Join us for a Webinar on November 11

The "Middle East" has long been an area of vital importance and a bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. Connected by historical trade routes (Silk Route), the Middle East was part of the exchange of goods and services as well as knowledge: cultural; religious; and scientific. What is the impact of the "rise" of India and China in this region of the world in today's global economy? How is the Middle East capitalizing on the momentum created by India and China? How are Asian interactions in the Middle East different from U.S. interactions? Are there similarities in how these areas of the world conduct business? What lessons can we learn from this historically vital region of the world that can impact the success of our business ventures?

Dr. Sangeeta Gupta is a partner in Gupta Consulting Group, a full service consulting and training organization specializing in global leadership, diversity and cross-cultural strategy and training. Dr. Gupta is a specialist in non-western history and cultures and has a deep expertise in India and Southeast Asia. She advises her clients on how to work effectively across cultural borders, regardless of where they are doing business. Dr. Gupta received her Ph.D. from UCLA and is a senior faculty member in Chapman University's Leadership Services Program. She is author or editor of several books including A Quick Guide to Cultural Competency, part of the Quick Guide Business Series for the busy professional (link to www.guptaconsulting.com/resources) and Emerging Voices: South Asian American Women Redefine Self, Family, and Community. Dr. Gupta lives in Southern California, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars. The only cost is the long distance phone call to dial in.

Title: Middle East Interactions: Around the World in Asian Days
Date:Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Time:11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

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As the 2008 United States Presidential Election approaches, Bridging Nations is conducting a poll to gauge the political opinions of the Indian American community.

With the Indian American community becoming an increasingly large and significant player on the US political stage, particularly with its influence on the passage of the US-India Nuclear deal through Congress, it is important that the political opinions of this crucial group be quantified in order to better understand its impact on the outcome of the forthcoming Presidential Elections.

In order to participate in our poll you must be part of the Indian American community, and eligible to vote in the United States Presidential Elections.

If you satisfy the above criteria, please visit http://www.bridgingnations.org and follow the link to the poll on the front page of the website, or click here.

The Indian American community has grown from 1.6 million people in 2000 to over 2.3 million in 2005, according to the US Census Bureau - a growth rate of 38%, one of the highest amongst US Ethnic Populations. With this growth, the community's political cachet has increased significantly. Most visibly, the Indian American business lobby played an instrumental role in achieving Congressional approval of the recent US-India nuclear deal, with political commentators liberally devoting column inches to comparisons with the American pro-Israel lobby, lending credence to the group's growing influence in Washington.

Contact: info@bridgingnations.org

India prepares to launch unmanned moon mission (Channel NewsAsia, Oct 21)
India will launch its first unmanned moon mission on Wednesday. The lunar mission called Chandrayaan-1 is the Indian Space and Research Organisation's first attempt to propel a spacecraft beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Launch rehearsals at Sriharikota, about 80 kilometres from the southern Indian city of Chennai, are going on, with about 1,000 scientists and technologists working round-the-clock. On Wednesday morning, Chandrayaan-1 will blast into space on board the indigenously built polar satellite launch vehicle or PSLV.

NATO reaches into the Indian Ocean (Asia Times, Oct 21)
The most far-reaching decision at the Budapest meet was NATO's decision to establish a naval presence in the Indian Ocean, ostensibly for protecting World Food Program ships carrying relief for famine-stricken Somalia. By any reckoning, NATO's naval deployment in the Indian Ocean region is a historic move and a milestone in the alliance's transformation. Even at the height of the Cold War, the alliance didn't have a presence in the Indian Ocean. Such deployments almost always tend to be open-ended.

India Lowers Key Rate for the First Time Since 2004 (Bloomberg, Oct 20)
India's central bank unexpectedly lowered its key repurchase rate for the first time since 2004 as the global credit-market turmoil threatens to plunge the world economy into recession. The move signaled Governor Duvvuri Subbarao sees weaker growth as a bigger threat than inflation in Asia's third-largest economy. China's economic growth slumped to a five-year low last quarter and Vietnam reduced borrowing costs today, as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and UBS AG said the world economy is sliding into its first recession since 2001.

