Stories for January 7th 2009
Venezuela expels Israeli ambassador over Gaza bombing
Venezuela expelled on Tuesday the Israeli ambassador to protest against the country's assault on Gaza, after the Venezuelan president described it as a “holocaust”.
Bush's Presidential medals for Uribe, Blair and Howard
United Status outgoing president George W. Bush will be presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe and to the former prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair and John Howard from Australia.
Monaco's Prince begins month long visit to Antarctica
Monaco's Prince Albert II spent the first two days of his month-long global warming awareness expedition to Antarctica visiting different country bases in King George Island. On Wednesday he's scheduled to fly over the area and return to Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile.
Inquiry into Ice Patrol HMS Endurance accident
The Portsmouth press carried a piece on the odyssey of Ice patrol HMS Endurance, now resting safely in the Falkland Islands, while a team of naval and civilian personnel is completing a full survey of the damage suffered.
“Ponzi” Madoff inquiry targets SEC and regulators
The US Congress has launched an inquiry into a suspected 50 billion US dollars fraud allegedly run by the US hedge fund manager, Bernard Madoff. The House Financial Services Committee is to question regulators and investors to try to determine why the authorities failed to uncover the scandal.
Capsized yachtsman rescued by fellow competitor in C. Horn
The French navigator whose yacht capsized in the extreme South Pacific during the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race was rescued Tuesday night by his friend, a fellow competitor, after he was trapped inside the hull of his upturned boat in heavy seas for 16 hours
Dakar rally in Argentina claims motorcyclist life
French motorcyclist Pascal Terry has been found dead after being reported missing on Sunday during the second stage of the Dakar Rally which was relocated to Argentina and Chile for its 31st edition.
Women's clothing icon Viyella goes into administration
Britain's women's clothing firm Viyella, which dates back to 1784, has become the latest well-established retail firm to call in administrators. There has been speculation for days that the future of the company, one of the UK's longest established clothing manufacturers, was uncertain.
On his last days Bush turns advocate of maritime monuments
A vast swathe of the Pacific, including an area near New Zealand territory, has been declared part of a United States national maritime monument. President George Bush, in the dying days of his administration, made the startling declaration by saying in the White House “we're fixing to do some fabulous policy”.
Obama takes off with 1,2 trillion budget deficit, 8.3% of GDP
The sharp slowdown in the US economy will push the federal budget deficit to more than one trillion US dollars, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced Wednesday. The 1.186 trillion USD deficit for the fiscal year ending on 30 September would be the largest on record.
