U.S. asks court to dismiss ruling against travel mask directive

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Justice Department on Tuesday asked an appeals court panel to vacate an April 2021 ruling that had declared unlawful a government order requiring masks on airplanes and other transportation modes during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the issue was now moot because the national emergency was now over. In January,…

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Mexico government open to buying Citigroup’s Banamex

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration is studying the possibility of buying a majority of shares in Citigroup’s local retail unit known as Banamex, according to a government statement published on Tuesday. Buying it would be “good business,” Lopez Obrador said in a press conference earlier, when asked about rumors…

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US lawmakers view Afghanistan ‘dissent’ cable, dispute continues

By Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday privately viewed a classified cable related to the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as the panel’s Republican chairperson and State Department grapple over providing access to the document. Representatives Michael McCaul, the panel’s…

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New Chinese ambassador to US acknowledges challenges in relations

By Echo Wang and Michael Martina NEW YORK (Reuters) -China’s new ambassador to Washington Xie Feng said on Tuesday that he will seek to enhance China-U.S. cooperation, but that relations face serious challenges. “I have come here to safeguard China’s interest. This is my sacred responsibility,” Xie told reporters after landing at New York City’s John…

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Brazil’s finance ministry lifts 2024 inflation estimate

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s finance ministry on Tuesday lifted its 2024 inflation forecast to 3.63%, from 3.52%, and kept its estimate for growth in Latin America’s largest economy unchanged at 2.3%. The country’s central bank has maintained its key interest rate at a six-year high of 13.75% at recent meetings to prevent a possible resurgence…

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No signs of progress from White House, Republicans in ‘tough’ debt ceiling talks

By David Morgan, Steve Holland and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Representatives of President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans ended another round of debt ceiling talks on Tuesday with no signs of progress as the deadline to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit or risk default ticked closer.     The two parties remain deeply…

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Russia extends WSJ reporter’s detention by three months, US demands release

(Reuters) -A Russian court on Tuesday extended for three months the pre-trial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in March on espionage charges, which he and his employer deny. The FSB security service arrested Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg accusing him of…

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Allkem, set for merger, talks up Argentina’s ‘enormous’ lithium riches

By Lucila Sigal BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Australian-based lithium miner Allkem Ltd, set for a $10.6 billion merger with U.S.-based Livent Corp, sees “enormous” opportunity in Argentina, a top executive said on Tuesday. Speaking at a mining event in Buenos Aires, Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer Karen Vizental said Argentina’s strong pipeline of lithium…

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Methane hunters tap new technology to reshape policing of U.S. greenhouse emissions

By Liz Hampton ARTESIA, New Mexico (Reuters) – Charlie Barrett walks through an oilfield in New Mexico’s southeastern desert, where the air smells of rotten eggs and old pumpjacks sit among shrub oaks, and turns on an infrared camera that can detect emissions from oil and gas equipment. Barrett, who works for environmental group Earthworks,…

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After White House truck crash, driver charged with threatening Biden

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Missouri man who drove a rented box truck into security barriers near the White House was charged with threatening the president after what authorities appear to believe was a deliberate crash. A Reuters witness saw investigators pull a Nazi swastika flag from inside the truck, which plowed into barriers at Lafayette Square,…

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