‘A Bleak Picture of the State of the World’s Oceans’: Animal Diseases, Parasites Increasingly Plague Sea Mammals
“VANCOUVER – When dead sea mammals started washing ashore on Canada’s west coast in greater numbers, marine biologist Andrew Trites was distressed to find that domestic animal diseases were killing them.
Around the world seals, otters and other species are increasingly infected by parasites and other diseases long common in goats, cows, cats and dogs, marine mammal experts told a major science conference.
The diseases also increasingly threaten people who use the oceans for recreation, work or a source of seafood, scientists told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held this year in this Western Canadian city.
The symposium ‘Swimming in Sick Seas’ was one of many sessions at this year’s AAAS that drew a bleak picture of the state of the world’s oceans, which are increasingly acidic, warming in some areas and being inundated with melting ice or other climate change effects.
‘There are dramatic shifts in the ocean ecosystem,’ said Jason Hall-Spencer of Britain’s University of Plymouth, citing his research in Italy, Baha California and Papua New Guinea that is ‘all showing the same thing’ …” Read more.
Necropsy Finds Large Number of Parasites ‘Channeling Into the Brain’ of Dolphin That Died in Ocean City – “Preliminary results of a necropsy performed on the dolphin found dead in a bayside Ocean City lagoon on Sunday (Feb. 12) show ‘a heavy load of parasites channeling into the brain,’ according to Bob Schoelkopf, the director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine. Similar parasites were found in a dolphin found dead on a Delaware Bay beach in Lower Township on Sunday and in a dolphin that died shortly after stranding in Stafford Township off Barnegat Bay on Monday (Feb. 13), Schoelkopf said. All three animals were common dolphins, a species that typically travels in groups at least 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey.” Read more.
Another Alaska Volcano Awakens, Kanaga Threat Level Raised to Yellow
“First it was Alaska’s Mount Cleveland that awoke and threatened to erupt. Now Kanaga, another Alaska volcano is growing restless.
This weekend, the Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the threat level to yellow on Kanaga, located on Kanaga Island, one of the most southerly of the central Aleutian Islands chain.
‘Somewhat elevated seismicity continues at Kanaga Volcano,’ the observatory reported, adding that on Saturday a weak ash cloud may have been detected after a volcanic tremor.
Kanaga Volcano last erupted in 1994-1995. At least two significant ash plumes were recorded over the course of this eruption. The Aleutian community of Adak received a light dusting of ash and air traffic was disrupted due to continuing low-level activity and cloudy conditions, which prevented visual approaches to the Adak air field.” Read more.
Bolivia: Unprecedented Size and Longevity of Uturuncu Uplift Means ‘We Could Be Witnessing the Development of a New Supervolcano’
By Jean Friedman-Rudovsky – “UTURUNCU VOLCANO, Bolivia — The broad hill at the base of Uturuncu is unassuming. Its gentle arc fades naturally into the Andean landscape.
But the 43-mile-long stretch of rocky soil is now an object of international scientific fascination. Satellite measurements show that the hill has been rising more than half an inch a year for almost 20 years, suggesting that the volcano, which last erupted more than 300,000 years ago, is steadily inflating.
‘The size and longevity of the uplift is unprecedented,’ said Shanaka de Silva, a geologist at Oregon State University who has been studying Uturuncu since 2006.
Taken together with other new research, he continued, the inflation means ‘we could be witnessing the development of a new supervolcano.’
Such a volcano could produce an eruption of ash, rock and pumice 1,000 times the strength of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, the worst volcanic event in modern American history, and 10,000 times that of the Icelandic eruptions in 2010 that paralyzed global air traffic for weeks.” Read more.
Japan: Signs of Volcanic Unrest Reported at Mount Fuji, Sakurajima Volcanoes
“Reports are appearing about unrest and signs of a possible awakening of Mt Fuji volcano in Japan.
According to a report which includes an unclear photo of the area, a row of new craters, the largest 50 m in diameter, has appeared on the eastern flank of the volcano at 2200 m elevation. Steam was observed erupting from these vents.
