
When the seat of government of the fledgling British colony in the Falkland Islands was moved from Port Louis to Stanley, in 1845, under the direction of Governor Moody, one of the first buildings to be constructed in what became known as the Government Dockyard, was a large store. This shingle clad, two story building, known as the Old Central Store still exists and is thought to be possibly the earliest large construction in the whole of the Southern Cone of South America.

The constitution of the Falkland Islands requires that a general election be held every four years to choose the eight members of the Islands’ Legislative Assembly or lower house of government. The next General Election is due to be held on November 7th this year.

The release of further data from the 2012 Census shows that the Falkland Islands continues to work its magic on immigrants who may have arrived with short term plans but have settled for ten or more years and that the ratio of women to men in the Islands has increased considerably over the last four decades.

In anticipation of the business opportunities the oil industry will bring to the Falkland Islands, a leading company has plans to build in the capital Stanley two temporary 200-bed accommodations, according to the planning applications received.

A suggestion by some British senior Members of Parliament advocating a change of name for the Falkland Islands capital, Stanley to Port Margaret Thatcher in honour of the late Baroness had a strong reply from the local weekly, Penguin News.

Described as ‘fantastic’ despite the bad weather over 300 vehicles plus motorbikes, quads, old tractors and horse riders flying Falklands flags and Union Jacks turned out on Sunday in Stanley for a march along the sea front and the Liberation Monument in support of the two-day referendum on the Islands future.

The Falkland Islands Tourist Board (FITB) will be hosting some of the UK’s top bird watchers at the end of this month, on a trip led by Tim Appleton, cofounder and organiser of the prestigious British Birdwatching Fair.

By Dr. Jorge Stanham, MBE - The British Hospital in Montevideo has a long established relation with the Falkland Islands going back over a century.

The third phase of explosive ordnance and landmine clearance in the Falkland Islands is scheduled to begin next January and extend until March 2013 and is programmed to concentrate in the surrounding of the capital Stanley.

Tourist arrivals to the Falkland Islands are expected to increase by 14.6% in 2012 with a significant 28% increase in the number of leisure visitors, mainly driven by the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands war according to the September Falklands Forecast from the Falkland Islands Tourist Board.