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Direct From the Editor / On Topics Vital to the Nation

The role of long range planning and industry working with government in securing the US position in rare earths

06/22/2026

Andy Burnham has the potential to achieve what Clement Attlee achieved for Britain in 1945-51

06/22/2026

Browse Articles or use Lyrarc's US patented "Groups" and "Links" for new insights. A Lyrarc Group of Articles on a topic gives insights into particular angles shown in the Group Title. A Lyrarc Link shows more specific insights for 2 articles.

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LyrArc brings in selected articles from many of the world's top publications.

Articles are selected by experts and you can see the gist of the important articles.

A Carrot Rebellion Underscores Spain’s Precarious Politics

2 Groups   
New York Times - 09.26.2012 Original article ›
Raphael Minder, Raphael, Minder
LyrArc Article Gist
Protests against the increase in value added tax in Spain from 18% to 21% include a theatre in Catalonia selling carrots at 13 euros a piece. The carrots which are exempt from the increase can be used as tickets for programs.
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On debt, Obama team pleaded with credit rating firms before downgrade warnings - The Washington Post

1 Groups   
Washington Post - 07.16.2011 Original article ›
Zachary Goldfarb, Zachary, Goldfarb
LyrArc Article Gist
Efforts by the Obama administration to persuade the credit ratings agencies not to downgrade the credit ratings on U.S. Treasury securities. As deficit reduction talks stalled in July 2011 credit ratings agencies considered a downgrade. John Chambers of S&P says political leaders must agree to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years to be sure there will be no downgrade. Cuts less than that could lead to a downgrade, according to S&P.
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Original article 6 minutes, gist 1 minute

Hunted by regime, Tripoli activist kept flame of protest burning - The Washington Post

5 Groups   
Washington Post - 08.30.2011 Original article ›
Simon Denyer, Simon, Denyer
LyrArc Article Gist
Nizhar Mhani, a 30 year old oral surgeon in Cardiff, Britain, returns to Libya in Febrary as democracy protests erupted in Tripoli. Here he decribes his activities in the Tripoli underground resistance movement. He used a satellite dish to inform people in the capital. His activities included draping the old black, red and green Libyan flag on bridges at night and painting it on roads, and set up loudspeakers on street corners broadcasting the old Libyan national anthem.
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Original article 7 minutes, gist 1 minute

A Declining Euro Can't Cure All Ills

6 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 07.16.2012 Original article ›
Geoffrey Smith, Geoffrey, Smith
LyrArc Article Gist
IMF economist Oliver Blanchard, says the euro's depreciation vis-a-vis the dollar "would be a good thing." Because "in a way Europe needs it more than the U.S., and the U.S. could probably offset it in some way." The IMF forecast is for a 0.3% contraction in the eurozone in 2012 and growth at 0.7% in 2013. Blanchard says a drop in the euro exchange rate of 10% would normally boost growth in GDP by 1.4%.
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H-P’s Autonomy Write-Down: Remember Oracle’s Accusations Too

1 Links 1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 11.20.2012 Original article ›
David Benoit, David, Benoit
LyrArc Article Gist
Oracle's account of the meeting of Mark Hurd and the M&A head at Oracle with Mike Lynch of Autonomy and his banker Frank Quattrone. After the meeting in which slides were presented to shop Autonomy to Oracle, Oracle stated that Autonomy's then market value of $6 billion was "extremely overpriced." In the end H-P ignored these warning signals and paid over $10 billion for Autonomy. Mike Lynch denied he had shopped the company to Oracle.
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Mario Monti Accepts Job as Italy’s Premier

2 Groups   
New York Times - 11.13.2011 Original article ›
Rachel Donadio, Rachel, Donadio
LyrArc Article Gist
Mario Monti takes office as prime minister of Italy as Italian bond yields reach 7.4%. Italy faces the task of refinancing 200 billion euros of maturing bonds by April 2012. Bond yields exceeding 7% make the task of refinancing Italian debt even more difficult. Monti said he would try to restore Italy to financial health without giving up "social equity," and added that "we owe it to our children to give them a dignified and hopeful future."
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In Egypt’s bread, signs of economic weakness - The Washington Post

1 Links 5 Groups   
Washington Post - 02.11.2012 Original article ›
Stephen Glain, Stephen, Glain
LyrArc Article Gist
Years of neglect under the Mubarak government have led to a situation in which Egypt imports 80% of its wheat supplies and agricultural products. Corruption in the sale of fertile land to developers for building homes, lack of electric supplies to farmers to pump water, lack of investment in infrastructure and irrigation, and the liberalization efforts which led to farmers diversifying from wheat into more profitable products such as fruit and flowers, have led to the current situation.
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Original article 5 minutes, gist 1 minute

