Stories for January 20th 2012

Friday, January 20th 2012 - 16:28 UTC
Brazil plans to counter Argentina’s latest imports’ measures, if they affect trade

Brazil has plans to counter the latest battery of trade restrictions which Argentina announced, if they turn out to the barriers for Brazilian exports, reported the influential Folha de Sao Paulo.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 15:24 UTC
Global average temperature in 2011 the ninth warmest in modern records

The global average temperature in 2011 was the ninth-warmest in the modern meteorological record, continuing a trend linked to greenhouse gases that saw nine of the 10 hottest years occurring since the year 2000, NASA scientists said this week.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 15:15 UTC
Buenos Aires reacts to Brazilian comments that Argentina is “a permanent problem”

Reacting to Brazil’s trade minister Fernando Pimentel comments describing Argentina as “a permanent problem” Industry Minister Debora Giorgi said that “the trade balance reality between Argentina and Brazil does not warrant Pimentel's complaints”.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 14:45 UTC
Falklands/Malvinas bilateral issue, but Islands are covered by EU as British OT

The European Union considers that the new tense situation between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands is a “bilateral issue”, however the Falklands figure under EU treaties as a British Overseas Territory, said the EU Foreign Affairs Representative spokesperson.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 08:19 UTC
Falklands vessels can re-flag and operate in Mercosur ports, says Hague

Ships from the Falkland Islands that are barred from ports in Argentina and other Mercosur trade bloc countries can re-flag as British ships at any time to avoid the ban, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 08:03 UTC
Fitch anticipates it will review ratings of six Euro zone states

Fitch expects its ratings review of six Euro zone states will result in downgrades of one to two notches in most of those countries, senior director Ed Parker said at a Fitch conference in Madrid.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 08:01 UTC
Bill for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could reach 20/25 billion dollars

British Petroleum is likely to agree to pay the US Department of Justice 20 to 25 billion dollars to settle all charges around the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to a leading analyst, a prediction that is at least twice what the company has set aside.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 07:58 UTC
UK unemployment hits 2.69 million (8.4%), highest since January 1996

UK unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November to 2.69 million, official figures show. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate also rose to 8.4% from 8.3%, the highest since January 1996.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 07:52 UTC
Labour market improving in the US, unemployment at it lowest since April 2008

While the Republicans can’t agree on a presidential candidate and continue to lash their own hopefuls, US president Barack Obama has been receiving additional good news from the jobs market.
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 07:50 UTC
Argentina considers Brazil’s complaints about trade restrictions ‘unjustified”

The head of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), José Ignacio de Mendiguren said on Thursday that the complaints from Brazil over the Argentine import restrictions are “unjustified”.