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Straits Times Forum 25 Jan 11;
IT APPEARS that Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has severely underestimated the demands of its bid proposal for the Marine Life Park ("Langkawi dolphin pens 'appalling'"; Jan 14).
It started with a reversal on its ability to house a whale shark. Then despite its assurances, two dolphins died.
It seems there are no contingency or fail-safe plans in place should things go awry.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reviewed and arbitrated over the decision to award the contract to RWS. It, therefore, has an extended responsibility in this issue which goes beyond simply stressing that RWS must comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) regulations.
On commercial grounds, the current situation is grossly unfair to the other international bidders who were not selected but submitted proposals they could have fulfilled.
Insisting on accountability will serve to deter future project bidders from submitting inflated proposals solely designed to win the bid, and which they may be little confident of completing.
What recourse do winning bidders have, should they encounter insurmountable difficulties, which is highly possible with these complex projects?
In the case of RWS, the dolphins are now bearing the brutal cost of the project's steep learning curve. We should seriously consider scrapping this contentious project to focus on other aspects of marine welfare instead.
Can STB and RWS clarify these queries to justify the claims of walking the talk on marine conservation.
Roger Chow
Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 24 Jan 11;
SINGAPORE: Animal welfare group, ACRES, (Animal Concerns, Research & Education Society) has won its appeal against the Clerk-of-Works who oversaw the construction of its Wildlife Rescue Centre (AWRC).
The AWRC had to be demolished due to environmental pollution caused by the use of unsuitable backfill materials.
In its judgement, delivered on January 20, the Court of Appeal concluded that Mr. Tan Boon Kwee was in breach of his duty of care to ACRES.
This negligence caused ACRES to suffer economic losses.
Justice Andrew Phang stated that ACRES has had to suffer the unnecessary stress and inconvenience of having to deal with a number of government agencies regarding the environmental damage from the contaminated back as well as delay the opening of the shelter and the commencement of the good work the shelter was intended for.
Justice Phang said while these may not be legally recoverable losses, it was a testament to the fortitude and determination of ACRES staff that they were not deterred by the numerous setbacks.
ACRES had sued the main contractor, ANA Contractor, and Mr Tan back in September 2008.
In March 2010, while Justice Kan Ting Chiu found the contractor liable and ordered them to pay damages, he dismissed the claim against Mr Tan. ACRES then appealed against the dismissal.
ACRES Director, Louis Ng, expressed delight at the verdict and said justice had been served. He added that ACRES will proceed to assess damages against both ANA and Mr. Tan.
The National Environment Agency has also filed criminal charges against both ANA and Mr Tan.
The NEA trial is scheduled for February.
Acres wins case against clerk of works
K.C. Vijayan Straits Times 25 Jan 11;
THE Court of Appeal has held a clerk of works to be negligent and liable for the losses caused to an animal rights group.
Mr Tan Boon Kwee was the site supervisor and a director of A n A Contractors, which was hired to build a home for abandoned animals in Choa Chu Kang.
The appeals court, presided by Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, in a judgment released last Thursday, overruled a lower court and held that the mess would have been avoided if Mr Tan had supervised the work properly.
The position of clerk of works, now known as resident technical officer or site supervisor, is provided for in the Building Control Regulations.
The saga began in September 2006, when Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) hired A n A to level a plot of land about the size of two football fields to build an animal shelter for $650,000. It was to have housed 400 animals like star tortoises and primates, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade or found injured, before they would be released here or overseas.
The contractor filled the land with woodchips that rotted and contaminated the soil and discharged brackish water. The 1.5ha area of 62 animal enclosures had to be demolished and the backfill material removed.
Acres sued A n A in the High Court, which last year ordered the company to pay damages, but held that Mr Tan was not liable.
Acres, through lawyers from Straits Law Practice, appealed and argued that Mr Tan owed a common law duty of care to supervise the backfilling and ensure suitable material was used.
