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An IMF mission conducted discussions on the 2010 Article IV consultation with Honduras during May 17-27. The mission met with President Porfirio Lobo, the government's economic team, as well as private sector and civil society representatives. Discussions focused on the economic outlook for 2010 and the macroeconomic policy response of the government. There was agreement that the global crisis that erupted in late 2008 together with the uncertain political situation in Honduras in 2009 had a strong adverse impact on the economy and further deteriorated the fiscal and external accounts.

New York: The latest review meeting of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) wrapped up by reaffirming the resolve of the five Member States with nuclear weapons to eliminate their arsenals and calling for a United Nations-sponsored conference in 2012 to establish a nuclear-free Middle East.

New York: Three United Nations human rights experts has called on the Pakistani Government to take every step to ensure the safety of religious minorities after the killing of at least 70 members of the Ahmadiyyah community, noting that numerous early warning signs had not been properly heeded.

New York: The top United Nations humanitarian official has called on the international community to provide more funding to prevent the crisis in southern Sudan, a region already beset by food insecurity, displacements and inter-tribal violence, from spiralling into real disaster.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 28.52 million (about US$ 42.05 million) under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) for Nepal to help address the economic impact of the global economic crisis. The Board's approval enables the immediate disbursement of the full amount.

In a preliminary conclusion, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that the Turkish economy entered the global financial and economic crisis following a six-year growth surge that was fuelled by far-reaching policy reforms and greater political stability. The reforms of the past decade, particularly fiscal discipline, introduction of inflation targeting, and overhaul of financial sector oversight, together with political stability and opening of EU accession negotiations, significantly improved confidence in the management of the economy. These factors contributed to a high fiscal primary surplus, rapidly falling public debt, and moderate inflation.

New York: In an effort to protect children and pregnant women in the Central African Republic (CAR) from malaria, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it was working with the Government to provide each household across the country with at least one mosquito net treated with long-lasting insecticides.

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - One year after a decades-old civil conflict ended in Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda said that a top priority of Sri Lanka's post-war development is to make sure that rapid reconstruction continues in the conflict-affected areas and the benefits of development reach everyone in the country.

New York: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned of growing needs in the Eastern Sahel region of West Africa, one of the most destitute regions in the world, where some 10 million people are facing extreme hunger due to drought and poor harvests.

New York: Renewed fighting between Government troops and armed opposition groups have displaced over 17,000 people from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, over the past month, with more than 14,300 fleeing in the last two weeks alone, the United Nations refugee agency reported.