However, news of another earthquake, slow going at the Daiichi site, and fears of a prolonged fight in Libya are keeping stock futures in check in the early going.

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However, countries closer to earthquake zones may slow nuclear power development or halt it altogether, he said.

WSJ: Uranium Firms Take Hit After Earthquake

But Haiti's long-term social and political problems are also partly to blame for the slow response to the needs of the earthquake victims.

BBC: Quake-stricken Haiti bears scars six months on

Prior to the disaster his administration had been under political fire for the slow pace of government reconstruction after the February earthquake and tsunami along Chile's south and central coast, and for his handling of a hunger strike by members of the Mapuche indigenous group of southern Chile, who are fighting for independence.

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The performance of the authorities following the most recent big earthquake, in Umbria and Marche 12 years ago, was slow but steady.

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To hear the bears tell it, the combination of the earthquake, the tsunami, and the potential nuclear disaster will undoubtedly slow the Japanese economy.

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Haiti is still struggling to come back from a massive earthquake that struck its densely populated capital three years ago, the slow recovery attributed largely to political dysfunction and the magnitude of the disaster.

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