Lagarde says global economy is improving; IMFC says leaders must focus on fiscal planning

The world's top finance officials said on Saturday that the global economy is recovering and they hope well-run economic programmes will avoid the risks that threaten that rebound. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde told reporters that the world had gone through a lengthy economic disaster and now was "moving into a strengthening phase." Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's Finance Minister and Chairman of the IMF's policy committee, said that politicians need to avoid repeating the mistakes that led to past economic downturns. The 188-nation IMF concluded weekend meetings with pledges to work toward faster growth that will alleviate still-high unemployment. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/bb37c9e36671d84c79ab38001fcf7216 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork