World News Insights
1-3 Minute Gist
Search, personalize, or simply browse. Follow the world around you from gist and context to insights.
Who we are | Our Credo | Ways of using Lyrarc | FAQ | Send Feedback | First Letter From the Editor
Sign up. It's free and easy to use
Create an account
to personalize your feed of articles and topics.
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 Links
Why Trump plan to end tax on Social Security benefits is a fatal mistake
08/17/2024
Senator Larson says it is a fatal mistake as lost revenue is not made up leading to a Medicare insolvency in 2031, and Social Security insolvency in 2033. Social security benefits will then by law will be cut in 2033 by 25%., a dangerous step tragic for many on Social Security who are pushed into poverty.
Linked Articles
CNBC 08/17/2024
Donald Trump's Suggestion to End Taxation of Social Security Benefits | Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgetCommittee for a Responsible Federal Budget 08/17/2024
Softbank the epitome of massively distorted capital markets even as healthcare, childcare, manufacturing technolgies, infrastructure suffered severe lack of funding
08/08/2022
How Softbank became the epitome and poster child for the distorted capital markets of today is shown here in the WSJ. It is a sad story of how America and Europe failed to invest in its people with egregious harm to 900 million people as healthcare, childcare, manufacturing technologies and infrastructure were neglected.
Linked Articles
WSJ 08/08/2022
SoftBank Reports Record $23 Billion Quarterly Loss as Tech Downturn HitsWSJ 08/08/2022
A Tale of Two Italian Cities - Bergamo, Lombardy and Vo, Veneto- In the time of Coronavirus
04/12/2020
Bergamo in Lombardy, northern Italy, did not heed the warnings calling for strict quarantines, Vo in Veneto region did contact tracing and strict quarantines. This made all the difference. Bergamo turned into a disaster, Vo recovered quickly. Vo is 85 miles to the east of Bergamo. This is a warning to cities around the world, act late and without strict quarantine or lockdown and there is a huge disaster looming from the coronavirus spreading quickly, because it is in the words of Dr Birx "very, very contagious."
Linked Articles
Italy’s Slow Progress in Fighting Coronavirus Is a Warning to West
WSJ 03/27/2020
A tale of two provinces: mistakes that fuelled Italy’s coronavirus outbreakThe Times 03/26/2020
Stable oil prices and low volatility in 2018- the result of U.S. shale oil supply stream and OPEC/Russia cuts
06/01/2018
This low volatility in oil prices is good for both producers and consumers, and shale oil from U.S. is a big part of this.
Linked Articles
How OPEC and Shale Have Squeezed Out Volatility in the Oil Market
WSJ 06/01/2018
The New Tech That Terrifies OPECWSJ 06/01/2018
Deutsche Bank legal settlements, including $14 billion with the U.S. Justice Department, that may require rescue by the German government
09/27/2016
Linked Articles
Opinion: Deutsche Bank in dire straits | Opinion | DW.COM | 27.09.2016
DW.COM 09/27/2016
America’s Department of Justice asks Deutsche Bank for $14 billionThe Economist 09/16/2016
How Argentina's new government of Mauricio Macri achieved the difficult negotiation and final settlement of $9.3 billion with U.S. hedge funds
03/03/2016
Linked Articles
How Argentina Settled a Billion-Dollar Debt Dispute With Hedge Funds
New York Times 04/25/2016
After 15 Years, a Bond Trade Now Pays OffWall Street Journal 03/03/2016
Lack of individual accountability for banks in legal settlements with regulators- (2) the old management still in place, " a solution to the problem or part of it?"
05/24/2015
The question put by Mr. Han Martin-Buhlmann of shareholder association VIP at the June shareholder meeting of Deutsche Bank was- "Mr. Jain are a solution to the problem or part of it?" Over a week later a new CEO was appointed.
