June 5-6, 2008 · Washington, D.C.

Information Gatekeepers Inc. (IGI), in cooperation with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, will organize the Emerging Telecom Market Forums: BRIC Opportunities on June 5-6, 2008 at the offices of Paul Hastings in Washington, D.C.

The Forums will focus on the opportunities and challenges in four of the largest telecom markets in the world - Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC).

For more information or to register, please visit www.etmforums.com or contact: Dr. Hui Pan Information Gatekeepers Inc. 320 Washington Street, Suite 302 Boston, MA 02135 Toll-free: 1-800-323-1088 Tel: 617-782-5033, Fax: 617-782-5735 hpan@igigroup.com

On China's heels, India vies for its old edge in Africa (The Christian Science Monitor, May 5)
Raised near Hyderabad, India, Vasu Reddy never imagined he'd end up in Africa. But 12 years after moving to Zambia as a mining engineer, Mr. Reddy now runs a small gemstone processing and sales operation with his wife, Aravinda. And over the last year or so, more and more visitors sipping coffee outside Reddy's shop, he says, are Indian.

Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China to meet (The Hindu, May 5)
The Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) will meet exclusively for the first time in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg on May 14 with economics and cooperation at multilateral fora topping the agenda.

A Challenge for the U.S.: Sun Rising on the East (The New York Times, May 6)
In a 2003 article in Newsweek, written on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Fareed Zakaria - a columnist for the magazine and the editor of its international edition - wrote: "It is now clear that the current era can really have only one name, the unipolar world - an age with only one global power. America's position today is unprecedented." He went on to declare that "American dominance is not simply military. The U.S. economy is as large as the next three - Japan, Germany and Britain - put together," adding that "it is more dynamic economically, more youthful demographically and more flexible culturally than any other part of the world." What worries people around the world above all else, he wrote, "is living in a world shaped and dominated by one country - the United States."


India, China to clock over 8 pc growth: S&P (The Hindu, Apr 30)
Notwithstanding the recent turmoil in the global markets, two of Asia's largest economies India and China will grow at 8 per cent or above in the next two years, says global rating agency S&P in its latest study. According to the report titled 'Asian Resilience Amid Global Turbulence' strong regional drivers are expected to insulate the Asian economies from the adverse impact of a moderate recession in the US.

Food vs. fuel a global myth (Chicago Tribune, May 6)
In recent weeks, a flood of reports and statements has claimed that the world's biofuel programs-in particular the U.S. corn ethanol effort-is starving poor people around the globe. Even the UN's special rapporteur for the Right to Food decried biofuel production as "a crime against humanity." It seems so obvious: With so much corn being turned into fuel, food shortages must inevitably result, and biofuel programs must be the cause. However, that's completely untrue.

Goldman's Murti Says Oil `Likely' to Reach $150-$200 (Bloomberg, May 6)
Crude oil may rise to between $150 and $200 a barrel within two years as growth in supply fails to keep pace with increased demand from developing nations, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts led by Arjun N. Murti said in a report. New York-based Murti first wrote of a ``super spike'' in March 2005, when he said oil prices could range between $50 and $105 a barrel through 2009. The price of crude traded in New York averaged $56.71 in 2005, $66.23 in 2006 and $72.36 in 2007. Oil rose to an intraday record $120.93 today on speculation demand will rise during the peak U.S. summer driving season.

ADB supports energy-efficient projects in China (China Daily, May 4)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending over $114 million in a partial credit guarantee program to support energy-efficient projects in China, the Manila-based bank said Saturday. The pilot program, which is the ADB's first credit guarantee to mobilize commercial financing in China, will initially target energy efficiency projects for buildings in southern and eastern China, the more industrialized part of the country.

Iran holds key to India's energy insecurity (Asia Times, Apr 30)
In the rapidly intensifying international energy game, Iran holds a master key to the most staggering roadblock to India's economic growth - energy insecurity. With the issue of energy cooperation expected to dominate talks on Tuesday between visiting Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his hosts in New Delhi, a new chapter in India-Iran relations is on the horizon that will likely bring the two countries closer together on a long-term basis.

Microsoft to build $280 mln China R&D centre (Reuters, May 6)
Microsoft Corp broke ground on Tuesday on a $280 million research centre that is to become the software giant's largest research facility outside of the United States. Microsoft plans to double the number of full-time Microsoft research employees to 3,000 by 2010, in addition to about 1,500 current project-based researchers in China, and the energy efficient campus will eventually be home to 5,000 employees.

Asia the outsourcing hotbed (Computer World, May 6)
India and China are the top destinations for outsourcing activities, but other countries from the region, like Malaysia and Philippines, are fast establishing themselves as solid alternatives. An annual ranking study, Global Outsourcing 100, by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), puts India, China and countries from the Asia Pacific rim, as top locations. The report shows that more than 60 per cent of companies, recognised in its Rising Star category of companies with fast annual growth of more than 33 per cent, are mainly from the Asian-Pacific region.

MVNO set to get green signal (Sify, May 06)
India is set to join the list of countries offering mobile virtual network operations (MVNO). Signalling the entry of MVNOs in India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday issued a consultation paper on the issue.

