The International Monetary Fund urged Pakistan's government to put more effort into stabilizing the country's struggling economy, after meetings between officials from both sides in Washington last week. IMF Pakistan Mission Chief Jeffrey Franks said the lender had not received any official request for an aid program from Pakistan's top financial officials amid "fruitful discussions" during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank last week. "We have not received a formal request for a program from the authorities," Franks said in a statement.

LONDON (Reuters) - The Treasury said the decision by ratings agency Fitch to strip the country of its top-notch triple-A rating on Friday was a reminder that the country must deal with its debts. "This is a stark reminder that the UK cannot simply run away from its problems, or refuse to deal with a legacy of debt built up over a decade," a Treasury spokesman said.

A 77-year-old woman who received $4 million from a 79-year-old man in exchange for sexual and romantic favours has been ordered to repay the cash by a court in Japan, a report said Thursday. The woman succeeded in getting around 400 million yen out of the man over a seven-year period, in what he said he thought were loans, which she used to buy luxury cars and a condominium, the Sports Nippon newspaper said. "She had no ability nor any intention to repay the debts," said the court in Shizuoka, central Japan, according to the paper.

By Marja Novak LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia, struggling to avoid becoming the euro zone's next bailout case after Cyprus, raised more than twice as much as planned in a treasury bill tender on Wednesday aimed at easing pressure on its finances. With investors increasingly sceptical that the small eastern European state can deal with its troubled banks on its own, the finance ministry used the proceeds to buy back a large tranche of debt maturing on June 6.