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Direct From the Editor / On Topics Vital to the Nation

How Britain under Andy Burnham can recover with India (Commonwealth) and rise up to its potential

06/23/2026

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.

All Topics Articles

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.

Iran’s Closed Covenants

1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 08.01.2015 Original article ›
Editorial
LyrArc Article Gist
This Journal editorial raises the issue of the need for full public disclosure of any and all side deals with the Iran nuclear deal of July 2014. It points out that Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas of the House Intelligence Committee, and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas came to know of side deals only when they were disclosed to them by the Deputy Director of the IAEA at a meeting in Vienna. This has assumed a different proportion of significance because of many unknowns in the agreement, particularly the one involving the military site at Parchin, which inspectors have not had access for 10 years and where Iran is reported to be conducting research on tests for anuclear weapon.
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Adele Goes Viral, No Selfies or Tweets Needed

2 Groups   
New York Times - 11.27.2015 Original article ›
Ben Sisario, Ben, Sisario
LyrArc Article Gist
Adele's target audience is women 18-44 years who watch shows like "Family Guy." The CD "25" set records selling 3.2 million copies in the first week in the U.S., and 800,000 in the UK, according to Nielsen. This follows a similiar record for the CD "21," which sold 30 million copies. Another hit song is "Hello." Target has provided promotion for the CD but the promotion is not on streaming sites or on social media, a different approach to marketing the music. Radio is seen primarily as promotional media. Adele's fans are buying the music CD's instead of streaming it, out of consideration for the effort put out by Adele in her songs.
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Despite Shift on Climate by U.S., Europe Is Wary

4 Groups   
New York Times - 07.08.2009 Original article ›
John M. Broder, John, M., Broder, James Kanter, James, Kanter
LyrArc Article Gist
Negotiations between European leaders, especially Germany's Merkel and the Obama administration on climate change at G8 meeting. The U.S. and Europe try to work out differences. The U.S. is vague about some language such as the starting year against which emissions reductions will be measured, and has resisted the European pressure to set strong goals over the next 10 years. Europe wants 1990, while the USA, Australia and Japan prefer 2005. Europe wants to see language in aformal document that is being developed for the G-8 meeting, which also includes developing countries, for limiting the rise in global temperatures to 2 degrees celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above pre-industrial levels.
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Once Slave to Luxury, Japan Catches Thrift Bug

3 Groups   
New York Times - 09.21.2009 Original article ›
Hiroko Tabuchi, Hiroko, Tabuchi
LyrArc Article Gist
Price is No. 1 in the minds of Japanese consumers. Seiyu discount stores, part of Walmart, is doing weel, and so are discount retailers across the board. Luxurry brands are suffering declines in revenue. From vegetables and fruits to other products cheap is fashionable and also meets the budgets of many families. Bean sprouts, and local mushrooms are up, cheap bananas replace melons in family budgets, umbrella sales are up as people walk rather than hail acab. Average household spending fell $762 to $38475 or 3.5 million yen in 2008 according to Dai-Ichi Life. There is adefaltionary gap of 40 trillion yen in the economy with demand short by that much from production, and unemployment is at 5.7%.
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U.K. Jabs EU on Bank Rules

17 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 06.17.2011 Original article ›
David Enrich, David, Enrich, Sara Schaefer Muñoz, Sara, Schaefer, Muñoz
LyrArc Article Gist
Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, wants to see stricter requirements than Basel III on capital reserves for U.K. banks. The Bank of England has expressed its strong disapproval of UK banks lobbying activities in Brussels to push for a dilution in Basel III standards. The British government and the Bank of England want to have the flexibility to set their own stricter standards and not to be bound by a relaxed standard set by the EU. The risk to British taxpayers is a principal concern. In the U.S. Fed governor Daniel Tarullo is pushing for capital reserve requirements stricter than Basel III's 7% requirement- calling for a requirement of 10-14%.
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Rebels’ Assault on Tripoli Began With Careful Work Inside

3 Groups   
New York Times - 08.22.2011 Original article ›
Kareem Fahim, Kareem, Fahim, Mark Mazzetti, Mark, Mazzetti
LyrArc Article Gist
Preparations and strategies for the final assault on Tripoli, Libya. The move up the Mediterranean coast to seize an oil refinery in Zawiyah 30 miles from Tripoli, after moving through through the Nafusah mountains in the west. All the time cutting off supplies to the capital and pushing the Gaddafi forces back into the open towards Tripoli, where NATO airstrikes were effective. The rebel army was resupplied with weapons from Qatari special forces and many received military training in Qatar. British and French military advisers provided assistance and aerial/satellite photographs. British, French and Qatari troops provided weapons, fuel, medicine and food. NATO airplanes and predator drones attacked targets as the rebels advanced.
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European Banks Cut Dollar Exposure

