EDITOR OF INDIA'S 'ECONOMIC TIMES' VISITS CAPE

Beware! Millennium bug may strike.

After diet cola, it's diet chocolates.

Forget the plastic, pay with gold.

Relief for taxpayers.

Although some of the headlines above may be familiar, they appeared in an international publication -- The Economic Times of India.

"The Times is the largest business publication in India," said E. Raghavan, an editor for the Southern Edition of the newspaper, at Bangalore and Madras, India. "For pure business content, it is the third largest business publication in the world -- behind the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times of Great Britain."

Raghavan is in Cape Girardeau this week, visiting his daughter, Swathi, who is in her third year at Southeast Missouri State University, majoring in International Business.

"This is my first visit to Cape Girardeau," said Raghavan. "It's a great community."

Raghavan was impressed with the fact that the area included major manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, Biokyowa and M&W Packaging.

The Economic Times has an overall circulation of more than 400,000. The financial publication has different editions in India, which has a population of more than 920 million (Only China has more people than India).

Bangalore -- which is India's answer to Silicone Valley -- is one of more than a half dozen major centers along with Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bombay, Madras and Mumbai. The Economic Times is part of a publishing company which was established in 1838 as the Bombay Times, which eventually became the Times of India, with multi-publications -- The Times of India, Economic Times, Femina (magazine for women), and Film Fare (an entertainment magazine).

The Economic Times is a business guide to India, said Raghavan. The business publication may not tells its readers everything about the India business environment, but it hopes it come close."

"We cover a variety of subjects," said Raghavan. "We run stock listings, we do stories on banking, trade, insurance, taxes, and industry.

"The editors have a lot of freedom with their stores," he said. "In addition to the 20-plus pages every day, we have `add-on,' or special" additions. On certain days we have a corporate edition, or a money market edition, capitol improvements additions, and many more."

The financial publication rarely covers politics, "except when politics may have an effect on business," he said.