Stories for February 12th 2010
Falkand Islands: Seismic contractor moves in on unlicensed acreage
AS the Ocean Guardian oil rig is scheduled to arrive in Falklands waters next week, a UK-registered start-up seismic contractor is aiming to carry out a speculative 6,000km multi-client 2D shoot on unlicensed acreage in Falklands waters.
Argentina will take the Falklands’ oil drilling case to United Nations
Argentina will be taking the case of oil exploration in Falkland Islands waters by private companies licensed by the Islands government to the United Nations, but not to the International Court of The Hague as had been suggested since the London/Buenos Aires dispute resumed a few weeks ago.
Petrobras signs agreement to begin oil exploration in Uruguay’s continental shelf
Brazil's state-managed oil company Petrobras signed this week an agreement with the Uruguayan state oil company Ancap to explore and produce oil and natural gas on Uruguay's continental shelf.
Uruguayan president elect captivates audience of Argentine businesspeople
Uruguayan president elect Jose Mujica promised to the business elite of the River Plate economic stability, standing rules of the game, low taxes, incentives and reduced risks in exchange for productive investments in the country’s economy.
Spanish economy contracts 0.1% in last quarter and 3.6% in 2009
The Spanish economy shrank by 0.1% in the last three months of 2009, making it the last major economy still in recession. INE, the national statistics agency, also said the country's GDP had contracted by 3.1% compared with the same period a year before.
Portugal keeps to the Euro and is contrary to a bail-out policy
Portugal, another of the “sick” countries of the EU (and member of PIGS: Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain), said it will not abandon the Euro.
Brazilian police arrest Brasilia’s governor on bribery charges
Brazilian police arrested on Thursday a key opposition party district governor on bribery charges, potentially hurting the right wing's chances in the general election this year.
Hopeful news for US employment: jobless benefits applications down
The number of US workers filing new applications for jobless benefits tumbled last week, a government report showed Thursday, reversing a recent spike that had raised concerns about renewed labour market weakness.
Abundant rainfall anticipates a record soy bean crop for Argentina
Plentiful rains are anticipating excellent summer crops in Argentina both for maize and soy beans according to the Buenos Aires Cereals Stock market and the US Department of Agriculture, USDA, estimates.
