Venezuela presidential opposition hopefuls call for unity, private investment

CARACAS (Reuters) – Candidates vying to carry the banner of Venezuela’s opposition in presidential elections next year agreed at a debate on Wednesday that they must present a united front against the ruling party and work to boost the economy by attracting private investment. The debate, the first between opposition hopefuls since 2011, was held…

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US lawmakers seek to lower biofuel blending compliance costs

By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation this week directing the Biden administration to allow oil refiners to purchase compliance credits for U.S. biofuel blending laws at a lower, fixed cost compared to the open market. The proposal would reduce rising compliance costs associated with the U.S….

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Biden to host Italian PM Meloni at White House on July 27

By Angelo Amante and Kanishka Singh VILNIUS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Washington on July 27, and the two leaders will discuss issues including the Ukraine war and transatlantic cooperation regarding China, the White House said on Wednesday. The leaders will also discuss developments in North Africa…

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Russian hackers lured embassy workers in Ukraine with ad for a cheap BMW

By James Pearson LONDON (Reuters) -Hackers suspected of working for Russia’s foreign intelligence agency targeted dozens of diplomats at embassies in Ukraine with a fake used car advert in a bid to break into their computers, according to a cybersecurity firm report published on Wednesday. The wide-reaching espionage activity targeted diplomats working in at least…

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Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn must answer questions in Smartmatic US defamation case

By Jack Queen (Reuters) – Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn, two allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump, must answer questions under oath in voting technology company Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit against right-wing media outlet Newsmax, court records showed on Wednesday. Florida-based Smartmatic served subpoenas on Bannon, who served as a White House strategist under Trump,…

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US State Dept says it has no reason to doubt Microsoft’s attribution of hack to China hackers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The State Department on Wednesday said it has no reason to doubt Microsoft’s accusation that Chinese state-linked hackers since May have secretly accessed email accounts at around 25 organizations, including U.S. government accounts, in a stealthy cyberespionage campaign. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the agency had detected anomalous activity in June…

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