Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation Hon. Mrs. Ebun Jusu has said Energy, Infrastructure & Reforms are the key priority areas of the President Ernest Bai Koroma led government. The Hon Minister made this statement on Wednesday October 4,2012, when she paid a one day official visit to the U.S Department of States, Washington DC.

MediSend International, a global leader in building technical capacity for healthcare systems, is assisting Nigeria in the development of a national biomedical technologies initiative through a program of professional training and ongoing technical support.

For Chinese companies hoping to make a splash in the international market, the most efficient way to expand and grow abroad is to take advantage of the soft power - that is, the branding, technology and management skills - overseas rivals can offer.

A parliamentary inquiry has criticised the waste of more than $1 million in taxpayers' money by the Gillard government in its botched tender for Australia's television service into Asia. The Australia Network saga last year saw public broadcaster the ABC pitted against rival station Sky News, part-owned by News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch, in a contest over a $223 million contract to run the service.

Call it soft power. With Chinese state-owned companies such as China Southern, it is impossible to know where company strategy ends and government policy begins. China Southern may be obscure in Australia now but it is the fourth-largest airline in the world in passengers carried.

Brands from Brazil are capturing global attention and allegiance, while their Asian counterparts among the 'BRIC' countries, China and India lag behind, writes Jerry Clode, who leads cultural insight in Asia-Pacific for brand-development consultancy Added Value.

A significant factor helps these brands: Pakistanis love to emulate the west by buying and importing western brands. We do not wear products made in our own country, as they are widely – often unjustifiably – perceived to be inferior in quality. This is a mental state the Pakistani consumer finds difficult to shrug off: we think a global brand is far superior to one of our own.

The governor’s office released the following statement on the Enterprise Florida trade mission headed by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll to Trinidad and Tobago: This week Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll embarked on a trade mission to Trinidad, West Indies. She was accompanied by 27 Florida businesses representing 23 industries. Hoping to expand trade, Florida businesses were able to have one-on-one “matchmaker” meetings with local Trinidad businesses. The participants stated that the trade mission exceeded all of their expectations and were very pleased to have the Lt.