Gun makers ask US court to dismiss Mexico’s claim for damages

 Gun manufacturers have urged a US court to dismiss a Mexican lawsuit that holds them responsible for the violence inflicted by drug cartels.

Mexico is seeking billions in damages, accusing manufacturers of facilitating the illegal trafficking of weapons.

The firms, including Smith & Wesson, argue their sales are constitutionally protected in the US, calling Mexico’s lawsuit a “clash of national values”.

In 2019 alone, some 17,000 murders in Mexico were linked to trafficked arms.

Mexico’s strict rules on arms sales mean they can only be purchased legally at one shop in Mexico City.

Mexico says criminal organisations therefore buy thousands of weapons in the US. A US department found that some 70% of firearms recovered in Mexico between 2014 and 2018 had come from the US.

Mexico’s lawsuit accuses some of the biggest gun manufacturers of knowingly contributing to illegal arms trafficking and fuelling bloodshed through reckless business practices.

It said the companies had sold “ever-more lethal” weapons without “mechanisms of security or traceability”.

On Monday the gun makers, including Glock, Colt’s and Baretta, said in a motion to dismiss that their firearms were purchased lawfully in the US and that the sales were protected by the US constitution.

They argued they had no responsibility for protecting Mexican residents or for the actions of third parties who had bought the guns.

The firms said that while Mexico had acted to eliminate private gun ownership, the US recognised the right to keep and bear arms, and that Mexico could not apply its gun laws across borders.

They said Mexico was seeking to “bankrupt US gun makers” and the lawsuit “threatens America’s constitutional freedoms”.

The lawsuit was filed by Mexico in August in the US state of Massachusetts.

Several Mexican governments have in the past urged the United States to halt illicit trafficking of firearms.

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Low wind speeds and Covid slow Scotland’s economic growth

 Low wind speeds powering wind turbines and Covid absences from school contributed to a slowdown of economic growth in September.

The latest estimated Scottish government figures show output across the economy rose by 0.4% across the month.

That was helped upwards by the dominant services sector, which accounts for around three-quarters of the economy.

It was up 0.5%, while construction also returned to growth.

However, the production sector fell 0.9% – and 3.7% over the July to September quarter, much of that due to lower electricity generation.

Total output in September remained 1.1% percentage points below the peak pre-pandemic output level.

Scottish economic recovery to September was slightly weaker than the UK’s, which saw September growth of 0.6%, putting it 0.6 percentage points behind the peak reached in February 2020.

‘Experimental’ figures

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack welcomed the figures.

Ms Forbes said: “These latest GDP figures underscore Scotland’s continuing economic recovery from coronavirus.”

She pledged the forthcoming Scottish budget would help households and businesses across the country, and would also see the launch of a strategy to create green, fair and sustainable jobs over the next decade.

The finance secretary added: “Challenges remain, but the indicators show we are in a strong position from which to drive Scotland’s economic recovery and renewal.”

Mr Jack said: “Economic activity levels in Scotland and the UK more widely are moving in the right direction but there is much more to be done as we recover from the pandemic.

“That’s why we are levelling up right across the UK.”

He said this will be helped by the announcement of £41bn per year for the Scottish government in the autumn budget.

Mr Jack added: “We remain focussed on a sustained recovery.”

Estimates for Scottish output, or Gross Domestic Product, during July and August were revised downwards by government statisticians. That means the third quarter of the year saw only modest growth of 0.8%.

That was a sharp fall in growth since the second quarter – April to June, at 5.6% – when businesses and education were reopening as the winter lockdown was eased.

The September figures are so far classified as “experimental”, meaning they are the first estimate.

The Scottish figures do not include offshore oil and gas production.

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Apple sues Israeli spyware firm NSO Group

 Apple is suing Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and its parent company for allegedly targeting iPhone users with a hacking tool.

NSO’s Pegasus software can infect both iPhones and Android devices, allowing operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras.

NSO Group said its tools were made to target terrorists and criminals.

But it has allegedly also been used on activists, politicians and journalists.

NSO Group says it only supplies Pegasus to military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies from countries with good human-rights records.

