The Morning Brief - Lignet
Tunisia: Unrest Stills Simmers at Source of Arab Spring
Two years after a street vendor in Tunisia set himself on fire, sparking
the Arab Spring uprisings that engulfed the region and toppled the
country’s authoritarian president, a weak Tunisian economy is prompting
violent clashes between authorities and radical Salafists. To overcome
these obstacles as it prepares for new elections in June, Tunisia is
negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to obtain a $2.5
billion loan package and is stepping up its counterterrorism operations
amidst the rising unrest.
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China: Q4 GDP Uptick Masks Need for Economic Reforms
While China’s economy recovered slightly in the fourth quarter of 2012,
it recorded one of its lowest annual growth rates since 2009 and the
country only avoided lower growth last year after abandoning tepid
economic reforms and implementing huge stimulus spending. While GDP
growth is expected to remain stable in 2013, this will probably only
occur because Chinese officials will continue stimulus spending and
postpone economic reforms
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Israel: Netanyahu Likely to Forge Broad Coalition After Election
Setback
Yesterday’s Knesset elections were a major political setback for Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and likely will force him to form a
broader coalition and make significant policy changes. The most stunning
development of the election was the second-place finish for the new Yesh
Atid party which represents secular Israelis and opposes Netanyahu’s
policies toward the Palestinians and West Bank settlements.
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787 Dreamliner Likely to Rebound from Battery Problem
The first general grounding order of a civilian airliner in over three
decades by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a serious
but not a fatal blow to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The potentially
flammable lithium ion battery powering the Dreamliner’s electrical
system has taken the Boeing Company’s (NYSE: BA) most prized asset
temporarily out of service barely a year since its maiden flight. If a
quick solution can be found, most experts and customers appear prepared
to accept the battery problem as ‘growing pains’ for a new aircraft
design.
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Eastern Europe Dreams of Shale Success
Eastern European countries are forging ahead with plans to develop their
shale deposits in a bid to end their reliance on Russia for expensive
imports of natural gas. Ukraine is planning to sign a new $10 billion
shale gas exploration deal with Royal Dutch Shell [NYSE: RDS] at the end
of the week, while Chevron [NYSE: CVX] is allegedly close to securing an
exploration deal in Lithuania that will involve an investment of at
least $31 million.
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Britain and Australia Seek Defense Collaboration
The decision by the UK and Australia to strengthen military ties and
explore collaboration on weapon systems is a pragmatic response to
fiscal and strategic challenges that impact the two allies in different
ways. While the UK faces defense budget reductions, Australia is
expanding its navy to answer China’s buildup. A significant element of
the agreement is collaboration on the next-generation Type 26 Global
Combat Ship (T26 GCS).
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