Ascension Island

• It is not a binding document but the decision to refer to the islands by their Spanish as well as their British name is deeply significant.
• It happened despite reported efforts by UK foreign secretary James Cleverly to have the islands kept out of the summit declaration altogether and has left the UK angry.
• One EU official was quoted as saying: “The UK is not part of the EU.
• If they were in the EU perhaps they would have pushed back against it.”

How the archipelago got its names

• With the advent of the European age of discovery in the 1500s, territorial naming – or renaming – became central to colonial practices.
• It was a means, as British writer James Hamilton-Paterson has put it, of taking ideological control of territory.
• From the 16th century on, various names for the archipelago – the Sebalds, New Islands, Hawkins Maiden Land –- were used interchangeably, each relating to different European expeditions.
• Other names –- Falkland Islands; les Îles Malouines –- only later gained traction via their presence on maps, highlighting the strategic importance of cartography.

Beyond geography

• In his landmark 1993 book, Culture and Imperialism, literary scholar Edward Said writes:
  Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography.
• That struggle is complex and interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.
• Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography.
• That struggle is complex and interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.

• LONDON, May 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seabourn , the leader in ultra-luxury voyages and expedition travel, is looking forward to setting sail on its second expedition season in the Arctic.
• "Seabourn Venture is a beautiful ship that was purpose built to provide the ultimate expedition experiences and take our extraordinary guests to some of the most fascinating and remote destinations in the world," said Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn.
• "The ship delighted our guests in her first year of service from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and we look forward to continuing to deliver unique 'Seabourn Moments' and an unparalleled luxury expedition that can only be experienced with Seabourn."
• From there, the ship will begin its second season in the Arctic with a series of 14- and 15-day voyages to Greenland and Iceland.

• LONDON, March 8, 2021 Ascension Healthcare plc (Ascension or the Company), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising innovative therapies for haemophilia and osteoarthritis is pleased to announce the appointment of Ben Vertannes as Head of Global Marketing.
• Ben is a highly experienced marketing professional with over 15 years of international marketing and account management experience from several global pharmaceutical companies.
• He will be responsible for developing and implementing the consumer healthcare marketing strategy, managing the marketing team and translating the Companys business objectives into revenue-driving marketing programmes.
• Commenting on his appointment, Ben Vertannes, Head of Global Marketing of Ascension said: I am delighted to have joined Ascension at this exciting point in the development of the company.

• Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) announced today that the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency awarded the company, through its Fluor AMEC II, LLC entity, the task order contract to repair the Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield runway.
• The task order is awarded under the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program IV (AFCAP IV), a position Fluor has held since 2015.
• The cost-plus, fixed-fee task order is for up to 28 months and is valued at approximately $170 million.
• Ascension Auxiliary Airfield is in a strategic location and the runway is the lifeline to the island.