Stories for January 23rd 2010

Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:52 UTC
Lula da Silva calls for unity and warns followers about the “Piñera factor”

Brazilian president Lula da Silva called on his followers not to repeat what happened in Chile where the centre-left coalition lost the recent presidential election to the conservatives for having run with two candidates.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:44 UTC
Argentine courts ratify the freeze on use of Central Bank reserves

Argentina’s Federal Contentious Administrative Court Friday ratified the suspension on the use of the Central Bank foreign currency reserves to payout public debt, according to judicial sources in Buenos Aires.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:37 UTC
Ushuaia again feels seismic activity from the Drake Passage

Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, extreme south of Argentina was again rattled this week with seismic activity of 5.3 points intensity in the Richter scale, although there were no human losses and minimum damage to property.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:29 UTC
Record borrowing from UK government takes net debt to 67% of GDP

The British Government borrowed £15.7 billion last month - an amount that was less than expected, but still the highest December figure on record. Borrowing for the whole of 2009 reached £142.6 billion, the highest since Office for National Statistics (ONS) records began in 1946.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:21 UTC
Cuba and US work together to preserve Hemingway’s heritage

Cuban and US cultural institutions plan to keep working together to preserve the documents that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and are kept at Finca Vigia, the US writer’s home-turned-museum on the island, state media reported.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:13 UTC
Brazilian bank plans to enter the Mexican retail banking market

Brazil’s Banco Bradesco announced Friday that it plans to enter the Mexican retail banking market through the acquisition of Ibi Mexico
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:10 UTC
Commercial air link Gibraltar/Barcelona begins end of March

Andalus Lineas Aereas will renew its service from Gibraltar to Barcelona as from the end of March, exactly six months after it pulled the plug on the route because of low passenger numbers, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 15:02 UTC
UK British car industry contracted 30% during 2009

The damage wreaked by the recession on Britain's car industry was made clear as figures showed production in 2009 dropped almost a third on the previous year. Car production was down 30.9% compared to the previous year to 999,460 vehicles, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) announced.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 - 14:58 UTC
Morales promises a tighter state control economy for “post-colonial” Bolivia

Bolivian President Evo Morales began his second consecutive term on Friday vowing to fight poverty, further tighten state control over the economy and develop some of the world's largest lithium reserves.