Word: loosen
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...rate of 33% from next year. The country is trying to fill budget gaps left by cuts in import tariffs and a 23.9% rise in first-quarter state spending. The French Concession Breaking an 18-month impasse, France dropped its opposition to pan-European pension funds. The reforms would loosen constraints on investments, moving the E.U. closer to its goal of creating a single market for European financial services. Rising To Stand Still European consumer and business confidence each climbed two points to nine- and 10-month highs, according to the European Commission. But the central bank still feels...
...there is the matter of Kerr’s practices. Kerr calls them “competitive”; Lenicheck calls them “long and grueling.” They start out innocently enough, as Kerr and his staff are fond of cracking a couple jokes to loosen up the team. But by the end of the session, the players are usually divided into two teams for an intrasquad scrimmage. In a twist he gleaned from his old professional coach in England, Kerr always makes sure “there’s a reward for the loser...
...answer is buried deep in the tangle that is California's energy crisis. Here's how it started: Back in 1996, lobbied by Enron and other energy interests, the state (under then Governor Pete Wilson, a Republican) decided to loosen its hold on electricity production. Responsibility for matching supply and demand was handed over in 1998 to an Independent System Operator (ISO), which would buy from providers (like Enron, Calpine and Dynegy) and sell to middlemen (companies like Pacific Gas & Electric) as necessary, even paying providers to take excess electricity out of the state at times when supplies were flush...
...Staff cites the release of Vladimiro Roca as evidence that Castro will loosen these restrictions if free trade is opened between America and Cuba. But Roca was released only two months early from a five-year sentence, and of course the amnesty was perfectly timed for the media-frenzied visit by former president Jimmy Carter. The Staff’s naive optimism notwithstanding, the Varela referendum will not be honored or upheld by Castro. In fact, the government is already harassing many of its signatories. Castro’s recent actions are media-savvy, but they are not real steps...
...Italy, where a job-for-life is still considered a national birthright, this economic reality is viewed with trepidation. And as a bitter nationwide labor showdown enters its third month, workers like Bruno have become the conflict's poster children - for both sides. Pushing for legislation to loosen the labor market, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy can't compete - and good new jobs will never be created for people like Bruno - if companies feel they can never fire workers. The unions staunchly oppose the reforms, which they say will only drag the rest of the workforce toward Bruno...