Africa looking towards India, China: Senegal president

September 14th, 2009 Obama to meet African leaders at UNUNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama will host a lunch for leaders from sub-Saharan Africa during next week's ministerial meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to promote economic and social development, the U.S.

August 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With India and Africa coming closer, a pioneering web portal to bridge the information gap was launched by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here Monday.

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Fiat India has set an ambitious target of exporting 7,000 cars this fiscal, up from just 800 in 2008-09. The company Wednesday said in a statement that it would focus more on South Asian countries as well as major automobile markets like South Africa to meet the target.

July 3rd, 2009 Dispute deepens on who controlled Flight 447RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil's air force released a recording Friday it said proves it handed over control of Air France Flight 447 to Senegalese authorities before it crashed — but African officials denied that. The audio clip was posted on the air force's Web site after a French official investigating the June 1 crash said air traffic controllers in Dakar, Senegal, were never officially given control of the flight by Brazilian authorities.

July 3rd, 2009 Brazil: Senegal took control of doomed flightBRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's air force has released a recording it says proves it handed over control of Air France Flight 447 to Senegalese authorities before it crashed. The audio has been posted on the air force Web site after a French official said air traffic controllers in Dakar, Senegal, never officially took control of the flight.

June 15th, 2009 YEKATERINBERG - India and China will hold the next round of talks on the boundary dispute Aug 7-8 in New Delhi, official sources said here Monday night ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Prime Minister Singh and President Hu will discuss a host of issues relating to bilateral relations, and the boundary dispute will also figure in the talks, highly placed sources said.

May 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Vice President Hamid Ansari will go to South Africa Friday to represent India at the oath-taking of president-elect Jacob Zuma the next day. Ansari's visit will add more depth and content to strategic partnership between India and South Africa, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said here Wednesday.

April 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Thursday launched an India Business Forum (IBF) in China, a lobby to promote bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. The IBF will act as a forum for promoting India-China trade through collective and consensual approach and will also work with the Indian embassy in Beijing and others towards 'building brand India', the CII said in a statement released here.

March 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a step that is set to add extra shine to bilateral ties and help the African diamond industry move up the value chain, India is planning to set up diamond cutting and polishing institutes to train Africans. 'As part of our philosophy of sharing our knowledge with others, and in pursuance of our policy to increase capacity building in Africa, my government has favorably considered the request of some African countries to set up diamond cutting and polishing institutes for training of their personnel in cutting and polishing skills,' External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday.

March 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - India continues to remain a 'reliable partner' of Africa and is looking at deepening relations with regional groups in the continent, a senior Indian diplomat said here Monday. 'India has been and will always remain a reliable partner for Africa,' Nalin Surie, secretary (west) at the ministry of external affairs, said at the first day of the CII-Exim Bank conclave on India-Africa project partnership 2009.

February 28th, 2009 KOLKATA - At a time when the world is reeling under the economic meltdown, exporters of engineering goods in the country are looking to Africa and Southeast Asia for salvation. 'Though they predominantly buy engineering goods from China, last year they faced some difficulties and now they want India to be developed as a second supplier,' R.P.

January 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India will put in a mechanism to ensure a smoother road for businesses for opening letter of credit and receipt of payments through banks and financial institutions, External Affairs Minister of State Anand Sharma here today. In his address at the valedictory session of the India-Africa Business Partnership summit, the minister said Indian missions in Africa had complaints about difficulty in financial transactions, especially in opening letters of credit.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday called for greater cooperation between India and Africa, saying the potential for bilateral trade between the two was more than what is reflected by existing trade levels. 'I call upon Indian and African business partners to step up their business engagements, Existing trade and investment levels do not reflect the true potential.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda, Monday said it is 'absurd' India and Africa do not have any say in the expanded United Nations Security Council (UNSC), adding that the two regions ought to have permanent seats in the council. 'It is absurd that with a combined population of about two billion people, neither India nor Africa is represented in the United Nations Security Council,' Kagame said at the India-Africa Business Summit here.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Inc. needs to shift its focus from trade to investment in order to compete with China, Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh said here Monday.