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Penguin News Update.

Headlines:
Shearers do the Islands proud at world champs; Falklands upsets Argentina at UN meeting;
From FIBS to FIRS.

Shearers do the Islands proud at world champs

TWO Falklands shearers have done themselves and their country proud at the Golden Shears World Championships in Australia. Jan Clarke, son of Michael and Jeanette Clarke of Kings Ridge Farm, and Paul Phillips, son of Terence and Carol Phillips of Hope Cottage, qualified to represent the Islands in shearing competitions held during Sports Week. They performed exceptionally well against stiff global competition in Toowoomba, Queensland. Unlike previous Falklands entrants in the Golden Shears, who received financial sponsorship to attend the event, Jan and Paul were required to fund themselves, right down to having to buy their own Falkland Islands shirts. Sadly, despite the shearing profession being one of the Falklands oldest, the two Islanders were the only team at the championships without sponsorship from their home country. Jan and Paul have been shearing in Australia since March; they were keen to practice, especially in dealing with Merino sheep which are notoriously tough to shear, owing to their heavy neck wrinkles. Competition at the Golden Shears started on Thursday, June 9, with the finals taking place on Sunday 12th. Continued on page 3

Falklands upsets Argentina at UN meeting

FALKLANDS councillors have sought to clarify comments made during their addresses to the United Nations Decolonisation Committee (C24) which have angered the Argentine Foreign Minister, Rafael Bielsa. The Argentine press yesterday reported a hostile atmosphere at the meeting, particularly alleged comments from the Falklands speakers that the Argentine government was behaving like a "bully" and that, except for the military threat, it was behaving like the Galtieri government in 1982. Speaking from Washington yesterday, Councillor John Birmingham said it appeared there had been a misunderstanding in translation about his and Councillor Luxton's speeches, "...and Mr Bielsa seemed to think that I had accused this present Argentine government of acting in a similar way to the juntas of the 70s and 80s. That is not my understanding of what I said and I would not say that either. "I think it was a translation problem; in no way is this government the same as those disgraceful juntas. "Mr Bielsa was clearly upset at the meeting and he felt insulted." Mr Bielsa was also reportedly upset by the Lincoln's Inn reception held last week. He is reported to have said, "My country watched that merry celebration with bitterness." Councillor Birmingham said Mr Bielsa seemed to be of the impression that "it is purely a liberation party" whereas, "my understanding is that it is an annual event that has been going on since well before the 1982 conflict." Before the Decolonisation Committee meeting on Wednesday, Councillors Luxton and Birmingham met the Chairman of the C24. Councillor Birmingham said he told the Chairman, "...we felt that the change in the situation between Spain and Gibraltar has an impact on the Falklands/Argentine issue and he accepted that that was a significant development." At the C24 meeting, the Falklands councillors met with the two Argentine petitioners, Falklands-born James Douglas Lewis, whose great-grandfather also came from the Falklands, and Louis Vernet. In his speech to the meeting, Councillor Birmingham spoke of the way the present Argentine administration has "gone out of its way to make life difficult for the Falklands" and said their attitude to the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islanders, "...is making more countries and people look at this present Argentine government as a bullying administration, who don't seem to understand the realities of the 21st century." Councillor Luxton condemned the Argentine government's "unacceptable" ban on charter flights to the Falklands. "The reality is that Argentina has effectively imposed an illegal unilateral economic sanction against the Falkland Islands people and economy, and I believe each and every country in the United Nations should be outraged by that situation. "Argentina will of course reply that they are content to allow Argentine charter flights to come into the Falkland Islands, but after the dark days of the 1970s when Argentine interests controlled both our air links and our fuel supply, we will never, ever, allow the control of our critical services to fall into the hands of an Argentine government again." Yesterday, Councillor Birmingham summed up the differences in the Falklands and Argentine presentations: "Their's were mainly history lessons. We emphasised the here and now aspects of the situation." He said presentations by other delegates on the issue could be divided into three parts: "The Latin delegates, who were of the opinion that the Islands belong to Argentina; others such as Syria who said both parties should speak; then there were Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Grenada, who were supportive and spoke of the Falkland Islands, not the Malvinas. "The Russians, at the end, said that both sides should talk." When asked how effective he felt the presence of the Falklands at the C24 meeting had been, Councillor Birmingham said, "Totally - there's no question of a future council not going to that meeting. "It would be the wrong thing to do and would send the wrong messages." Yesterday afternoon, Councillors Birmingham and Luxton attended meetings with the South American and European sections of the US State Department. They are both scheduled to attend a variety of meetings over the coming week.

From FIBS to FIRS

THE Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station - otherwise known as FIBS - is to be rechristened. From August 15 the station will be renamed Falkland Islands Radio Service, it was announced on Monday. Radio station staff met with members of the Media Trust late last week to decide on the new name. According to the Station Controller Designate, Corina Bishop, more than a hundred suggestions were put forward and it was felt that the name Falkland Islands Radio Service, which was suggested by a few people, "...will continue to show that the station plays an important part in community life here." Corina said she has received "mixed reactions" to the new name. "There are those who didn't want it changed and still don't but there are some people who are pleased with the change and some who are simply pleased that it wasn't too radical."

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