Wednesday-Night

China to allow renminbi trade payments
(FT) Beijing moves towards reducing reliance on the US dollar with new rules that will enable importers and exporters to settle their payments to select Chinese companies in renminbi
11 June
China’s Commodity Buying Spree
HONG KONG — Strong buying by China has helped lift commodity prices around the world […]

The Pew Research Center for the people and the press ; Reporters Without Borders/Sans Frontières

Canada’s National Press Gallery Admonishes China Business Lobby
(Epoch Times) Canada’s Parliamentary Press Gallery has issued a stern rebuke to the Canada China Business Council, saying it is “completely displeased” with the way the CCBC handled media access to a […]

China in internet filtering climbdown
(FT) China has agreed to delay implementation of its policy to have all new computers in the country equipped with a controversial internet filtering software, averting the threat that PC makers not complying by Wednesday would face fines.
12 June
Chinese Embassy Responds Regarding Kidnapped Christian Attorney Gao […]

More on Water and on Wednesday-Night.com     Thirst a powerful slide show on water ; Stockholm International Water Institute ; Nanotechnology for clean water
Clean Water Should Be Recognized as a Human Right
Firstly, access to clean water can substantially reduce the global burden disease caused by water-borne infections. Secondly, the privatization of water—as witnessed in Bolivia, Ghana […]

World Hunger and WTO News on Wednesday-night.com
The U.S. says China’s plan to equip all personal computers with Web filtering software is a violation of its WTO obligations.
1 May
Wheat holds up well as global exporting collapses
“According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the volume of all goods and services moving in world trade in […]

‘Hopenhagen’
Brilliant Greenpeace spoof of IHT
Ban has made climate change his signature issue. In September 2007, Ban invited world leaders, ranging from Nicolas Sarkozy to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to Al Gore to the United Nations headquarters for a climate change summit. (Foreign Policy even covered the event!) And there will be a repeat of […]

Canada-U.S. post 2008 elections ; Israel
I believe that American leadership has been wanting but is still wanted. We must use what has been called ‘smart power,’ the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural, picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation. …  Foreign […]

BBC  ; Economist country briefing ; India: Timeline Unfortunately this is classic British history - it only starts with the establishment of The Raj ; India on Wednesday-Night.com ; India on NYT

India eyes huge rise in road building
(FT) The government plans to invite foreign investors to participate in an ambitious move […]

Update on Hungary
Although the member nations of the European Union have benefited enormously from the elimination of physical and trade barriers and the establishment of a strong common currency, the rejection of a proposed constitution has led some local politicians to make extravagant promises that they are no more able to fulfil than were their […]

The world and the financial crisis II ; G20 Summit ; China and the world economy ; Europe and the EU ; Global Economic Crisis and the Informal Economy
Won and yen retreat on recovery fears
A number of Asian currencies were lower on Thursday, due to rising fears that the […]