MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Chilean shipping company weighs a monthly route between Punta Arenas and the Falklands]]> The visit was organized by the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC), the territory's economic development body Chilean company Easter Island Naviera (EIL) is considering establishing a monthly cargo shipping service between Punta Arenas and the Falklands, following a visit to the archipelago in which its representatives held around a dozen meetings with local businesses and presented the project to the Islands' chamber of commerce.

]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2026 09:45:00 GMT <![CDATA[Stephen Doughty confirmed as Minister of State for Overseas Territories]]> Minister Doughty during a meeting in London with MLA Roger Spink Stephen Doughty MP has been confirmed at Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Until 21 July 2026 and from 8 July 2024 he was previously Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories in the FCDO.

]]> Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[A young Falkland Islander will represent the islands at the Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Sydney]]> Lee is a Falkland Islands student currently studying veterinary nursing in the United Kingdom and serves as a junior ambassador for the islands (Pic FB) The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly announced that Jessica Lee will represent the territory at the Commonwealth Youth Parliament, to be held from July 26 to 31 in Sydney, hosted by the Parliament of New South Wales, Australia.

]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:13:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands Assembly congratulates Burnham and looks to continuity with London]]> The Assembly reaffirmed the principle that, it said, has been and will remain the foundation of its bond with the United Kingdom The Falklands Legislative Assembly congratulated the United Kingdom's new prime minister, Labour's Andy Burnham, and expressed confidence in the continuity of the relationship between the islands and London, in an official statement issued on Tuesday. The territory's legislative body said it looks forward to working with the new prime minister and his government, and to “continuing the close and productive relationship” between the two sides.

]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:01:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina joins FAO treaty against illegal fishing, tightening control in the South Atlantic]]> The area is cut across by the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falklands Argentina on July 17 enacted the law approving its accession to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a significant step for fisheries governance in the southwest Atlantic. The treaty, in force since 2016, is the only binding international instrument specifically designed to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:18:00 GMT <![CDATA[The Falklands, FIFA and the Future of the British Overseas Territories]]> Members of the Argentine team held up a banner exclaiming ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ (‘The Falklands are Argentine’). By Peter Clegg (*)

I have been researching the British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and their geopolitical relationships for over twenty years, and I cannot remember so much focus on them as there has been in recent days. The FIFA World Cup match between England and Argentina provoked heated discussions over the future of the Falkland Islands (or Malvinas if you are Argentine). Gibraltar has received significant media coverage with the removal of the border infrastructure with Spain. The Caricom Reparations Committee has called for the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to be decolonized by the UK, and new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will likely retain the government’s commitment to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. So, are we witnessing centrifugal forces that could fracture the BOTs’ relationship with the ‘UK family’?

]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:10:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina-England match drove a surge in online Falklands talk, consultancy Ad Hoc says]]> The day of the match saw some 660,000 mentions, nearly double the volume recorded on the most recent April 2 — the date on which Argentina commemorates those killed in the 1982 war Argentina's victory over England in the World Cup semifinal was not confined to the sporting arena on social media. According to an analysis by the Argentine consultancy Ad Hoc, digital conversation about the Falklands surpassed two million mentions over five days around the match, in an episode that revived the sovereignty claim following the banner displayed by the Argentine players.

]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:38:00 GMT <![CDATA[“The Falklands cannot remain British for ever,” a Guardian column argues]]> The columnist reviewed the negotiations that preceded the 1982 war In an opinion column published in the British newspaper The Guardian, writer Simon Jenkins argued that the Falklands “cannot remain British for ever” and called for London to eventually reopen sovereignty negotiations with Argentina. The piece is the columnist's personal opinion and does not represent the newspaper's editorial position.

]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 23:08:00 GMT <![CDATA[Milei hits out at Falklands "tantrums," says he is "closer" to recovering the islands]]> The president highlighted what he described as progress by Argentina's Foreign Ministry and a rapprochement with the United States to revive negotiations Argentina's president, Javier Milei, championed diplomacy as the path for the sovereignty claim over the Falklands and dismissed as "tantrums" certain reactions that followed the national team's victory over England in the World Cup semifinal, without specifying at whom the criticism was aimed.

]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:13:00 GMT <![CDATA[FIFA weighs possible sanctions against Argentina over Falklands banner against England]]> A spokesperson for the body said that, as part of standard procedure, its independent disciplinary committee “is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances” FIFA said it is assessing possible disciplinary measures against Argentina after several players celebrated their World Cup semifinal win over England with a banner supporting Argentina's claim to the Falklands. The defending champions came from behind in Atlanta to win 2-1 and reach Sunday's final against Spain.

]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:05:00 GMT