WASHINGTON, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a new three-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Somalia in an amount of SDR 75 million (about 45.9 percent of quota, about $100 million).

LONDON: Despite slashing oil production for months on end and announcing new cuts in late November, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its ten allies have struggled to boost flagging prices.

LONDON: British inflation has slowed sharply to the lowest level in more than two years on falling petrol prices, official data showed Wednesday, easing a cost-of-living crisis after aggressive interest-rate hikes.

ACCRA, Ghana: Ghana, the world’s second biggest cocoa producer, faces a growing risk to its harvest—and blow to its crisis-hit economy—from illegal mining and smugglers, industry officials, farmers and activists warn.

LONDON: On a busy north London street, plumber Ben Hume-Wright zipped through the heavy rush-hour traffic to his next job by bike. Trades such as his used to rely on vans but many are now choosing to do more business using two or sometimes three wheels.

COLOMBO: The World Bank said Wednesday it had released $250 million to support bankrupt Sri Lanka’s tough economic reforms following last year’s financial crisis.

LONDON, Dec 20 (KUNA) - Inflation decreases from 4.6 percent to 3.9 percent in the last month in Britain, official statements showed on Wednesday about the consumer price index, marking it the lowest in two years.

KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- The exchange rate of US Dollar stabilized on Wednesday against the Kuwaiti Dinar at KD 0.307, while Euro went up by 0.58 percent to KD 0.337 comparing to rates last Thursday, said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK).

TOKYO, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's trade surplus with Japan in November narrowed 18.2 percent from a year earlier to JPY 82.5 billion (USD 574 million), down for the second month, due to slow exports, government data showed Wednesday.