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Trump administration strikes deal with Washington Union Station to regain control
The Trump administration announced late Friday that it had reached a deal with the federal government to regain control of Washington Union Station, located in the nation’s capital. The U.S. Department of Transportation, President Donald Trump’s latest initiative to increase federal control, announced last month that it would reclaim the management of Washington's Union Station. It is one of the nation's largest rail hubs. The federal government will assume control of Union Station under a new agreement signed by Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA stated that "regaining control of the station will allow Amtrak the freedom to concentrate on its core mission, which is providing rail transportation." USDOT has said that it will increase security by focusing on short-term projects to address a backlog and long-term Union Station vision using private investment. The federal government owns the majestic, but worn-out Beaux-Arts-style station that opened in 1907 but it is run by a non-profit organization working with Amtrak. Amtrak is the government-owned rail passenger service. Washington Mayor Muriel bowser praised this decision last month, stating that the city couldn't afford to spend $8 billion or even more on renovating the station. (Reporting and editing by Franklin Paul, Lisa Shumaker and David Shepardson)
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US files court statements to support Enbridge pipeline in Michigan case
The Trump administration has taken a side with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge, in its legal fight against Michigan. Last week the Trump administration filed a court declaration that challenged the state's attempts to shut down Line 5 oil pipeline. Enbridge and Michigan have been in a long-standing dispute over the Line 5 pipeline. This aging pipeline transports 540,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia (Ontario). The Calgary-based firm proposes to build an approximately 4-mile (6 km) tunnel for the pipe, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac on the Great Lakes. Native American tribes, as well as environmental groups are opposed to the project. They fear that it could pose a threat to the Great Lakes. Enbridge stated in a press release that it is confident in the Michigan Public Service Commission’s permit process which approved the project.
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US threatens Boston and Chicago transit agencies with a cut-off of funds
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it could withhold federal funding from Boston and Chicago, if those cities do not take further steps to ensure the safety and security of transit workers and subway and bus passengers. The U.S. Transportation Department sent letters to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Chicago Transit Authority, requesting that they respond within two weeks to incidents in which passengers were injured. Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, said last month that he could withhold as much as 25% of New York City federal funding if they did not improve safety among subway workers. Duffy also wants to end New York City’s congestion mitigation program. Chicago and Boston have the third and fourth largest transit systems in the United States. Donald Trump, the president of the U.S., has condemned crime in major U.S. cities. He also threatened to deploy National Guard troops in additional cities following their deployment to Washington D.C. After a man charged with fatally stabbing a Ukrainian asylum seeker on a North Carolina rail last month, transit safety has received renewed attention. Duffy stated, "It's time for Chicago and Boston to improve their transit systems in order to keep Americans safe." Phillip Eng, the CEO of Boston's Transit Authority, stated in a recent statement that he had spoken to the head the Federal Transit Administration about "our shared commitment to ensuring the safety of every passenger and we are in accordance regarding providing the safest possible commute for all employees and riders." He stated that the authority will provide the requested information as well as continue to show significant progress. Chicago Transit Authority didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. The U.S. Department of Transportation sent letters to transit agencies located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles expressing concerns over safety and security. (Reporting and editing by Franklin Paul, Edmund Klamann and David Shepardson)
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The strike in Belem has slowed down construction of the COP30 hotel, which includes heads of state.
