Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• Prince tries to break Bahrain deadlock - FT.com

  "Bahrain’s crown prince has made a dramatic intervention in a bid to break the Gulf state’s political deadlock, raising hopes for more focused negotiations with the opposition next week. "

  tags: bahrain gcc middleeast revolution protest balanceofpower

• Turkish lira hits new record low vs dollar - FT.com

  "The Turkish lira has slumped 0.6 per cent beyond the psychologically sensitive TL2.20 point against the US dollar to a new record low, as investors continue to fret over the country’s economic vulnerabilities. "

  tags: turkey currency dollar lira middleeast protest

• Petrobras to 'rely less on debt in 2014' -Upstreamonline.com

  "Brazilian giant Petrobras expects to scale back its financing this year as the state-owned company ramps up oil production at its offshore fields, according to a report. "

  tags: petrobras brazil oil gas energy southamerica o&g

• Investors pour into European property - FT.com

  "Sharply rising investor demand for European property is fuelling a battle for assets that is driving prices up and causing fears of a renewed bubble, according to new research. "

  tags: realestate europe investment europeanunion recession bubble

• Chuck E. Cheese sold in near-$1bn deal - FT.com

  "Chuck E. Cheese has been sold to private equity firm Apollo in a deal that values the entertainment-focused restaurant chain at close to $1bn. "

  tags: pizza business m&a entertainment

• Qatar film industry focuses on home talent - FT.com

  "Qatar’s nascent film industry is paring back its global ambitions as the gas-rich Gulf state’s new emir seeks to promote domestic development over high-profile overseas ventures. The Doha Film Institute, which has spent years developing its profile as a deep-pocketed financier in Hollywood, has cut about a third of its workforce – 45 staff – and postponed its Qumra festival from March until next year."

  tags: qatar film movies media gcc middleeast

• Google plows $75M into another clean energy project - SmartPlanet

  "Google announced Tuesday another investment in a clean energy project. This time, and similar to other recent deals, the Internet search engine giant is investing in a Texas wind farm.  "

  tags: google alternativeenergy renewableenergy windenergy texas unitedstates

• Putin $14 Billion Nuclear Deal Wins Orban Alliance - Bloomberg

  "For Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who as opposition leader in 2007 railed against turning his country into the “happiest barrack of Gazprom,” the persuasion took the shape of an offer to lend the country as much as $14 billion. Orban trekked to Moscow yesterday to hand Rosatom Corp., Russia’s state nuclear holding company, a deal to expand Hungary’s lone nuclear power plant using that loan. "

  tags: hungary russia balanceofpower europe influence putin politics

• Iran Sanctions Battle Heats Up - The Daily Beast

  "Harry Reid doesn’t seem to want to allow a vote on the Iran sanctions bill, so advocates are shifting tactics and working with House leadership to pass it there first. The Senate is stalling on bringing new Iran sanctions legislation to a vote following another diplomatic breakthrough, but pro-sanctions Senators say the House may not wait to pass the bill that the White House says could kill the talks and lead to war."

  tags: iran warpath lobby unitedstates israel sanctions congress

• US unlikely to bin its crude exports ban - FT.com

  "Picture the US oil market as a kind of sieve. Exports of refined fuels such as petrol and diesel are flowing out at record rates. But thicker crude oil – the fuels’ raw material – is largely trapped inside. "

  tags: oil unitedstates gas energy exports trade

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