China's Growth Slows Unexpectedly in Third Quarter (washingtonpost.com, Oct 20)
China's growth decelerated sharply and unexpectedly in the third quarter of this year to 9 percent, raising fears that the global financial crisis could pull one of the world's fastest-growing economies into a recession. Economists had expected China's exports to be affected by the slowdown in the United States and in Europe. But the extent to which other parts of its economy had deteriorated -- such as industrial production, government revenue and imports -- was a shock. This is the first time in more than five years that the National Statistics Bureau has recorded a single-digit GDP growth rate.

China shifts course as export demand slows (International Herald Tribune, Oct 20)
The Chinese government has begun drafting tax and spending policies to stimulate the economy after economic growth slowed in the third quarter of this year to 9 percent, the slowest pace since an outbreak of SARS in 2003. The Chinese State Council, or cabinet, met over the weekend and decided to shift the emphasis of economic policy toward maintaining "a stable and rapid economic development," state-controlled media reported Monday. The previous policy had been "to ensure growth and control inflation." As part of the new policy, the State Council announced that it planned to increase export tax rebates for everything from labor-intensive products like garments and textile to high-value products like mechanical and electrical products. Banks will be encouraged to lend more money to small and midsize enterprises and a variety of support programs will be drafted to help farmers, the government said.

Pakistan Secures China's Help to Build 2 Nuclear Reactors (The Wall Street Journal, Oct 20)
Pakistan has secured China's help to build two new nuclear-power reactors in a deal being touted as a counterweight to rival India's recently concluded nuclear pact with the U.S. But in his first official visit to Beijing last week, new Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari apparently failed to nail down a firm Chinese commitment for another urgent need -- money to help replenish the country's sharply dwindling foreign reserves. With reserves at a six-year low, a Pakistani finance official said Saturday that Islamabad might seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund "as a last resort" to shore them up if it can't raise enough funds from other sources.

Energy management companies want more government help (China.org, Oct 20)
A recent survey of energy service companies (ESCOs) by the Energy Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission indicates that lack of policy support and difficulties in raising finance are major obstacles holding back the development of the country's energy management industry, according to Zhao Ming, secretary-general of the China Energy Management Company Association (EMCA). EMCA is playing a key role in the China Energy Conservation Promotion Project, a joint project of the Chinese government, the World Bank, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The main aim of the project is to promote the mechanism of Energy Performance Contracts (EPC) in China's energy management industry, and provide technical assistance to the ESCOs who operate EPCs.

China to launch nationwide survey of energy conservation measures (China View, Oct 20)
China's government is to conduct a nationwide survey of efforts by local governments to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The government has set a target of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and major pollutant emissions by 10 percent from the 2005 levels by 2010, in a bid to protect environment and insure a sustainable development. "However, the country still faces great difficulties in fulfilling the commitment, and the situation remains arduous," said National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) deputy director Xie Zhenhua on Monday.

India, Russia discuss bilateral cooperation in field of N-energy (Khabrein.info, Oct 20)
India and Russia on Monday discussed the prospect of advancing cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, which includes construction of reactors by Moscow in India. The issue was discussed during talks between External Affairs Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New Delhi on Monday. The talks comes ahead of the visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in December when an agreement on nuclear cooperation will be signed.

China may replace India in IPI project (Tehran Times, Oct 20)
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday that Pakistan could not delay the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project any further due to its growing energy requirements. "The IPI project can become the IPC (Iran-Pakistan- China) project or even if it is the IP (Iran-Pakistan) project, China can invest in it," he told reporters in Islamabad after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to China. Qureshi added that the pipeline could feed energy-deficient areas in China bordering Pakistan.

