IMF approves $33.4 mln loan disbursement to Zambia

(Reuters) - Takatoshi Kato, IMF deputy managing director, said record
copper prices and debt cancellation strengthened Zambia's
overall economic position and allowed it to build up
international reserves.




"Going forward, the challenge for the authorities is to
consolidate macroeconomic stability and implement structural
reforms to raise productivity and diversify the economy," Kato
said in a statement late on Friday.


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Oil prices may hit $80 a barrel: Iran report

(Reuters) - Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency carried the remarks.




Khatibi said storms, like Cyclone Gonu that lashed the south of Iran and disrupted oil exports from nearby Oman last week, could help drive the price to around $80 a barrel -- although he did not specify which benchmark crude he was referring to.


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