The observation joins other signs suggesting a gradual reawakening: A swarm of earthquakes including 4 of magnitude 5 have occurred northeast of Mt Fuji on and after 28 January. An earlier 6.4M quake occurred under the volcano on 15 March 2011. The report also mentions increased activity from a fumarole vent at 1500 m elevation and hot spring areas at the eastern flank observed since 2003.
These locations seem to be aligned geographically, and are probably connected. Dr. Masaaki Kimura of Ryukyu University is quoted to admit that there is an increased risk of and eruption on the eastern flank and that the status of the volcano should be closely monitored.” Source – Volcano Discovery.
Large Explosion Recorded on Sakurajima Volcano in Japan (Video)
Report: Experts Fear Diseases ‘Impossible to Treat’ Following Alarming Rise in Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
By JEREMY LAURANCE – “Britain is facing a ‘massive’ rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat.
Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu.
Professor Peter Hawkey, a clinical microbiologist and chair of the Government’s antibiotic-resistance working group, said that antibiotic resistance had become medicine’s equivalent of climate change.
The ‘slow but insidious growth’ of resistant organisms was threatening to turn common infections into untreatable diseases, he said. Already, an estimated 25,000 people die each year in the European Union from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
‘It is a worldwide issue – there are no boundaries,’ he said. ‘We have very good policies on the use of antibiotics in man and in animals in the UK. But we are not alone. We have to think globally.’ Between 2005 and 2009 the incidence of E.coli ‘bacteraemias’ [the presence of bacteria in the blood] rose by 30 per cent, from 18,000 to over 25,000 cases. Those resistant to antibiotics have risen from 1 per cent at the beginning of the century to 10 per cent.
‘Only one in 20 of infections with [resistant] E.coli is a bacteraemia, so the above data are only the tip of an iceberg of infected individuals,’ says a report produced by Professor Hawkey’s group, commissioned by the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.” Read more.
Iran Poised to Greatly Expand Uranium Enrichment Capability, Former Netanyahu Chief of Staff Says Israeli Strike on Iran ‘Imminent’
By Madeleine Morgenstern – “The former chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities is ‘imminent.’
Naftali Bennett appeared on Fox News’ ‘Huckabee’ and painted a dire picture of a world with a nuclear Iran, saying Israel will not hesitate to take action if necessary — and that time is of the essence.
‘We’re at the very last moment. This is going to be the first time in history that a maniacal, radical Islamic regime will acquire a nuclear weapon,’ he said. ‘The day after they have a bomb will be a different day for the entire world.’
On Saturday, a report emerged saying Iran is headed for a major nuclear expansion, the same day as reports that Iranian warships had passed through the Suez Canal.
Calling Iran ‘an octopus of terror,’ Bennett told host Mike Huckabee in no uncertain terms: ‘We have to stop them, and yes, it is imminent.’
Huckabee questioned whether Israel would be able to sustain a ‘hot war’ against Iran, to which Bennett replied, ‘if necessary we will.'” Read more.
AP Exclusive: Iran poised for big nuke jump – ” Iran is poised to greatly expand uranium enrichment at a fortified underground bunker to a point that would boost how quickly it could make nuclear warheads, diplomats tell The Associated Press. They said Tehran has put finishing touches for the installation of thousands of new-generation centrifuges at the cavernous facility – machines that can produce enriched uranium much more quickly and efficiently than its present machines.” Read more.
Two Iranian warships arrive at Syrian port – “Two Iranian warships that passed through the Suez Canal earlier this week docked in Syria on Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The ships from Iran’s 18th fleet – which is comprised of a Khark supplier and Shahid Naqdi destroyers – had stopped in Jedda, Saudi Arabia earlier this month, according to Iran’s state Press TV. Earlier Saturday, Iranian Admiral Habibollah Sayari told a crowd of military leaders and naval personnel that the ships had crossed the Canal for the ‘second time since the Islamic revolution,’ according to the Iran’s official IRNA.” Read more.
US Lawmakers Urge Electronic Banking System SWIFT to Drop Iranian Banks, ‘This Is As Serious As It Gets’ in Economic Terms
By Roberta Rampton – “U.S. Senators agreed on Thursday to a plan that would pressure a global electronic platform used by the world’s banks to stop providing services to Iranian banks blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury.