GM's Drive: Getting Out of Debt

1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 12.15.2010 Original article ›
Sharon Terlep, Sharon, Terlep
LyrArc Article Gist
Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at GM and a former Microsoft CFO, brings a new strategy of debt reduction to GM's future plans. The thinking is that debt compounded all of GM's problems. Liddell pitched investors in the recent IPO with his plan to pay off $25 billion in debt and pension obligations. His plan is to hold only a token amount of debt. A lot depends on the success of new models in the marketplace.
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Apple's New iPad in Production

1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 02.09.2011 Original article ›
Yukari Iwatani Kane, Yukari, Iwatani, Kane, Shayndi Raice, Shayndi, Raice
LyrArc Article Gist
A new Apple iPad tablet computer is in production in Feb 2011. It will have a built-in camera for videoconferencing and a faster processor. The new version will be thinner and lighter. It will be available through Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The price range will be similiar to the current iPad, costing between $499 and $829. Analysts estimate sales of between 27 to 35 million iPads in 2011. The iPad has so far sold 14 million units.
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France's Tricky Nuclear Fusion

1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 08.03.2010 Original article ›
Matthew Curtin, Matthew, Curtin
LyrArc Article Gist
France has some obvious strengths in nuclear energy with 58 nuclear plants generating 80% of France's electricity. And Electricite de France is owned 85% by the French government. The French government is working to setup a partnership between EDF and the other nuclear energy generator manufacturer Areva. Problems include the larger reactors that Areva makes and the company falling behind in the schedule to set up reactors in Finland. Abu Dhabi recently opted for South Korean reactors.
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Anand Chaturvedi, at Work on Two Sides of the Globe

1 Groups   
New York Times - 06.09.2012 Original article ›
Anand Chaturvedi, Anand, Chaturvedi
LyrArc Article Gist
Anand Chaturvedi, an executive for Korean Company Doosan Infracore- which acquired Bobcat from Ingersoll Rand- and his wife Garima, a doctor in internal medicine, both in their mid 30's, and their lives between two continents. Chaturvedi works for Doosan in Atlanta and Garima set up the diabetes clinic in Udaipur, Rajasthan. A couple's unique way of working to provide help to deal with diabetes in India, as a way of honoring a brother who died of cancer.
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Sluggish Economy Plagues Europe

1 Links 5 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 07.03.2012 Original article ›
Brian Blackstone, Brian, Blackstone
LyrArc Article Gist
The manufacturing purchasers index for the eruozone was 45.1, remaining at the same level as May, a three year low, according to survey firm Markit. The figures are based on a survey of purchasing executives. Index figures below 50 indicate contraction in the manufacturing sector. Germany was at a PMI of 45, Spain at 41.1. The PMI reports indicate a contraction of 1% at an annualized rate for the eurozone economies in the 2nd quarter of 2012.
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Panasonic to Cut 17,000 Jobs

8 Groups   
New York Times - 04.28.2011 Original article ›
David Jolly, David, Jolly
LyrArc Article Gist
Matsushita Electric is streamlining operations after the acquisition of Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works in 2011. Restructuring is also taking place to compete with South Korean and Chinese manufacturers, and to focus on emerging markets. The restructuring will mean 17,000 job cuts over the next 2 years. The yen has appreciated 25% against the dollar since 2008, and the Korean won has depreciated by 35% during this period, making it tougher for Japanese manufacturers to compete.
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In Change of Strategy, China Cuts Interest Rate

3 Groups   
New York Times - 11.21.2014 Original article ›
Neil Gough, Neil, Gough
LyrArc Article Gist
The central bank of China, People's Bank of China, cut its benchmark one year deposit rate by 0.25% in Nov 2014 to 2.75%, and reduced the one year lending rate by 0.4% to 5.6%. Banks will be allowed to offer interest rate on deposits of 120% of the benchmark instead of 110% previously. Experts say the effect on GDP is small. The cut helps large firms reduce debt pressures. China is going through a phase of slowing growth.
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Taiwan Election Results Likely to Complicate Relations With China

7 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 12.01.2014 Original article ›
Aries Poon, Aries, Poon, Jenny Hsu, Jenny, Hsu, Fanny Liu, Fanny, Liu
LyrArc Article Gist
Young people in Taiwan voted against the Koumintang party government's policy of building stronger trade ties to China. This has weakened the administration of president Ma Ying-jeou, and turned it into a lame duck administration till presidential elections in 2016. Voters focussed on income inequlaity and wage stagnation. The issue of ties with China also were part of the campaign. DPP party won 13 of 22 seats for city and county heads in the election.
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Spain’s Unemployment Declines in 2014

4 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 01.05.2015 Original article ›
David Roman, David, Roman
LyrArc Article Gist
Spain's statistics institute INE reports the unemployment rate declined in the third quarter of 2014 to 23.7% from 24.5% in the second quarter of 2014. Emigration declined by 21% and GDP increased by 0.5% in the third quarter 2014. Jobless claims declined by 64,405 in December 2014 to 4.45 million compared to the prior month. Job security also improved with the new contracts up by 2 million in 2014 compared to 2013, following the recent labor reforms.
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Commodities Fall as Stockpiles Mount Up

