Two in three British firms banking on India, China to boost revenues

October 13th, 2009 BEIJING - China and Pakistan Tuesday pledged to boost cooperation in trade and defence sectors, the Online news agency reported Tuesday. Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held discussion with Chinese President Hu Jintao in this regard, the report said.

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - British companies have been banned from doing business with two Iranian firms linked to Tehran's nuclear programme, Exchequer Secretary Sarah McCarthy-Fry announced late Monday. The two Iranian firms being targeted are Bank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

October 9th, 2009 BANGALORE - Hong Kong and Guangzhou province have invited Indian investors and entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities in South China. As a renowned international financial centre in Asia, Hong Kong is a favourite destination for investments in the services sector, which accounts for about 90 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), state-run Hong Kong investment promotion director-general Simon Galpin told IANS.

October 6th, 2009 LONDON - Gulf countries have begun secret talks with China, France, Japan and Russia to replace dollar dealings for oil with a basket of currencies, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The basket includes the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), The Independent reported.

September 25th, 2009 LONDON - Two high-level Indian technology delegations are to visit Britain next week amid a bid by both countries to deepen their technology ties. Members of the Indian Semiconductor Association are to visit from Sep 29 to Oct 2 for seminars and networking events organised with Silicon South West, South West Regional Development Agency and East of England International.

August 16th, 2009 BEIJING - The deputy commander of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Armed Forces and crown prince of Abu Dhabi is on a two-day visit to China to boost bilateral ties, the WAM news agency reported Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is heading a business delegation here, Sunday visited the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA).

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - Nepal's former prime minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal Prachanda claims India thought he was closer to Communist China than to India, but says it was wrong to think so. Prachanda, who resigned as prime minister in May after less nine than months in office, said he wanted good relations with both of Nepal's giant neighbours - India and China.

July 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Coca-Cola has registered a 33 percent growth in sales in India during the second quarter ended July 3, the soft drink major said Tuesday. Supported by the high growth in India as well as China, the company also saw its revenues increase to $2.04 billion, or 88 cents per share, in the quarter under review, as against $1.42 billion, or 61 cents per share, earned in the year-ago period.

June 30th, 2009 BAGHDAD - A group led by British Petroleum (BP) Tuesday won rights to develop Iraq's Rumaila oil field, the largest of six oil fields on offer in a two-day bidding war in Baghdad. BP and China's CNPC won the rights to develop the field in cooperation with Iraqi partners in a process that has pitted 32 of the world's largest oil companies against each other.

May 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Around 100 officials and scholars from China and India have gathered in Beijing to discuss how to boost cooperation between the two Asian giants. "Dragon and elephant have danced together in recent years," Feng Zuoku, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said at the start of the seminar.

May 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The number of US banks facing collapse jumped dramatically in the first quarter with a 21 percent increase in "problem" lenders, a US government agency said Wednesday. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's head Sheila Bair said the increase - reportedly the worst change in 15 years - showed "the banking industry still faces tremendous challenges".

April 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Leading Kerala-based retail stockbroking firm Geojit Financial Services Ltd was Thursday renamed Geojit BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas, the Paris-based banking group said it has become the largest shareholder of Geojit Financial Services, and that all 500 Geojit offices in India will change their name and bear the colours of BNP Paribas.

April 2nd, 2009 LONDON - World leaders Thursday agreed to pledge $1 trillion more to the International Monetary Fund and other institutions to tide over the worst financial crises in six decades, bringing with it the promise of a greater role for emerging economies like India in the running of the global financial system. The leaders also agreed to negotiate a speedy conclusion of the Doha trade round and put some $250 billion more for trade finance, both of which were key demands from India, represented by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

February 1st, 2009 LONDON - The British government was braced Monday for more protests against China's human rights record even as Prime Minister Gordon Brown told visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao he wanted to double British exports to China. After talks with Wen at Downing Street, Brown announced a new two-year programme to help British companies market their products in China, saying he wanted to increase British exports to China from $5 billion in 2008 to $10 billion in 2010.

January 16th, 2009 LONDON - British Business Minister Lord Peter Mandelson is to lead a 100-strong business delegation to India next week, saying the two countries must not allow the economic downturn to undermine their strong trade ties. Mandelson will lead a team that includes civil nuclear players AMEC and Rolls Royce, infrastructure companies Arup and Benoy, the world's largest law firm Clifford Chance, energy major Cairn, technology and engineering firm GKN, telecom multinational Vodafone and Standard Chartered bank.