India's small IT firms to shift focus from US to new markets (The Economic Times, Oct 20)
With the financial crisis hitting the US economy badly, the Middle East is emerging as a key market for the small and medium enterprises (S MEs) of India's IT sector as they seek to reduce their dependence on the US market. "The US accounts for almost 76 percent of India's total IT exports, but with the slowdown in the US economy, it is very important that we look at alternatives to the US market to diversify the basket," Sunil Vachani, vice-chairman of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) of India, told the media.

Uganda develops BPO strategy (Network World, Oct 20)
Eager to tap into the multi-billion dollar global BPO (business process outsourcing) industry, the Ugandan government has developed a BPO strategy that should allow the country to become a preferred BPO destination in the East and Central African region. Uganda's current BPO industry is made up of only 30 small players, none of whom have more than 50 employees, due to a lack of government direction and challenges the strategy will aim to address. On an international level, however, several companies have expressed interest in setting up BPO investments in Uganda, including Quest Holdings of South Africa and HTMT Global Solutions, a subsidiary of the Hinduja Group of India.

Tata gives $50 million to Cornell varsity (The Economic Times, Oct 20)
Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has gifted $50 million to Cornell University, his alma mater here, an endowment considered "one of the mo st generous ever received from an international benefactor by an American university". The gift announced by Cornell president David Skorton during his State of the University address Friday will help recruit top Indian students to the campus and to support joint research projects with Indian universities in agriculture and nutrition. The gift from Tata Trusts, a group of philanthropic organisations run by the head of the business conglomerate Tata Sons, will allow Cornell to establish and expand partnerships with Indian scientists and build on its strength in applied agriculture research.

Lesson from China: Get agricultural land price right (The Times of India, Oct 19)
It is ironic that both India and China are having to grapple, at roughly the same time, with the knotty issue of putting agricultural land to indu strial or urban use. India has been beset by a series of protests against the transfer of cultivable land to factory and mining projects. In China, a high-level meeting of the ruling Communist Party discussed sweeping changes last week to allow agricultural land to be used for industrial or non-farming purposes. India needs serious deliberations of the Chinese sort. China does not appear to be facing the kind of incendiary situation as India, where an estimated Rs 2.43 lakh crore is locked up in projects that falter every time they run into the roadblock of mass protest. The protests involve more than 92,000 acres, which support more than 500,000 people.

Indian manufacturing should aim at 5% global share: KPMG (Business Standard, October 17)
Indian manufacturing should aim for a 5 per cent global share by growing at more than 10 per cent annually, says a report by research firm KPMG. "If we are able to sustain this growth rate till 2022, then we could reach a 5 per cent share of the global manufacturing output. This growth is important even from the point of view of employment generation", says the report  titled 'Manufacturing India @ 75'  released at a manufacturing summit organized by CII.

Nokia Siemens gets new India facility (CIOL, October 17)
To support India's rapid growth in mobile subscribers, Nokia Siemens Networks has inaugurated a new facility for the manufacture and distribution of mobile communications infrastructure at Oragadam near Chennai. Over the next three years, the company plans to invest Rs 300 crore (approximately USD 70 million, or EUR 45 million) in the facility and to
generate 400 new jobs.

India's steel imports to rise by 33%: Tata Steel MD (Business Standard, October 17)
India's steel imports during the current fiscal is expected to increase by 33 per cent to 8 million tonnes over last year, said B Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel.

Climate change threatens food security (CCTV, October 16)
Thursday this week, that's October the 16th, is World Food Day. Key environmental organization, Greenpeace, has released a report. This calls on China to promote more environmentally-friendly farming practices to stave off any impact from climate change.

'Fight climate change with vegetarianism' (The Times of India, October 13)
In the city to participate in the golden jubilee celebrations of the Geological Society of India, French scientist G De Marsily spoke to The Times of India on issues that will hit us hard in the coming days. Marsily is a professor at the University of Paris and French Academy of Sciences. He specializes in hydro-geology and has done extensive research on water issues related to climate change.

Havas Media: India most alarmed by climate change (TelevisionPoint, October 16)
Consumers are calling on brands to take responsibility for reducing the impact of climate change as governments fail to make progress on the critical issue, according to a major global study by Havas Media, the global media network of Havas.

