Lignet News

 

Egypt: Protests Grow Over Morsi’s Actions, New Constitution
An enormous rally yesterday by the Egyptian opposition – estimated at 100,000 – outside the presidential palace in Cairo turned violent last night, indicating the intensity of anger of Egyptian President Morsi’s political opponents and the growing likelihood of clashes between the opposition and Morsi's Islamist supporters. Morsi’s supporters have called for a rally in support of the president today in response to yesterday’s opposition rally outside the presidential palace which could lead to conflict because some anti-Morsi protesters have camped out there and have vowed not to leave until Morsi gives in to their demands.
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Syria: Rebels Winning Cyber War
Although invisible to the world, Syria's cyber war is raging as intensely as the war being fought with guns and bombs. The rebels have performed well on this battlefield, but their success using social networks is not likely to prove decisive in toppling Assad’s regime, as LIGNET explains.
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Australia Risks a Crisis with High Spending and Regulation
Government spending has risen rapidly in Australia under the Labor Party, with big increases in spending on schools, health care and care of the elderly. With the gas industry losing out to cheaper gas from the United States, and the mining industry struggling to compete with Africa, revenues are expected to slow, putting the country in a precarious position. Australia has so far been able to avoid a European-like debt crisis, but maybe for not much longer.
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Could U.S. Warnings Over Syria’s Chemical Weapons Backfire?
President Barack Obama's warning to the Assad regime yesterday to not use its stockpile of chemical weapons on rebel forces put Damascus on notice that this is a so-called “red line” for Washington, but it also may have inadvertently communicated another message about how much violence against the Syrian rebels the United States is prepared to tolerate.
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China Aims to Dominate Asia with New Aircraft Carrier
Many Western analysts have been quick to dismiss China’s new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, saying it will never match U.S. naval capabilities. Many of those same analysts, however, were taken by surprise last week when the Chinese Navy landed and launched an indigenously produced J-15 fighter jet on the ship’s flight deck. It was a major breakthrough for the Chinese, and a big step forward in China’s drive to become a naval power. For the rest of Asia, it was a chilling sign of China’s growing aggression.
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Tunisia: Angry, Unemployed Youth Threaten Stability
Unrest is simmering in Tunisia after a strike last week and clashes with police in the chronically underdeveloped interior of the country that left more than 300 wounded. Rampant youth unemployment is driving growing anger and disillusionment, which could jeopardize efforts to secure desperately needed foreign investment required to boost the economy of the fledgling democracy.
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China: New Leadership Strikes New Tone, but Little Chance for Substantive Change
Amid growing corruption scandals, China’s new leadership is attempting to remake the image of the Chinese Communist Party by banning lavish receptions and toning down rhetoric and long-winded speeches by party officials. But a close analysis of the background of the seven new members of China’s most powerful political body suggests that there is unlikely to be much substantive reform.
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Brazil’s Economy Stalls, Raising Fear And Hope
Brazil’s economy, the sixth largest in the world, has suddenly ground to a halt, raising fears that the country is entering a period of stagnation after a decade of healthy growth. While the news appears bleak for Latin America’s biggest country, President Dilma Rousseff will now have more leverage as she seeks to implement much needed reforms such as improving Brazil’s antiquated roads, bridges, ports, airports and education system.
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Europe: Natural Gas Import Options Grow
Tensions between the European Union and its natural gas importers are becoming increasingly visible as shown by a recent dispute between Italy and Algeria over a pipeline project. Underlying all of these difficulties is the changing commercial landscape for imported gas coming into the EU. The energy sector is slowly being transformed on the continent, and this is good news for Europeans, as LIGNET explains.
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