The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

The Jackson Tennessee Sun– on Social Security and Medicare

We stand on the threshold of seeing the demise of Social Security and Medicare. These have been vital government programs that have benefited the security and health needs of seniors for many years. Can you imagine what the life of seniors would be like without these two programs?

Corporate America has been fighting Social Security and Medicare since their inception. Now, they see an opportunity to deliver the fatal blow. Since there is angry concern over spending, they see their opening. They have been trying to starve the government to such an extent that it won't be able to support these programs. In their view, this is money they could have through corporate welfare the government has been doling out to companies through tax breaks, subsidies, deregulation, etc. Aren't we impressed with how responsible they've been with these perks — see Gulf oil spill?

Seniors, please wake up! What party was it that vigorously opposed these programs at their inception? George W. Bush now says his greatest disappointment in his term of office was not privatising Social Security, which surely would bankrupt it. They think that now they can get everybody on board with their slash and burn tactics.

The Seattle Times– on China's exchange rate

Upward movement in China's exchange rate for its currency is about buying and selling stuff on international markets, and whose stuff costs more. Loftier explanations exist, but that is the essence. China's decision to "strengthen the flexibility" of the yuan exchange rate was as much about politics as it was global economics. The government in Beijing is making nice with the Obama administration and other nations before a meeting of the G-20 forum June 26 in Toronto.

China's prosperity has the attention of the 19 other largest economies on the planet. To varying degrees, they have issues with China's rigorous exchange policies that sustain substantial trade surpluses with countries from the United States to India. ...

A stronger renminbi makes China's exports more expensive. Over time, shoppers would notice. An influx of cheaper goods has kept products affordable in a down economy. The flip side is that US-made goods are more expensive here and abroad. Devalue the dollar by comparison, and US products have a better chance to compete, particularly in China.

All internationally made goods become more competitive against a stronger Chinese currency, and that will be well-received in Toronto. The other dynamic is more buying power for China as it looks for resources around the globe. China's currency-exchange reforms, as they are called, put the strength of this emerging power in a brighter light. Even the word emerging may no longer truly apply to a country with vast trade surpluses, an eagerness to invest in new technologies and the political dexterity to ameliorate hard feelings before a major world economic summit.