Workforce
Indian IT firms keeping fingers crossed. Indian IT service firms — facing uncertainty in the immigration debate while being accused by some of stealing U.S. jobs —are sending a message to investors and customers: Remain calm. In the end, the businesses are hoping that Congress just decides to leave them alone. (Politico Pro)
Senate panel vote signals Republican support for immigration reform. The Senate Judiciary committee's 14-4 vote on technical fixes to the legislation offered clues about Republican support for the measure. (The Hill)
Regaining Our Lead in STEM Education. If the U.S. remains on its current path, the nation won’t be able to fill as many as 3 million jobs in STEM fields, according to some estimates. And nearly two-thirds of those jobs will require advanced degrees. (CQ/Roll Call op-ed/Tom Luce)
Tax
Google to be grilled by British lawmakers on taxes next week. A panel of UK lawmakers will next week grill representatives from Google and its auditor Ernst & Young, following a Reuters report which highlighted inconsistencies in Google's statements about its UK activities. (San Jose Mercury News)
Goodlatte May Add Popular Internet Tax Breaks to Sales Tax Bill. House Judiciary Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte has his eye on reshaping the Senate-passed online sales tax bill and adding sweeteners such as an extension of the Internet tax moratorium that expires in November 2014. (CQ/Roll Call)
States aren't finding tax reform easy. Their struggle is the result of the same forces that threaten to topple any Hill reform effort. (Politico)
Global Trade
U.S., EU Agree On Timing Of First Three Negotiating Rounds For This Year. The two sides have agreed to hold the first negotiating round in the week of July 8 in Brussels, followed by a mid-September round and a mid-December round, according to these sources. In a related development, the U.S. will also participate in a July round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations that may take place from July 15 to 25, sources said. (Inside US Trade)
Lenovo to Debut First Africa Smartphone in 2013. Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) will sell smartphones in Africa for the first time before the end of the year with its first release planned for Nigeria as it seeks markets where it can sell directly to customers. (Bloomberg)
Cybersecurity & Privacy
House Intel chairman urges White House to elevate cyber talks with China. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said the White House should put China's alleged cyberattacks against U.S. government computer systems first on the list of issues to discuss in its next bilateral meeting with Beijing. (The Hill)
Huawei, ZTE under probe by Indian government. Indian government will reportedly set up a testing lab in Bangalore to test equipment by the Chinese telecoms gear makers, following security concerns by its intelligence agencies. (ZDNet)
Huge cyber bank theft spans 27 countries. In one of the biggest ever bank heists, a global cyber crime ring stole $45 million from two Middle Eastern banks by hacking into credit card processing firms and withdrawing money from ATMs in 27 countries, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday. (Reuters)
Environment & Sustainability
Global Green Trade to Reach $2.2 Trillion by 2020. The UNEP report, Green Economy and Trade-Trends, Challenges and Opportunities, says developing countries with abundant renewable resources are well-positioned to increase their share in international markets for sustainable goods and services. (Environmental Leader)
Senate Republicans Block Vote on EPA Nominee. Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee blocked a vote on confirming Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency by boycotting a meeting called to consider the nomination. (Bloomberg)
The move to make a fair-trade smartphone. The FairPhone team aims to set an example. (FT)
Mobility
New cellphone unlocking bill targets copyright law. Four House lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday to allow consumers to unlock their cellphones, which allows them to switch carriers. Unlike some of the other bills on the topic, the Unlocking Technology Act would amend the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to permanently legalize cellphone unlocking. (The Hill)
Android dominated smart devices in Q1, says Canalys. Android had a wide lead over Apple in smart mobile devices, according to Canalys' first-quarter figures. (CNET)
Amazon Developing 3-D Smartphone. Amazon.com has recently been developing a wide-ranging lineup of gadgets, including two smartphones and an audio-only streaming device, to expand its reach beyond its Kindle Fire line of tablet computers. (WSJ)
Regulation
US orders removal of 3D-gun designs. The US government has demanded that designs for a 3D printed gun be taken offline, citing fears over arms-control laws. (BBC)
Tech Business
White House Seeks Bids for Research Institutes. The Obama administration promised to set up three more federally funded research institutes to explore novel technologies, as part of its aim of spurring a revival in U.S. manufacturing. (WSJ)
Music on the Web: Google, Facebook and Apple set to battle for your ears. Google, Apple and Facebook are eyeing the streaming and on-demand music business now dominated by smaller niche companies such as Pandora and Spotify. When they do, they could give nearly everyone the ability to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want -- and mostly for free. (San Jose Mercury News)
Alibaba to take 20-30 percent stake in mapping firm AutoNavi. Alibaba Group, China's largest e-commerce firm, is set to take a 20 to 30 percent stake in Chinese digital mapping and navigation firm AutoNavi Holdings Ltd, local media reported, as it aims to boost its competitiveness by beefing up its product lineup. (Reuters)
Hardware Is the Next Big Tech Trend. Hardware startups are on the rise and are getting serious attention from venture capitalists looking to place bets. (CNBC)
Sharp to axe 5,000 positions. The ailing firm's restructuring includes pruning the global workforce and executives. (ZDNet)