Stories for February 9th 2010

Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 23:58 UTC
Unasur pledges 300 m USD for Haiti; sees Ecuador and Colombia edging closer

The Union of South American Nations, Unasur, leaders agreed Tuesday to provide 300 million US dollars in aid to Haiti at a summit in Ecuador which left aside regional disputes that have undermined relations since 2008.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 23:53 UTC
Norwegian company contracted for major Falklands’ drilling program

Norway’s AGR Petroleum Services (AGR) will begin a significant drilling campaign, valued at more than £2 million, off the Falklands Islands this month on behalf of two operators, announced the company in Oslo.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 23:48 UTC
UK top financial regulator quits after three years in the job

The head of Britain’s Financial Services Authority, FSA, has announced he is to quit after three years at the helm. Chief executive Hector Sants is to stand down in summer 2010, the regulator said, adding that it would announce the process for replacing him in due course.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 20:50 UTC
Costa Rican president-elect Laura Chinchilla victory was a landslide

Costa Rican president elect Laura Chinchilla victory last Sunday was a landslide having taken 46.76% of the vote according to the latest official data from the Electoral Tribunal with 95% of the vote count concluded.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 20:30 UTC
Looking for the Pinochet link in false accounting plea by British arms giant

Chilean authorities investigating bribery and embezzlement charges against former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet hope a plea bargain agreement between British arms manufacturer BAE systems and judicial authorities in the U.S. and U.K. will provide them with fresh evidence.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 16:51 UTC
Lula da Silva’s handpicked presidential candidate is “a puppet”

Former Brazilian president Fernando Enrique Cardoso said that the presidential pre-candidate Dilma Roussef is a “puppet” of Brazilian leader Lula da Silva, according to reports in the Sao Paulo press.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 16:47 UTC
Stiglitz calls on Euro zone governments to “burn the speculators”

European governments should intervene in stock markets and “burn” the speculators one of the world's leading economists was quoted by European media. Professor Joseph Stiglitz said authorities in the Euro-zone should do what the Chinese authorities did in the late 1990s when the Hong Kong currency came under attack.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 16:43 UTC
Brazil’s main political force confirms support for presidential hopeful Rousseff

Brazil’s main political force, the Brazilian Democratic Movement party, PMDB, reaffirmed its alliance with President Lula da Silva’s Workers Party, PT, and closed ranks behind his hand picked candidate for October’s presidential election, Dilma Rousseff.
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:48 UTC
Let’s hope “they wont’ have stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo”

An Argentine Senator from the ruling Justicialista party, several times tipped as a presidential hopeful harshly criticized the government while saying that the people of Argentina would be “pleased” when ”they (the Kirchner couple) leave in 2011,“ so they won't have ”stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo.”
Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:35 UTC
Ex-president Kirchner recovering favourably but will have “to control stress”

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner is recovering favourably after emergency surgery on his carotid artery, the chief surgeon on the case said Monday.