News: 2014-03-23

Technology

Microsoft just exposed email’s ugliest secret | The Verge

Turkey’s censorship of Twitter also happens to be the best advertisement of Twitter’s power

Turkey Moves To Block Twitter At The IP Level | TechCrunch

Turkey’s Twitter Ban Boosts Downloads of a VPN – Digits – WSJ

NSA Spied on Chinese Government and Networking Firm Huawei – SPIEGEL ONLINE

N.S.A. Breached Chinese Servers Seen as Security Threat – NYTimes.com

Enter The Blockchain: How Bitcoin Can Turn The Cloud Inside Out | TechCrunch

After WhatsApp: An Insider’s View On What’s Next In Messaging | TechCrunch

Here is Level 3′s plan to make interconnection fees a network neutrality issue

AT&T Exec Calls Netflix’s Reed Hastings “Arrogant” For Net Neutrality Post | TechCrunch

Only 11% of New Twitter Users in 2012 Are Still Tweeting – Digits – WSJ

Twitter #Music is officially dead | The Verge

 

North America

Canadians living outside country may be surprised to learn they owe Ottawa taxes | Toronto Star

Weak inflation slips to bottom of Bank of Canada’s comfort zone

Loblaw-Shoppers’ $12.4B takeover deal approved, but retail giant must sell stores

BlackBerry reaches deal for most of its Canadian real estate – The Globe and Mail

Canada’s retail sales jump most in 8 months as shoppers brave brutal weather

Report: Black Preschoolers Suspended More than Whites

Puerto Rico wants to return to the market for another $2 billion | MuniLand

Kocherlakota’s Dissent – Tim Duy’s Fed Watch

Fed Dissenter Kocherlakota Says New Guidance Creates More Uncertainty – Real Time Economics – WSJ

“Mr. Kocherlakota said he dissented against the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Wednesday because the new guidance regarding the likely timing of future interest rate increases “weakens the credibility of the Committee’s commitment to target 2% inflation.” He also said “the new guidance fosters policy uncertainty and thereby suppresses economic activity.””

Fed revises bank stress test results – FT.com

Fitch affirms U.S. ratings, removes downgrade danger | Reuters

Buffett Wins NCAA Billion-Dollar Hoops Bet as Brackets Go Bust – Bloomberg

Democracy Now Discusses Wells Fargo Foreclosure Document Fabrication Manual | naked capitalism

City vs. Country: How Where We Live Deepens the Nation’s Political Divide – WSJ.com

“Differences Between Rural and Urban America Are Underappreciated Factor in Political Split”

 

Ukraine

Ukrainian police detain Naftogaz CEO – minister | Reuters

Russia Sends Mixed Signals in Response to U.S. Sanctions – WSJ.com

The BBC: Washington’s Mouthpiece — Paul Craig Roberts – PaulCraigRoberts.org

Journalist Schools BBC on Russian Intervention in Crimea | naked capitalism

U.S. Sanctions Aimed at Russia May Also Hurt Europe – Real Time Economics – WSJ

Russian vodka ban under consideration by Sask. Premier Brad Wall – Saskatchewan – CBC News

I Was Putin’s Pawn – Elizabeth Wahl – POLITICO Magazine

Russia Outlook Cut to Negative by S&P as Obama Widens Sanctions – Businessweek

Russia’s Credit Outlook Cut as U.S., EU Widen Sanction Lists – Bloomberg

 

Europe

BoE was badly mistaken to trust banks, says Adam Posen – Telegraph

Why Mark Carney gets no love in Britain: Olive | Toronto Star

Consumer credit and falling savings are indeed driving Britain’s unhealthy boomlet – Telegraph Blogs

How Zara’s founder Amancio Ortega has quietly built a US$10-billion ‘all cash’ real estate empire

Why I signed the petition for a Portuguese debt restructure – ThePressProject

 

Markets

Treasury 2-Year Notes Plunge as Yellen Spurs Rate-Rise Concern – Bloomberg

Further tensions revealed at top of Pimco – FT.com

“One of three men lined up to be deputy to Bill Gross, the chief investment officer of Pimco, quit on the day his appointment was due to be announced after becoming disillusioned with the famed investor’s stewardship of the bond fund management group.”

 

Asia

Robert J. Shiller attributes Japan’s incipient recovery – and weak growth elsewhere – to prevailing economic narratives. – Project Syndicate

China’s Newest Maritime Dispute | The Diplomat

““China has claimed Natuna waters as their territorial waters. This arbitrary claim is related to the dispute over Spratly and Paracel Islands between China and the Philippines. This dispute will have a large impact on the security of Natuna waters,” assistant deputy to the chief security minister for defense strategic doctrine Commodore Fahru Zaini said, according to Indonesia’s official news agency, Antara.”