Floods submerge south Romania, 2nd person drowns

July 31, 2014

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Authorities in Romania said a second person has drowned after rivers burst their banks and the flooding has also damaged around 2,200 houses in the south of the country.

Forecasters issued a severe weather warning Thursday for parts of southern Romania, which has been worst hit by the floods this week. About 300 people were stranded by floods in a village near the Gilrot River, which bursts its banks. Authorities said a man was found dead several kilometers from his home, the second person to drown. Around 1,200 people have been evacuated, and among the damaged homes, 99 of them are completely destroyed.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Attila Korodi said he would investigate whether excessive cutting of forests had caused the floods.

Hindenburg, 80 years on, still divides Germany

July 31, 2014

Field Marshal Hindenburg, a decorated hero of World War I but also the president who paved the way for Hitler's rise, still divides Germany 80 years after his death.

The legacy of the stocky and mustachioed Prussian war horse and statesman is as complicated as his full name -- Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg.

Hindenburg became a national hero in 1914 as the winner of the crucial battle of Tannenberg against the Russian army. In the years after that victory, German town squares, avenues and streets were named after him.

Many cities declared him an honorary citizen, and his name was later used for a giant zeppelin airship, now best remembered for spectacularly exploding after a transatlantic journey in New Jersey in 1937.

But Hindenburg is also the man who, despite a documented personal animosity against Hitler, went on to appoint the Nazi leader as chancellor on January 30, 1933.

It was a move that struck the death knell of the Weimar Republic of which Hindenburg had been president since 1925.

The question that keeps flaring in Germany is whether his memory should be honored, or whether he must be primarily remembered as an enabler of Nazi terror, world war and the Holocaust.

In July, artist Wolfram P. Kastner and two other activists gave their own answer to that question by screwing the head off a Hindenburg bronze bust in the Bavarian small town of Dietramszell south of Munich.

They stuck a Nazi swastika-sticker on the marshal's right eye and left it lying under a wooden cross on the nearby property of a family where Hindenburg used to spend his summer holidays.

Next to the disembodied head they placed a sign reading "No place for Nazi backers".

- 'Multi-faceted personality' -

For several years, in the lead-up to this year's centenary of the outbreak of World War I, Hindenburg, who died on August 2, 1934, has featured in often heated political debates in Germany.

In the early summer, the "Hindenburg case" occupied the parliament of the city-state of Berlin, which had on April 20, 1933 named the marshal its 58th "honorary citizen".

The 59th, who was named the same day, was Hitler.

But even though the Nazi tyrant's name was struck off the list in December 1948, Hindenburg's remained, to the ire of some politicians.

"One hundred years after the start of the murderous First World War, it is time to strike from Berlin's honor roll the militarist who paved the way for Hitler," pleaded Wolfgang Brauer, of the far-left Die Linke party.

But the conservative Christian Democrats and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), opposed the motion.

Social Democratic lawmaker Alex Lubawinski notably described the marshal as a "multi-faceted personality" and also called him a "democrat".

Asked by AFP, the head of the SPD parliamentary group in Berlin, Torsten Schneider, did not wish to comment, while a spokesman said the group was "continuing to discuss the issue".

- 'Cleansing the past' -

Other German cities long ago purged Hindenburg's name from their maps.

In 2012, the northwestern city of Muenster decided to rename its Hindenburg square, following a petition with over 15,000 signatures and a referendum which the "anti-Hindenburg" camp won with nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Cities that scrapped Hindenburg off their lists of honorary citizens include Dortmund, Halle, Kiel, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

Wolfram Pyta, a history professor at Stuttgart University who wrote a biography of Hindenburg, said he did not want to take sides.

But he believes Hindenburg was not, when he appointed Hitler as chancellor, a senile old man who was manipulated, as some historians have argued.

Hindenburg "always knew what he was doing," Pyta told conservative daily Die Welt.

"Behind Hitler's appointment ... he saw a chance to implement his vision of a 'national community', not only with the force of his presidential power, but with the support of an authoritarian government."

But he also said the emotional debate, concerning not just the legacy of Hindenburg, reflects a strong critical tendency in Germany concerning the nation's past.

In this regard, he believes Magdeburg, a city in formerly communist East Germany, acted in the most exemplary manner on the sensitive issue, by keeping Hindenburg among its honorary citizens for now while organizing a symposium on the subject.

