While in the rest of the world, budget shortfalls and downplayed soaring deficits are the norm, a lively discussion ensued at this week’s Falkland Islands Standing Finance Committee when MLA Michael Poole suggested the forecasting process needed revising when most years a deficit was forecast, but then resulted in a surplus.
Approximately 63,000 cruise ship passengers arrivals are expected in the Falkland Islands this season which is slightly up on the previous season when just over 56,000 passengers were received from 105 ship visits. Staff at Sulivan Shipping are looking forward to the start of the 2016-2017 tourism season, with the arrival of the first cruise ship passengers on next Saturday’s flight, to board the M/V Sea Spirit.
A delegation from the UK embassy in Chile and a member from the Falklands Legislative Assembly met in Punta Arenas with the Magallanes region finance minister Christian Garcia to increase science and education cooperation links and promote people and economic exchanges. Many Chileans mainly from Punta Arenas have jobs in the Falklands.
Spain's Acting Foreign Minister says free movement across the Gibraltar frontier will automatically end unless Gibraltarians accept joint sovereignty proposal with Spain. Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo was answering a question by Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation at a press conference after he met with Andalusia politicians in Algeciras, including the mayors of Algeciras and La Linea. From Seville Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said no democratic nation would get away closing a frontier.