China has said it will consider some measures to ease the pain in poor nations where the textile industry has suffered.

That these measures would also ease the country's dependency on overseas oil is, of course, a persuasive side benefit.

The measures will also ease pressure on those who administer elections.

The measure also eliminated a 90-day waiting period, allowed parents to register for a year at a time instead of six months and eased other restrictions.

While repressive measures eased starting in the mid-1970s, gaining new converts proved difficult.

The measure eased the requirements for a petition drive to change local alcohol laws.

Labor and women's groups, however, argue that the measure would ease the growing burden on families to care for children.

Most measures of inflation have eased into a range that brackets 1 percent annually.

The measure also would ease confidentiality requirements that have hampered agencies from sharing information about cases.

Those measures eased relations with the United States.