RPT-India could help soothe global food worries-economist (Reuters, May 6)
India, now under scrutiny due to rice export curbs and growing consumption that have helped drive grain prices to record highs, could help ease global food security fears, the country's most revered rural economist said. A rich diversity of secondary food crops, a huge base of rural workers and good rainfall mean India is able to raise production quickly with small investments, allowing it to export a bigger surplus to world markets, he said on Monday.

Asia worries over food futures trading (UPI, May 6)
India concerned over the recent jump in commodity prices, may do away with food futures trading. Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram says he is considering such a move because of concerns he and others share about the role of hedge funds and other traders in the futures market, the Financial Times reported.

CII formulates 10-point plan to boost manufacturing (The Economic Times, May 5)
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has come out with a 10-point strategic agenda to help the manufacturing sector achieve a 25% share in the country's GDP by 2020. The programme focuses on evolving a national manufacturing policy, boosting capital goods market and opening up strategic sectors to boost the share of manufactured products in the country's national income.

The New China Challenge (The Sunday Herald, May 3)
They may not know it yet, but soon most companies in Scotland will need a China strategy of some sort. Already Scotland's manufacturing sector, like that of the EU and the US, has largely migrated to the Middle Kingdom. From cheap toys and sporting goods, to shoes and clothing to electronic components, China has been the place to make things.

Chinese manufacturing PMI reaches four-year high (Reliable Plant Magazine, May 5)
Latest data from the CLSA survey of the Chinese manufacturing economy pointed to a further improvement in operating conditions in the sector in April. Output and new order growth accelerated to six-month highs, and firms recruited staff at the strongest pace since last September. Input and output price inflation moderated from March's survey-record rates but remained elevated.

China's Environment Protection Industry is Expected to Have an Average Annual Growth Rate of 15%-17% (Trading Markets, April 30)
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c90356) has announced the addition of China Environment Protection Industry & Listed Companies Report, 2007-2008 to their offering.

China to 'actively join' climate talks along with Japan (AFP, May 6)
China will pledge to "actively join" a post-Kyoto Protocol deal on tackling global warming, in a planned joint statement with Japan during President Hu Jintao's visit here starting Tuesday, officials said. Multilateral negotiations are underway for completing a pact by the end of next year to follow the landmark Kyoto Protocol, which requires rich nations to slash greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change.

'Climate fight shouldn't become new NPT' (The Economic Times, May 6)
The fight against climate change should not become the new NPT, the prime minister's special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran said on Tuesday.

Govt wants unified voice on climate (The Times of India, May 5)
In a bid to create a unified command, the PMO has ordered that all government officials will now have to seek its approval before discussing climate change at any international fora.

CII calls for a "CSR" label for industry (The Machinist, May 6)
"Corporate Social Responsibility, with inclusiveness as its ethos, has to become a part of the basic DNA of the corporate world in order to address the twin needs of enhancing society and building India", K V Kamath, President Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd, said at the " 2nd National Summit on CSR 2008" on the theme "The new business model: Engaging society, enhancing competitiveness" being held in New Delhi today and tomorrow.

China innovation: The next big surprise (Computer World, May 5)
Innovation will be the next 'big surprise' out of China, according to Jack Perkowski, the chairman and chief executive officer of ASIMCO Technologies, an important manufacturer in China's automotive components industry.

China's Vice President Xi urges youth to strive for innovation (Xinhua, May 4)
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Sunday urged young people to make greater contributions to build China into a well-off society. Young people should be innovators and pioneers and strive for significant achievements, said Xi, who spoke here to a group of young people during a meeting on scientific innovation.

Innovation in the Indian hotel industry (In2Perspective, May 6)
There is undoubted demand for hotels in India but the industry is having to try out alternate hospitality formats in order to adapt to high land prices and demands for extended-stays. Serviced apartments are becoming a popular accomodation alternative as are part-ownership and destination resorts.

India's Medical Emergency (Time, May 1)
It's not hard to find people caught in the gap between India's dreams of greatness and the awful reality of its broken health system. Most of the country lives there. Take Abhishek Khushwa. He would be a normal kid but for the fact that nine years after his birth with a bladder defect, his family is still struggling to get him what should be a simple and relatively cheap operation. Like many sick Indians, Abhishek is both symptom and cause.

Health warning in China as fears grow over child virus (The Guardian, May 5)
Cases of a virus that has killed 24 young children and infected more than 5,000 may continue to rise despite efforts to contain it, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned yesterday. Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), which causes a severe strain of hand, foot and mouth disease, normally peaks in June and July. Experts fear that infections could increase as the weather becomes warmer.

Doctors punished in China for mishandling deadly virus (AFP, May 6)
Ten doctors and officials in China have been punished for mishandling a virus that has killed 26 children, state media reported as the number of infected youngsters rose to nearly 12,000. The punishments have been meted out in the eastern Anhui province, where the bulk of the deaths have occurred and local officials have been accused of being too slow to report the disease, Xinhua news agency said late on Monday.

Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Estimated Up over 50% in Net (Insurance News Net, May 6)
Large civil engineering company Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd. is forecast to grow over 50 percent in net profit in the first half of this year and surpass CNY 10 billion in major operating revenue in the entire 2008.

Publisher: L. Roxanne Russell
Editor of Academic Resources: Dr. S.V. Char
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Co-Editor: RJ Paulsick