Sir Rex Hunt, the former governor of the Falkland Islands during the Argentine invasion which triggered the South Atlantic conflict of 1982 passed away in England on Remembrance Sunday.
The Memorial service commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands by British Forces, 10 weeks after they were invaded by Argentina. 252 British Servicemen were killed during the action, plus 3 Island ladies.
UK Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond signalled Thursday morning that members of the Territorial Army will be deployed to the Falkland Islands. Addressing the House of Commons Secretary Hammond said that reserve forces will be expected to fulfill new roles including contributing to standing commitments such as the Falklands.
Working on experience gained from the relocation of thousands of tons of equipment from Aberdeen to the Falkland Islands for the round of exploratory drilling started in 2010 has helped a Scottish company launch a software program set to revolutionize the oil and gas industry.
Milton Keynes North MP Mark Lancaster will be in the Falkland Islands for Remembrance Sunday as the British Government’s representative. HRH the Duke of Kent will also be attending the ceremonies.
Luis Alberto Velasquez is a journalist with the Guatemalan newspaper La Prensa Libre and recently visited the Falkland Islands with a group of journalists from Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In the guest post below Luis Alberto shares some thoughts about his recent trip.
A ‘Short Service of Thanksgiving and Commemoration on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands’ will be held on Saturday 10 November at the Liberation Monument in Stanley in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent and returning veterans of the 1982 war.
The son of Falkland Islands war hero Colonel ‘H’ Jones is to take command of Britain’s 9.000 troops in Afghanistan, reports the Daily Mail. Brigadier Rupert Jones was 13 when his father died during a one-man charge on an Argentine trench in the Battle of Goose Green in 1982, for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Plans to merge the British Antarctic Survey (closely linked to the Falkland Islands) and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have been ruled out, Science minister David Willetts announced. In a written statement he said the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) had decided not to proceed with the proposal.
The Falkland Islands government has granted a one year extension for Rockhopper Exploration’s production licences PL023 and PL024. The licences, in which Rockhopper has a 40% interest, have been extended until November 2013, with no requirement for the operator to perform further work on the licences in that time.