2 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 09.22.2011 Original article ›
Carrick Mollenkamp, Carrick, Mollenkamp
LyrArc Article Gist
As U.S. money market funds have reduced lending to French banks, and lending maturities have shortened to seven days, French banks are facing a shortage of dollars. According to the Federal Reserve, foreign banks and their branches provide 25% of the commercial and industrial loans in the U.S. In its response to this BNP expects to reduce dollar denominated loans by $42 billion by the end of 2011 and another $40 billion in 2012, according to BNP officials. Societe Generale CEO, Frederic Oudea, says his bank will pull back on making loans to shipping, aircraft, real-estate and leveraged finance in the U.S. This will reduce credit growth in the U.S. economy.
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Apple Cedes Surging India Smartphone Market to Nokia-RIM: Tech

12 Groups   
BusinessWeek - 10.03.2011 Original article ›
Ketaki Gokhale, Ketaki, Gokhale
LyrArc Article Gist
Apple's sales in India are insignificant because of the lack of 3G networks. RIM's Blackberry and apps work well on the existing 2G networks. Prices are higher with the cheapest iPhone costing $705 at a Reliance iStore. The cheapest iPad 2 goes for $603. Blackberry phones cost less than $200. As a result Apple's iPhone sales are only 2.6% of India's smartphone shipments for the 2nd quarter 2011. RIM's is 15%, Samsung Electronic's is 21%, and Nokia's 46%, according to IDC. RIM is extending its distribution in India from 15 cities in 2010 to 80 cities in 2011. IDC estimates that smartphone shipments in India will grow by 68% a year, reaching 81.5 million units by 2015.
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Original article 1 minute, gist 1 minute

Random House and Penguin to Be Combined

9 Groups   
New York Times - 10.29.2012 Original article ›
Eric Pfanner, Eric, Pfanner, Amy Chozick, Amy, Chozick
LyrArc Article Gist
The planned merger of Random House owned by Bertelsmann, and Penguin owned by Pearson, creates the largest consumer book publisher in the world with a 25% market share. Bertelsmann will control 53% of the new entity, and Pearson 47%. The merger will help the new entity better handle the challenges presented by the shift to electronic books and internet retailing, and respond to the power of large companes such as Apple, Amazon and Google in this field. This creates pressure for mergers among the other large publishers, Hatchette owned by Lagardere in France, HarperCollins a part of News Corporation, Macmillan part of Georg von Holtzbrinck in Germany, and Simon & Schuster a part of CBS.
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UBS Goes Back to the Future

1 Links 7 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 10.30.2012 Original article ›
Simon Nixon, Simon, Nixon
LyrArc Article Gist
Simon Nixon points out the problems investors had with UBS before the Oct 2012 decision to drastically reduce the size of the investment banking operations. UBS had three fourths of its capital engaged in investment banking earning only about 5% return. Private bank and wealth management businesses earned far better returns of 25%-40%. Under the new plan core Tier 1 ratio on a fully applied Basel III basis would be 13% in 2014. And return on equity under CEO Ermotti's plan would increase to over 15% by 2015. UBS would put emphasis on the private bank and wealth management businesses under the new plan and shrink the investment banking operations with large job cuts.
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Santander Profit Tumbles 98%

1 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 01.31.2012 Original article ›
Christopher Bjork, Christopher, Bjork
LyrArc Article Gist
Banco Santander took a large charge of 3.18 billion euros in 4th quarter 2012 provisioning for real estate losses and Portugal. Profit for the quarter fell to 47 million euros as a result of this. The provisioning for real estate losses in Spain was 1.81 billion euros, and for Portugal 600 million euros. Profits for 2011 went down by 35% to 5.35 billion euros. Profits from Latin America exceeded profits from the rest of the world for the first time reaching 51%. This is part of the trend with Spanish banks to shore up their capital base in 2011-2012 as the Rajoy administration moves to address the problems of Spain's banking sector.
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China's Army of Graduates Faces Struggle

1 Groups   
New York Times - 12.11.2010 Original article ›
Andrew Jacobs, Andrew, Jacobs
LyrArc Article Gist
In 1998 at the beginning of the effort by President Zemin to boost higher education, Chinese universities and colleges produced 800,000 college graduates. The number is now 6 million and growing. The economy does not produce enough professional jobs in fields like finance, accounting, computer programming. And graduates from third tier schools fare worse in the job market. Between 2003 and 2009 wages for migrant workers increased 80%, yet wages for college graduates actually decreased after inflation. About 100,000 graduates crowd into parts of Beijing struggling with the jobs they can find. One political scientist says college education has provided these people with nothing and they could be a source of instability in an economic crisis.
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The Transformer: Why VW Is the Car Giant to Watch