14 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 01.19.2015 Original article ›
Georgi Kantchev, Georgi, Kantchev, Ese Erheriene, Ese, Erheriene, Neena Rai, Neena, Rai
LyrArc Article Gist
The market for copper experienced a global oversupply in the last 4 years with a sharp decline in prices. The Sierra Gorda mine in Chile and the Constancia mine in Peru will add more supply of copper. Prices of iron ore dropped 50% in 2014, and copper 14%. The CEO of Glencore PLC, Ivan Glasenberg, says the problem is a huge misallocation of capital, as companies in the mining business continued to invest heavily with supplies outstripping demand.
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Etihad Airways, Alitalia Near Deal

9 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 02.02.2014 Original article ›
Roy Jones, Roy, Jones
LyrArc Article Gist
Etihad Airways is in talks to take a 49% stake in Alitalia. Air France-KLM SA did not pursue a 300 million euro fundraising rights issue and as a result its stake dropped from 25% to 7.1%. Etihad gets a presence in Europe with the stake and it is part of a strategy to take minority stakes in other airlines to feed passengers to the airline. Stakes in other airlines include Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, and Darwin Airline.
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In Australia, wheat farmers fight potential takeover by Archer Daniels Midland - The Washington Post

5 Groups   
Washington Post - 10.31.2013 Original article ›
Odysseus Patrick, Odysseus, Patrick
LyrArc Article Gist
Only 5% of Australian grain farmers trust Archer Daniel Midlands, according to a survey in the Land newspaper. Grain farmers are launching a campaign to have the government stop a deal for ADM's acquisition of GrainCorp. GrainCorp controls about 60% of the Australian grain transportation and storage system for wheat, barley, canola and other grains. ADM's past history of corporate actions has created a sense that the company may not be a reliable partner for Australian farmers.
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India Takes Second Look at Airbus A380

2 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 11.11.2013 Original article ›
Gaurav Raghuvanshi, Gaurav, Raghuvanshi
LyrArc Article Gist
Lufthansa and Etihad Airways have asked for permission to begin Airbus A380 flights into India. India is a major market for the A380 which can carry as many as 800 passengers in all economy seating. The Indian government is taking a new look at the A380 after earlier concerns of protecting domestic airlines. Etihad is planning on taking a 24% stake in domestic airline Jet Airways and the sector is being opened up to foreign competition.
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Despite the Name, Drop Not So Steep

3 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 12.03.2012 Original article ›
Damian Paletta, Damian, Paletta
LyrArc Article Gist
What date should one keep in mnd if both sides fail to reach agreement in U.S. "fiscal cliff" negotiations? Payroll tax and other tax increases go into effect Jan. 1, 2013. Spending cuts could be backloaded to the latter part of 2013. Early January would be when a debt ceiling increase would lead to more negotiations and if no increase in the debt ceiling is made by March 27, the government would go into partial shutdown.
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Loaded propositions

1 Groups   
Washington Post - 10.25.2009 Original article ›
Nancy Trejos, Nancy, Trejos
LyrArc Article Gist
prepaid credit cards are taking off. From $4 billion in 2007 to $8.7 billion in 2008. Especially with the young and college students, this is becoming increasingly popular way as an introduction to plastic. With the new credit card law making it difficult for anyone under 21 to get acredit card without an adult to cosign for him or her, this will become even more of the norm among college students and the young facing debts to be repaid.
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Foreclosures hit suburbs as layoffs surge, mortgages reset

3 Groups   
Detroit News - 04.13.2009 Original article ›
Nathan Hurst, Nathan, Hurst
LyrArc Article Gist
In 2008 the hardest hit counties were in the city of Detroit, in Wayne County. Now the wave of foreclosures is hitting the suburbs as the foreclosures in the city declines, and the foreclosures increase in the suburbs. Oakland County and Macomb county are seeing a surge in foreclosure properties. And this is affecting the nature of sales as in some counties 80% of new sales are of foreclosed properties. This is similiar to the situation in California.
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Wage war

21 Groups   
The Economist - 08.25.2016 Original article ›

Growth prospects: Beware the middle-income trap

7 Groups   
Economist - 06.25.2011 Original article ›
Economist.Com
LyrArc Article Gist
The risks facing the Chinese economy in 2012-2015 from asset bubbles in housing, bad loans in the banking system and slower growth. Expert opinion from Roubini, Shih and others on the risks China faces. Risks include what is called the middle income trap, in which China's GDP per capita gets stuck at a certain middle level as economic growth declines. Economic growth could drop to below 5% in the latter part of this decade according to this scenario.
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Original article 9 minutes, gist 1 minute

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