But the contractor's lawyers from Lee & Lee countered that the Building Control Act did not impose such a duty on Mr Tan.
Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang noted there was nothing during the debate before the Act was passed to show Parliament intended that there should be no civil redress against negligent site supervisors.
'In the field of public and workplace safety, there is no reason why the courts should not be astute to introduce minimum standards of skill and care via the tort of negligence,' he wrote.
Both A n A and Mr Tan will have to pay damages to be assessed by the court registrar.
Acres executive director and founder Louis Ng said he hoped the problems can be rectified, and looked forward to opening the main sanctuary area.
Evelyn Choo Channel NewsAsia 24 Jan 11;
SINGAPORE : National water agency PUB said road-raising works, a flood-preventive measure, for Orchard Road are eight per cent completed.
It added that it is still on track to meet the completion deadline in June.
It is business as usual along Orchard Road in the daytime, but when the shopping district goes to sleep, roadworks begin.
Contractors have been asked to work from midnight to 6 am to minimise disruptions to traffic.
On top of that, works were halted during the festive periods.
Senior director of PUB, Yap Kheng Guan, said: "Work is planned in a way that even in those limited hours that we have, if we have to forgo those hours to make sure that the atmosphere is not in any way diluted, we will do so.
"And after Chinese New Year, if there are any special events, we will then make way for these events to take place, even if it means sacrificing those working hours."
The works along the 1.4-kilometre stretch of Orchard Road are split into three stages.
Firstly, kerbs along the roads have to be raised - and they have already been 90 per cent completed.
Secondly, the roads have to be raised by 10 centimetres initially. And finally, the roads will be layered by another 20 centimetres in height.
As of now, only half of Scotts Road has been completed - that is eight per cent of the project.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, touring the stretch of road, gave a progress update.
He said: "The kerb-raising - we are almost there, close to 90 per cent. Road-raising - we've done only about eight per cent. But the most important thing, I think, is that we've done this very well in terms of the overall coordination, both with the other users of the road and the business association.
"By all accounts, we're on track to finish the project by June this year. This is a very important part of our work to ensure the resilience of Orchard Road will be increased towards the kind of rainfall we saw last June."
Dr Yaacob added that he has not heard any complaints from the public or tenants regarding the construction.
But there was one initial concern raised by building owners - that the raised roads would mean they would have to adjust the height of their building entrances as well.
But the executive director of the Orchard Road Business Association, Steven Goh, said that problem has been addressed.
He added: "I think with the road-raising works, there will be some interfacing with the car park entrances into the buildings. And also they will be affecting some of the pavement areas as well.
"So you need to work with the individual stakeholders because the level of the pavement is different from building to building. So we are able to address that individually."
The popular shopping district was badly hit by floods last year, and the project started in November as a preventive measure.
- CNA/al
Orchard Road work 'on track'
Evelyn Choo Today Online 25 Jan 11;
SINGAPORE - Some two months after work started, the project to raise a stretch of Orchard Road to prevent a repeat of the flooding last June is "8 per cent" complete, according to the PUB.
And the statutory board noted yesterday that the project is on track for completion in less than five months.
The PUB began work in November on raising a 1.4km stretch between Orange Grove Road and Cairnhill Road.
Work is split into three stages: Elevating the kerbs along the road, raising the road by 10cm initially and, finally, layering the road to increase its height by another 20cm.
By June, upon the project's completion, the road will be raised by about 30cm.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim checked on the project's progress yesterday: Ninety per cent of the first stage has been completed, while half of Scotts Road has been raised by 30cm - roughly constituting 8 per cent of the work, according to the PUB.
Dr Yaacob reiterated that he was confident the project will be completed on time.
He said: "The most important thing ... is that we've done this very well in terms of the overall coordination, both with the other users of the road and the business association."
To minimise disruption to traffic, the work is carried out between midnight and 6am. Work was halted during the festive periods, the PUB said.
