Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
World Sep 22, 2013
Vetting firms 'rush' through security clearances
by Jia Lynn Yang
When Ileana Privetera started working for the contractor USIS, the firm that vetted National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, it sounded like the perfect job. A mother, she would have flexible hours for her family, and she ...
World Sep 12, 2013
NSA reportedly sharing data about U.S. citizens with Israel
The U.S. National Security Agency shares raw surveillance data with Israel without first removing information about American citizens, according to a document leaked to The Guardian newspaper by former agency contractor Edward Snowden. The arrangement is described in a memorandum between the two countries ...
Business Sep 10, 2013
Rousseff accuses U.S. of spying for economic gain
President Dilma Rousseff on Monday accused the United States of spying on oil giant Petrobras for its own “economic and strategic” reasons — not for national security. The latest allegations of online snooping by the National Security Agency emerged Sunday night in a Globo ...
Tech Sep 5, 2013
After Snowden revelations, China worries about cyberdefense
by William Wan
China has been seen as the aggressor in cyberattacks, but many worry its own defenses are woeful.
World Sep 3, 2013
Brazil, Mexico summon U.S. envoys
Brazil and Mexico on Monday demanded explanations from the United States over allegations that the National Security Agency spied on the communications of their presidents. Brazilian Foreign Minister Luis Figueiredo said the interception of Internet data from President Dilma Rousseff reported by U.S. journalist ...
World Sep 2, 2013
U.S. in unending hunt for terrorists in spy agencies
The U.S. government suspects that individuals with connections to al-Qaida and other hostile groups have repeatedly sought to obtain jobs in the intelligence community, and it reinvestigates thousands of employees each year to reduce the threat that one of its own may be trying ...
World Aug 30, 2013
Leak of 'black budget' reveals massive growth of CIA
The CIA has mushroomed into the largest U.S. spy agency, with a budget of nearly $15 billion, as it expands its intelligence, cybersabotage and overseas covert operations, secret leaked documents revealed Thursday. Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked the government’s “black budget” ...
Global-related Aug 25, 2013
On guard against worker betrayal
by Bruce Schneier
The debacle of Edward Snowden walking away with electronic copies of thousands of classified documents illustrates the challenge of trusting people in any organization.
World Aug 23, 2013
British police investigate files seized from Greenwald's partner
British counterterrorism police launched a criminal investigation Thursday into documents seized from the Brazilian assistant of a journalist working to publish secrets from U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. The development came after Britain’s High Court ruled that material seized from David Miranda, the assistant ...
World Aug 22, 2013
NSA email collection violated law: court
For several years, the National Security Agency unlawfully gathered tens of thousands of emails and other electronic communications between Americans as part of a now-revised collection method, according to a 2011 secret court opinion. The redacted 85-page opinion, which was declassified by U.S. intelligence ...
World Aug 10, 2013
Putin taken to task on soured U.S. relations
Vladimir Putin’s Russia has slid back toward the suspicions and mistrust of the Cold War contest with the United States, U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday, adding that it is appropriate to “reassess” a relationship that has been damaged most recently by the case ...
World Aug 10, 2013
Obama vows to tweak NSA spy programs
U.S. President Barack Obama says he will pursue reforms to open the legal proceedings surrounding government surveillance programs to greater scrutiny.