AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

An increasing number of people are trying more ways to sneak money out of countries that are buckling under the weight of the world's almost daily financial crises.

The military junta that seized control of Guinea-Bissau last week said on Thursday that they will hand power to civilian government in two years.

The volatility, panic, and the resulting tightening of investors' purses that dominated credit markets for much of 2011 is giving way to calm, creating a flood of cash from investors now confident enough to put their money back into corporate bonds. Somewhat surprisingly, crisis-exposed financial institutions, even in Europe, have been able to take advantage.

A budget crunch in Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy, has reached a critical stage with the government struggling to maintain spending on HIV/AIDS, education and the elderly, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.