PUB senior director Yap Kheng Guan said: "Work is planned in a way that even in the limited hours that we have, if we have to forgo those hours to make sure that the atmosphere is not in any way diluted, we will do so.
"And after Chinese New Year, if there are any special events, we will make way for these events to take place, even if it means sacrificing those working hours."
Building owners were initially concerned that the project would mean they would have to adjust the height of their building entrances as well.
But Orchard Road Business Association executive director Steven Goh said this has been addressed, with the authorities working with the individual property owners.
Works to raise Orchard Road on schedule
Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 25 Jan 11;
THE ambitious $26 million project to raise a 1.4km stretch of Orchard Road, in a bid to stave off future floods, is on target for completion as scheduled in June.
About 70 per cent of the roadside kerbs have been lifted. And although less than a tenth of the road itself has been raised, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday he was confident work would be completed on time.
Speaking to reporters after a visit to the area, he said he was pleased with the progress so far, given the need to satisfy the competing needs of drivers and tenants in the area.
He said the engineers faced constraints, including having to work only at night to avoid the busy traffic along the premier shopping belt. They also work only on short stretches at a time so that as few lanes as possible are closed.
Dr Yaacob said the work could be stepped up after the Chinese New Year break, when it will be halted temporarily as part of an agreement between national water agency PUB and local businesses. 'The experts will look at the work plan and see how this can be accelerated. Given the option, we want to finish as quickly as possible,' he said.
The works aim to prevent a repeat of the floods that deluged parts of Orchard Road in June and July last year.
The floods came after bouts of unusually intense rainfall over a few hours, and cost retailers millions of dollars in damage. Basements and carparks of buildings like Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza were flooded.
As a result, the Government chose to raise the stretch of road from Orchard Parade Hotel to Cairnhill by an average of 30cm. It decided it was not feasible to widen the drains because the area was too built up.
Dr Yaacob yesterday asked businesses in Orchard to play their part by putting in place protection measures at buildings vulnerable to floods.
Some older buildings, for example, were designed based on outdated building codes that did not make it compulsory to install humps at the entrance of basement carparks.
He said businesses should follow the example of Liat Towers, which spent about $200,000 installing a pop-up barrier. 'We have been using public funds because we want to make sure Orchard is resilient to floods. At the same time, other parts of the system must also do their part,' he said.
Mr Steven Goh, executive director of the Orchard Road Business Association, said communication between businesses and the authorities had been mostly smooth.
However, some firms had raised concerns that construction at times blocked their carpark entrances. Others complained that the pavements were blocked for pedestrians, he said.
'The level of the pavements varies from building to building, so this has got to be addressed individually,' he said.
Asked if the project would allay public fears of a repeat of last year's floods, Dr Yaacob said: 'My sense is this will definitely build up the resilience of Orchard against the rain we saw last June.'
But he added: 'Will it prevent a similar event? We have to wait and see.'
ExxonMobil project said to hit construction snags; startup may now be early next year
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 25 Jan 11;
(SINGAPORE) The commercial startup of ExxonMobil's mega US$5-6 billion second petrochemical complex on Jurong Island, scheduled for the second half of this year, may be delayed.
Citing some construction 'issues', sources said the startup could possibly now be pushed back to early next year.
The US oil giant first broke ground in November 2007 for the complex - Singapore's largest single manufacturing investment to date - which was initially expected to begin operations in early 2011. This date was subsequently revised to H2 2011, when ExxonMobil provided a project update last April.
Sources cited issues like additional piling needed due to some soil subsidence, as well as delays from underground pipelines being installed late at a crucial plant site. This has apparently caused missed deadlines by some contractors there, and could potentially lead to a 3-6 month delay.
'But it's not a disaster like Shell's earlier hydrocracker woes, and more a hiccup,' one source said of the ExxonMobil project, citing the 1980 incident when Shell had to demolish and rebuild sub-standard, below-design strength concrete structures for its hydrocracker plant.
