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India moved ‌to deepen trade ties with Brazil on Saturday, signing ‌a pact ⁠to expand cooperation ‌in mining and minerals as ‌it seeks to meet rising domestic steel demand and support ⁠capacity expansion amid a global race for raw materials.The agreement was signed in the presence of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who arrived in New Delhi earlier this week for a three-day visit.Brazil is among the world's top producers of ​iron ore and holds large reserves of minerals critical to steelmaking. Closer cooperation is expected to improve India's access to raw materials and technologies ‌needed to sustain long-term ⁠growth in its steel ​sector, an Indian government statement said.The cooperation ​will focus on attracting investment in exploration, mining and steel sector infrastructure, the statement said.India has steelmaking capacity of 218mn metric tons, and companies are expanding output to meet rising domestic demand driven by infrastructure development and industrialisation.Addressing a meeting with a Brazilian delegation led by Lula, Modi said their talks had focused on ways to deepen the India-Brazil trade partnership."We are committed to taking ‌bilateral trade much beyond $20bn ‌in the next five ⁠years," Modi said.Bilateral trade between the two countries currently stands at ⁠about $15bn."Our nations ⁠will also work closely in areas such as technology, innovation, digital public infrastructure, AI, semiconductors and more," Modi said.India and Brazil have been strategic partners since 2006, with cooperation spanning trade, defence, energy, agriculture, health, critical minerals, technology ​and digital infrastructure.Brazil is India's largest trading partner in the Latin America and Caribbean region, and the two countries work closely on global issues such as UN reform, climate change and counter-terrorism.Lula on Thursday advocated for Brazil and India to conduct trade in their own currencies rather than settling transactions in US dollars, but dismissed speculation that the BRICS group of countries, of ‌which both ​nations are members, would create a common currency. 

His Excellency Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, met with a number of senior US officials during his visit to Washington, DC, to discuss strengthening economic and trade ties between Qatar and the US.His Excellency al-Sayed met with David O Sacks, the White House ‘AI & Crypto Czar’ and co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; Jacob Helberg, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment; Jeffrey I Kessler, Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security; David L Fogel, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the US & Foreign Commercial Service (Global Markets); and Ben Black, CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation.**media[382148]**The programme also included a meeting with Jeffrey Goettman, candidate for the position of US Deputy Trade Representative. During the discussions, the Minister of State underscored that economic relations between Qatar and the US are defined by strong trade flows, mutual investment, and active private-sector collaboration.His Excellency al-Sayed emphasised the importance of the partnership across key areas, particularly trade and investment, and expressed confidence that mutual relations will continue to grow and deepen in the years ahead.