14 Groups   
BusinessWeek - 01.13.2010 Original article ›
David Welch, David, Welch
LyrArc Article Gist
VW's global plans to increase sales and surpass Toyota. Efforts to increase sales in the U.S. by redesigning the Passat and having it compete with the Toyota Camry in the same price range of about $20,000. To develop new small cars for Asian markets VW has taken a 20% stake in Suzuki, giving it access to small car technology. Suzuki deal gives VW access to the Indian market. VW plans are to double the network of dealers in China to 1600 in 5 years and a sales target of 2 million cars for China. VW has stumbled before in the U.S. and lacks a presence in Asia outside of China. This is about to change.
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Original article 1 minute, gist 1 minute

Abbott Labs to Buy Indian Drug Maker

8 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 05.22.2010 Original article ›
Peter Loftus, Peter, Loftus, Rumman Ahmed, Rumman, Ahmed
LyrArc Article Gist
Recently Abbott has expanded in international markets with the acquisition of Belgium's Solvay Pharmaceuticals, and collaboration with India's Cadila Healthcare Ltd. for generic drugs. Abbott CEO says he is comfortable with the price of the Piramal acquisition in India because he lost out in a bid for another company in an emerging market a few years ago. Piramal Healthcare will receive from Abbott an upfront $2.12 billion, and $400 million to be paid every year for 4 years beginning in 2011. Advantages Abbott's CEO White sees in this acquisition of Piramal, is that 70% of the Indian market is self-pay. And therefore not subject to government cuts in payment for drugs.
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Airline Fees and Fares Turn Small Recovery Into Big Profits

8 Groups   
New York Times - 09.04.2010 Original article ›
Jad Mouawad, Jad, Mouawad
LyrArc Article Gist
Air fares are rising, and airlines are charging separately for everything from bags, blankets, snacks, seats in front rows, and priority boarding, to other extra charges. Airline strategies to reduce routes and fill up seats are working. Delta Airlines filled 85% of seats in the second quarter of 2010, with revenue from passengers going up by 19%. Delta made the highest profit it has made in the last ten years- $467 million for the second quarter. The Air Transport Association figures show that passenger revenue increased for July 2010 by 20%,, compared to prior year. Price paid by one passenger for flying one mile was 14.95 cents in July 2010, according to ATA.
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No Free Stuff Here: At Angie's List, Members Pay

2 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 10.06.2010 Original article ›
Teri Evans, Teri, Evans
LyrArc Article Gist
Angie's List provides information on home improvement contractors and on health care companies. It was started by Angie Hicks after she graduated from Depauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It has 400 employees and is based in Indianapolis. Sales reached $60 million in 2010, with revenues from membership fees and select advertising by highly rated service providers. It started with Mr Oesterle, a former boss of Angie's in a college internship, and his moving to Columbus, Ohio. Oestlerle had difficulty finding good contractors to renovate a 1920's home, and suggested they work together on this idea of a list of reliable contractors based on personal interviews. The company still relies only on personally obtained information.
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Electricity in Nigeria: Let there be light

6 Groups   
Economist - 10.23.2010 Original article ›
Economist.Com
LyrArc Article Gist
It may come as a bit of a shock to learn, that the entire country of Nigeria produces about as much electricity at electricity generating facilities, as the electricity used around Japan's Narita airport. Most people in this country of 150 million people, get electricity only for a few hours a day. As a result two thirds of all electricity consumed in Nigeria is produced using small scale generators. President Jonathan's plan to raise $3.5 billion to increase electricity supply 13 fold. Since the 1990's the capacity increased by half, but distribution is extremely poor, so that the actual supply has remained flat. One result is a very small manufacturing sector, of about 4% of GDP.
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Original article 5 minutes, gist 1 minute

Chinese Premier Blasts Banks

3 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 04.05.2012 Original article ›
Dinny Mcmahon, Dinny, Mcmahon, Lingling Wei, Lingling, Wei, Andrew Galbraith, Andrew, Galbraith
LyrArc Article Gist
China's premier Wen is critical of China's large state owned banks for blocking reforms. In recent months there is growing sentiment against the large state owned banks because of the large profits made and the low interest on customer deposits for savers. The guaranteed spread between deposit and lending rates is about 3 percentage points giving the banks easy profits. China's largest banks, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China and China Construction Bank, show combined profits of $99 billion. These four banks and the Bank of Communications, China Development Bank, Postal Savings Bank, combined control 55% of all outstanding loans in China, and lend mostly to large state owned enterprises.
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Spanish and Italian Banks, Once More Buying Bonds, Seen as Vulnerable