Linked Articles
Economist 06/13/2015
Shareholders’ Rebuke Pressures Deutsche Bank CEOs to PerformWall Street Journal 05/24/2015
Looking back at Hong Kong and China today and yesterday- China in 1842 and in 1945, nationalism and commercial interests of foreign powers
01/09/2015
A wariness with foreign powers in China stems from the influences left behind from the British commercial interests and the Japanese invasion of China. Compared to that period, the period of collaboration on an equal footing and playing field is is a short and recent one that has taken place for just three decades 1985-2015. Fears that the accelerated development in China could slow down without a strong central government, combine with the awareness of the need for western technology and open communications in today's global economy to accelerate the development, create in the Chinese mind a problem that needs to be tackled carefully to continue progress. Awareness of the huge inequalities and corruption in the rush towards modernization, need to tackle extensive contamination of air and water, and need for social security and healthcare for an aging population create a new urgency for careful policy making to sustain progress.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 01/12/2015
‘China 1945,’ by Richard BernsteinNew York Times 01/09/2015
Lack of individual accountability for banks in legal settlements- (1) the Credit Suisse and other legal settlements
05/19/2014
Linked Articles
Economist 06/13/2015
Credit Suisse Pleads Guilty in Felony CaseNew York Times 05/19/2014
Detroit's road to recovery- the remarkable contributions of Judge Rhodes and Chief Mediator Judge Rosen in the settlement (3)
02/15/2014
Linked Articles
Mediator in Detroit Bankruptcy Walks Fine Line Between City, Creditors
Wall Street Journal 02/15/2014
Detroit files plan to fix debt, leave bankruptcy - The Washington PostWashington Post 02/22/2014
A deeply divided Thailand with political divisions between the northeast around Chiang Mai and the Bangkok region
12/03/2013
Yingluck and Thaksin Shinawatra are from the northeast of Thailand and get most of their support from this region. The Bangkok region, military, courts and business remain opposed to a transfer of power to the provinces and the policies of Shinawatra. SHinawatra's policies favor the rural areas and the newly emerging middle class in the north. The struggle is as much a social phenomenon from the economic progress of the last 2 decades in Thailand as it is a struggle for a sharing of power, say experts.
Linked Articles
Economic Realignment Fuels Regional Political Divisions in Thailand
New York Times 12/03/2013
Economic Realignment Fuels Regional Political Divisions in ThailandNew York Times 12/03/2013
Why China and India see a "win-win spirit" in the Iran nuclear deal of July 2015- access to lower cost oil supplies for an extended period
08/21/2013
With the need to boost growth in India, and slowing growth in China, the prospect of lower cost Iranian oil imports is a bright spot for both countries.
Linked Articles
Oil-Thirsty China a Winner in Iran Deal
Wall Street Journal 07/15/2015
Rupee Throws Oil on India's Subsidy ProblemWall Street Journal 08/21/2013
Ari Shavit of Haaretz and Ami Ayalon of Israel Security Agency see a new way forward for peace in the Middle East and reduction of tensions
03/12/2013
The opportunities presented by a rapidly changing Middle East are being observed by perceptive Israeli observers after decades of conflict. By defusing tensions and involving public opinion in the Middle East it provides a more lasting agreement han can be reached with individual leaders in the Middle East. It also returns to the focus to widely shared benefits of economic development of the people in the region and improvements in education, infrastructure and economic opportunity. Old ideas of secuirty are supplemented by new ideas of security.
Linked Articles
New York Times 01/01/2014
The Old Peace Is Dead, but a New Peace Is PossibleNew York Times 03/12/2013
The destruction of the Gran Chaco in Brazil and Argentina and the Glasgow Conference decision on ending deforestation by 2030
05/17/2023
If the decision to end deforestation by 2030 is to be taken seriously what happens to the Gran Chaco in Argentina and Brazil is a matter of importance. One third of global emissions are absorbed by forests that act as a giant carbon sink.
