Links: 2013-06-10

I am off today but I will have more to write on Tuesday. In the meantime, here are the links. There are a lot of them, so I will break them up by topic.

 

Markets

No Inflation as Yields Jump Belies Point of No Return View – Bloomberg

 

Technology

Google to buy Waze for $1.3 billion to bolster its maps lead, says Israeli newspaper | The Verge

Weekend EXCLUSIVE. Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom product photo showed up! | SamMobile

Tech Companies Concede to Surveillance Program – NYTimes.com

The digital-wallet business is rough — just ask Google — Tech News and Analysis

 

Japan

Japan current account surplus doubles as income gains, exports rise | Reuters

Nikkei Soars 5% After Upwards Growth Revision

Japan revises up Q1 growth to annual 4.1% – FT.com

 

Europe

German Top Court Likely to Say ‘Yes, But’ to ECB Policy – Bloomberg

Arbeitslosigkeit sinkt auf 3 Prozent – News Wirtschaft: Konjunktur – tagesanzeiger.ch (Swiss unemployment dips to 3.0% from 3.1%)

London’s Forced Renters Fuel Apartment Investing Boom – Bloomberg

House price plunge worsens in Greece and Spain – Telegraph

ekathimerini.com | Greece’s Consumer Price Index down 0.4% in May compared to year earlier

ekathimerini.com | Value of Greek exports up 13.6% in April as imports fall by 1%

Greece’s Five-Month Budget Deficit Narrows 64%, Beats Target – Bloomberg

Homeless in Greece | Photographers Blog

Rehn Hits Back at IMF Over Greece – WSJ.com

Water level on Elbe rises to record height – FT.com

 

US

U.S. Suffers Biggest Pay Drop On Record, As Workers Squeezed Tighter

After Newtown shooting, mourning parents enter into the lonely quiet – The Washington Post

Consumer Credit in U.S. Climbed in April on Non-Revolving Loans – Bloomberg

Mortgage-Bond Yields Approach 14-Month High After Jobs Report – Bloomberg

 

China

China May factory output up 9.2 percent year-on-year, meets forecast | Reuters

China inflation, lending falls point to economy weakness | Reuters

China Export Growth Plummets Amid Fake-Shipment Crackdown – Bloomberg

 

Elsewhere

India Said to Ease Foreigners’ Debt Buying Rules as Rupee Slides – Businessweek

Venezuela hit by fears of hyperinflation and recession – FT.com

 

NSA Scandal

A VC: 1984

““There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to.”

George Orwell in “1984””

  • Snowden

Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance | World news | guardian.co.uk

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: ‘I do not expect to see home again’ | World news | guardian.co.uk

Everything We Know About The Guy Who Leaked Top-Secret Government Surveillance Info

  • Whistleblowing

Edward Snowden: saving us from the United Stasi of America | Daniel Ellsberg | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Edward Snowden and his like are vital antidotes to the surveillance state | Simon Jenkins | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

  • Surveillance State

The Logic of the Surveillance State | Ian Welsh

Technology Emboldened the NSA – WSJ.com

Former CEO Says U.S. Punished Phone Firm

Booz Allen Grew Rich on Government Contracts – NYTimes.com

The outsourcing of U.S. intelligence raises risks among the benefits – The Washington Post

Edward Snowden leak exposes cracks in contractor system – POLITICO.com Print View

Edward Snowden: Why did the NSA whistleblower have access to PRISM and other sensitive systems?

Sources: NSA sucks in data from 50 companies – The Week

  • Obama

In 2001, Obama Predicted “Majoritarian Check” On Mass Surveillance In PATRIOT Act

Obama on Surveillance, Then and Now – Video Feature – NYTimes.com

Obama has hurt himself and business over privacy – FT.com

Peeping President Obama – NYTimes.com 

  • Government response

Director of National Intelligence issues fact sheet on PRISM in response to leaks | The Verge

Government Says Secret Court Opinion on Law Underlying PRISM Program Needs to Stay Secret | Electronic Frontier Foundation

The PRISM spin war has begun | FP Passport

Intel Director Sets Record Straight on PRISM, Sort Of | Threat Level | Wired.com

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