However earlier this month, US officials placed the company on a trade blacklist, saying the software had “enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression, which is the practice of authoritarian governments targeting dissidents, journalists and activists”.

Apple’s move follows a lawsuit launched in 2019 by WhatsApp which is still working its way through the US court system.

In its initial court filing, WhatsApp said NSO Group “developed their malware in order to access messages and other communications after they were decrypted on target devices”.

Other tech firms, including Microsoft, Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), Google-owner Alphabet and Cisco Systems have all previously criticised NSO.

• NSO Group: Israeli spyware company added to US trade blacklist
• Pegasus spyware seller: Blame our customers, not us, for hacking

In a blog post announcing the California lawsuit, Apple said it wanted to hold NSO Group and its parent company OSY Technologies “accountable for the surveillance and targeting of Apple users”.

“To prevent further abuse and harm to its users, Apple is also seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices,” it said.

Apple prides itself on its privacy. It’s a major selling point for its devices.

So it’s not totally surprising that a company that has allegedly sought to bypass Apple security features might antagonise the giant.

That’s not the only reason Apple is making a stand though.

Not all hackers are considered equals. NSO Group has government clients, or as Apple puts it, is “state-sponsored”.

NSO claims it only works with agencies with good human rights records.

In that way the company has tried to distinguish itself from underground hackers doing nefarious activities.

By suing NSO Group Apple is rejecting that distinction.

Apple is making the point that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re a group trying to hack into an Apple product they’ll take action – whatever the motives.

But there’s a bit more depth to it than that.

Apple will feel it’s easier, and more politically palatable, to sue a private company, rather than the governments who are allegedly using the tech.

In its complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple said NSO’s tools were used in “concerted efforts in 2021 to target and attack Apple customers” and that “US citizens have been surveilled by NSO’s spyware on mobile devices that can and do cross international borders.”

Apple alleged that NSO group created more than 100 fake Apple ID user credentials to carry out its attacks.

The tech giant said that its servers were not hacked, but that NSO misused and manipulated the servers to deliver the attacks on Apple users.

Apple also alleged that NSO Group was directly involved in providing consulting services for the spyware, but NSO maintains that it only sells its tools to clients.

Apple said it was forced to engage in a continual arms race with NSO, saying the Israeli firm was “constantly updating their malware and exploits to overcome Apple’s own security upgrades”.

The iPhone maker said that it will donate $10m, as well as any damages recovered in the lawsuit, to cybersurveillance research groups including Citizen Lab, the University of Toronto group that first discovered NSO’s attacks.

NSO Group said in response: “Thousands of lives were saved around the world thanks to NSO Group’s technologies used by its customers”.

“Paedophiles and terrorists can freely operate in technological safe-havens, and we provide governments with the lawful tools to fight [them].

“NSO group will continue to advocate for the truth.”

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Llantwit Fardre: Murder investigation after woman’s body found

A murder investigation is under way after the body of a woman was found in a house in south Wales.

Police were called to the property on St Annes Drive in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd, at 14:45 GMT on Sunday.

The woman has yet to be named and no-one has been arrested.

Det Supt Darren George said: “This incident has understandably caused significant concern locally and we are working hard to identify who was responsible for this murder.”

South Wales Police has set up an incident room in Cardiff and a large cordon is in place around the area.

Det Supt George added: “Officers are carrying out door-to-door inquiries across the village.

“My appeal is for anybody who thinks they may have information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact us – what they tell us could be extremely valuable to the investigation.”

A neighbour told BBC Wales that officers had been searching cars in the area on Sunday night and one vehicle was seen being taken away by police on Monday morning.

Image caption,

Police removed a car from the scene on Monday morning

At the scene, BBC Wales news journalist Nelli Bird

Dozens of police officers have descended on the quiet housing estate.

Forensic officers are at a large detached property in a small cul-de-sac on St Annes Drive but police have taped off a number of sites in the area.

People living here say they haven’t been told anything official from the police.

Jamie Price, who lives nearby, said: “All the street was full of police and dogs turned up this morning.

“This road is busy today. There’s a lot of people nosing around. Down here is normally really quiet.”

Image caption,

A large police presence remains in the area

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