Linked Articles
COP26: World leaders promise to end deforestation by 2030
BBC News 11/02/2021
The destroyed forests of the Gran Chaco – DW – 05/16/2023dw.com Supported by Lyrarc's Climate Change Action 05/17/2023
The situation of chronic or endemic coronavirus in places with high vaccination rates - Portugal and New York City
10/25/2021
Chronic or endemic coronavirus in New York with 76% fully vaccinated and Portugal with 85% fully vaccinated is a situation in some places. This still means 15-25% of people that are unvaccinated are at risk and with vaccine protection waning without a booster shot the risk of a fourth or a third of the population still at risk. The lifting of preventive steps such as social distancing, masking and other actions plus the shift to indoor, reopening of schools and colleges, could still lead to a surge.
Linked Articles
Endemic Covid-19 Has Arrived in Portugal. This Is What It Looks Like.
WSJ 10/24/2021
New York City Inches Toward Covid-19 Becoming EndemicWSJ 10/25/2021
Ashwini Bhide and the Mumbai Metro- getting infrastructure done in India on time
10/05/2019
The desperate need for good infrastructure and millions of people in Mumbai who have put up for too long with creaky infrastructure. The Mumbai Metro led by Ashwini Bhide is a path breaking effort to speed things up, as the WSJ points out. As before petitions and other methods are used to stall projects. This time the courts not only dismissed the petition about cutting trees in Aarey Colony, north Mumbai, but also fined the petitioners Rs 50,000 for filing a frivolous petition. Trees are important, as few trees as possible are being cut for the new Metro, and new trees are being planted to replace them.
Linked Articles
WSJ 05/08/2023
‘Activists should accept defeat honourably’: Mumbai Metro MD on Aarey rowHindustan Times 10/05/2019
Peggy Noonan on American Democracy and a reminder to the presidency of Donald Trump- democracy is a serious thing
05/19/2017
Linked Articles
That Moment When 2016 Hits You
Wall Street Journal 04/23/2016
Democracy Is Not Your PlaythingWSJ 05/18/2017
The 1976 Montreal Olympics, the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the Rio Olympics- decades long debt hangovers and costs growing from the $1+ billion in Montreal to $50+ billion in Sochi
08/24/2016
Developing and developed countries alike have seen the cost of the Olympics as a huge burden. Many countries or cities that committed to hosting the Olympic games during boom years were facing economic hard times by the time of the games. Corruption and mismanagement of public funds, overspending and cost overruns added to the problems. Citizens uproar caused cities such as Boston and Oslo to withdraw bids for the Olympics. The Olympics appears to be a costly way to show off a country, and raises questions about better allocation of funds in other directions, especially when upward mobility is a problem for the middle and working class, countries have other infrastructure needs, and neglected basic needs in education, healthcare, public services.
Linked Articles
The 40-year hangover: how the 1976 Olympics nearly broke Montreal
The Guardian 07/06/2016
Rio Games Highlight Problems With the Olympic ModelThe New York Times 08/23/2016
Judge Barbier's decision that BP acted recklessly and the final 2015 settlement with states and the U.S. government for $18.7 billion on the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill
07/03/2015
Linked Articles
BP Faces Up to $13.7 Billion in Fines in Deepwater Gulf Spill Case
Wall Street Journal 07/03/2015
BP Agrees to Pay $18.7 Billion to Settle Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ClaimsWall Street Journal 07/03/2015
The lack of individual accountability in large legal settlements made by the U.S. Justice Department since 2009
05/22/2015
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 09/16/2015
Banks as Felons, or Criminality LiteNew York Times 05/22/2015
Questions about whether justice and accountability were accomplished in the U.S. Justice Department's settlement with Credit Suisse
05/19/2014
A WSJ editorial and a separate piece in the NYT question the assumption that justice and accountability were achieved in the U.S. government's settlement with Credit Suisse. The nagging question- is Attorney General Holder simply burnishing his image after failing to establish accountability and justice following the 2008 global financial crisis, which dealt a serious blow to America's middle class. Collective wrongdoing starts with individual actions, and holding individuals responsible establishes accountability, so that the public is protected from future actions of this nature. Somewhere since the crisis this principle has been lost in the Obama administration. A churn in management for failures is considered healthy for other American companies, and healthy for free enterprise, readers are likely to wonder why this is not so for the banks.
