"The discussions with Iran have become tougher, a bit more unpleasant, " said Germany's ambassador to the United States, Juergen Chrobog.
"Manufacturers had hoped that life was going to get easier but instead it has become tougher, " said the CBI's head of economic analysis Doug Godden.
As business and marketing environments have become tougher, it's true that those companies that have found out what the king wants -- and provided it -- have been successful.
The environment has become tougher since then.
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For hedge fund managers, shorting stocks has become increasingly tougher and hedge fund traders have become much more reluctant to bet against individual companies.
"Given troubled ties between Japan and China, the environment surrounding exports to China could become even tougher, " Mr Minami said.
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The task is likely to become even tougher: due to drastic budget cuts, the ICZN's own future existence is now severely threatened.
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But maintaining a lawsuit on behalf of millions of consumers, most of whom have never had a problem with their cars, has become much tougher.
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Visa issuances, airport security, and perhaps even FBI surveillance of American Muslim militants are likely to become much tougher under Mr. Obama than under Mr. Bush.
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Such claims may be exaggerated, but Mr Erdogan has certainly become a lot tougher on the Kurds.
But even in a field bursting with brand names, the Europa League has also become more competitive and tougher to predict than almost any tournament in soccer.
However, as the example of Mexico's immigrants demonstrates, the tougher border controls become, the less likely migrants are to go home when their work is done, and to incur the expense and danger of another crossing.
But crashes have become more survivable, thanks largely to tougher safety standards that require seats capable of surviving major impact and slower-burning cabin materials.
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However, Mr Davis said he was still "odds-on favourite" to become leader and that he would face "tougher tests" in future.
That is why the third priority is to become more selective about the purpose of such help, and tougher on the manner of its delivery.
If the Treasury Department gets its way and imposes tougher scrutiny on nonbank financial institutions, GE's finance business might become even more of a capital sink instead of the cash fount it was when money was cheap.
Yitzhak Zamir, a retired Supreme Court judge who recently headed a commission to draft tougher ethical rules for members of parliament, argues that as Israel has become less ideological, idealist and egalitarian than in its pioneering early days, politics has become more of a personal career and politicians abuse their positions more often.
New reporting requirements that stock exchanges have ordered in response to high-profile scandals, together with tougher auditing standards under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, have pushed boards and managers to become far more diligent in reporting accurate financial information.
Some, like Davos regular Bill Gates, lead by example, by giving away their vast fortunes in the cause of poverty alleviation - and as it happens he today has written his annual letter, in which he calls on well-heeled citizens and governments of wealthier nations not to use these tougher economic times as an excuse to squeeze the financial help for poorer nations struggling to become self-sufficient.
Now he has it, he has become a significant regional player, one of a growing club of Thai entrepreneurs moving from domestic success onto a tougher and more sophisticated global stage.
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He is anticipating a tougher start to this year's season and reckons it will take a few years for Jaguar to become a title contender.
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