Goliath buys antartica

The Goliath Corporation yesterday announced they had purchased Antarctica in a bold and visionary move that will generate thousands of new jobs in the underdeveloped continent. "Antarctica has been in our sights for a while now" explained Mr Schitt-Hawse, The Goliath Corporation's spokesman, "and yesterday we agreed terms to buy Antarctica purely for conservation purposes".

Mr Schitt-Hawse went on to explain that the vast and virtually uninhabitable continent could be one of the biggest tourist attractions in recent years, creating much needed new jobs in an area traditionally considered a low point in employment opportunities. The price has not been divulged but is, pundits say, somewhere in the region of a trillion pounds. When asked how Goliath might get its investment back by tourism alone, Schitt-Hawse replied that Goliath may undertake 'exploratory' work to see if there are any minerals in the continent's cold and icy land. 'Who knows?' explained Mr Schitt, 'we might just strike lucky and hit some oil or something and that would really be the icing on the cake.'

Environmentalists described the Goliath deal as 'Sickening' and 'an affront to the sanctity of the Antarctic non-invasive treaty of 1962'. Goliath are taking no chances of eco-vandalism and are at present dispatching Goliath warships to protect the continent against vandals who seek to harm the penguin population, illegally remove ice and snow and create general 'mischief'. Goliath have also proposed legislation demanding all visitors to the hitherto unoccupied and unpoliced continent to undergo rigourous 'health, suitability and safety checks' before landing.

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