And it weakens exchange rates, hurting households that borrowed in foreign currency (a big problem in Hungary, and, to a lesser extent, in Poland).

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Portugal, Greece and (to a lesser extent) Spain still have big current-account deficits, and so are still adding to their already high foreign liabilities.

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The decision goes to the heart of a big controversy in civil law: To what extent can the government be held liable for failing to protect citizens against risks that are conceivable, but expensive and burdensome to protect against?

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Now, the extent to which they can become a big-market power again hinges on their ability to reverse a dramatic slide in attendance and limit their losses.

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Whatever the extent of their restructuring so far, companies still face a big task cleaning up their balance sheets (eg, by selling assets and pulling out of unprofitable businesses) before they can start growing again.

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However, Steve Bryson, from developers Centros, which is planning a 400, 000 sq ft (37, 161 sq m) shopping centre at Castle Piccadilly, York, said the extent of the plans for Monks Cross would have a "big impact" on city centre trade.

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It will also impact companies that work on big infrastructure U.K. projects like Balfour Beatty and, to a lesser extent, Carillion.

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The extent to which illegal fishing can be brought under control will also have a big impact on whether the population has a chance of recovering.

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It was, to a large extent, the economies of scale in manufacturing and distribution that drove indies into the big firms' arms.

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