The proposed measure is part of a package of new sanctions passed by the Senate Banking Committee that lawmakers hope will further crimp revenues that they say Tehran is using to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking nuclear arms.
If accepted, the provision would push the White House to press SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, to shut out Iran’s central bank and its other financial institutions from the infrastructure used for moving money between banks around the world.” Read more.
Jim Sinclair: ‘This is as serious as it gets in nuclear and economic terms’ – “Iran is to be dropped out of the Swift system in Belgium. That means Iran could neither send or receive bank money wires. That would slam Iran’s economy. This is economic war at the highest level of conflict. This could start a greater move of central banks with fears of the West to increase and retrieve their gold positions. It certainly puts cash reserves held by central banks (which are computer entries anyway) into serious question as to security. This is as serious as it gets in nuclear and economic terms. The only weapon that can be effective against Iran’s nuclear industry is Western nuclear deep penetration bunker busters. Hold tight to your insurance investment positions.” Source – SGT Report.
US Senators Introduce Resolution Backing Use of Military Force Against Iran (Video)
Former Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman on Senate Resolution: “… the Senators are right. The clock is ticking. Iran has to do the right thing and abolish it’s nuclear program, otherwise military action against Iran will be inevitable and I assure you, Megan, that if the US does not do it — and I hope they do — Israel will, because I would rather have the world … condemn a living Israel than console a dead Israel. We will not wait for that to happen.”
Drought, Famine Reach Crisis In West Africa’s Sahel Region, 10 Million at Risk
“NIAMEY, Niger — Top United Nations officials say 10 million people need help amid a food crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region.
U.N. Development and Humanitarian chiefs Helen Clark and Valerie Amos called Saturday for greater humanitarian response to the crisis that effects eight countries, including Niger.
During a visit, they commended Niger’s government for its agricultural projects that are building more resilience to nutrition crises.
The U.N. has previously said that more than 1 million children in the affected countries are expected to face life-threatening malnutrition this year.” Read more.
Radiation Ruled Out As Cause of Alaska Seal Deaths, For Now
Here’s an update on this story …
By Yereth Rosen – “ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Preliminary tests appear to rule out radiation from Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant as the cause of mysterious deaths and illness that struck scores of Alaska seals last year, federal officials said on Friday.
Preliminary tests of tissue samples from animals that fell victim to the lesion-causing disease found that radiation levels were normal and within ‘the typical background range for Alaska,’ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement.
More than 60 dead and 75 sickened seals, most of them ringed seals, were found on the northern and western coasts of Alaska last summer and fall. Some walruses were also afflicted by the disease, with a smaller number found dead.
The affected animals have bleeding lesions on their flippers and other body parts, patchy loss of hair, labored breathing and lethargy, according to NOAA, which in December declared the problem an ‘unusual mortality event.’
The findings that appear to clear the Fukushima plant of blame are only preliminary, Juneau-based NOAA spokeswoman Julie Speegle said, and more analysis will be conducted. Tests on healthy animals also found normal levels of radiation.
‘Part of the reason it doesn’t rule it out is we need to do more in-depth tests for Cesium 137 and Cesium 134,’ Speegle said.” Read more.
Alaska: Cleveland Volcano’s Lava Dome is Growing, Could Blow Soon
By CASEY GROVE, Anchorage Daily News – “A lava dome is growing at Cleveland Volcano as its current slow eruption continues, a sign that the restless Aleutian volcano could pop at any moment, the Alaska Volcano Observatory says.
Satellite images show the lava dome has expanded from about 50 meters to 60 meters across in the past week. The hardening lava still only occupies a small part of the roughly 200-meter crater, the observatory says.
The 5,676-foot volcano makes up the western half of Chuginadak Island about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. If Cleveland’s eruption turns explosive — perhaps blasting ash up thousands of feet, into trans-Pacific flight paths — it could disable the engines of airplanes that fly through it.
The explosiveness is characteristic of Alaska volcanos, scientists say.
Lava extruding inside Cleveland Volcano is thick and pasty, ‘like peanut butter,’ volcanologist Steve McNutt said.
