The British Overseas Territory St Helena in mid Atlantic made history on Monday as the first large passenger jet aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 (ZS-ZWG), touched down at St Helena’s new Airport shortly after 12.00 noon. This is the actual Boeing aircraft which will serve the St Helena/Johannesburg rout, according to a release from the local government.
Lord Penguin is in town. Actually he's no Lord or penguin, but ”I was after an intriguing headline for the meeting between Mike Summers, member of the Falklands' Legislative Assembly, Malouins in French, who this week is in Montreal to see his friend...the dragon (software programmer) Serge Beauchemin. I hope he forgives me for this fantasy”.
A UK member of Parliament has come out strongly in support of the British Overseas Territories praising their economic success and the right of their peoples to govern and decide their own future. MP Andrew Rosindell, Chairman of the BOT and Crown Dependencies all party Parliamentary groups described suggestions from some senior figures in Westminster calling for 'direct rule' over BOT's as unnecessary and unjust, based on a complete misunderstanding of the situation.
British Overseas Territories said they hoped that the Labour Party and other parties in the UK Parliament will remain consistent in their support for the self-governance and self-determination of the people of the BOTs and their continued growth and development.
Pressure mounted on Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday to impose “direct rule” on British overseas territories after several of them figured as tax havens in the leaked Panama Papers that have caused ripples around the world.
Argentina’s Army Chief Diego Luis Suner said on Saturday that the “Malvinas cause” continues to be a “national, standing and inalienable objective” of the Argentine people. The statement was made on the 34th anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict that was triggered by the Argentine military invasion of the Falklands in 1982.
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (MoD) has rubbished claims that the Falkland Islands have been left without protection, due to the absence of a British warship (frigate or destroyer) permanently based in the south Atlantic. The MoD defended itself following reports that the Falkland Islands were without the protection of a British frigate or destroyer for the first time since the conflict in 1982.
The member of the Falklands/Malvinas legislative assembly Phyllis Rendell on a private visit to Paraguay openly stated that the South Atlantic archipelago claimed by Argentina is a British Overseas Territory and underlined that the sovereignty issue was settled with a war between the two sides over thirty years ago.
St Helena Government is preparing for a Population and Housing Census on Sunday, 7th February 2016. The Census will capture the essential information on the pre-air access characteristics of the Island population to assist with the development of services such as Health, Education and Housing.
The Foreign Office can confirm that Ms Ginny Ferson has been appointed to British Overseas Territory St Helena, as UK Government Special Representative: Wass Inquiry Implementation. This is part of the UK Government’s commitment to implementing the Wass report’s recommendations.