Ben Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Mr Bernanke was re-nominated as Fed chairman by President Barack Obama in August, subject to confirmation by the US Senate. Senators voted 70-30 in favour of his nomination - the closest vote in the 97-year history of the central bank - following an afternoon of debate discussing his first four-year term, his role in the financial crisis, and whether his apparent closeness to the Obama administration might impact on the Fed's independence.   Related Articles Paulson says he was right to threaten to oust BoA chief Lewis President Obama: 'No fresh stimulus needed' Fed's 50 basis point cut takes US interest rate to 1pc Ben Bernanke's version of history is incomplete Fed's Ben Bernanke says global economy 'beginning to emerge' from recession Although it looked for some time as if it would be a much closer call, in the final simple majority vote, 22 Republicans joined with 48 of their Democrat colleagues to back his nomination.[Read more...]