MEXICO: Calderon Choses Ally Carstens As Central Banker.

LATIMES/
President Felipe Calderon nominated Finance Minister Agustin Carstens and political ally to head Mexico's central bank. Carstens is a University of Chicago-trained economist who just placed a huge $1.17 billion hedge on 2010 oil prices. But Carstens is seen as more willing to work with Calderon than the outgoing independent Bank of Mexico director Guillermo Ortiz. "The president is taking a very high risk by fixing something that wasn't broken," said opposition member Sen. Francisco Arroyo. "The country is not in the position to take such delicate risks."