Falkland Islands

• Thursday, December 22nd 2011 - 14:13 UTC

  Falkland Islands Councillors opt for continuity in portfolio responsibilities

  

  Following the election last week of two new members to the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands, MLA Dr Barry Elsby and MLA Ian Hansen, councillors have favoured stability and continuity in the allocation of portfolio responsibility, with the newly elected councillors largely taking on the responsibilities left vacant by the resignation of former members, Emma Edwards and Bill Luxton.

• Thursday, December 22nd 2011 - 04:57 UTC

  Former First Sea Lord suggests sending a nuclear sub to protect the Falklands

  

  A former British First Sea Lord (2002-2006) and Commander during the South Atlantic conflict stated that Britain should respond to the Mercosur bloc’s decision to close their ports to ships that fly the Falklands/Malvinas flag, by sending a nuclear submarine to protect the Islands, the Telegraph newspaper reported Wednesday.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 20:08 UTC

  Falklands’ government regrets Mercosur decision but understands the “bullying tactics from Argentina”

  

  Members of the Falklands elected Legislative Assembly deeply regret the Mercosur decision to ban Islands flagged vessels from entering their ports, but also understands “the bullying tactics from Argentina”, said an official Wednesday release from the Falklands’ government.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 19:42 UTC

  New Falklands Association chairman pays tribute to David Tatham and anticipates “a very busy 2012”

  

  As previously reported by Mercopress, Mr David Tatham, a former Governor of the Falkland Islands, stood down as chair of the Falkland Islands Association at the recent Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 10th December after the Battle Day Ceremony of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 19:21 UTC

  The thuggery of Argentina's Falklands claim

  

  By Ian Dunt @IanDunt<http://twitter.com/iandunt - “The protection of peoples' self-determination to choose their own government is the protection of the weak from the strong”

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 19:09 UTC

  Foreign Office says economic blockade and intimidation of the Falklands’ people is “unacceptable”

  

  “It is unacceptable to engage in an economic blockade of the Falklands, there can be no justification, legal, moral or political, for efforts to intimidate the people of the Falkland Islands”, said Foreign Officer Minister Jeremy Browne on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 17:24 UTC

  The Falklands are resourceful and will adapt to changing logistics say industry sources

  

  Reacting to the news this week that all Mercosur member countries had agreed to close their ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flag, Cheryl Roberts, chair of the Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association, stated that: “It is still too early to say exactly what the effect might be, whilst obviously disappointing we are now working to find solutions to minimise any potential impacts, both operational and economic, of the recent decision.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 05:58 UTC

  “Malvinas is a global cause” because it involves the grabbing of natural resources

  

  “Malvinas is not an Argentine cause, it’s a global cause because they are taking our fisheries and oil resources” said Argentine president Cristina Fernandez on taking the Mercosur rotating chair for the next six months.

• Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 05:53 UTC

  Mercosur supports Argentina: bans access to all Falklands/Malvinas flagged vessels

  

  Mercosur member countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) finally agreed Tuesday to close its ports to ships flying the flag of the disputed Falkland/Malvinas Islands, announced Uruguay's president at the closing of the group’s two-day summit in Montevideo.

• Tuesday, December 20th 2011 - 21:02 UTC

  Uruguay bars vessels but will never share a maritime or economic blockade of the Falklands’ people

  

  Uruguayan President Jose Mujica addressing his peers at the Mercosur summit in Montevideo ratified the country’s position barring Falklands’ flagged vessels from Uruguayan ports in active support of Argentina’s sovereignty claim over South Atlantic Islands, which has led to a serious diplomatic controversy with the UK.