Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

In August the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) decreased markedly by 2.0 points in the EU, to 87.0, and by 1.8 points in the euro area, to 86.1.

Against a backdrop of increased volatility in international food prices and energy supply, due in part to water availability, a new World Bank report calls for greater international cooperation on the 80% of the world’s rivers that cross national boundaries.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Development Bank will hold a high-level forum on “Rethinking Policy to Address Low Growth and High Debt in the Caribbean” on September 4-5, 2012 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The forum will discuss how lessons from the past and from other parts of the world could help the Caribbean economies in light of the distinctive challenges the region faces.

The Obama Administration today finalized groundbreaking standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has added the Republic of South Sudan, its newest member, to the list of member countries eligible for IMF concessional lending.

The Colombian Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, together with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the Interamerican Development Bank jointly organized the Third Latin American Treasury Forum (FOTEGAL) seminar that took place in Bogota, Colombia, during August 22–24, 2012. FOTEGAL was created in 2010 at its inaugural meeting in Lima, Peru, and aims at providing a permanent forum for technical discussions and exchange of experiences. The seminar, partially funded by the Government of Japan and part of the IMF’s technical assistance on treasury management to several Latin American countries, brought together treasurers of twelve countries—Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Over 200,000 people residing in five towns of Tajikistan – Kurgan-Tube, Farkhor, Dangara, Kulyab, and Vose – will benefit from improved access to clean water and high-quality utility services as a result of US$ 11.85 million of additional financing for the World Bank’s Tajikistan Municipal Infrastructure Development Project (MIDP).

UK Government is committed to putting the UK at the forefront of this rapidly developing market which is why the consultation proposes introducing a power that, when exercised, would give new rights to consumers to access their personal transaction data in an electronic, portable and machine-readable format.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition by the Dutch banks ABN AMRO, Rabobank and Friesland Bank together with the Icelandic bank Landsbanki of the Heiploeg Group, a Dutch supplier of shrimps. The Commission's investigation confirmed that the operation would not raise competition concerns because it will not significantly alter the market structure.