"It will also deal with the personalities who were chosen as honorary citizens in (East German) times," Pyta told AFP.

Some in Magdeburg argue that even divisive names should be kept, for the sake of the collective memory.

"If we cleanse all the street names of all personalities who have been shown to be less than pure democrats ... then we will end up sanitizing our own past," Pyta said.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Hindenburg_80_years_on_still_divides_Germany_999.html.

Interfaith house of prayer to be built in Berlin

August 01, 2014

BERLIN (AP) — A rabbi, an imam and a priest start praying together under the same roof. It may sound like the start of a joke, but hopes are high it will become reality in Berlin.

The three men are working together to build a common house of worship — the "House of One" — in the center of the capital that will include a church, a mosque and a synagogue, as well as a joint meeting hall at the center of the building.

"We have noticed, as a community here in the middle of the city, that a lot of people want to meet people from different backgrounds and religions and that there is a strong desire to show that people from different religions can get along," Pastor Gregor Hohberg of Berlin's St. Petri parish told The Associated Press. "We want to make a point and show that religions can be a cause of peace."

Hohberg came up with the idea for the House of One, and teamed with Berlin Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin and Imam Kadir Sanci. The trio hope Christians, Jews and Muslims will soon study and pray together. "I believe in the power of dialogue," said Rabbi Ben Chorin. "In the world we live in we have two possibilities: war or peace. Peace is a process and in order to achieve it, you have to talk to each other."

The future interfaith meeting place is planned for the Petriplatz square in downtown Berlin. Currently there's nothing but a few old sycamore trees on a sandy parcel of land that is surrounded by a busy street and old east German tenement buildings.

But the spot has a long history: It is the place where the city was first settled in the 13th century, and for hundreds of years was home to Berlin's St. Petri church, until it was heavily damaged during World War II and eventually torn down by East German authorities in 1964.

The city, which inherited the plot after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, has already given its OK for the construction of the House of One. The design by Berlin's architect company Kuehn Malvezzi envisions a building 40 meters (130 feet) tall with a tower that will be accessible for visitors. The central meeting hall will be able to seat 380 people, with the separate church, synagogue and mosque all adjacent to it.

Construction costs are estimated at 43.5 million euros ($58.3 million), and funding is entirely through donations. In an online crowd-funding campaign, the three clerics are asking people from around the world to contribute by buying bricks for the building for 10 euros ($13.40) each.

Since launching the campaign at the start of June they have received a little more than 35,000 euros ($46,800). The three are also seeking corporate sponsorship and larger donations from private individuals, and the plan is to start construction work in 2016. There is no estimated time of completion.

Meanwhile, believers of the different faiths have already used the future site of the House of One for joint open-air prayers. Last week, around 150 people came together to pray for peace in the Middle East and an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

"It is very important for us to overcome all the negative news in the world," said Imam Sanci. "I have the wish, for my children, my family, for myself and for everyone, that diversity becomes a reality and that people will accept each other in their otherness."

France moves to disband violent Jewish group

2014-07-31

By Abhik Chanda
Paris

France is mulling disbanding a radical Jewish group whose members clashed with pro-Palestinian activists during rallies over Israel's offensive in Gaza, a source close to the case said Thursday.

News of the mooted ban on the Jewish Defense League (LDJ) came just ahead of an evening pro-Israel demonstration outside Israel's embassy, located near the French prime minister's office.

The rally called by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) is in response to weeks of protests marred by clashes, arrests and allegations of anti-Semitism in which synagogues were targeted and Israeli flags burnt.

The CRIF's head Roger Cukierman distanced his group from the LDJ as news of the possible ban emerged, saying: "We share neither their ideology nor their methods."

"It's a tiny organization comprising a few dozen members from what I know," he said, but expressed surprise that the government was not planning to ban "pro-Palestinian groups which have tried to vandalize eight synagogues in the Paris region."

The presence of charged-up JDL activists on the sidelines of recent rallies was seen as one of the reasons they turned violent, with clashes outside a synagogue on July 13 leading to a ban on subsequent pro-Palestinian protests.

"We are carrying out an extremely fine analysis of the law," a source close to the case said, confirming a report by French newspaper Liberation of the move to disband the LDJ.

