Families of US detainees urge Biden to do more to deter hostage-taking

By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. citizen Jose Pereira, who was “wrongfully detained” in Venezuela exactly one year ago, stood meters away from the White House on Wednesday and pleaded with U.S. President Joe Biden to step up efforts to bring home Americans detained abroad. Pereira was among the executives who worked for U.S….

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Biden administration OKs boost in Chinese airline flights to US

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States will allow Chinese airlines to increase U.S. passenger services to 12 weekly round-trips, the Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday, equal to the number of flights Beijing has permitted for American carriers. It is a boost from the eight weekly round-trip flights currently allowed by Chinese carriers and matches…

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Mexico president asks Biden to stop USAID funding opposition groups

By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico’s president asked his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to stop the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from funding groups hostile to his government, according to a letter presented to journalists on Wednesday, echoing previous Mexican criticism of U.S. interventionism. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not specify…

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Exxon, Guyana’s environmental agency in breach of oil-spill insurance -court

By Kiana Wilburg GEORGETOWN (Reuters) -An Exxon Mobil unit is in breach of insurance obligations for its first offshore oil project in Guyana in part due to errors by the environmental regulator, a Guyanese court ruled on Wednesday, a decision the government rejected. Exxon “engaged in a disingenuous attempt” to dilute its obligations under its…

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Google, Meta executives push back against Canada online news bill

By Sam Jabri-Pickett TORONTO (Reuters) -Google and Meta would withdraw access to news articles in Canada if legislation compelling internet companies to pay news publishers is passed, company executives told Canadian lawmakers on Wednesday. Canada’s proposed legislation would force platforms like Google parent Alphabet Inc and Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc to negotiate commercial deals…

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RBA to hike rates further this year, say economists in snap poll

By Devayani Sathyan BENGALURU (Reuters) -Australia’s central bank will likely deliver one more 25-basis-point interest rate increase by end-September to 4.10% following a surprise hike on Tuesday, according to a slim majority of economists in a snap Reuters poll. The Reserve Bank of Australia, which apologized last year for providing unclear guidance, has sent mixed…

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