MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Penguin News Update.

Headlines:
O little town of Stanley...'; Solo rower to attempt first Antarctic circumnavigation; Picture apology; Visiting cruisers; Visiting cruisers; Assault allegation; Goodbye Grey Rover; Search still on; Teacher dies in UK; LegCo meets today.

?O little town of Stanley...'

Joseph (Brendan Ford, 4) and Mary (Darby Newman, 4) ditch their donkey and arrive in Stanley aboard quadbikes, after travelling from their home at Goose Green to prepare for the arrival of baby Jesus, in the Infant and Junior School's nativity. The play, which was performed by the children in Christ Church Cathedral last night and will again be on tonight, features a number of local touches - including the requirement for the three kings to clear Customs on their way into the Falklands. More photos next week.

Solo rower to attempt first Antarctic circumnavigation

A MAN who served with the Merchant Navy during the Falklands War is planning a single-handed circumnavigation of Antarctica. The epic journey is expected to take Colin Yeats ten and a half months to complete. Mr Yeats arrives in the Falklands on Christmas Eve; his journey will begin and end in the Islands and cover a distance of 21,630 kilometres, the equivalent of travelling the Atlantic Ocean more than three times. Mr Yeats' quest is to be the first person in history to row non-stop around the Antarctic alone and unsupported, to the extent that all supplies required to complete the circumnavigation will be on board and he will not touch land during the ten and a half months at sea. He says the waters are not totally new to him as he spent six years in the Merchant Navy and served under the Royal Navy during the Falklands war. Although this knowledge will be invaluable to him, Mr Yeats says the key to his success will be his purpose-built boat and its equipment. His boat is now in the Falklands, awaiting his arrival. From here the planned route is to head Southeast towards latitudes 60 - 67 degrees, aptly named the Screaming Sixties, where he will remain for much of the voyage, carried east by the southern circumpolar current. Mr Yeats plans to collect data on behalf of a number of scientific bodies, including the British Meteorological Office and British Antarctic Survey, to be used in the study of global warming. This is significant, Mr Yeats says, "...because up to now an insufficiency of data from the Southern Ocean has been available to them. By this I mean accurate working science transferred in real time to the scientific community..."

News in brief

Picture apology

CABLE and Wireless has issued an apology to the Director and staff of the Education Department for using a photograph taken inside the Community School on the mobile phone £10 scratch card. The Director of Education had previously refused to give permission for this photograph to be used as she had no wish to promote the use of mobile phones inside Falkland Islands schools. A spokesperson for Cable and Wireless said the inclusion of this photograph was due to, "...an administrative error which will be corrected in the next print run."

Visiting cruisers

MS EXPLORERwill visit Carcass Island and Steeple Jason on Sunday, then head to Stanley on Monday. She is expected to carry approximately 96 passengers. On Tuesday, Bremen(carrying approximately 188 passengers) is due to call at New Island and Carcass Island, before heading to Stanley on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Clipper Adventurer (carrying approximately 122 passengers) is due to visit New Island and Carcass Island. She will visit Stanley on Thursday.

Assault allegation

POLICE are investigating an alleged serious assault at Mount Pleasant. Inspector Len McGill said a report was received on Tuesday from a female that she had been subjected to a serious sexual assault in a club at Mount Pleasant Airport on Saturday, December 3. A joint investigation is being conducted by the Royal Falkland Islands Police and the Joint Services Provost and Security Unit.

Goodbye Grey Rover

THE Falklands has said a final farewell to the Royal Fleet Auxillary (RFA) ship Grey Rover.The vessel left the Islands on Battle Day, December 8, and is now on her way north. Grey Rover is to be decommissioned on her return to the UK after an association with the Falklands since 1988. Full story next week.

Search still on

A JOINT police operation at East Cove on Monday scoured all the beaches, shorelines and kelplines in "optimum conditions" in the hope of locating MV Indomitablecrew member Anthony McClelland who went missing in the area last month. Acting Chief of Police, Inspector Len McGill said that, given the excellent conditions the search was undertaken in, he felt sure that had the missing man been in the area, the search teams would have found him. He added that further dives took place yesterday in areas that have been covered previously and in other areas identified as requiring dives as a result of Monday's search. Inspector McGill declined to comment on a rumour that one of Mr McClelland's fellow Indomitablecrew members was discovered hanged in the UK this week.

Teacher dies in UK

STUDENTS and staff of the Education Department have been saddened to hear of the death of former Community School (FICS) teacher Marian Purvis. Mrs. Purvis is the wife of FICS Headteacher, Alan Purvis. Her funeral will take place in the UK on Wednesday, December 21. Director of Education, Sylvia Cole, said Mr Purvis has requested that no flowers should be sent but that donations to Cancer Research would be appreciated. Messages of condolence will be conveyed via Melissa McKinley at the Falkland Islands Government Office in London. A UK contact address is available for Mr Purvis from Mrs. Cole at the Education Office.

LegCo meets today

LEGISLATIVE Council sits today in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall. Live coverage of the meeting begins on Falklands Radio at 10.30am. Members will consider the Civil Contingencies (Emergency Powers) Bill 2005 and the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2005.

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