When contacted, an ExxonMobil spokesman would only say: 'We anticipate mechanical completion and startup of most of the units to occur in phases during 2011. The scale, complexity and interdependence of the units of this project requires that the startup process be done carefully and in sequence. Our top priority is the safety of our workforce.
'Exact dates will be determined when we can ensure that startup and continuing operations can be conducted safely and in a reliable manner. We cannot provide exact dates at this time. The startup process for many of the units can take months.'
The project had earlier reached a construction peak in the second half of last year with about 22,000 workers employed, the spokesman added, saying that 'the workforce is ramping down and there are currently about 19,000 workers on-site'.
ExxonMobil's first complex includes a 900,000- tonne per annum (tpa) main ethylene cracker on the petrochemicals island.
The latest complex comprises an upstream ethylene cracker of one million tpa, the largest here, and six secondary plants, plus a dedicated 220-megawatt cogeneration unit to supply utilities to the complex. The six downstream plants comprise two 650,000 tpa polyethylene units; a 450,000 tpa polypropylene unit; a 300,000 tpa specialty elastomers unit; an aromatics unit to produce 340,000 tpa of benzene; and an oxo-alcohol expansion of 125,000 tpa.
What has apparently added to the project's complexity is the fact that several contractors from different countries are in charge of the various sub-projects.
For instance, ExxonMobil awarded the construction contract for the steam cracker recovery unit to the Shaw Group, and that for the steam cracker furnaces to Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding and Heurtey. Mitsui was also given the building contracts for the polypropylene and specialty elastomer units, while those for the two polyethylene units went to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Last April - when the project reached a major milestone, with the arrival of seven giant furnace modules for the main cracker - EM Chemical's venture executive Georges Grosliere told BT that 'there are 15 sub-projects altogether' at the complex, with the first of these (the oxo-alcohol plant) already completed in September 2009.
'The philosophy is to get all these ready and tested before the cracker's startup in the second half of 2011,' he said at that time.
Zul Othman Today Online 25 Jan 11;
SINGAPORE - While many would say that the green movement to cut carbon dioxide emissions and reduce its amount in the atmosphere is gaining steam, Pulitzer Prize winning author Thomas L Friedman thinks otherwise.
In fact, the 57-year-old New York Times columnist believes what we are seeing now is more of a "party" than anything else.
Speaking to 1,000 people at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre Hall yesterday, he said a truly "green revolution" can only be arrived at when all involved realise it is time to either "change or die".
He added: "You know it's a real revolution when the word 'green' disappears completely.
"There will be no green buildings for example - there will just be a building that you can't build unless you use the highest levels of energy efficiency and sustainability."
As a journalist, Mr Friedman has reported on the Middle East conflict, the end of the Cold War, the United States domestic politics and foreign policy and the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat.
But in his 2008 book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America, Mr Friedman has been exploring the parallels between the climate crisis and the global economic crisis.
Explaining the motivation behind the book, Mr Friedman said it has become obvious that for a variety of reasons the US has lost its "groove" in recent years.
The book, he added, was his own contribution towards how "we can get our groove back" as a country.
So does he think that his words have had any resonance with American lawmakers?
Mr Friedman said: "I do believe it's getting there but it's not happening fast enough. I remain a die-hard optimist as we're moving in the right direction but it's nowhere at the speed, scale and scope that we need."
America could also learn from China in the area of clean technology, he said.
"The biggest thing that happened in the world was when China decided to go green. To my fellow Americans, I say watch out: Not only will we be importing toys but also the next generation of clean technology as well," said Mr Friedman.
Five reasons for a revolution
Shivali Nayak, RazorTV Straits Times 25 Jan 11;
THE world has been having a green 'party' and not a green revolution.
So says world-renowned author and columnist Thomas L Friedman, who was in Singapore on Monday to talk about why the world needs an environmental revolution. He believes that the world has to act soon - if it wants to function sustainably.
