Stories for November 13th 2009
Canadian cat sparks rumours of Mrs. Thatcher’s death
A misconstrued text message announcing the passing of a beloved pet has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity in Canada. Transport Minister John Baird sent a message reading: “Thatcher has died”.
Labour by-election victory gives PM Brown breathing space
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has survived his latest by-election test as Labour comfortably cruised to victory in the Glasgow North East by-election. The party's Willie Bain won the seat made vacant by the resignation of former Commons Speaker Michael Martin with a majority of 8,111 over the SNP.
Euro zone “technically” emerges from recession in third quarter
The 16-strong group of nations in the Euro-zone has “technically” emerged from recession, official figures show. European countries using the single currency grew their collective economy 0.4% in the third quarter.
“Spiderman” caught red-handed in Rio do Janeiro airport
Spiderman exists and he was caught at the Brazilian city of Rio do Janeiro. A British tourist was detained in the city’s international airport when he was discovered trying to carry overseas a thousand live spiders in his luggage, according to the local police.
Chilean Congress votes to create an Environmental Ministry
Chile’s Senate voted early this week to create an Environmental Ministry, a milestone in Chilean environmental policy. The bill, first introduced in 2008, has been subject to considerable controversy from both supporters and opponents.
Frei and Piñera expected to face-off in Chilean presidential run off
With only a month remaining before Chileans cast their votes Dec. 13 to elect their next president, one of the nation’s most important polls showed the race tightening, but with the two front-runners -rightist billionaire Sebastian Piñera and centrist Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei - holding on to their leads.
British Airways/Iberia merger will create Europe’s third largest airline
British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia say they have reached a preliminary agreement for a merger expected to be completed in late 2010. The merger, which must be approved by the European Commission, would create Europe's third biggest airline.
Under its terms, Iberia would take a 45% stake and BA, which last week reported a six-month pre-tax loss of £292m, a 55% stake in the company.
Lula da Silva, next to Shimon Peres, justifies Iran’s leader visit to Brazil
Brazil's President justified the scheduled visit of Iran's president in two weeks time and offered to mediate in the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine. Lula da Silva rejected criticism over the upcoming visit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, slated for November 23, standing next to visiting Israeli president Shimon Peres.
Brazil purchases Israeli drones to clean Rio of crime and drug gangs
Israel Aerospace Industries signed a 350 million US dollars contract this week to supply drones to the Brazilian police - the largest such deal ever between Israel and Brazil. The contract was signed during President Shimon Peres' state visit to Brazil, but negotiations began months ago
Greenland loosing mass faster than anticipated
The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass faster than first thought, contributing to an increasing rate of sea level rise, according to a Bristol University scientist.