Linked Articles
Credit Suisse Pleads Guilty in Felony Case
New York Times 05/19/2014
Holder Convicts SwitzerlandWall Street Journal 05/21/2014
BaFin, German federal financial regulatory authority, and the problems at Deutsche Bank- regulators slow to act on information
03/28/2014
Eyk Henning of the WSJ points out the slow response of regulator BaFin to information about problems at Deutsche Bank that suggest a broken culture in a report on March 28, 2014. This comes 6 years after the WSJ first reported the LIBOR rate manipulation in 2008 leading to British and U.S. regulatory investigations. In April 2015 Deutsche Bank made a legal settlement for LIBOR rate manipulation of $2.5 billion with U.S. and British regulators. As the time when regulatory authority passes to the European Central Bank, and after a period of 7 years since the 2008 WSJ report, BaFin finally sends its report on the broken culture at the bank. A month later the two co-CEO's at the bank resign.
Linked Articles
Germany Blasts Deutsche Bank Executives Over Culture
Wall Street Journal 07/17/2015
German Financial Watchdog Bites BackWall Street Journal 03/28/2014
McDonald's and a shift in nutritional habits in the U.S., especially in the younger age groups
01/17/2014
With about one third of the population in developed countries considered obese, there is greater awareness especially among younger people, about the need to read nutritional labels carefully, look for fresh food, and manage calorie intake. There is a shift also away from fast food to places where there is greater nutritional choice and to eating at home. The recession may have induced more people to consider eating less outside.
Linked Articles
Americans' Eating Habits Take a Healthier Turn, Study Finds
Wall Street Journal 01/17/2014
McDonald's Faces 'Millennial' ChallengeWall Street Journal 08/25/2014
A black law student at the University of Brasilia, a Harvard trained law graduate in Curitiba, and others changing Brazil's legal system
08/23/2013
Barbosa is one of eight children of a bricklayer in Minas Gerais, now Chief Justice in Brasilia. Dallagnol is a Harvard trained graduate who is working with other prosecutors in Curitiba, a provincial city, investigating corruption and money laundering in Petrobras.
Linked Articles
How Brazil’s ‘Nine Horsemen’ Cracked a Bribery Scandal
Wall Street Journal 04/07/2015
A Blunt Chief Justice Unafraid to Upset Brazilâs Status QuoNew York Times 08/23/2013
The old views of the Defense Department and the new views at Israeli newspaper Haaretz on the way forward for peace and economic progress in the Middle East
03/12/2013
The old perceptions of the foreign policy establishment and the defense department and the new perceptions at Israeli newspaper Haartez, on the way forward for peace and economic progress in the Middle East. Out of the rubble of failed policies, lack of far sighted leadership, and the failures of Middle Eastern elites and leaders, must arise a right way forward.
Linked Articles
U.S. Officials Fear Losing an Eager Ally in the Egyptian Military
New York Times 08/16/2013
The Old Peace Is Dead, but a New Peace Is PossibleNew York Times 03/12/2013
We took a different way to help millions around the world build educated informed mindsets that affects and shapes their lives. For a future that is open, global and digital, with everyone having access to high quality information. We believe in the renewal of America, renewal of Europe, the renewal of India, the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The renewal of our supply chains, health, education, infrastructure, as we rebuild our countries after the pandemic. Literacy and knowledge we believe cannot thrive and grow in a world of web bots, web crawlers, or AI. This requires human curiosity, human learning, and human imagination. We take as inspiration the saying- “One has to be free, and as broad as sky. One has to have a mind that is crystal clear, only then can truth shine in it.” Every contribution whether big or small is precious- in this crisis and ahead.
Support Lyrarc from as small as $1
Terms and Conditions | Copyright Policy | Privacy Policy | Contact Us