Economy

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 06:37 UTC

  Judge Griesa lifts freeze on Argentine funds to help with planned “debt swap”

  

  A New York State Judge lifted a freeze on Argentine Central Bank accounts held in the US Federal Reserve, Argentina's Finance secretary told reporters on Thursday. The freeze has been imposed on request from investors holding defaulted Argentine sovereign bonds.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 06:16 UTC

  Jobs of the future: space pilot, human body part maker or climate change averter

  

  Tomorrow's job hunters could be applying for the position of space pilot, human body part maker or climate change averter, according to a British government commissioned report.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 06:09 UTC

  Obama to slap 117 billion USD levy on banks to repay for bail outs

  

  President Barack Obama has said Wall Street must repay 117 billion US dollars to taxpayers and criticised banks for “massive profits and obscene bonuses”. The tax is to recoup money US taxpayers are expected to lose from bailing out the banks during the financial crisis.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 05:28 UTC

  Euro-zone countries “need bold measures to improve confidence”

  

  The European Central Bank left interest rates on hold at their historic low of 1% at its first meeting for the year Thursday amid concerns about Greece's debt crisis.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:16 UTC

  Haiti with no relief for thousands of injured and buried in the rubble

  

  Haitian President Rene Preval has said thousands of people are feared dead following a huge quake which has devastated the country's capital. Mr Preval said the UN mission chief in Haiti was among the dead. It said at least 14 other UN staff had died and 56 were injured.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:12 UTC

  Argentina vows to press on with debt swap of defaulted bonds

  

  Argentina vowed on Wednesday to press on with a debt swap targeting 20 billion US dollars in defaulted bonds in spite of the political turmoil. The announcement had an immediate reaction in the stock market and Argentine bonds.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:04 UTC

  A Greek “headache” for the European Central Bank and interest rates

  

  The Euro-zone is facing one of its most serious internal crises ever as European Central Bank (ECB) governors meet on Thursday, with fiscal problems in Greece and other members of the bloc pushing interest rate issues to the background.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:00 UTC

  Brazil elected to board of directors of Bank for International Settlements

  

  Brazil’s Central bank president Henrique Meirelles was elected to the board of directors of the Bank for International Settlements, a further sign of the country's increasing clout in the world economy.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 11:56 UTC

  Germany experienced during 2009 the largest ever decline in 60 years

  

  Germany's largely export-driven economy recorded its biggest-ever decline since World War II in 2009: 5%. The country also breached the EU's deficit limit.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 11:54 UTC

  No end on sight to US budget deficit: one trillion USD in fiscal 2010

  

  United States registered its largest December budget deficit on record as higher unemployment reduced revenue and the government spent money to help the economy recover.