Politics

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 18:21 UTC

  Costa Rica elects president and renews Legislative next Sunday

  

  Costa Rica next Sunday will be electing a successor to president Oscar Arias out of nine hopefuls among which leading public opinion polls is his sponsored candidate, Laura Chinchilla, followed by Conservative Otto Guevara and Socialist Ottón Solis.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 18:09 UTC

  Closer ties with France and other allies in UK’s forces future

  

  The British Armed Services will have to rely more on France and other international allies as they face “tough choices” in the coming years, said UK Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth on the launching of Government Green Paper that will pave the way for a full-scale strategic defence review after the General Election.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 17:58 UTC

  Central bank can have operational autonomy but “it is not independent”

  

  Argentina’s newly appointed Central Bank president Mercedes Marcó del Pont, said she “believes in the Central Bank' operational autonomy,” but expressed “it cannot be independent”. She also said they would “work rigorously and continue their policies to bring calm in the currency exchange market.”

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 17:51 UTC

  Brazil finally decides to purchase Dassault Rafale fighter planes

  

  Brazil has agreed on a price to buy and assemble 36 Rafale fighter jets with French manufacturer Dassault after months of negotiations, a leading Brazilian newspaper reported on Thursday.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 17:25 UTC

  UK readies for a major Strategic Defence review debate

  

  A Green Paper posing fundamental questions for the future of the United Kingdom’s defence has been published Wednesday by the MoD, paving the way for a post-election (May) Strategic Defence Review (SDR).

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 17:17 UTC

  As China tries to cool economy asset bubbles fears emerge in Brazil

  

  Brazil, Latinamerica’s largest economy is feeling the consequences of China’s moves to rein in an overheated economy and global fears of asset bubbles in attractive fast developing economies. The strongest warning came this week from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 17:09 UTC

  US academic wants banks barred from gambling on world markets

  

  A leading US academic who has been praised by the head of the Bank of England has called for banks to be barred from gambling on the world markets. Speaking on Jeff Randall Live, Professor Laurence Kotlikoff argued that the days of casino banking should be ended for good.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 16:11 UTC

  Chile enacts bill with sweeping changes to defence policy

  

  Chilean president Michelle Bachelet promulgated this week a bill with sweeping changes in the Defence ministry and Armed Forces structure including the creation of a post equivalent to that of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 15:56 UTC

  UK rejects Argentine protest; supports Falklands’ hydrocarbons industry

  

  Britain rejected on Wednesday a protest from Argentina over recent decisions from several companies licensed by the Falkland Islands government, to begin drilling in waters surrounding the South Atlantic islands.

• Thursday, February 4th 2010 - 14:20 UTC

  “The Kirchners, growing richer and richer”

  

  The controversial 2 million US dollar purchase former president Néstor Kirchner made in October 2008 has already made it to the foreign press. After the controversy, Spanish newspaper El País' headlines read: “The Kirchners, growing richer and richer.”