3 Groups   
New York Times - 04.08.2012 Original article ›
Liz Alderman, Liz, Alderman
LyrArc Article Gist
During the November 2011 to February 2012 period Spanish banks increased holdings of government bonds by 68 billion euros, and Italian banks by 54 billion euros under the ECB's Long Term Financing Operation. That program helped to lower bond yields of the two countries for the 1st quarter of 2012. With Spain's economy facing more austerity measures at a time of 23% unemployment, bond yields have moved back up for Spain in April 2012. The increased holdings of government bonds by Spanish banks increases risks at a time when banks in Spain have not increased lending in the economy and hold a large number of bad mortgages in the country's housing bust.
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In Europe, Banks Borrowing to Stay Ahead of the Tide

9 Groups   
New York Times - 06.10.2012 Original article ›
Landon Thomas Jr., Landon, Thomas, Jr.
LyrArc Article Gist
The loan-to-deposit ratios on average for European banks of over 110% are much higher than the average in the U.S. of about 78%, according to analysts. The loan-to-deposit ratios for Spanish and Italian banks are much higher, with 160% for Bankia. If Spain leaves the eurozone and places a moratorium on loan payments the Greek loans on the books of France's banks in Greece would be in default, especially Credit Agricole. The French banks would suffer an estimated loss of 20 billion euros, and German banks 4.5 billion euros. German banks have been more aggressive in reducing their loan protfolios at risk than French banks during 2010-2012, hence their smaller exposure.
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Campbell to Buy Fresh-Foods Maker

5 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 07.10.2012 Original article ›
Paul Ziobro, Paul, Ziobro
LyrArc Article Gist
Campbell Soup Co. acquires Bolthouse Farms of Bakersfield, California, a maker of high-end juices, for $1.55 billion. By doing this Campbell is shifting into beverages and into fresh foods from its traditional business in canned condensed soups which have a long shelf life. The packaged fresh food category is growing at 7% a year much faster than the canned soup business. This also complements Campbell's V8 vegetable juice products.The soup business is declining because of a change in consumer preferences for simplicity in meals, lack of new products and ineffective discounting. Campbell is planning to introduce 30 new soup items, and packaging in pouches with newer flavors, to get younger people to try its products.
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G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether

1 Links 1 Groups   
New York Times - 03.24.2011 Original article ›
David Kocieniewski, David, Kocieniewski
LyrArc Article Gist
G.E. reported profits of $5.1 billion from operations in the U.S. in 2010. Its American tax bill? G.E. paid no taxes, claiming a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. G.E. does this by lobbying for tax breaks, aggressive strategies for reducing taxes including concentrating its profits offshore, and innovative accounting. G.E. has a large tax department, which some call the nation's largest tax law firm. Other firms are following the same practices The corporate share of the U.S. tax receipts has fallen steeply over the years- down to 6.6% in 2009 from 30% in the 1950's. This raises all sorts of questions in the current budget deficit situation facing federal and local governments.
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Few Banks Seek Funds for Small Businesses

4 Groups   
Wall Street Journal - 03.31.2011 Original article ›
Emily Maltby, Emily, Maltby
LyrArc Article Gist
The Obama administration's Small Business Jobs Act of Sept 2010 set aside $30 billion to stimulate lending to small business. Only 7% of 7700 U.S. lenders have signed up for the program so far. The deadline to sign up to participate has been extended from March 31 to May 16, 2011, by the Treasury Department. Banks have been hesitant to sign up for various reasons: banks say they see a stigma to taking these loans, and need additional staff to handle the extra paperwork. Banks say there isn't enough demand for loans from small business, or that there is enough capital already to handle larger better collateralized borrowers with the others considered too risky anyway.
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Hong Kong on Edge as Protests Grow

  
Wall Street Journal - 09.30.2014 Original article ›
Chester Yung, Chester, Yung, Jacky Wong, Jacky, Wong, , Jason Chow, Jason, Chow
LyrArc Article Gist
After police use of tear gas against protestors in Hong Kong- demanding the resignation of Chief Executive Leung and open elections- crowds swell, and the protests spread from the business district to other parts of the city. A major route on Nathan Road through Hong Kong's Kowloon district was blocked by protestors. Young people, including a management trainee and an assistant engineer in this report, university students and others, were determined to continue the standoff with the government on September 28-30, 2014. The current system is for Beijing to nominate a Chief Executive, and Beijing granted Hong Kong the right to vote for a Chief Executive but only for candidates approved by Beijing.
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Chinese debt: A moral deficit

1 Links   
Economist - 10.17.2014 Original article ›
Economist.Com
LyrArc Article Gist
The fragility of the financial system is cited as one of the risks for China by Standard & Poors, and by the IMF in 2014. After 2008 total debt including government, corporate and household jumped by 100% to reach 250% by 2014, according to the Economist. The complacency, poor statistics showing bad debt at low levels, the tendency for local governments to continue old practices, dependence on the state to pick up the tab when companies run into losses, or for bad debt at banks, papering over bad loans with new loans, and corruption with close connections between state owned companies and the state, create a situation in which this problem continues to grow.
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Original article 5 minutes, gist 1 minute

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