President Bush's nominee to be the next head of the World Bank Robert Zoellick is on a three-continent trip aimed at familiarizing himself with some of the Bank's financiers and customers. Zoellick is in Europe after visiting three African countries last week.

The World Bank welcomed the renewed commitment by the Heligendamm G8 Summit to fight climate change and to engage emerging economies in this process.

On June 7th the World Bank approved a package of assistance worth US$451 million to help the Government of Pakistan improve education in Punjab and Sindh, enhance irrigation in Punjab, implement reforms in education and health in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and eradicate polio throughout the country.

The World Bank's Board of Directors approved on June 7th a US$200 million loan to Colombia in order to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs, which seek to protect the poor from the impacts of environmental degradation, particularly in terms of health and productivity.

World Bank Assists with Improving Access to Health Care and Better Social Services for Country's Poor

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on June 5th an International Development Association (IDA) grant of US$150 million to finance an expansion of primary enrollment, the rehabilitation of education infrastructure and an improvement of the quality of education in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hefty bank loans and share offerings by Russian companies have led to a huge wave of capital into the country this year, and it potentially brings the danger to lose control over inflation in the nation's oil-fueled economy, the World Bank said Wednesday.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on June 5th an International Development Association (IDA) grant of US$20 million to finance an Agricultural Development and Rural Roads Rehabilitation Project (ADRRP) in Congo.

The World Bank approved on June 5th a US$280 million credit to help the Government of India improve the vocational training system by making the design and delivery of training more demand responsive.

The World Bank approved on June 5th a US$220 million loan to the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, designed to reduce transport costs and to improve traffic flows on the state's core road network.

Nam Theun 2 Maintains Momentum

People living in Cambodia 's poorest provinces, who currently pay among the highest tariffs for electricity in the world, will see their power bills drop dramatically as a result of grants approved on June 5th by the International Development Association (IDA).