The Falkland Islands government has accused Argentina of waging a campaign of “economic warfare” against it.
Speaking on the 27th anniversary of the end of the Falklands war, Mike Summers, a member of the Falkland Islands legislative assembly, said Argentina is deliberately hampering the islands’ three main industries of fishing, tourism, and oil and gas exploration.
He said the British overseas territory’s economic development is being held back by Argentinian policies aimed at forcing the islands to accept claims of Argentinian sovereignty. The Falkland Islands, or Las Malvinas, as the archipelago is known in Argentina, has a population of around 3,000 people and an annual income of £75 million (US$122.3 million). But the islands’ government believes the affluence of its inhabitants is being deliberately held back by Argentina.
Summers complained that Argentina has withdrawn from a commission to manage fisheries, which provide the bulk of the island’s income, which means fish stocks may be seriously damaged; that Argentina has stopped charter planes traveling from Chile to the Falklands by banning them from using Argentinian airspace, which has damaged the cruise ship industry; and the hydrocarbon business has been hit by a presidential decree from Buenos Aires that prevents anyone who works in the hydrocarbon industry in Argentina from doing the same in the Falklands.
“We don’t have good relations,” Summers said. “They are taking an economic warfare approach. It has created tension between the Falklands and Argentina. Economic development could be improved if we got on better. While the clear stated intention of the Argentines is to take over the Falklands whether we like it or not, we can’t co-operate better.”
A spokesman for Argentina’s foreign ministry said the measures would remain in place until Britain agrees to resume talks over Argentina’s claim of sovereignty.
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
MORE BANS: Australia last year required sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, with a few countries pushing for similar action at an EU level and India considering its own ban Indonesia on Friday said it would ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and Internet addiction. “Accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms will start to be deactivated, beginning with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,” Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid said. “The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm. Implementation will begin on March 28, 2026,” she said. The social media ban would be introduced in stages “until all platforms fulfill their
RSS