Global Financial Woes May Impact Corporate Social Responsibility In China (China CSR, October 15)
As goes the global economic downturn, so goes funding for corporate expenditures deemed non-essential, such as some corporate social responsibility programs. Many are put on hold until an institution regains financial footing, and in China, CSR program managers are worried about losing traction for their initiatives in China.

Mark of a great entrepreneur is high speed innovation (The Economic Times, October 17)
The world's greatest entrepreneurs are constantly coming up with creative new ways to please customers or ways to create new customers. And they imbue every member of the team with that spirit of enterprise. There is one principle that can transform a bloated bureaucracy into an energetic enterprise -entrepreneurial spirit.

'Innovation has become necessary tool for growth' (Indian Express, October 17)
Innovation will be the necessity for social and economical growth of the nation in future. We live and die through relative innovation. The world has changed because of innovation only. Science is responsible for all the innovations we feel around," remarked Srinivasan K. Swamy, President, All India Management Association (AIMA), New Delhi, while delivering his lecture to the members of Ludhiana Management Association (LMA) at Hotel Park Plaza here on Wednesday evening.

China Focus: Chinese medical reform draft open to public debate (Xinhua, October 14)
China's long-awaited health care reform plan, which aims at providing universal medical service to 1.3 billion people, was released Tuesday for public debate. The country wants a health care system that covers all urban and rural residents by 2020. According to the plan, that care should be safe, effective, convenient and affordable.

Indo-US healthcare summit in Delhi in January (The Hindu, October 15)
The influential Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) will host their second Indo-US Healthcare Summit in New Delhi in January in collaboration with the Indian government to discuss among other things how to reach out to the rural poor.

Contamination blamed for herbal injections in relation to deaths (Xinhua, October 14)
China's drug safety watchdog on Tuesday blamed contamination for an herbal injection product suspected of causing three deaths earlier this month. Tests on samples of "ciwujia" herbal Injection showed the product had been "tainted by bacteria," the Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday.

China Shipping's Traffic May Plunge as Exports Slow (Bloomberg, October 17)
China Shipping Container Lines Co. forecast traffic will decline for the first time in at least four years as the global economic slowdown and a stronger yuan curb demand for Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing in North America and Europe.

Pan-India policy will do economy good (The Economic Times, October 17)
Fitmentof speed governors to all commercial vehicles is proving to be a knotty affair in Karnataka, which has been trying to unravel it for the past three years. Interestingly, the issue that may originate in Karnataka will impact seamless flow of goods, perishables and people between states, particularly from neighbouring parts. Many feel that the policy is flawed as it is not an internal matter of a single state. It has to be adopted nationally for it to become effective.

India's Aviation Sector Slumps (The Wall Street Journal, October 20)
In the latest sign of woes for India's aviation industry, several airlines have defaulted on fuel bills while two of the largest carriers are grappling with how to trim staff. Against that backdrop, Jet Airways Ltd. and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd., India's two biggest airlines, last week announced a code-sharing alliance -- an arrangement some industry analysts say could be the first step toward a broader consolidation in the country's aviation business. Since the aviation sector was liberalized in 2003, a slew of start-up Indian airlines have competed intensively, cutting fares and absorbing losses quarter after quarter in a fight for market share. But this year, high fuel prices and unsustainable losses have forced carriers to abandon that strategy.

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International Contributors Editorial Board
RJ Paulsick - Co-Editor
Roxanne Russell - Co-Editor
Geoff Hiscock - Australia
Harsha Harjani - Hong Kong
Dr. Nilay Yajnik - India
Farhad Mirzaei - Iran
Ajay Sharma - Netherlands
Melissa Steinmetz - UK
Dr. Daney Jackson - USA
Dr. John R. McIntyre - USA
Dr. Sudhanva Char - Academic Resources
Shree Pandya - Engaging Youth
Laurel Askue - Environment & Conservation
Christopher Chan - Intellectual Property