WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were detained on Saturday when they tried to disrupt the ongoing spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), police sources said.

Demonstrators take part in the "Run on the Bank" protest near the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, April 25, 2009. The demonstrators protested against the IMF and the World Bank (WB) spring meetings and their handling of the world economic crisis. (Xinhua/Zhang Yan) Photo Gallery>>>

    Police sources said that six were arrested for vandalism and a seventh was taken into custody for assaulting a police officer.

    The World Bank and IMF kicked off their spring meetings, a semi-annual event, at the IMF headquarters in downtown Washington D.C. on Saturday morning.

    At least 100 people gathered outside the IMF headquarters in protest of the global financial institutions for ignoring issues such as environmental protection.

    Roads around the IMF headquarters have been closed for public vehicles until Sunday when the two-day event is scheduled to conclude.

World Bank Group launches infrastructure initiatives to help developing countries weather economic crisis

    WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick launched two multi-billion-U.S.-dollar investment initiatives here on Saturday to help developing countries weather the ongoing global economic crisis by promoting growth through infrastructure construction.

    The World Bank's Infrastructure Recovery and Assets (INFRA) platform and the Infrastructure Crisis Facility (ICF), set up by International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's member focused on private sector investments, will mobilize more than 55 billion U.S. dollars over the next three years to the construction of infrastructure projects in developing countries.  Full story

IMF kicks off International Monetary and Financial Committee meeting

    WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Saturday kicked off its semi-annual International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) as the world economy was in the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

    The current spring meetings of the IMF and its sister institution World Bank, will consist of a series of policy dialogue sessions, which will bring together IMF and World Bank staff, civil society organization representative and government delegates.  Full story

IMF says it never puts conditions limiting health, education spending

    WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Saturday that it has never put conditions limiting health and education spending as a civil society body urged the IMF to carry on the review on loan conditional ties in poor countries.

    "The Fund has been at the forefront in calling for more aid so that countries do not have to cut spending during recession," said the IMF in a statement to Xinhua. "Consistent with that, the programs we support have generally factored in higher deficits and spending, and we are helping to finance these deficits by tripling our concessional lending in 2009."  Full story