Last week Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the group's actions were "excessive" and "should be condemned".

The French LDJ denies breaking French laws. It takes inspiration however from the far-right Jewish Defense League, labeled a terrorist organization by the FBI in 2001.

It also uses the emblem of a banned Israeli far-right party, the Kach, a raised fist inside a black Star of David, set against a yellow backing.

The Gaza conflict has stirred up huge passions in France -- home to the largest Muslim and Jewish communities in western Europe with around five million Muslims and half a million Jews.

While many protests around the country have gone smoothly, some demonstrations in Paris and the northern suburb town of Sarcelles have descended into chaos and looting in which Jewish businesses were targeted.

French far-left and Muslim leaders have been calling for action against the LDJ, with the French Muslim council branding it "an extremist, racist and violent association."

The government meanwhile has come under attack for banning some demonstrations on the ground that it went against the principle of freedom of speech and assembly.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen meanwhile blasted the ruling Socialists for failing to stem "riots in the heart of Paris" after having banned demonstrations.

"We must protect the right to demonstrate but from the moment that the state takes a decision to ban a rally they must provide the powers so that the ban is respected," said the head of National Front party.

"We ask policemen to confine troublemakers within a specific perimeter but... neither to arrest them nor to burn or break everything," she said Thursday.

Scores of people have been arrested following the riots and unrest that marked most of the Gaza demonstrations in and around Paris.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67379.

Newest Tiger attack helo tested in Djibouti

by Richard Tomkins
Paris (UPI)
Jul 31, 2013

The latest version of the Tiger combat helicopter of the French Army has undergone operational trials at a French military base in Djibouti.

The Tiger HAD, or fire-support and destruction, aircraft is made by Airbus Helicopter, formerly known as Eurocopter.

It is a four-bladed, twin-engine missile-firing attack helicopter.

The French Ministry of Defense said the testing in Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, were to evaluate the aircraft's performance in high temperature conditions and desert/sand environment, and also or operating the aircraft under difficult conditions.

The tests, it said, were necessary to clear the new aircraft for operational use later this year. Included in the testing was live-fire exercises with gun, rockets and missiles.

The testing lasted one month.

"The campaign was conducted in three phases: a first phase devoted to technical testing of the aircraft, a second phase focused on the Tiger weapon system, and a third phase of wrap-up exercises performed in a tactical scenario, notably in support of the French army's locally-based unit," the Ministry of Defense said.

"Throughout this campaign, the Army Aviation detachment and the Support Group of the French Forces in Djibouti brought their knowledge of the desert environment and its aviation specificities, as well as the logistic support necessary for the Tiger detachment to achieve its mission."

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Newest_Tiger_attack_helo_tested_in_Djibouti_999.html.

Italy, Poland vie for top EU foreign policy job

August 01, 2014

BRUSSELS (AP) — As the European Union struggles to respond to what it perceives as Russia's aggressive meddling in Ukraine, Italy and Poland are staking their claims to provide the bloc's new foreign-policy chief — kicking off a race in which the candidates' views of Moscow will likely be decisive.

Incumbent Catherine Ashton's term as the 28-nation bloc's top diplomat ends in October. The position has gained profile in recent years with Ashton taking the lead in six-power negotiations on Iran's nuclear program that also involve the United States.

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi's office said Friday it officially nominated Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini for the position, while the Polish government advertised its foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, as "just right" for the task.

Several eastern European governments reject Mogherini, a 41-year-old center-left politician who has been a minister only since February. They think she lacks experience and is too Moscow-friendly because of Italy's close business ties with Russia and the country's reliance on Russian energy supplies.

Sikorski is esteemed by many eastern Europeans for his outspoken and critical stance toward Russia, but that makes EU leaders fear his appointment would make reconciliation with Moscow still harder. The 51-year-old, Poland's conservative foreign minister since 2007, established a pragmatic working relationship with Moscow despite his distrust of Russia. Since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, however, Sikorski repeatedly called on NATO to set up a permanent base in Poland, which Moscow would consider a provocation.

Overall, Mogherini's chances seem higher than Sikorski's, also because the bloc's center-right leaders already secured other top EU jobs. Potential compromise candidates reportedly include Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans and EU Development Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria, though they haven't been nominated by their governments.

