FRANKFURT, Jan 26- European Central Bank Executive Board member Joerg Asmussen called for international cooperation to address the current debate about competitive currency devaluation, saying central banks are not the ones to solve structural problems.

*Proto- central bank presides over conservative lending. RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan 23- A central bank in the making, the Palestine Monetary Authority is a rare bright spot as the economy of the Palestinian territories struggles with Israeli sanctions.

*Magnitsky case seen adding to negative view of Russia. DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 25- It began with the death of an anti-corruption lawyer in a Moscow jail and grew into a row between Russia and the United States. Now Russia's business elite are worried their interests could be harmed by fallout from the Magnitsky affair.

SANTIAGO, Jan 26- The United States and the European Union are wrapping up final preparations for talks on a free-trade agreement that would encompass half the world's economic output, Europe's trade chief said on Saturday, while warning of "difficult negotiations."

*Role of HDL in heart disease yet to be settled. DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 24- The jury is still out on the benefits of increasing "good" HDL cholesterol, but the strategy remains worth pursuing, despite recent setbacks, the chief executive of Merck& Co said on Thursday.

HOUSTON, Jan 22- James Davis, the government's top witness in convicted swindler Allen Stanford's fraud trial, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Davis, who could have been sentenced to 30 years, told the court: "I am ashamed and I am embarrassed."

GENEVA, Jan 21- Investment in Algeria's oil and gas sector may fall as concerns about the costs of security after a bloody siege at a desert gas plant eclipse the impact of a hydrocarbon law designed to win over foreign firms, executives and analysts said on Monday.

Thawing sea ice caused by global warming has attracted energy companies to drill in the Arctic Ocean, an area mostly north of Russia containing 25 percent of the world's untapped hydrocarbons, according to estimates.

*Japan economy minister says not trying to weaken yen. *South Korea central banker criticises Japan policy.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 25- Internet video ads, long a sideshow in the online advertising market, are gaining in importance to marketers and Web publishers as they look to capitalize on consumers' changing viewing habits and tap a $70 billion television market.

*Bain Capital had taken company private for $1.3 bln in 2008. Jan 25- Shares of Bain Capital-backed Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc rose as much as 32 percent in their market debut on the New York Stock Exchange as investors focused on the largest U.S. child-care provider's leadership in a growing niche market.

NEW YORK, Jan 25- SandRidge Energy Inc's board said Friday it reviewed land deals involving entities controlled by Chief Executive Tom Ward and his family and found no wrongdoing. Another top shareholder, Mount Kellett Capital Management, joined TPG-Axon in urging the board to further investigate the land deals.

*WEF sees $47 trillion output hit from chronic diseases. *Davos seeks answers despite corporate vested interests.

LONDON, Jan 25- Hedge fund short-sellers have hoovered up nearly all available shares in Peugeot in their scramble to bet the French carmaker will be an early victim in an industry struggling to overcome a collapse in European sales.

LONDON, Jan 25- Visitors to London have marked its hotels as the worst in a list of 100 cities due to overpriced minibars, lousy breakfasts and slow service, according to a survey released on Friday. Close behind Dresden in the list of cities with good hotels were Hanoi in Vietnam, Tokyo, Chicago, and Krakow in Poland.

WASHINGTON, Jan 24- Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co warned on Thursday that U.S. defense budget cuts would eat into their sales this year, but they forecast very different effects on their bottom lines. Raytheon, on the other hand, said its profit would shrink as the arms maker gets squeezed by the end of high-margin programs and the start of new, low-margin ones.

*Markets positions for aggressive Bank of Japan action. *Yen to move higher if Bank of Japan seeks unlimited bond buying. NEW YORK, Jan 18- The yen dropped to a 31- month low against the U.S. dollar on Friday, sliding for a tenth straight week, on expectations of aggressive monetary policy action from the Bank of Japan.

WASHINGTON, Jan 25- Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rose last year to the highest level since 2009, a sign the troubled U.S. housing market has turned a corner. "Overall the stage is set for more home building," said Michelle Meyer, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York.

WASHINGTON, Jan 25- A U.S. bank regulator announced on Friday that it fined a South Dakota bank $10 million over problems with its anti-money- laundering controls.