US to ‘beat up’ airlines when necessary for passengers – transport chief

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he is willing to take a hard line with airlines when necessary as the Biden administration vows a sweeping upgrade in passenger consumer protections. “We’re continuing to work to make sure that airlines live up to their obligations, which we will enforce,” Buttigieg…

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New York governor directs agencies to investigate lead cables

By David Shepardson and Mrinalika Roy (Reuters) -New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday directed state departments to investigate health risks associated with old lead-clad cables left by telecommunication companies. The Wall Street Journal this month reported that telecom companies, including AT&T and Verizon Communications, had left toxic lead cables on poles, underwater and buried…

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US, Vietnam to hold regular economic talks, explore technical partnership

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Vietnam on Thursday said they had agreed to hold regular, senior staff-level talks on macroeconomic policies and efforts to maintain financial stability, and would also explore a possible technical assistance partnership. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and State Bank of Vietnam Governor Nguyen Thi Hong…

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Australia launches ‘national wellbeing’ dashboard to measure prosperity beyond GDP

By Wayne Cole and Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia on Friday launched a “national wellbeing” dashboard of indicators to measure progress on issues like health, education and the environment, one that it hopes will lead to a better balance between economic and social objectives. It will track indicators across five categories – healthy, secure,…

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