Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

On September 02, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday completed the first review of Honduras’s performance under an economic program supported by a three-year Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and a two-year arrangement under the Stand-By Credit Facility (SCF).

Total G7 and BRIICS international merchandise trade, in current US dollars, continued to contract in the second quarter of 2015, with exports and imports declining by 0.9% and 1.2% respectively, compared with the previous quarter.

On 11 September, European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič attended bilateral talks on energy security with the Russian Federation in Vienna. Russia was represented by the Minister for Energy, Mr Alexander Novak and the CEO of Gazprom, Mr Alexej Miller. The meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere and focused on the actions needed to ensure stable gas supplies to Ukraine and via Ukraine to the EU during winter. The meeting was also the occasion to exchange views on matters regarding the EU-Russia energy relations such as energy infrastructure.

G7 and BRIICS
Merchandise trade in US$ billion

Seasonally adjusted data at current prices and exchange rates

The World Bank Thursday approved a $50 million Program to support the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) to generate better and more accessible data to inform policy-makers and contribute to strengthening its capacity.

World Bank officials met with the African Caucus in Luanda, Angola, August 27 and 28, to present an update on the work to revise policies for protecting the poor and the environment in Bank- financed projects. World Bank (IBRD/IDA) lending for Africa reached a record USD11.6 billion in new investments last year.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon have enacted reforms to advance women’s economic advancement, although women in the Middle East and North Africa region face the most hurdles in getting a job or starting a business, says the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2016 report, released on September 9.

The world’s high-income economies boast wide-ranging laws to promote women’s economic advancement, but more needs to be done to protect them against violence, says the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law 2016 report, released on September 9.

OECD Harmonised Unemployment Rates, s.a.