The strike of construction workers in Brazil's Amazonian City of Belem - the venue for a global climate conference in November - has disrupted some of the work on Leaders' Village, which is expected to host dozens of leaders from around world in six weeks' time. Cleber Rabelo, the president of the local union of construction workers, said that one section of the compound was about 60% stopped. The union is asking for an increase of 9.5% in the monthly wage. He added that "in the other section we were able to perform temporary shutdowns". The strike that began on Monday has caused Brazil to face new challenges in organizing the COP30 summit. The mood has been dampened by the high hotel costs and demand in Belem. Several country delegations, as well as civil society groups, have complained that they were shut out from the conference due to the cost. The compound which will house the government leaders must be finished in time for a summit of presidents that will take place November 6-7, ahead of the COP30 conference November 10-21. Images taken on Friday revealed that a large, multi-story building with a helipad was still in its final stages of construction. Sources within the federal government who monitor construction have confirmed that four out of five blocks are almost finished. The original intention was to open the compound in October. Sources acknowledged that the strike may delay the project but said that the government expected the construction work to be completed on time. Rabelo criticised employers for presenting an offer which the union rejected because it was too little. This led to workers continuing a strike that is now affecting construction work in the entire city. He added that COP construction sites were partly spared. Rabelo reported that the strike also affected hotel projects related to COP30. However, Rabelo added, companies managing those projects had reached agreements with their workers, allowing for work to resume Monday. Reporting by Lisandra paraguassu and Marx Vasconcelos, both in Belem. Editing by Manuela andreoni and Frances Kerry.
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Striking Boeing Defense machinists approve union's contract proposal that the company rejected
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced on Friday that striking workers at Boeing Defense have approved a proposal for a four-year union contract from the union leadership, which management had previously refused to consider. Boeing Defense's leadership rejected the offer on Wednesday as "publicity stunt" after it was unilaterally made following a halt in talks. The company said that it would hire replacements to assemble fighters, munitions and other military planes in the St. Louis region. The IAM proposal builds on previous proposals from Boeing Defense. It adds a higher ratification bonus, more substantial company contributions to retirement plans, and steeper wage hikes for workers earning the maximum hourly wage. The union officials claimed that they had drafted the proposal as the company was unwilling to resume negotiations since Boeing's previous offer, which was rejected by 57% of the 3,200 IAM District members in 837 on September 12, has been rejected. Reporting by Dan Catchpole, Seattle; Editing and proofreading by David Gregorio
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Trump asks US Supreme Court for enforcement of passport policy against transgender people
The administration of President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it the ability to block the issue of passports which reflect the gender identity of transgender or nonbinary Americans on Friday. The Justice Department has filed an urgent request to lift the order of a federal court that prevents the U.S. State Department enforcing Trump's policy. The executive order Trump signed on January 20, after he returned to office, directing the government only to recognize two biologically distinct genders, male and feminine. In court documents, the administration argued that "the judge's order has no basis in law or logical." The Justice Department wrote that "private citizens cannot force government officials to use incorrect sex designations in identification documents, especially when they are government-owned and represent the president's constitutionally and statutorily granted power to communicate with other governments." In April, U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick of Boston issued a preliminary order that stopped the implementation of the policy for six of seven transgenders and nonbinary individuals who had sued to contest the policy. She then expanded the scope to stop the policy from being enforced against all transgender, intersex and nonbinary passport holders who were in a similar situation. Kobick is an appointee by Democratic former President Joe Biden. He found that State Department policy violated the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees equal protection to transgender Americans. The Boston-based 1st U.S. The Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston declined to suspend the judge's order on September 4, prompting the Trump Administration to request the Supreme Court. The ACLU (the civil liberties group that represents the plaintiffs) did not respond immediately to a comment request. Before Trump's election, the State Department allowed passport holders to update their sex designation for over three decades. Biden's administration in 2022 allowed passport applicants to select "X" on their passport application as a neutral gender marker and self-select either "M" for males or "F" (for females) to indicate whether they are males or women. Trump's executive orders defined "sex", as "an individual’s immutable classification as male or female". The State Department was required to issue passports which "accurately reflected the holder’s sex". In their submission to the Supreme Court, Justice Department lawyers said that "that policy is eminently legal." The Constitution does not prevent the government from defining sexuality in terms of a person's biological classification. (Reporting from Andrew Chung in Washington and John Kruzel, with additional reporting from Nate Raymond in Boston. Editing by Chizu nomiyama and Howard Goller.