A summit of the EU's 28 leaders on Aug. 30 is set to pick the new top diplomat, who will take office in November with the rest of the new EU Commission.

Vanessa Gera in Warsaw and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed.

Ukraine, Russia spar over soccer in Crimea

August 01, 2014

MOSCOW (AP) — Five months after the annexation of Crimea, Russia and Ukraine are now squabbling over soccer clubs in the region.

Defying authorities in Ukraine, Russia is incorporating three Crimean teams into its own leagues — a move that could strain relations between the host country of the 2018 World Cup and the sport's world governing body.

The three Crimean clubs — SKChF Sevastopol, Zhemchuzhina Yalta and Tavria Simferopol — will leave Ukrainian soccer and play in the second division south, part of the Russian league system's third tier, the Russian Football Union said in a statement.

Ukrainian soccer officials called on FIFA and European governing body UEFA to respond, saying Russia has no right to run the sport on what Ukraine considers its territory. FIFA has already rejected calls for Russia to be stripped of the World Cup in the wake of the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine.

"We can't do the work of FIFA and UEFA," Ukrainian Football Federation spokesman Pavel Ternovoi told The Associated Press on Friday. "We hope that in the near future these bodies take the corresponding decisions."

The move by Russia in Crimea follows other problems for more well-known Ukrainian soccer teams. While Crimea has avoided the violence raging in eastern Ukraine, it has not escaped the chaotic conditions for sport in the region.

Ukrainian champion Shakhtar Donetsk has been forced to play its home games in exile in Lviv near the Polish border, a Ukrainian-speaking city that is the cultural opposite of mostly Russian-speaking and industrial Donetsk.

Six Shakhtar players, all from South America, have refused to report back to the club for the new season, citing safety concerns. Some are now reportedly in talks to transfer to clubs in other European countries.

Ukraine's other representative in the Champions League — Europe's top club competition — is Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, which is playing its home games in the capital, Kiev. Its first European match of the season — a third-round qualifying game against FC Copenhagen — was interrupted by crowd violence Wednesday, prompting a UEFA investigation.

Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in March, it has registered a total of five new clubs there. Sergei Stepashin, a former Russian prime minister who sits on the RFU executive committee, told local media that "sanctions are possible" if Russia incorporates the Crimean clubs, but that the organization had "no doubts" it was the right thing to do.

Asked about possible sanctions against the Russians, Ternnovoi said the Ukrainian federation "doesn't want the destruction of Russian football." "The federation wants justice and the absence of politics in football, both in Russia and in Crimea," he said.

The RFU wants Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, a FIFA executive committee member, to lobby FIFA President Sepp Blatter on the issue, Stepashin said. FIFA and UEFA offices in Switzerland were closed Friday, a national holiday. Attempts to reach officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Some European politicians, including British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, want Russia removed as host of the 2018 World Cup. But FIFA has stood by Russia, saying the tournament "can achieve positive change" in the country. FIFA President Sepp Blatter had already rejected calls to strip Russia of the tournament after it annexed Crimea.

Russian World Cup organizers have previously said Crimea could host team training bases during the tournament. While eastern Ukraine has been engulfed by fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels, Crimea has remained peaceful and fully under Russian government control.

With more than 1,000 people killed — including the 298 passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 — and many more displaced, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has touched all aspects of everyday life. Last week, Ukrainian Premier League club Zorya Luhansk, whose home city is the base of a pro-Russian group, posted pictures of damage to its stadium caused by mortar rounds that smashed seats and left a crater in the field.

Tavria shares its name with a former Ukrainian champion club renowned as a hotbed of pro-Ukraine sentiment in Crimea, especially among its hardcore fans. Even after the annexation, Tavria and fellow Crimean team FC Sevastopol played out the remainder of the season in the Ukrainian Premier League, but have now been replaced by new Russian-registered entities.

In the second division south, the Crimean clubs will face a mixture of once-major Russian clubs fallen on hard times, such as former national champion Alania Vladikavkaz, local semi-professional clubs and reserve teams for Premier League sides.

Playing in tiny Russian provincial stadiums represents a step down for longtime Tavria fans, whose team was playing Europa League soccer as recently as the 2010-11 season.

