Stories for September 10th 2013

Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 01:06 UTC
The US and UK spy agencies have managed access to all major smart-phones says Der Spiegel

According to a report in the German news weekly Der Spiegel, the United States National Security Agency, NSA is able to crack protective measures on iPhones, BlackBerry and Android devices, giving it access to users’ data on all major smart-phones.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:55 UTC
Ammesty International blasts Venezuela for abandoning human rights instrument

Venezuela must immediately reverse its decision to withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights and make a commitment to truly protect all individuals, Amnesty International said on Monday. The Venezuelan government’s decision will take effect on Tuesday 10 September. The withdrawal will leave Venezuelan citizens without the protection of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:52 UTC
Global trade growth estimates down to 2.5% this year and 4.5% in 2014, says Azevedo

World trade is expected to grow by 2.5% this year and 4.5% in 2014, the World Trade Organisation's new chief, Roberto Azevedo, said on Monday, revising down previous estimates of 3.3% and 5%.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:47 UTC
Spying on Petrobras: if proven its ‘industrial espionage’ warns Rousseff

Reports that the United States spied on Brazilian oil company Petrobras, if proven, would be tantamount to industrial espionage and have no security justification, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said on Monday.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:42 UTC
BRICS agree on a 100bn ‘financial firewall’ in anticipation of ‘currency shocks’

BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have agreed to a 100 billion dollars currency reserve pool as a “financial firewall” in anticipation of liquidity strains and ‘currency shocks’ as the United States Federal Reserve moves to reduce monetary stimulus.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:37 UTC
Paraguayan president Cartes visits Cristina Fernandez in Buenos Aires

Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes is expected in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, following an invitation from his Argentine peer Cristina Fernandez, which will be his first overseas bilateral trip since taking office 15 August.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:29 UTC
The figure of Pinochet forty years later still divides Chile

Chile's conservative government and center-left opposition held separate events on Monday in the capital Santiago to mark the 40th anniversary of the bloody coup that ushered in 17 years of harsh military rule under the late Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:23 UTC
Silvio Berlusconi’s fate has the Italian coalition (and economy) on the edge

Silvio Berlusconi continues to prevail in Italian politics as a close ally warned on Monday that his party could pull out of Prime Minister Enrico Letta's government if a Senate committee refuses to delay a decision on whether to expel the media mogul from parliament.
Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:18 UTC
Huge political display in support for Gibraltar on its National Day

Representatives from British Overseas Territories including Falkland Islands lawmaker Ian Hansen as well as a cross-party delegation of British MPs were welcomed on Sunday by Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.