Stories for 2012

Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:51 UTC
Falklands: The years that count and those that don't

By John Fowler - This is the sixth of a series of extended political articles written exclusively for the Penguin News web site by Deputy Editor John Fowler. John is a former Superintendent of Education and a former Manager of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:47 UTC
Repsol-YPF begins exploratory drilling off Cuba closet o the Florida Keys

A large oil rig has arrived off the coast of Cuba to begin searching for offshore oil deposits. Several international companies will use the rig to drill exploratory wells in deep water in the Florida Strait, which separates Cuba from the US.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:42 UTC
HMS Victory, ‘mightiest vessel of the 18th century’ to be rescued from the sea bed

The remains of a 300-year-old Royal Navy warship are to be raised from the sea bed, according to reports. The wreck of HMS Victory, a predecessor of Nelson's famous flagship, was found near the Channel Islands in 2008.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:36 UTC
Fire in Florida destroys one of the world’s oldest cypresses: 3.500 years

The cause of an early morning fire in Florida State Seminole County that destroyed one of the world's oldest cypress trees, 3.500 years, remained a mystery, but a state forestry investigator is convinced it was not the work of an arsonist.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:32 UTC
Spain’s central banks says economy forecasted to shrink 1.5% in 2012

Spain’s economy contracted in the fourth quarter and will shrink 1.5% this year, the Bank of Spain estimated, undermining government efforts to cut the budget deficit amid the second recession in two years.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:28 UTC
China admits “big distribution challenges” in the Year of the Dragon

China will face “bigger challenges” in the Year of the Dragon its Prime Minister Wen Jiabao warned Saturday, as he pledged economic reforms to improve wealth distribution, state media reported.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:23 UTC
Costa Concordia captain claims he was ordered to make the fatal ‘salute’ display

The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as divers recovered another body from the stricken liner, bringing the known death toll to 13.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:15 UTC
New Spanish minister proposes Gibraltar ‘quadripartite’ talks on cooperation

Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Jose Garcia-Margallo is seeking to revisit talks on co-operation with the disputed Gibraltar UK Overseas Territory on a new variation of the formulas for talks: a quadripartite forum.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:13 UTC
Mass pilot whale stranding in New Zealand; desperate efforts to save remaining 77

New Zealand officials say at least 22 pilot whales have died after being beached on the country's South Island.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:10 UTC
Dutch school girl mariner completes youngest round the world solo

Dutch schoolgirl sailor Laura Dekker, who has fulfilled her dream to become the youngest round-the-world sailor, arrived late on Saturday on the Dutch Antillean Island of St Maarten in the Caribbean, a year and a day after starting her epic voyage and breaking all the records she set out to surpass.