The enterprising Ms Ruddock persuaded seven businesses - in finance, fashion, architecture, art and publishing - to offer work placements which she could auction.

BBC: What price work experience?

In the run-up to the G20 summit in Seoul, Lula's finance minister, Guido Mantega, told journalists that Ms Rousseff "wants to work with lower interest rates" - a move that puts her at odds with Mr Meirelles' avowed strategy of using rate rises as "the basic instrument" to control inflation.

BBC: Brazil's inflation hawk Henrique Meirelles bows out

Ronnie Bar-On, the finance minister, a senior backer of Ms Livni in the Kadima contest, says the global financial upheaval is reason enough to reject Shas's demand.

ECONOMIST: Israel

In 2007, President Sarkozy suggested the finance ministry - which had been overseeing the dispute and was led by Ms Lagarde - should move the case to arbitration.

BBC: French court questions IMF chief Christine Lagarde

They will also pay close attention to Antonio Palocci, who oversaw Lula's embrace of market-friendly policies as his first finance minister and is part of Ms Rousseff's transition team.

ECONOMIST: Brazil's next president

Even Ms. Merkel had some doubts about her finance ministry's hard-line insistence that Greece's bondholders take a loss.

WSJ: European Disunion: Dithering at the Top Turned EU Crisis to Global Threat