Monthly Archives: June 2013

Saint FM recalls fire at sea, 40 years ago

Posted on June 29, 2013 by

The story of a near-disaster aboard a ship bound for St Helena has been retold in a 40th anniversary radio programme – by the presenter who covered it at the time. Tony Leo revisited interviews he recorded with survivors of … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, Media, Shipping | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Island’s large bellflower ‘could be lost’ to genetic mix-up

Posted on June 28, 2013 by

St Helena’s endemic large bellflower could become extinct within a few years – even though it is raising new plants. The fear for conservationists is that the few remaining wild plants are getting mixed up with another endemic species, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trawler visit is first step to buying island boats, says Rob

Posted on June 28, 2013 by

St Helena could build up its own fleet of off-shore trawlers if exploratory fishing off the island’s sea mounts is successful, according to enterprise chief Rob Midwinter. He said investors would demand proof that there were enough fish to catch … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Fishing, Government/Politics, News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

UK sends message on need for open government

Posted on June 27, 2013 by

The British government says it will be looking for transparency in the way St Helena spends millions of pounds it receives in aid funding. Its latest update on British overseas territories says: “More than ever, in the current financial climate, … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DfID sets out to tackle St Helena diabetes and cut aid

Posted on June 27, 2013 by

The diabetes crisis on St Helena has been picked out as one of the main targets for action by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID). It also wants to reduce the island’s dependence on British aid. The incidence of … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Astronomer gives St Helena a gold star

Posted on June 27, 2013 by

The skies above St Helena have been judged to be dark enough for the island to become one of the world’s most attractive star-gazing destinations. It could win official recognition as a “dark sky island” within 12 months – though … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Halley mapped the sky from St Helena

Posted on June 27, 2013 by

The astronomer Edmond Halley – famous for Halley’s Comet – spent a year on St Helena, creating the world’s first map of the stars over the Southern Hemisphere. JOHN GRIMSHAW tells the story.   While still a student at Oxford … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Heritage | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment