Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

The potential for vast, Eurasia-centered economic development quickly became evident in the wake of Ukraine's Nov. 21 decision not to finalize a free-trade Association Agreement (AA) with the moribund European Union. The Ukrainian government announced that President Victor Yanukovych would sign 20 cooperation documents, including a Strategic Partnership Agreement between China and Ukraine, during a Dec. 3-6 state visit to Beijing. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin on Nov. 22 moved to form a new working group on Russian-Ukrainian industrial cooperation, and on Dec. 1-3, Rogozin toured plants in Ukraine's Dnieper Bend industrial region and met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on this subject.

UK's ten pioneering projects have been chosen to help separated couples resolve long-standing grievances, and agree their own financial and other parenting arrangements, in the best interests of their children.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fourth review of Côte d’Ivoire’s economic program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 48.78 million (US$75 million) to Côte d’Ivoire, bringing total disbursements under the ECF arrangement to an amount equivalent to SDR 308.94 million (US$475.2 million). The Executive Board also concluded the Article IV consultation for Côte d’Ivoire. A press release on the Executive Board’s assessment of the consultation will be issued in due course.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved US$121.42 million in grants to support the Government of Mali as it works to rehabilitate basic infrastructure and restore productive economic activity, and address climate change impacts while building resiliency in communities that have been impacted by the country’s recent crisis.

As part of UK government’s long term economic plan, and following the Autumn Statement, Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock is setting out the government’s offer to make it easier for small businesses to grow and create jobs.

The 20th Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council has opened in Kyiv with a call for greater efforts towards creating a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community with no dividing lines, respect for the rule of law and basic freedoms, and unity of purpose.

EU foreign-policy spending from 2014 will be more efficient, effective and democratically accountable, under new rules backed by foreign affairs MEPs on Thursday and development MEPs on Wednesday. The rules govern six foreign-policy funds for pre-accession, neighbouring and partner countries and peace-keeping, democracy and human-rights actions, worth over €51 billion.

European Book Prize winners: (left) Arnaud Leparmentier and (right) Eduardo Mendoza

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Oh-Seok Hyun signed a Letter of Understanding on Korea’s contribution to IMF capacity development programs. Korea is providing US$15 million over five years to support technical assistance and training for IMF member countries.

A greater voice for women in the management of the land they own and access to an effective secondary and higher education along with skills training will go a long way in addressing gender gap concerns in Bhutan. This is the main finding of the report Bhutan Gender Policy Note (GPN) which was launched in Thimpu.