Our galaxy is way smaller than previous estimates

Edinburgh, UK (SPX)
Jul 31, 2014

The Milky Way is smaller than astronomers previously thought, according to new research. For the first time, scientists have been able to precisely measure the mass of the galaxy that contains our solar system.

Researchers have found that the Milky Way is approximately half the weight of a neighboring galaxy - known as Andromeda - which has a similar structure to our own. The Milky Way and Andromeda are the two largest in a region of galaxies which astronomers call the Local Group.

Scientists say that Andromeda's extra weight must be present in the form of dark matter, a little-understood invisible substance which makes up most of the outer regions of galaxies. They estimate that Andromeda contains twice as much dark matter as the Milky Way, causing it to be twice as heavy.

Researchers say their work should help them learn more about how the outer regions of galaxies are structured. Their findings also provide further evidence in support of a theory which suggests that the universe is expanding.

Although both galaxies appear to be of similar dimensions, until now scientists had been unable to prove which is larger.

Previous studies were only able to measure the mass enclosed within both galaxies' inner regions. In this new study, researchers were also able to work out the mass of invisible matter found in the outer regions of both galaxies, and reveal their total weights. They say 90 per cent of both galaxies' matter is invisible.

A team of scientists led by the University of Edinburgh used recently published data on the known distances between galaxies - as well as their velocities - to calculate the total masses of Andromeda and the Milky Way.

Dr Jorge Penarrubia, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the study, said: "We always suspected that Andromeda is more massive than the Milky Way, but weighting both galaxies simultaneously proved to be extremely challenging. Our study combined recent measurements of the relative motion between our galaxy and Andromeda with the largest catalog of nearby galaxies ever compiled to make this possible."

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Our_galaxy_is_way_smaller_than_previous_estimates_999.html.

Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits

Washington DC (SPX)
Aug 01, 2014

Unlike our solitary Sun, most stars form in binary pairs -- two stars that orbit a common center of mass. Though remarkably plentiful, binaries pose a number of questions, including how and where planets form in such complex environments.

While surveying a series of binary stars with the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub millimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers uncovered a striking pair of wildly misaligned planet-forming disks in the young binary star system HK Tau. These results provide the clearest picture ever of protoplanetary disks around a double star and could reveal important details about the birth and eventual orbit of planets in a multiple star system.

"ALMA has given us an unprecedented view of a main star and its binary companion sporting mutually misaligned protoplanetary disks," said Eric Jensen, an astronomer at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. "In fact, we may be seeing the formation of a solar system that may never settle down."

The two stars in this system, which is located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus, are less than 5 million years old and separated by about 58 billion kilometers, or 13 times the distance of Neptune from the Sun.

This system's companion star, dubbed HK Tau B, appears fainter to astronomers on Earth because its disk of dust and gas blocks out much of the starlight. The disk itself, however, can be easily observed by the starlight that it scatters at optical and near-infrared wavelengths.

The disk around the main star, HK Tau A, is tilted in such a way that the light from its host star shines through unobscured, making it difficult for astronomers to see the disk optically. This is not a problem for ALMA, however, which can readily detect the millimeter-wavelength light emitted by the dust and gas that comprise the disk.

With its unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, ALMA was able to fully resolve the rotation of HK Tau A's disk for the first time. This clearer picture enabled the astronomers to calculate that the disks were misaligned - meaning they were out of sync with the orbit of their host stars -- by as much as 60 degrees or more.

"This clear misalignment has given us a remarkable look at a young binary star system," said Rachel Akeson of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. "Though there have been hints before that this type of misaligned system exists, this is the cleanest and most striking example."

Stars and planets form out of vast clouds of dust and gas. As material in these clouds contracts under gravity, it begins to rotate until most of the dust and gas falls into a flattened protoplanetary disk swirling around a growing central protostar.

Despite forming from a flat, regular disk, planets can end up in highly eccentric orbits, and may be misaligned with the star's equator. One theory for how planets can migrate to these unusual orbits is that a binary companion star can influence them - but only if its orbit is initially misaligned with the planets.

"Our results demonstrate that the necessary conditions exist to modify planetary orbits and that these conditions are present at the time of planet formation, apparently due to the binary formation process," noted Jensen. "We can't rule other theories out, but we can certainly rule in that a second star will do the job."

