Stories for January 9th 2009

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Qatari leading Dakar Rally in Argentina disqualified

Dakar Rally leader Nasser Al Attiyah has been kicked out of the gruelling event for missing too many mandatory way points. The BMW driver from Qatar, who won the first and third stages of the 2009 rally in Argentina, led the overall standings by more than seven minutes.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

UN calls on Israel for immediate media access to Gaza

The chief of communications and public information for the United Nations called Thursday on the Israeli Government to ensure immediate access for international media into Gaza, stressing the need for “full and independent” coverage of events unfolding in the territory which has been the target of an Israeli offensive launched nearly two weeks ago.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Spain: unemployment is record; more to come admits minister

The number of registered jobless in Spain topped 3 million for the first time ever in December and the government said unemployment would worsen in 2009 as the global economic crisis continues to wreak havoc on the country's construction and tourism industries.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

UK expedition to study hot water vents in Antarctica

United Kingdom scientists are set to be the first to investigate in detail the creatures living around hot water vents surrounding Antarctica. The team is scheduled to join the British Antarctic Survey's research ship the RRS James Clark Ross in Puenta Arenas, Chile.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

“Ponzi” Madoff fraud investigation extends to UK

An investigation has been launched into the British activities of alleged multi-billion-pound fraudster Bernard “Ponzi” Madoff. UK officials will focus on investors who lost huge sums when Madoff's financial business collapsed, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Euro zone officially in recession, first since founded in 1999

The Euro zone economy entered its first official recession in the third quarter, EU data confirmed in a third reading on Thursday. The bloc's combined economy shrank by 0.2% in the third quarter after contracting by the same amount in the second quarter, the Eurostat data agency said.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Brazil plans internet access for 26% of the population

Brazil has 43 million Internet users, according to Ibope/NetRatings statistics for the year 2008 published in the business daily Valor. The number of cybernauts could be even greater since the statistics included only people over 16 with Web access from home, workplaces, schools, libraries and Internet cafes, the newspaper said.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Plan to encircle Rio's favelas triggers controversy

Plans to surround a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) with a 650-metre-long concrete barrier have come under fire from environmentalists, human rights activists and residents who describe it as “discriminatory” and in the best “Gaza wall” style.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Obama and Mexico's Calderón to meet in Washington

President-elect Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday in Washington. Obama transition officials said the visit was in keeping with the tradition of U.S. presidents meeting with their Mexican counterpart soon after winning election.

Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

Brazil in “technical recession”; industrial output down 6.2%

Yet another bank cut the 2009 economic growth forecast for Brazil: JPMorgan Chase & Co. downed Latinamerica's largest economy expansion estimate for this year from 2% to 1.5%, as global recession takes its toll on industrial production and business confidence.