
Minefield clearance in the Falklands is going well on the current phase which will run until June 2017, Dynasafe Bactec Ltd. Program manager Guy Marot confirmed this week to Penguin News. Work to date has involved technical survey and clearance work in the Eliza Cove area (south east Stanley) and Goose Green, and is scheduled to continue after Christmas in the Mount Longdon and Hearndon Waters (Murrell) minefields, and Port Howard on West Falklands.

Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra thanked her Panama peer Isabel de Saint Malo for the standing historic support from Panama to Argentina´s sovereignty claim over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, (under UK control), and looked forward to strengthening the excellent bilateral relations, according to an official Wednesday release from San Martin Palace.

The Falkland Islands Government announced that on Wednesday the Executive Council approved the Terms of Reference to update the Falkland Islands Economic Development Strategy. The existing EDS was published in October 2010 following an extensive, two-year consultation process, and was intended to provide a blueprint for economic growth and development to 2025.

Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra confirmed on Tuesday that next month there will be a meeting with representatives from the British government to advance in the agreement to start rolling the humanitarian mission headed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, for the identification of former Argentine combatants buried at the Darwin cemetery in Falklands and which remain as unknown soldiers. The minister also said that Falklands will be part of the UK representation.

The Argentine government is trying to agree with the UK on the humanitarian mission to identify the remains of an estimated eighty Argentine combatants (from 1982) buried in Falklands' Darwin cemetery, but there are still details to reach, more political than technical, since the Falkland Islanders insist in being part of the official documents, something “which is unacceptable for the Argentine foreign ministry”.

Premier Oil has pushed back its refinancing deal to the first quarter of 2017 but said lenders had largely agreed to new terms, including extending debt repayment dates in exchange for some control over which projects the company can invest in.

The Falklands government announced on Friday that MLA Mike Summers will be attending a meeting in Geneva, chaired by the Red Cross to forward agreements for DNA identification of Argentine combatants buried in Darwin. A follow up meeting in London for the signing of the agreements is scheduled, which will also include MLA Phyl Rendell, and to advance in other issues related to the September UK/Argentina joint statement referred to additional flights and fisheries scientific data exchange.

The Falkland Islands government numbers are looking brighter than forecasted: for the first three months of the financial year (July –September), the government is showing an actual surplus of £6.407 million, compared to a estimated surplus of £2.211 million.

In a colorful opening ceremony in the Legislative Chamber at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, over 60 young participants representing CPA Branches in eight of the nine CPA Regions – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; Canada; India; Pacific – came together for the start of a week long program of events. The Falkland Islands are represented by Jody Aldridge and Gemma Finn.

The Government of the Falkland Islands and the British Embassies in Uruguay, Brazil and Chile invited university students to participate in this regional competition to win the chance to visit the Falklands for a week, all expenses paid.