With the arrival this Monday of M/V Insignia to Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile, and capital of the Magallanes region has officially declared opened the 2016/17 cruise season. It is estimated that 102.000 tourists will be visiting the region, although the number of vessel calls will drop drastically from 121 to 86.
A youth football squad from the Falkland Islands is currently touring Punta Arenas, competing in a week long tournament against teams from the local area. The Falkland Islands Youth football team is currently in Chile this week training and competing in a week-long tournament against local sides.
The Chilean conservative alliance Chile, let's go which achieved a sweeping victory in last Sunday's municipal elections, causing a serious disarray to the ruling coalition New Majority with only a year before the 2017 presidential election, also managed to win the Punta Arenas mayoralty for the first time since the end of the Pinochet era.
President of Chile Michelle Bachelet received this week at the La Moneda presidential palace, the final report from FAO on the current situation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act (LPGA) governing this activity in Chile.
Chile's conservatives snatched dozens of mayoralties on Sunday from the governing centre-left coalition, in a boost to former leader Sebastian Piñera, the front-runner to lead the conservative coalition in next year's presidential election.
Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, Hon. Dr Barry Elsby MLA, continued his official trip in Chile by meeting with members of the Ministry of Education in Santiago on Wednesday.
Falkland Islanders has been warned that fresh produce may be in short supply for some time to come due to changes in the Chilean Customs' procedures. Stanley Growers owner Tim Miller said that a large order for fruit and vegetables was not shipped from Santiago last week, as Customs officials at Punta Arenas insisted for the first time that LATAM airline provide them, in advance, with exact weight and contents of the cargo.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced a slight reshuffling of her Cabinet on Wednesday, a few days ahead of local elections in which her coalition is expected to suffer losses. Center-left Bachelet replaced the ministers in charge of justice, energy and national assets, she said in a brief speech at the presidential palace in Santiago.
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.
The 2016//17 cruise season for the Magallanes region in the extreme south of Chile will see a drop in the number of calls, from 121 to 86, of which 83 in Punta Arenas and 3 in Puerto Natales, according to the schedule published by Punta Arenas port authority, Austral Port Company, EPA, website.