Stories for July 18th 2009

Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:40 UTC
Pigs contract A/H1N1 virus flu and Argentina issues national alert

Argentina declared a nationwide alert on Friday after pigs in the province of Buenos Aires were confirmed to have the A/H1N1 flu virus, health authorities said. Thousands of people have contracted the virus in Argentina and 137 people in the country have died.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:25 UTC
YPF begins next South Atlantic drilling round in Malvinas basin

In the coming two weeks the Spanish-Argentine YPF energy corporation should have concluded its first round of seven exploratory wells in the South Atlantic, and towards the end of the year, or beginning of 2010, will start drilling in deeper waters in the Malvinas basin, according to company sources.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:23 UTC
Gibraltar, UK, Spain ministerial tripartite meeting next Tuesday

United Kingdom, Spain and Gibraltar announced Friday in an official release that “following resolution of all relevant matters”, have agreed to meet in Gibraltar next Tuesday to continue talks on the Trilateral Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:15 UTC
Brazilian economy giving signs the worst of the recession is over

Brazil’s currency Real had its biggest weekly gain in almost two months on optimism the worst of the global recession is over. The Real climbed 3.6% this week, the most since the period ended May 22 rising 0.3% to 1.9261 per US dollar on Friday. So far this year the Real has strengthened 20%.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:11 UTC
Argentina’s economy worst monthly performance in seven years

Argentina’s economy had its worth monthly performance in almost seven years in May amid slumping industrial production and construction. Economic activity was unchanged in May from a year earlier, the first time the government hasn’t recorded growth since November 2002. The economy rose 0.1% in May from April, according to the national statistics agency, Indec.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 15:06 UTC
Major celebration for SS Great Britain’s 40th anniversary return to Bristol

A small army of volunteers will be collecting and sifting through thousands of memories over the next year in the run up to the 40th anniversary celebrations of the SS Great Britain’s return to Bristol from the Falkland Islands.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 14:47 UTC
White House defends stimulus plan in spite of soaring unemployment

United States President Barack Obama's 787 billion US dollars stimulus package is working, top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers insisted on Friday. And although unemployment is a “major area of concern”, Mr Summers said rising joblessness does not prove that the stimulus “is falling short”.
Saturday, July 18th 2009 - 14:19 UTC
Falklands’ war Chinook involved in the Afghanistan choppers controversy

The British Ministry of Defence has admitted one of its helicopters used in Afghanistan was a “cut and shut” – a combination of two aircraft, reported the London press on Friday.