Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff calls off US trip

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has called off a state visit to Washington next month over allegations of US espionage.

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of intercepting emails and messages from Ms Rousseff, her aides and state oil company, Petrobras.
...
President Barack Obama had promised to investigate the incident.

He made a phone call to Ms Rousseff on Monday, reportedly asking her to go ahead with the visit, the Brazilian president's office said.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24133161

[nlkennedy]

1. Fix our relations...

Why on earth do I need to go through the ridiculously intrusive process of obtaining a tourist visa from the Brazilian consulate in Chicago just to visit the country for a week?

If I want to go to far more anti-American countries in South America all I need is a passport, or pay a simple fee as I arrive at their airport.

LIFT THE VISA RESTRICTIONS AND GROW THE FUCK UP AMERICA AND BRAZIL. WE HAVE A LOT TO OFFER EACH OTHER

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Continuing reverberations from the NSA scandal.

Not the Snowden scandal, not the Greenwald scandal, the NSA scandal.

Suggested reading for the national security surveillance state leadership: Dale Carnegie, "How to Make Friends and Influence People."

[Judi Lynn]

3. Brazil looks to break from US-centric Internet

Brazil looks to break from US-centric Internet
Published: September 17, 2013 Updated 25 minutes ago
By BRADLEY BROOKS and FRANK BAJAK — The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil plans to divorce itself from the U.S.-centric Internet over Washington's widespread online spying, a move that many experts fear will be a potentially dangerous first step toward fracturing a global network built with minimal interference by governments.

President Dilma Rousseff ordered a series of measures aimed at greater Brazilian online independence and security following revelations that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted her communications, hacked into the state-owned Petrobras oil company's network and spied on Brazilians who entrusted their personal data to U.S. tech companies such as Facebook and Google.

The leader is so angered by the espionage that on Tuesday she postponed next month's scheduled trip to Washington, where she was to be honored with a state dinner.

Internet security and policy experts say the Brazilian government's reaction to information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden is understandable, but warn it could set the Internet on a course of Balkanization.

More:
http://www.kentucky.com/2013/09/17/2826654/brazil-looks-to-break-from-us.html#storylink=cpy

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. Wow. Talk about unintended consequences! Thanks, NSA.

[hatrack]

5. Winning friends and influencing people EVERYWHERE!!

[Pterodactyl]

6. Do we have one those cool reset buttons for Brazil?

[Judi Lynn]

7. Brazil polls show Rousseff's popularity still on the rebound

Brazil polls show Rousseff's popularity still on the rebound
Reuters
Maria Carolina Marcello 1 hour ago

By Maria Carolina Marcello

BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff continues to recover popularity lost after the massive protests that shook Brazil in June, bolstering her chances of re-election next year, two polls published on Friday showed.

The polls confirm the results of other recent public opinion surveys showing Rousseff has overcome the dramatic drop in support she suffered after the protests, which targeted all of Brazil's political elite, including her ruling Workers' Party.

The number of Brazilians who consider Rousseff's government "excellent" or "good" rose to 37 percent in late September from 31 percent in July, according to an Ibope opinion poll commissioned by the National Industry Confederation, or CNI.

That is still below the 55 percent level she polled in June before hundreds of thousands of angry Brazilians took to the streets to protest against corruption and poor public services. Rousseff responded with pledges to improve health and education and reform proposals to make politicians more accountable.

Rousseff's personal approval rating has risen to 54 percent from 45 percent since July, the poll said, while the number of Brazilians who trust her stewardship of the nation climbed to 52 percent from 45 percent.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-polls-show-rousseffs-popularity-still-rebound-173545925--business.html