This is the second time that the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is hosting the author of non-fiction best sellers such as The World Is Flat and The Lexus & the Olive Tree.
This time round, his lecture focused on his latest book, Hot, Flat & Crowded, which explains why the world needs a green revolution as soon as possible.
The three-time Pulitzer Prize winner enthralled audiences with an hour-long lecture, in which he highlighted five challenges the world is facing. They are energy and natural resources, petrol-dictatorship, climate change, energy poverty and biodiversity loss.
He also took questions from the 1,000-strong audience at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre. RazorTV has the highlights of the Q&A.
Ella Davies BBC News 24 Jan 11;
Iran's critically endangered cheetahs are the last remaining survivors of a unique, ancient Asian subspecies, genetics experts reveal.
New analysis confirms Iran's cheetahs belong to the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus. DNA comparisons show that these Asiatic cheetahs split from other cheetahs, which live in Africa, 30,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest that Iran's cheetahs must be conserved to protect the future of all cheetahs.
Cheetahs formerly existed in 44 countries in Africa but are now only found in 29.
Historically, they were also recorded across southwest and central Asia but can now only be found in Iran.
Scientists have previously said that cheetahs have low genetic variability, theorising that a "population crash" approximately 10,000 years ago led to inbreeding in the species.
Despite this, five 'different' subspecies are currently described according to where they live.
Genetic studies in the 1990s confirmed cheetahs found in southern Africa (A. j. jubatus) and east Africa (A. j. raineyi) as separate subspecies.
However, it has not been clear whether populations in west Africa (A. j. hecki), northern-east Africa (A. j. soemmeringii), and north Africa and Iran (A. j. venaticus) are genetically different enough to deserve their current status as subspecies.
Aiming to solve the puzzle of modern cheetahs' origins, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria have been working in collaboration with the Iranian Department of Environment and wildcat conservation group Panthera.
Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Dr Pamela Burger and her team analysed the DNA of cheetahs from a wide geographical and historical range, including medieval remains found in north-western Iran.
"With our data we prove that current Iranian cheetahs represent the historical Asiatic subspecies A.j. venaticus as they share a similar genetic profile with specimen originating from northwestern Iran in 800-900 CE," explains Dr Burger.
The researchers have also been able to distinguish Iranian cheetahs from their nearest neighbours in northern-east Africa which were confirmed as A. j. soemmeringii.
Cheetahs in north Africa, previously considered the same subspecies as those in Iran, were actually found to have more in common genetically with those in west Africa.
By comparing sequences in the DNA, researchers have found that the unique Asiatic cheetahs separated from the rest of the species in southern Africa over 30,000 years ago.
Dr Burger explains that because this split occurred long before the theorised population crash, A.j. venaticus represents a highly distinct lineage.
"The implications of our discovery are that the confirmation of the subspecies is a basis for future conservation management. If the aim is to conserve this biodiversity, subspecies should not be mixed," she says.
Currently estimated at just 60-100 individuals with less than half at mature breeding age, the Iranian cheetah population is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Together with the United Nations Development Programme, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society the Iranian Department of the Environment has established a programme to make conservation of the Asiatic cheetah a national priority.
Conservationists are concerned that time is running out for Iran's cheetahs.
"We have been successful in stabilising numbers in Iran but we still have a long way to go before we can consider this unique sub-species secure," says Alireza Jourabchian, Director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Programme (CACP) in Iran.
Threats facing the small population include overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching.
What's On CN Xiamen 23 Jan 11;
Tourists throng to Xiamen, a world-famous resort in southeast China, for its seaside, sunshine and scenic cultural heritage sites. Now, Chinese white dolphins, as part of the city's oceanic landscape, may become the new sought-after attraction for tourists.
Xiamen is the only city in the world which allows people to see inshore dolphins on its beaches, whereas in other countries, such as Japan and Peru, people have to get to dolphins in the open sea after hours of ship-riding.