Since ALMA can see the otherwise invisible dust and gas of protoplanetary disks, it allowed for never-before-seen views of this young binary system. "Because we're seeing this in the early stages of formation with the protoplanetary disks still in place, we can see better how things are oriented," noted Akeson. "You can simply see gas better than you can see planets."

Looking forward, the researchers want to determine if this type of system is typical or not. They note that this is a remarkable individual case, but additional surveys are needed to determine if this sort of arrangement is common throughout our Galaxy.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Young_binary_star_system_may_form_planets_with_weird_and_wild_orbits_999.html.

Mars 2020 rover will carry tools to make oxygen

Washington (AFP)
July 31, 2014

The suite of space-age tools loaded on NASA's next robotic vehicle, bound for the Red Planet in 2020, will include a device for making oxygen out of carbon dioxide.

Designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Mars Oxygen ISRU (in situ research utilization) Experiment (MOXIE), aims to see if Martian air could be converted for astronauts to breathe.

NASA has sent a series of robotic vehicles to Mars -- the latest is the Curiosity rover which launched in 2012 -- and hopes to have people exploring the surface of Earth's neighboring planet by the 2030s.

"The 2020 rover will help answer questions about the Martian environment that astronauts will face and test technologies they need before landing on, exploring and returning from the Red Planet," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA.

The Mars 2020 rover also aims to "identify and select a collection of rock and soil samples that will be stored for potential return to Earth by a future mission."

It will "conduct geological assessments of the rover's landing site, determine the potential habitability of the environment, and directly search for signs of ancient Martian life."

Other proposals accepted for the unmanned 2020 rover include advanced cameras and spectrometers for analyzing chemical composition, mineralogy and detecting organic compounds.

The rover will also carry a ground-penetrating radar and sensors for analyzing temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, relative humidity and dust, NASA said.

The proposals chosen by NASA as scientific tools are valued at $130 million.

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Mars_2020_rover_will_carry_tools_to_make_oxygen_999.html.

Hundreds of cats take over island in New York

By Evan Bleier
Aug. 1, 2014

TONAWANDA ISLAND , N.Y., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- They might not have a council or a conch, but cats have completely taken over an island in the middle of the Niagara River in New York.

Locals estimate that Tonawanda Island now has hundreds of abandoned and feral cats roaming its shores.

People don't live on the 85-acre island year-round, but the cats now do.

Word about the cat population has apparently spread because people will come to the island specifically to drop off their unwanted feline friends.

"They're throughout the whole island," Mike Charnock, the owner of the Shores Waterfront Restaurant & Marina, told WIVB. "They're multiplying horrendously; there's just too many cats is what it boils down to."

Danielle Coogan is attempting to help the situation with a GoFundMe effort called "Operation: Island Cats."

"This is a small island with a big cat problem," Coogan said. "They're just cats that no one really cares about so we are going to try and clean up the island."

She has already raised more almost $6,000 which will be used to get the cats spayed and neutered.

Many of the adult cats on the island are "too wild" to leave, but some of the kittens will be put up for adoption.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/08/01/Hundreds-of-cats-take-over-island-in-New-York/8141406902059/.

Greenpeace vessel, Arctic Sunrise, leaves Russia

By Daniel J. Graeber
Aug. 1, 2014

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise has left a Russian port headed to a Dutch port in Amsterdam, the protest group said Friday.

"Overnight into Friday, after accomplishing inspection and customs control, Arctic Sunrise under its own power left [Russia's northern port city of] Murmansk," the group said.

The vessel was seized by Russian authorities following the September arrest of 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, dubbed the Arctic 30. The group last year used Arctic Sunrise to gain access to the Prirazlomnaya rig, deployed by Russian energy company Gazprom for work in the country's arctic waters.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the action "had the appearance of extremist activity." Greenpeace said it was concerned about the potential for an oil spill in the harsh arctic environment.

The ship's captain, Daniel Rizzotti, said in a statement posted on a Twitter site used by the activist group that campaign for the arctic wasn't over.

"We sail home with the voices of 5 million Arctic Defenders in our ears," he said "This is a new beginning."

Greenpeace activists in May staged a similar protest against Gazprom and Norwegian energy company Statoil for their planned operations in the frigid northern climate.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/08/01/Greenpeace-vessel-Arctic-Sunrise-leaves-Russia/9371406885516/.