Dr Priyan P. Khakhar ponders why a location that should, on the face of it, be considered a risky investment proposition manages to maintain a booming, buoyant property market

Getting hold of the right information about a prospective investment market is no mean feat, and part of the problem lies with the agencies specifically set up to field such calls, writes Courtney Fingar.

Coca-Cola extends technical operations to China, South Africa and Mexico to support long-term growth plans.

Capital flows to emerging markets reached an all-time high last year, with much of the increase due to FDI, according to new research.

Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) will follow a global expansion strategy across emerging markets with the creation of a series of new hotels in Russia, India and Indonesia.

According to the most recent data in the World Bank Group’s Privatization Database, privatisation transactions carried out by 48 developing countries reached a record $105bn in 2006.

Faced with political term limits, Mr Putin made a lateral move into the Russian prime minister’s office, also ensuring that his trusted ally Dimitry Medvedev stepped into the presidency. Will Mr Putin prove as adept at the judicial side-step? A series of international lawsuits are taking aim at his act of dismantling of the Yukos oil company and are threatening to hold the Russian Federation liable for billions of dollars in compensation. While Yukos shareholders have found little succour in the Russian courts, Russia has affixed its name to a string of international treaties which purport to protect foreign investment. It is these treaties that shareholders are now brandishing in a last-ditch challenge to what they view as an illegal nationalisation of their investments.

The foreign investment landscape has significantly changed as assets under management of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) increased by 18% last year to $3.3bn, according to London think tank International Financial Services London.

Novartis is streamlining business so that its investments lie in countries that have a strong legal and regulatory framework and, above all, strong intellectual property rights on new medicines, chief executive Daniel Vasella tells Lara Williams.

Russian firm Sistema is putting its long-laid plan for international expansion into action with its move into the Indian market, Lara Williams reports.

Not all foreign companies entering into business with the US are familiar with the ramifications of the foreign corrupt practices act. Homer E Moyer Jr outlines its implications.

Usiness expansion for Fiat as it plans to relaunch Alfa Romeo and Iveco brands on the North American market.

In presidential campaigns, economic issues are always important but some are connected to other issues, in ways that are not always apparent.

Foreign investors into the US will be under greater national security scrutiny following an amendment to the Foreign Investment and National Security Act, 2007.

The founder of US budget airline JetBlue Airways has announced plans to launch a domestic airline in Brazil next year.

In the final year of her administration, many of the economic, environmental and educational reforms put in place by Delaware’s governor are bearing fruit, allowing the small state to punch well above its weight, says Karen E Thuermer.

Rio Tinto Minerals is weighing up a lucrative new investment in a Mendoza Potash mine but the Argentine government’s new tax on mineral exports and the country’s questionable energy reserves complicate matters, says Jason Mitchell.

John Rumsey reports on a new generation of firms in Latin America that are breaking free from old traditions.

In a drive to improve productivity, P&G is restructuring international operations and cutting senior staff.

East Asia is overtaking Western Europe in international patent registrations, demonstrating a global shift in knowledge-based businesses.

Despite rising inflation and the US economic slowdown, India’s computer services sector increased full-year revenue by an estimated 33%, according to the National Association of Software Services Companies (Nasscom).

The economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) are working to establish the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015 to achieve the broader goal of the region becoming a single, integrated, seamless market and serving as an international production base. Global businesses should begin their business planning to prepare for this economic integration as ASEAN economies become more interdependent.

China Construction Bank is the third largest bank in China and the 14th largest in the world. Stephen Timewell talks to chairman Guo Shuqing about his overseas ambitions and strategy.

The appointment of an international lawyer as vice-chairman of the CCIIP Is a surprising move by China. However, Rocky Lee explains to Karen E Thuermer how his legal experience makes him ideal for such a role.

The head of Invest Hong Kong tells Harrison Mitchell that the city’s status as a business destination is as much to do with its location as with its financial expertise.

Improved education and better living standards are resulting in a bigger pool of IT talent in India, and new ways of working are transforming outsourced financial services. Brian Caplen reports.

Internet giant plans to relocate EMEA HQ from London to Geneva in strategy to increase competitiveness.

Why the hullabaloo about bio in Europe? Biotechnology is said to be a key enabling technology for the 21st century. The DNA, protein, metabolite and cell-based technologies and supporting tools are helping to address global challenges.