"In December, more than 30 dolphins appeared in one group in the Wuyuan Bay of Xiamen," Chen Bingyu, from the Xiamen Precious and Rare Marine Species Reserve Management Office, told Xinhua. "It's the first time in more than 20 years."
"In recent years, more and more dolphins have begun to appear in nearby sea areas," said Zhou Lumin, deputy chief of Xiamen Municipal Oceanic and Fishery Administration. "It's time for Xiamen to develop its dolphin-watching business."
The Chinese white dolphin, boasting the nickname of "giant panda in the sea" and living mainly in the sea areas around Xiamen and the Pearl River estuary in southern China, is a mammal guarded under the first-class state protection.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, it was not unusual for Xiamen citizens to enjoy watching groups of dolphins frolic in the sea.
"Unfortunately, the undue exploitation, pollution and consequent deterioration of the ecosystem around the area drove dolphins far away," said Chen.
As one of China's first four special economic zones, Xiamen has seen an unprecedented economic boom since 1980.
Twenty or thirty years ago, scenes of dolphins frolicking in groups faded out of sight and even out of mind of most Xiamen residents.
"The number of Chinese white dolphins is an important indicator for the ecological situation in the inshore sea areas," Zhou Lumin noted.
"Only when the oceanic ecosystem returns to normal, will the dolphin population rise again," Zhou added.
In 1994, Xiamen issued its first rules on the use of sea areas, regulations for oceanic environmental protection and regulations on conservation of the Chinese white dolphins.
Further, in 1997, the provincial Chinese white dolphin reserve of 5,500 hectares was set up in Xiamen to try to lure back the rare mammals.
"It's no easy task," said Zhou. "Dolphins feed on various kinds of fishes and shrimps and eat as much as seven kilograms of food at a time. They also require a high-quality water environment."
Meanwhile, "the environments suitable for dolphins are suitable for human beings as well," said Zhou.
Efforts have been made to improve and restore the marine ecosystem around Xiamen since the mid-1990s, with another 30-odd related laws and regulations issued following the 1994 rules and related public awareness campaigns built through media publicity.
Zhou divided the process of comprehensive management of marine ecology of Xiamen into three phases.
Firstly, pollution control. Waste materials were prevented from being directly discharged into the sea as more refuse disposal and sewage treatment plants were built.
Secondly, during the first decade of the 21st century, ecological reconstruction was put on top of the city's development agenda. Sea areas were allocated to more ecological and environment-friendly industries.
"Now we're in the third stage -- to restore the marine ecosystem of Xiamen," said Zhou, highlighting such projects as releasing fish fry into the sea, dredging silt from nearby sea areas and blasting part of the Gaoji Causeway to ease the water flow.
These efforts, said Professor Yu Dongsheng with the Xiamen-based Third Institute of the National Oceanography Bureau, had good results in conserving endangered animal species and expanding the living space of Chinese white dolphins.
"According to the data collected through marine monitoring stations, the number of dolphins around Xiamen has been increasing steadily since 2005," said Chen, adding that the population increase pointed to improvements in the quality of the marine ecosystem.
"When I was jogging along the beach one morning last October," Chen Wang, a citizen of Xiamen, recalled, "I saw three dolphins. And a month later, when I was on a boat, I saw five. Oh, they' re fantastic!"
More and more tourists will be able to share Chen Wang's excitement.
"We're going to set up some observation spots for tourists to watch dolphins more conveniently," said Zhou, hoping the move will also help people further understand the sea and act to protect it.
"Xiamen is a garden city in the sea. Isn't it wonderful to have dolphins around it?"
The World is sinking: Dubai islands 'falling into the sea'
The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai.
Richard Spencer The Telegraph 20 Jan 11;
But the World, the ambitiously-constructed archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of the globe, is sinking back into the sea, according to evidence cited before a property tribunal.
