China's Growth Pace Slows

BEIJING -- China's rapid growth continued to moderate in the second quarter as exporters felt the effects of the global economic slowdown. And with continued U.S. financial-market turmoil raising the prospect of an extended period of global weakness, there is now rising pressure for China's authorities to move to boost growth.

Gross domestic product for the quarter was 10.1% higher than in the same period of 2007, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday, slowing from the first quarter's 10.6% growth ... (A. Batson, Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2008). Read More

Japan's Inflation Conundrum

Japan's Inflation Conundrum
Could rising prices kick-start the world's second-largest economy?

Talk to almost any Japanese consumer, and you're likely to hear a litany of complaints about skyrocketing food and energy prices. Though such bellyaching might be common enough in other parts of the world, in Japan rising prices are something altogether new after a decade-long struggle with deflation.

So why, then, do some economists think a shift to inflation could boost Japan's economy? At first glance, the idea might seem far-fetched. The Japanese consumer is now paying nearly $1.70 a liter ($6.40 a gallon) for gasoline and has seen prices for staples such as soy sauce and bread go up 10% to 30% since last year. You would think people would be cutting back on spending (I. Rowley, BusinessWeek Japan, 07/10/2008. Read More

Japan's Inflation Conundrum

Japan's Inflation Conundrum
Could rising prices kick-start the world's second-largest economy?

Talk to almost any Japanese consumer, and you're likely to hear a litany of complaints about skyrocketing food and energy prices. Though such bellyaching might be common enough in other parts of the world, in Japan rising prices are something altogether new after a decade-long struggle with deflation.

So why, then, do some economists think a shift to inflation could boost Japan's economy? At first glance, the idea might seem far-fetched. The Japanese consumer is now paying nearly $1.70 a liter ($6.40 a gallon) for gasoline and has seen prices for staples such as soy sauce and bread go up 10% to 30% since last year. You would think people would be cutting back on spending (I. Rowley, BusinessWeek Japan, 07/10/2008. Read More

Europe and U.S. Sign Aviation Agreement to Improve Safety and Cut Costs

The European Community and the United States today signed an agreement which will result in better harmonized aviation safety systems on both sides of the Atlantic and less cumbersome technical and administrative procedures for the recognition of certificates. This will further improve safety levels and reduce costs for both European and U.S. manufacturers. These savings should in turn be reflected in cheaper fares for passengers (European Union, Delegation of the European COmmission to the United States' website, June 30, 2008). ).Read full article

How Global Should the Internet Be?

Domain names are a sore point with nations who use alphabets other than Roman. Now, the group that oversees domain names is trying to translate (J. L. Schenker, BusinessWeek, June 23, 2008).Read full article

From South Asia to iTunes

How a husband-and-wife team turned an Indian music podcast series into a business and is making the most out of its Apple storefront on its Web site. Read full article

Bush to Force Vote on Colombia Trade

WASHINGTON — President Bush said on Monday that he was sending a free trade agreement with Colombia to Congress, and called on the lawmakers to ratify it soon, to strengthen America’s national security, its economy and its image among other nations (D. Stout, New York Times, April 7, 2008). Click on the linkfor complete article