International Business Opportunities

Bahrain-based alternative asset management firm Investcorp has raised bn to invest in real estate credit in the United States. The Investcorp Real Estate Credit Fund will acquire whole loans, mezzanine loans, and commercial mortgage-backed securities collateralised by well performing commercial and residential real estate assets throughout the US, according to a press statement.
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According to a poll performed by Gallup Korea, more than 60 percent of South Koreans (61.5 percent) believe the recently-concluded free trade deal with the United States will benefit their country.
This figure is eight percentage points higher than in February.

The poll was commissioned by the KORUS FTA Industry Alliance, a private pro-free trade organization.
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The United States must limit agriculture subsidies to $19 billion.

Crawford Falconer, the chairman of the WTO’s special committee on agriculture said Monday, the United States must cut domestic agricultural support and trade distorting measures to below 19 billion dollars (14 billion euros).

The European Union, meanwhile, could cut its own overall trade distorting domestic support by a minimum of 70 percent, and possibly up to 75-80 percent, Crawford Falconer added.
A 75 percent cut in support measures conditionally offered by the EU would amount to some 27.5 billion euros.

President George W. Bush pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday over a beef trade standoff, telling the leader in an official visit that Japanese consumers should be eating U.S. beef.[…]

U.S. officials, along with the beef industry, have been pushing Japan to loosen its import rules on beef, hoping to rebuild a robust trade with the Asian nation. They want to see Japan accept meat from older animals and also seek an end to mandatory inspections of each box of beef.

Currently, Japan accepts U.S. meat from animals 20 months or younger, but exporters would like to see meat shipped from animals up to 30 months old.[…]

U.S. beef exports to Japan were about $1.4 billion a year until 2003, when mad cow disease was discovered in the United States. For 2006, that figured stood at $66 million.
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Australian and Japanese officials will meet in Canberra Monday for the first round of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement.

A senior Australian trade official Friday said on the government condition of anonymity that the two days of talks would focus on setting a framework for future negotiations.

[…] A joint feasibility study commissioned in April 2005, found a comprehensive agreement could boost Australia’s gross domestic product by 39 billion Australian dollars (US$33 billion) and Japan’s by A$27 billion (US$23 billion) over a 20-year period.
[…] Australia has FTAs in place with the United States, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand and is in negotiations on an agreement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Chile, China and Malaysia.
Japan has signed FTAs with Mexico, Malaysia and Singapore and is in talks with several other nations on similar agreements.
(source)