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator, has embarked on a European expansion strategy targeting its overseas Chinese customer base.

Hotel and restaurant group Whitbread’s Costa Coffee has opened its first outlet in Moscow, with the aim of Russia becoming the firm’s biggest single market within five years.

At a cocktail reception in Cannes in March, fDi magazine presented its European Cities & Regions of the Future awards for 2008/09.

A skilled, versatile workforce, outstanding R&D facilities, impressive transport connections and an excellent quality of living have attracted many of the the world’s leading businesses to Edinburgh.

The chairman of BP and Goldman Sachs tells Courtney Fingar that the credit crunch will not be catastrophic for FDI flows but the protectionist policies that are synonymous with times of recession may hinder growth.

With its shift of gravity outside the US, GE International is slowly becoming a more global company under the guidance of its president and CEO. Interview by Lara Williams.

Since accession to the EU, Malta’s strengthened regulatory framework, combined with its favourable tax regime and professional workforce, has been increasing the country’s appeal for financial services start-ups, reports Polly Botsford.

A cheap, educated labour force; vast areas of available land; a reputation for manufacturing excellence; generous discounts and tax incentives for foreign businesses. For how much longer will international investors be able to ignore Konya’s charms? Lara Williams reports.

French water management company targets industrial firms and local municipalities with opening in UAE capital.

Syria’s oil and mineral resources ministry has signed an agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to build a refinery in the country.

South Africa’s annual budget package addressed the fears of foreign investors in the wake of crippling power shortages and a sharp economic downturn.

Next July, France will take the rotating presidency of the EU and its president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will have the opportunity to push through his pet project: a Mediterranean Union, initiated last December in Rome by the leaders of France, Spain and Italy.

Jabulani Moleketi, deputy finance minister of South Africa, talks to Lara Williams about his budget plan for 2008, which is designed to address the recent economic downturn and the republic’s energy crisis.

Embattled by war and corruption but laden with large deposits of diamonds and copper, DR Congo is largely avoided by investors. Might that change? Michael Deibert reports.

Mozambique, whose history has been blighted by a long liberation struggle and years of civil war, is starting to reap the benefits of recent macroeconomic reforms with a new wave of projects in its virtually untouched biofuel and tourism sectors, writes Michael Deibert.

With $400bn-worth of projects announced, financial services bosses are salivating at the prospects posed by Saudi Arabia’s newly liberalised economy. Stephen Timewell reports.

Tie-ups with the life sciences sector could save the pharmaceutical industry from its unsustainable business model, writes Karen E Thuermer.

A combination of traditional and new industry sectors makes the southern Spanish region of Andalucía a great place to do business.

Valencia’s strong business base, ranging from tourism to technology, and its excellent geographical location make it an appealing place to do business.

fDi’s first biotech sector power rankings show the traditional behemoths leading the way.

Catalonia, and more specifically Barcelona, is one of the fastest-growing business destinations in Europe, combining a strategic location with an outstanding labour force.

Philip McNamara finds out what attracts talented workers to some of the most creative companies in the US.

Costs still count, but outsourcing centres are placing more focus on staff development and retention, writes Karen E Thuermer.

Susanne Dirks, Mary Keeling and Ronan Lyons identify the global trends on which local prosperity will depend in 2020.

India is comfortably the lead destination for off-site call centres and shared services projects, with the US ranking as the main source market in the sector.

Cityscape Dubai is now the world’s largest business-to-business real estate event, and the Cityscape network has grown to number more than 250,000 real estate professionals in 138 countries across the globe, writes Rohan Marwaha.

Savvy investors are already looking for the next big opportunity in real estate and are finding it in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia’s Johor state, where new developments are attracting attention. Lara Williams reports.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates looks to be on the verge of A second age of modernity and transformation, writes Lara Williams.

Dubai’s dominance of the UAE’s property sector has come to an end as the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi, is finally realising its potential, writes Lara Williams.

As real estate companies increasingly cast their eyes towards emerging markets, Cityscape has set up a web-based information pool, designed to answer many of the questions about these fast-changing economies.

The Iskandar Development Region in Malaysia is set to attract an astounding amount of FDI. Jules Stewart outlines the planned developments that are causing such excitement.

Malaysia is already attracting foreign investors with its visionary plans for the Iskandar Development Region, writes Jules Stewart.