Red Light Revolt!

BEIJING (CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM) – China should let the yuan float within a wider range in a gradual process over the next five years, an official at a local branch of the central bank said in comments published on Thursday.

Today’s remarkable investigation describes the asbestos trade in the countries where it is still flourishing: India, where asbestos use is booming among the rural poor; Brazil, where one federal inspector has battled the industry for a quarter-century; Russia, which produces nearly 1 million tons of asbestos each year; and China, the world’s biggest asbestos consumer . A leading industry group, the Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers’ Association , said in the report that the only type of asbestos that is currently used — chrysotile, or white asbestos — is much safer than brown or blue asbestos, which were commonly used in the past.

SINGAPORE – China should boost interest rates or allow its currency to strengthen to help curb inflation pressures, the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday. China, like most Asian countries, boosted government spending and slashed lending rates last year to help spur economic growth amid a global recession.

Pakistan’s special relationship with the United States may have taken centre stage since the attacks of 11 September 2001, but in China it has another enduring great power ally. With Pakistan’s President Zardari returning from a visit of several days to China last week, it is worth considering the country’s other asymmetrical alliance. China has been Pakistan’s most reliable ally for six decades.

BERLIN – Daimler AG said Friday that strong sales of Mercedes-Benz cars led to a 28 percent increase in second-quarter revenue and a healthy pretax profit, which will see it raise its full-year earnings outlook. Revenues totaled euro25.1 billion ($32.2 billion) in the March-June period, up from euro19.6 billion a year earlier, Daimler said in a brief preliminary report.

BEIJING – Chinese and German companies signed deals worth billions of dollars to make trucks and power equipment Friday as the prime ministers declared their countries’ economies had recovered from last year’s global recession.

BEIJING – China’s rapid growth is slowing as the impact of its massive stimulus eases and Beijing clamps down on a credit boom.

When the latest list of firms approved by Beijing to provide online mapping services in China was published last week, it was no great surprise that Google’s name was missing. Google has an estimated two million users of its mobile mapping services in China, but now the state bureau of surveying and mapping services is reviewing the sector.

A worker makes adjustments before the inauguration ceremony of a solar thermal power plant in Alvarado Spain. The plant is the world’s biggest solar power station. Photograph: Nacho Doce/Reuters Spain has opened the world’s largest solar power station, meaning that it overtakes the US as the biggest solar generator in the world.

BANGKOK – World stock markets mostly rose Monday, lifted by robust Chinese trade figures that eased worries the global recovery is losing momentum. Gains last week on Wall Street added to the momentum from China’s stronger-than-expected trade figures. Also boosting markets was South Korea’s central bank raising its growth forecast for 2010 to 5.9 percent from 5.2 percent.