OPEC denies media access to Reuters, Bloomberg, WSJ for weekend policy meets

VIENNA (Reuters) – OPEC has denied media access to reporters from Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal to report on oil policy meetings in Vienna this weekend, reporters, Bloomberg and people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The three media organizations are among the world’s leading suppliers of financial news and information. They…

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Analysis-U.S. seeks to mend frayed Saudi ties with second high-level trip

By Jonathan Landay, Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With two high-level visits in less than a month, the United States is hoping to steady ties with Saudi Arabia after several years of disagreement and deepening mistrust. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive for meetings with officials of the world’s largest…

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US sanctions target Iran’s internet censorship amid protests

By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Friday it imposed sanctions on Iranian technology company Arvan Cloud, two employees and an affiliated Emirati firm for helping Tehran censor the internet in Iran as part of the government’s attempts to crush domestic protests. Arvan Cloud has a close relationship with Iran’s intelligence…

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Pakistan outlines process for barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran, Russia

By Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan has passed a special order to allow barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran and Russia for certain goods, including petroleum and natural gas, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday. Left with barely enough foreign exchange reserves to cover one month’s imports, Pakistan’s government is…

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Global airline summit to tackle travel boom, climate goals

By Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska and Aditi Shah ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Airlines will ride the crest of a faster-than-expected recovery and discuss ways of translating climate pledges into action at a summit buoyed by a return to business as usual next week. The influential International Air Transport Association (IATA) holds its annual meeting on June…

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Russia says US hacked thousands of Apple phones in spy plot

By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday it had uncovered an American espionage operation that compromised thousands of iPhones using sophisticated surveillance software. Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab said dozens of its employees’ devices were compromised in the operation. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said in…

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