again, digging up a third stone weighing 6 kilograms (13 pounds) with an estimated value of USD 2 million. The three stones were discovered by SaninuLaizer. The first two stones have an estimated value of USD 3.4 million.
Tanzanite, with a deep violet-blue colour, is found only in the East African country and considered to be one of the rarest gemstones on earth.
Laizer waved the large stone over his head before handing it over to Tanzanian government officials who gave him a check to purchase it.
“I am begging my fellow miners, that we should be patriotic by adhering to rule and regulations and committing ourselves to work hard so that we prosper, said Laizer, in Swahili, referring to regulations that tanzanite stones should be sold directly to the government, rather than to illegal traders.
We Tanzanians have decided that minerals should first benefit us as a country,” said the Minister for Mines DottoBiteko. We have had enough of selling our gems to others who benefit while our communities remain poor. For example, in many mining areas business has gone up. Even areas where there was no business now things have improved. (AP)
Penguin poop spotted from space reveals hidden colonies
Berlin: British scientists say they’ve confirmed there are more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than previously thought based on evidence of bird droppings spotted from space. A study published on Wednesday by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey counted 61 emperor penguin colonies dotted around the southernmost continent, 11 more than the number previously confirmed.
Scientists used images from Europe’s Sentinel-2 satellite mission to look for smudges on the ice that indicated large amounts of guano, or penguin poop.
The majestic emperor penguin breeds in remote areas where temperatures can drop as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit). Researchers have long relied on aerial photographs and satellites to spot colonies of the flightless marine birds.
Peter Fretwell, a British Antarctic Survey geographer and the study’s lead author, called the latest count good news but noted that the newly spotted colonies were small. “(They) only take the overall population count up by 5-10 per cent to just over half a million penguins or around 265,500 278,500 breeding pairs, he said.
Emperor penguins are vulnerable to the loss of sea ice predicted to occur because of man-made global warming. Some researchers suggest the number of colonies could drop by more than 30 per cent by the end of the century. (AP)