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Iraq is close to a deal that will restart oil exports to Turkey from Kurdistan, say sources
Iraq, OPEC’s second largest producer, has given its preliminary approval to a proposal to resume pipeline oil sales from its semiautonomous Kurdistan through Turkey after delays in a hoped for restart. The agreement between the federal government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and international oil companies may add 230,000 barrels of new supplies per day at a moment when OPEC producers increase output to regain share on the market. Iraq exports approximately 3.4 million barrels per day of oil from its southern ports. However, the Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline in the north is closed since March 2023. This was after a court arbitral ruled that Turkey must pay $1.5 billion as damages for exports unauthorised between 2014 and 2018. Turkey has appealed the ruling. Ankara has said that it would like to resume exports. However, they are still suspended due to ongoing legal and politics disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Erbil and international oil companies. Two sources familiar with these talks confirmed that the Iraqi cabinet gave preliminary approval to an export plan. International oil companies in Kurdistan also agreed to this plan. APIKUR, which represents Genel Energy, DNO, and Gulf Keystone among others, declined to comment citing ongoing discussions. "Discussions are intensifying and we're closer than ever to a trilateral agreement... as everyone is showing flexibility", said an executive of one of the multinational oil companies. According to the preliminary plan the KRG committed to deliver at least 230,000 barrels per day to Iraq's SOMO state oil marketing company, and keep an additional 50,000 barrels per day for local consumption. Ceyhan's sales would be handled by an independent trader using SOMO official prices. Each barrel sold would receive $16 in escrow and be distributed to the producers proportionately. The rest of the revenue will go to SOMO. The draft plan does not also specify when or how producers will be paid the arrears of about $1 billion, which accumulated from September 2022 to March 2023. Luke Clements (CFO of Genel Energy) told a conference held in Oslo, Norway, last week, that significant progress had been made in the drafting of agreements to restart pipelines exports. "But we still need to push it over the top," he said. Reporting by Nerijus Adomiaitis in Oslo, and Ahmed Rasheed from Baghdad. Writing by Yousef Sabah; Editing by Aidan Lewis & Jan Harvey
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Serbia's NIS Oil Company seeks 7th waiver of US sanctions
The Serbian oil company NIS, which is owned by Russia, has asked for a seventh exemption to delay U.S. sanction that could put its crude oil supplies at risk. It also wants its name removed from Washington's list of sanctions. The waiver granted last month expires September 26. NIS, a company owned by Gazprom and Gazprom in majority, operates the only oil refinery of Serbia, located outside the capital Belgrade, at Pancevo. NIS confirmed that the request was made on 18 September. The statement said that the request was also made for the removal of its name from the list Specially Designated Nationals, but acknowledged that this would be a long and complex process. On January 10, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russia's oil industry over Moscow's involvement in Ukraine and gave Gazprom a 45-day deadline to sell its NIS shares. Pancevo's annual capacity is 4.8 million tons. This covers most of the Balkan country's crude needs. Sanctions could threaten its supply via Croatia's Janaf. Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, Daria Sito and Joe Bavier; editing by Joe Bavier
FAA orders ground stop at two Dallas airports due to telephone issue
After a communication problem caused more than 300 delays, the Federal Aviation Administration announced ground stops on Friday at Dallas Love Field Airport and Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
The FAA reported that it was slowing down traffic because of a reported issue with local telephone equipment, which did not involve FAA-owned equipment. The FAA said it was working with the phone company to identify the cause.
It is expected that the issues will continue for several hours.
This year, the FAA faced a number of communication issues.
The FAA has slowed down flights at Denver International Airport on Thursday due to automation issues. These issues were caused by a manual handoff procedure between the approach control tower and Denver Air Traffic Control. This resulted in delays of 30 to 45 min.
In July, Congress approved an initial funding of $12.5 billion to upgrade the aging U.S. Air Traffic Control System. According to FAA officials, the system is experiencing tech problems almost every day.
It has been years since the FAA's air traffic control network was in trouble. But a series of high-profile incidents, near-misses and staffing shortages as well as a January crash between a U.S. Army chopper and regional American Airlines plane that killed 67 people have sparked public concern. Reporting by Christian Martinez, David Shepardson and Ryan Patrick Jones from Los Angeles; Editing and proofreading by Caitlin webber and Franklin Paul.
(source: Reuters)