The islands were intended to be developed with tailor-made hotel complexes and luxury villas, and sold to millionaires. They are off the coast of Dubai and accessible by yacht or motor boat.
Now their sands are eroding and the navigational channels between them are silting up, the British lawyer for a company bringing a case against the state-run developer, Nakheel, has told judges.
"The islands are gradually falling back into the sea," Richard Wilmot-Smith QC, for Penguin Marine, said. The evidence showed "erosion and deterioration of The World islands", he added.
With all but one of the islands still uninhabited – Greenland – and that one a showpiece owned by the ruler of Dubai, most of the development plans have been brought to a crashing halt by the financial crisis.
Nakheel, the developer, was part of Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate that had to be bailed out of debts put at around $25 billion at the end of 2009. The Dubai World Tribunal was set up to hear cases arising out of the restructuring and separation of the companies involved.
The low-lying islands represent a vague shape out to sea when viewed from Dubai's beaches, but are visible by satellite or from the top of the city's Burg Khalifa, the world's tallest building, which opened to the public last year.
According to the company, 70 per cent of the World's 300 islands have been sold. Nakheel is also behind Dubai's famous Palm-shaped offshore developments. Villas in the only one near completion, Palm Jumeirah, were given to or bought by footballers including David Beckham and Michael Owen.
Though few celebrity buyers were found for The World, it was rumoured – or joked – that Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie had considered Ethiopia.
Many investors who did buy the islands proved unwilling or unable to finance further work when Dubai's property prices halved in the space of a year.
Some were hit by troubles elsewhere – the owner of the company which bought Ireland for £24 million, John O'Dolan, committed suicide, while the man who bought Britain for £43 million, Safi Qurashi, is serving seven years in jail in Dubai after being accused of bouncing cheques.
The dispute being heard by the property tribunal involves Penguin Marine, the company which bought the rights to provide boat travel to the islands.
With little business, it is trying to exit the contract, which involves paying an annual fee of just under £1 million to Nakheel.
Nahkeel say they will cash an advanced payment guarantee worth just over £1 million if that happens.
Penguin claim that work on the islands has "effectively stopped". Mr Wilmot-Smith described the project as "dead".
Graham Lovett, for Nakheel, said the project was not dead but admitted it was "in a coma".
"This is a ten-year project which has slowed down," he said. "This is a project which will be completed."
He said Penguin would make money eventually. "That's the price Penguin makes to stay in the game," he said. "They have the potential to earn millions."
The tribunal found for Nakheel on Thursday, saying it would give full reasoning later.
A spokesman for Nakheel insisted the islands were not sinking. "Our periodical monitoring survey over the past three years didn't observe any substantial erosion that requires sand nourishment," a statement said.
New Straits Times 24 Jan 11;
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal will hear businessman Anson Wong Keng Liang's appeal against his sentence for illegally exporting 95 reptiles.
A three-man bench led by Datuk Hasan Lah allowed Wong's leave application to appeal against the decision by a High Court.
Wong's counsel Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters that a notice of appeal must be filed within 14 days after leave was obtained.
"However, we will file by today (Monday) for the appeal to be heard as soon as possible," he said.
The Court of Appeal also allowed three questions of law to be ventilated during appeal and judge Datuk Abdul Malik Ishak, a member of the panel, also indicated that the case would be expedited as the issue was on jail term.
On Sept 6, the magistrate's court sentenced Wong to six months' jail and fined him RM190,000 after he pleaded guilty to illegally exporting 95 boa constrictors without a permit at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang at 8.50pm on Aug 26.
Wong, 52, an international wildlife trader, was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on transit from Penang to Jakarta when the snakes were found in his suitcase.
The prosecution filed an appeal for a heavier sentence following an outcry. On Nov 5, the High Court imposed a five-year jail term and revoked the fine, ordering it to be returned to Wong.
Stuart Michael and Christina Low The Star 25 Jan 11;
MANGROVE trees are still being logged in islands off Port Klang despite a ban by the Selangor government.
