Brazilian officials cancel trip to US over NSA spying allegations

Brazilian officials canceled a planned trip to Washington in preparation for President Dilma Rousseff’s official state visit in October in response to fresh allegations of United States' National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance, this time pertaining to Brazil’s head of state herself. Over the weekend a report was run by Rede Globo’s “Fantástico" news program which alleged that the NSA had previously intercepted online communications between Rousseff and several government aides. That information, based on reports produced by American journalist Glenn Greenwald in coordination with fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden, followed initial allegations that the NSA was operating surveillance programs on Brasilia made last month, RT reported. A Brazilian government official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said President Rousseff is “furious”. Brazil has demanded a written explanation from the US on those reports by the end of the week. “It’s a warning shot,” David Fleischer, a Brasilia-based political scientist, told Reuters. “If the US doesn’t provide adequate answers they may cancel the visit altogether.”