Politics

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 11:59 UTC

  Bernanke reappointed but “Main Street America” is not satisfied

  

  Ben Bernanke has been approved to serve a second four-year term as chairman of the US Federal Reserve, the country's powerful central bank. The US Senate voted 70-30 in favour of Mr Bernanke, handing him the narrowest victory margin in decades.

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 11:57 UTC

  Pork better than Viagra, give it a go, recommends unabashed Cristina Kirchner

  

  Argentine President Cristina Kirchner surprised guests at a business meeting by admitting eating pork improves sexual activity. Quite distant from her sharp lecturing style Mrs. Kirchner offered a rare non political intimate glimpse of the country’s most powerful couple life.

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 09:15 UTC

  “Global Statesman” Lula da Silva recovers from high blood pressure peak

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva is resting at his private home after having suffered a high blood pressure peak on Wednesday which forced him to cancel his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos where he was to be honoured with the Global Statesman Prize.

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 03:05 UTC

  Cambio? The Obama Administration in Latin America: A Disappointing Year in Perspective

  

  In a memorandum written as Barack Obama assumed office in January 2009 COHA’s Research Fellows Guy Hursthouse and Tomás Ayuso considered widespread Latin American expectations of a dramatic shift in approach from Washington under the new president, and outlined an agenda for change aimed at achieving those hopes as the result of a bold new direction for U.S. relations with the region. A year later, they offer their evaluation of developments to date and conclude that a clear and meaningful program of change has failed to materialize under Obama, his Secretary of State, and the leadership team to which he has looked for drafting his regional agendas. At best, their fractured approach to Latin American issues has delivered mixed results. Looking ahead, the authors ask, despite the continued backing Obama continues to enjoy from a resilient public that still refuses give up on him, can we expect the president’s second year in office to deliver that coherent mixture of realism and idealism which has up to now proved elusive?

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 02:22 UTC

  Tough year ahead for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is facing a tough 2010 with growing complaints over shortages of electricity and water and a sharp currency devaluation that could harm the chances of his supporters in congressional elections in September.

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 01:54 UTC

  Canada confident of its oil potential development in spite of Venezuela

  

  An assessment that Venezuela sits on one of the largest oil fields on record does not threaten the potential of Canadian reserve development, analysts said.

• Friday, January 29th 2010 - 01:52 UTC

  Obama promises jobs and admits a “deficit of trust” by the US people

  

  US president Barack Obama promised to make job creation his top priority as he made his first State of the Union address. Obama forecast the creation of 1.5 million jobs through the 'stimulus bill' in the nationally televised speech Wednesday evening to a joint session of Congress.

• Thursday, January 28th 2010 - 14:15 UTC

  Honduras Lobo moving “in the right direction”, but no US aid restoration yet

  

  Newly-inaugurated Honduran President Porfirio Lobo is taking his country “in the right direction,” but the United States has not decided whether to restore aid to Honduras, said Arturo Valenzuela, US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs.

• Thursday, January 28th 2010 - 14:03 UTC

  Argentine financial markets waiting for outcome of Central Bank dispute

  

  Argentine financial markets closed lower on Wednesday waiting for the outcome of the ongoing dispute between President Cristina Kirchner and Central bank governor Martin Redrado which is now under consideration in Congress.

• Thursday, January 28th 2010 - 13:55 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged but will begin to wind down liquidity programs

  

  The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that the U.S. economic activity has continued to “strengthen” and decided to keep a key interest rate unchanged at a record low of between zero to 0.25% to prop up the economy. However there was a dissenting vote.