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At least 20 people, including five journalists from Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and other outlets, were killed when Israel struck the Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. In an initial strike, Palestinian health officials reported that cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor, was killed close to a live broadcasting position run by Reuters on an upper floor just below the roof of the hospital in Khan Younis. Israel then struck the site a second time, according to hospital officials and witnesses, killing other journalists as well as rescuers and medical personnel who had hurried to the scene to assist. Among the journalists killed were Ahmed Abu Aziz; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist who worked for a number of news organizations, including occasionally contributing to Reuters; Mohammed Salama, who worked for the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera; and Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelancer for the Associated Press and other outlets. Hatem Khaled, ...

Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that Russian forces had captured two additional communities along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. On Friday, the ministry reported that it had taken three villages as part of its gradual advance throughout the area. The military of Ukraine denied that any of the villages had been taken over. However, it claimed that its troops had retaken a settlement farther west on the outskirts of the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian forces. Neither side's battlefield reports could be independently verified by Reuters. Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the eastern Donbas region, which is composed of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since an abortive attempt to advance on the capital Kyiv in the first few weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. According to the Russian announcement, the final two villages to be taken are Seredne, which is nearer the administrativ...

In order to license the startup's "aesthetic technology" for the social media company's upcoming models and products, Meta has inked a contract with generative AI lab Midjourney. Alexandr Wang, the chief AI officer for Facebook's parent company, stated on Friday that the technical partnership will connect the research teams of the two companies. As it seeks to revive its artificial intelligence endeavors in the face of fierce competition from competitors such as ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Google, the move signals Meta's push to differentiate its products on visual quality. Using a subscription model, Midjourney licenses its tools to users and creates images based on text prompts. "We are incredibly impressed by Midjourney," Wang wrote in a post on X, adding that Meta is bringing together top talent, a solid compute roadmap, and partnerships with top industry players to deliver the best products. Requests for comment from Reuters were not immediate...

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States would acquire a 10% stake in Intel (INTC.O), opening a new tab under a deal with the financially troubled chipmaker that turns government grants into equity shares. This is the White House's most recent extraordinary intervention in corporate America. Following Trump's recent statement that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan should resign due to conflicts of interest, the agreement improves relations between the two men. It will guarantee that roughly $10 billion will be given to the chipmaker to build or expand factories in the United States. The deal calls for the U.S. to pay $8.9 billion, or $20.47 per share, for a 9.9% stake in Intel. This is roughly $4 less than Intel's closing share price of $24.80 on Friday. The $5.7 billion in unpaid grants from the Biden-era CHIPS Act and the $3.2 billion given to Intel for the Secure Enclave program—also given under Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden—will b...

In a significant reversal of its position on digital assets, China is thinking of permitting the use of yuan-backed stablecoins for the first time in an effort to encourage broader adoption of its currency internationally, according to people familiar with the situation. According to the sources, China's cabinet, the State Council, will examine and potentially approve a roadmap later this month for increased currency usage worldwide, which includes catching up with the United States' push on stablecoins. They stated that the roadmap will also include guidelines for risk prevention and that the plan is anticipated to include targets for the use of the Chinese currency in international markets as well as the duties of domestic regulators. According to one of the sources, the nation's top leaders are also anticipated to convene for a study session as early as the end of this month, with an emphasis on stablecoins and yuan internationalization, which are gaining traction glo...

will increase the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the US by about $50 starting on Thursday. The Japanese company is navigating a sluggish video game market recovery, and U.S. tariffs could drive up prices. The company announced in a blog post on Wednesday that the prices of all three PlayStation 5 consoles will increase in a similar manner, with the most costly PS5 Pro model anticipated to cost $749.99. The price adjustments follow U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of broad tariffs on imports from major global manufacturing hubs like China and Japan, which sparked concerns about high material costs and supply chain disruptions. In April, Sony increased the cost of its consoles in a number of European markets. A month later, rival Xbox increased the sticker prices of its systems and add-ons in the US, Europe, Australia, and the UK. With the release of high-end games like Take-Two Interactive's (TTWO.O), opens new tab "Grand Theft Auto VI" and Ninten...

On  Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department raised steel and aluminum tariffs on more than 400 products, including wind turbines, mobile cranes, appliances, bulldozers, railcars, motorcycles, marine engines, furniture, and hundreds more. The department added 407 product categories to the list of “derivative” steel and aluminum products covered by sectoral tariffs, which apply a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum content and the country rate on non-steel and non-aluminum content. In a research note, Evercore ISI estimated the move will raise the effective tariff rate by 1 percentage point for more than 400 product codes representing over $200 billion in imports last year. The department is also adding imported parts for automotive exhaust systems and electrical steel for electric vehicles, buses, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, and dryers to the new tariffs. The department was advised not to add the parts by foreign automakers, who said the U.S. cannot meet demand. Tesla crea...

American shoppers looking for fake Christmas trees and holiday decor this year will have fewer options and higher prices due to Chinese import tariffs. Retailers will scale back orders as they assess customer budgets. A 90-day tariff reprieve extension agreed to by Washington and Beijing on August 11 will allow retailers to rush last-minute shipments, but most holiday purchases are done. Many seasonal goods require six-month lead times, so retailers import them early. "We're going to have a lower supply year," said Chris Butler, CEO of National Tree Company, a New Jersey-based artificial tree importer that supplies Walmart (WMT.N), Home Depot (HD.N), Lowe's (LOW.N), and Amazon (AMZN.O). Butler said the company, which sources half its trees from China and the rest from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, will raise Carolina pine, Nordic spruce, and Dunhill fir prices by 10% to 20%. According to the US International Trade Commission, China exported 87% of Christmas decora...

Bitcoin hit a record high on Thursday as expectations for easier Federal Reserve monetary policy and financial reform tailwinds increased. The world's largest crypto-asset by market capitalization rose 0.9% to $124,002.49 in early Asia trading, surpassing its July peak. Ether, the second-largest crypto-token, reached $4,780.04, its highest level since late 2021. According to IG market analyst Tony Sycamore, Fed rate cuts, institutional buying, and Trump administration efforts to ease crypto investment are driving bitcoin's rally. "Technically a sustained break above $125k could propel BTC to $150,000," he wrote. Bitcoin has risen nearly 32% in 2025 after President Donald Trump's return to the White House led to regulatory wins. Trump calls himself the "crypto president," and his family has invested in the sector over the past year. Last week, an executive order allowed crypto assets in 401(k) retirement accounts, indicating a more favorable regula...