1.The European Union is split over how best to apply the lessons of the global downturn to the regulation of financial markets. Countries like Germany want tighter controls on risky deals and exotic securities, but the UK, Ireland and parts of Eastern Europe are fighting for free markets. UK, Ireland Resist Push for More Financial Regulation

2.June 3 (Bloomberg) — The last time Brazil elected a president with a radical past, investors panicked and started bailing out of markets. The year was 2002; the nation’s currency plummeted 60 percent, and its borrowing costs tripled to 24 percent. Bovespa Rebound in Brazil’s Recession Market Makes Lula `My Man’ for Obama

3.Now that U.S. President Barack Obama has accepted Chinese President Hu Jintao’s offer to visit China later this year, there is a huge opportunity for the two countries—both top emitters of greenhouse gases—to collaborate on reducing energy consumption.Building a Greener China

4. The international environment facing Africa has turned decisively negative. GDP in the OECD countries is expected to contract by 4.3 per cent in 2009 and to be virtually flat in 2010. Growth in emerging economies is also expected to slow dramatically.Africa Economic Outlook

5.An SEC rule change has created hundreds of new products for US investors to choose from, but not everyone is happy about being involved. Unsponsored DRs multiply with newfound ease