Selangor Forestry Department assistant director (operations and enforcement) Mohd Yussainy Md Yusop this showed that the thieves were not afraid of the authorities.
The department seized about 50,000 mangrove logs with an estimated value of RM500,000 in Pulau Ketam, off Port Klang, recently.
Yussainy said the thieves were defying the authorities by placing the logs at the same site.
“It is difficult to catch the thieves in action as they know how to evade the authorities because they know the area well.
“The thieves usually employ three or four foreigners in an island for a month to cut the trees and pile the logs near the river.
“The logs are shipped out by small boats during high tide and under the cover of darkness,” he said.
Yussainy said the middleman would provide food, water, gas and other necessities for the foreigners during the stay on the island.
“The foreigners are paid RM1 for each mangrove log,’’ he said.
During a joint operation by the State Forestry Department and Port Klang marine police recently,Yussainy and his team caught a middleman in his 40s who showed how the operation was carried out.
“We have caught the loggers and middleman but not the wholesaler. We are on the verge of busting the entire gang ring soon,’’ he said.
Port Klang marine police commanding officer Deputy Supt Norzaid Muhammad Said said his men would not give up and continue with more operations.
Norzaid said when the suspect took his men to a makeshift house built on stilts, the occupants had fled just minutes before the raid as a pot of rice was being cooked on the stove.
He said the mangrove area was important not only to preserve the environment but also to prevent floods or natural disasters such as a tsunami.
“Frequent patrolling in such areas is needed and we believe the culprits will return to the spots. As long as there is a demand for mangrove logs, illegal logging will continue,” he said.
Norzaid said the marine police would continue to work closely with the state Forestry Department to put an end to such activities.
“We may also consider changing our modus operandi in dealing with these illegal loggers,” said Norzaid.
One India News 24 Jan 11;
Mumbai, Jan 24 (PTI) The oil spill caused by the collision between two merchant vessels off the city coast las tyear has affected the regeneration of the mangrove vegetation,according to a study.
However, the mature stands of the most populated mangrove, Avicennia, was least affected by the marine disaster that occurred over five months ago, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a city-based NGO, has said.
"Avicennia marina has survived through several decades of heavy pollutions at Mumbai coast. Its mature stands were least affected by the oil spill. However, the spill certainly affected the regeneration putting the entire population of mangroves at stake," Deepak Apte, BNHS Deputy Director(conservation) said in his interim report on "Study of impact of oil spill on mangroves of Mumbai and Raigad coast from August to November 2010."
The final report is expected in November as more seasonal data is required to attain a sound idea about impact on mangrove seedling establishment as well as faunal communities, Apte said.
"The collision and subsequent oil spill certainly caused significant disturbance to the marine and coastal habitats. The oil, which spread over about 12.73 sq km area,had its own serious consequences over the marine life."
The study also reported three dead Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphins - two at Uran and one at Sasvane - both in adjoining Raigad district.
The mangrove community on Mumbai and surrounding coastal mudflats are dominated by Avicennia. (more) PTI LV RSYETB
Two cargo ships - MSC Chitra and MV Khalija - had collided on August 9. This had resulted in the release of an estimated 400 to 500 tonnes of fuel oil from their fuel tanks.
Following the crash, one of them, MSC Chitra, had tilted sharply and containers loaded on it had fallen into the sea.
As many as 31 of the 1,219 containers loaded on the vessels had hazardous chemicals, including pesticides.
The study covered oil spill affected coastal areas of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad districts including Colaba, Gharapuri, Vashi, Sewri, Karanja, Uran, Rewas, Mandava, Sasavane, Awas and Khim, Apte said
It said monitoring of ecologically sensitive species is important to assess the long-term impacts of the spill.
The reduction of oil content of the soil samples from August to September and from September to October varied largely from site to site. This can be attributed to the tidal movements and consequently oil being washed off from one place and getting deposited at the other, Apte added.
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