‘The lava’s so viscous, it doesn’t flow like you’re used to seeing in pictures of Hawaii, where it’s fluid and runny,’ McNutt said. ‘So it piles up and makes a round, dome-like lava flow.’
The molten rock flows out of vents inside the volcano’s crater and piles up, McNutt said. When the dome grows so big that it covers those vents, gas builds up behind it, he said.
Then, when the pressure is high enough: ka-boom.” Read more.
Gullible: US, EU Welcome Iran Nuclear Letter, Suggest Talks
As hopeful as we should all be for any chance of peace, don’t be surprised if (when) this proves to be yet another Iranian ruse. Offering “talks” or “dialogue” in the form of statements or letters is the Iranian version of a “hudna” that has again and again and again done nothing but given the Ayatollah death cult something that money could never buy: Time. And now Iran is on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. I get the distinct impression that a “cautiously optimistic” West may once again prove itself to be hopelessly naive …
By Andrew Quinn and Arshad Mohammed – “(Reuters) – The United States and European Union expressed cautious optimism on Friday over prospects that Iran may be willing to engage major powers in new talks, but underscored any resumed negotiations must be sustained and focus on the nuclear issue.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters that Iran’s recent letter to Ashton might mark a step forward.
‘We think this is an important step and we welcome the letter,’ Clinton said in a joint meeting with Ashton. She stressed that the major powers were still reviewing their formal response to Tehran’s offer.
Ashton, who handles contact with Iran on behalf of the ‘P5+1’ group comprised of the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, said the letter showed ‘a potential possibility that Iran may be ready to start talks.’
Iran’s letter to Ashton, which was obtained by Reuters on Thursday, proposed resuming the stalled talks and said Tehran would have ‘new initiatives’ to bring to the table.
But the brief letter, which responded to a letter Ashton sent to her Iranian counterpart in October, offered no specific proposals, leaving a question mark over Tehran’s willingness to enter substantive negotiations on its nuclear work.” Read more.
Flashback: Iran won’t retreat ‘one iota’ from nuclear path, says Ahmadinejad – “Iran won’t retreat ‘one iota’ from its nuclear program and the world is being misled by claims it seeks atomic weapons, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday. His comments — broadcast live on state TV and his first since a UN watchdog report said Tehran is on the brink of developing a nuclear warhead — contrasted sharply with Western warnings that Iran appears to be engaged in a dangerous defiance of international demands to control its nuclear ambitions. In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said his country would support boosting sanctions against Tehran to an ‘unprecedented scale’ if Iran stonewalls investigations, even as Israel and others say that military options are still possible.” Read more.
Flashback: Ahmadinejad: Iran is Determined to Eradicate the ‘Infectious Tumor’ of Israel, ‘Will Never Withdraw’ From This Policy – “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday. ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime … Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy …” Read more.
Israel National News
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FrontPage Magazine
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Gatestone Institute
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- Lebanon Finally Says It Out Loud: Lebanon Does Not Belong to Iran, Iran Is the Problem
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- No Trust, No Illusions, No Nuclear Iran
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Middle East – The Jerusalem Post
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Earthquakes & Volcanic Activity
- World Earthquake Report for Wednesday, 10 June 2026
- Volcanoes Today, 10 Jun 2026: Fuego volcano, Semeru, Ibu, Dukono, Reventador, Lewotobi, Puracé
- Reventador Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA EMS LIKELY
- Lewotobi Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA TO FL090 OBS AT 10/0440Z MOV SW OBS VA DTG: 10/0440Z to 9000 ft (2700 m)
- Puracé Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: RCNT VONA RPRT
- Semeru Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA TO FL150 OBS AT 10/0110Z DRIFTING SW, W AND N to 15000 ft (4600 m)
- Fuego Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA EMS PSBL
- Dukono Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA ERUPTION LAST REPORTED AT 09/2356Z MOV NW
- Ibu Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA TO FL070 LAST REPORTED AT 09/1620Z EST VA DTG: 10/0010Z to 7000 ft (2100 m)
- World Earthquake Report for Tuesday, 9 June 2026
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