INK WIRE

As he lived in a tent and battled to provide for his family, Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters journalist killed by Israeli fire on Monday while running a live video feed at Gaza's Nasser Hospital, covered the suffering of civilians during the conflict. According to journalist colleagues, Masri, 49, was a seasoned cameraman who was well-liked by Gaza's close-knit community of reporters because of his upbeat demeanor in the most perilous circumstances. In the months before his death, he would say, "Tomorrow will be better," despite the fact that the Palestinian enclave was becoming increasingly desolate and hungry. That was the conclusion of his final discussion with Mohamed Salem, a senior Reuters visuals journalist who had collaborated with Masri in Rafah, in southern Gaza, last year and had known him since 2003. Salem, who left Gaza later in 2024 but stayed in daily contact with Masri until Monday morning, said he was a pleasure to work with because of his smiles and o...

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...

Despite a government call for both parties to return to the negotiating table, the possibility of a systemwide work stoppage by Air Canada's (AC.TO), opens new tab unionized flight attendants loomed large on Friday with a strike deadline just hours away. Ahead of a threatened strike just before 1:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, Canada's largest airline has stated that it anticipates canceling 500 flights by the end of the day, leaving approximately 100,000 passengers to find other ways to get around. The union that represents 10,000 flight attendants for Air Canada urged Prime Minister Mark Carney's minority Liberal government to reject the airline's request to impose binding arbitration on both parties. After contract negotiations between the two parties stalled over demands for higher wages and compensation for unpaid work, the union said that imposing arbitration would put an end to the first strike by Air Canada flight attendants since 1985. According to the Canadian Un...

As Russia supports domestic social media platforms and aims to exert more control over the nation's internet space, WhatsApp accused Moscow of attempting to prevent millions of Russians from using the messaging app for secure communication after calls were blocked. Russia accused the foreign-owned platforms of not sharing information with law enforcement in cases of fraud and terrorism and on Wednesday announced that it had begun to restrict certain WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms (META.O), new tabs, and Telegram calls. Voice notes and text messaging services are currently unaffected. Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a long-simmering conflict with foreign tech companies grew more intense. Russia blocked Meta's Facebook and Instagram, slowed down Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) speed, opened a new tab for YouTube, and fined hundreds of platforms for violating Russian regulations on online content and data storage. Late on Wednesday, WhatsApp stated tha...

In order to enter the premium tequila market, Radico Khaitan (RADC.NS), the company behind "Magic Moments" vodka, plans to invest up to $4.56 million and collaborate with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha. The Indian liquor manufacturer, which is well-known for high-end products like Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin and Rampur Indian Single Malt, will launch D'YAVOL Añejo, a high-end agave-based spirit that is aged in wine casks for roughly two years. The Amsterdam-based luxury brand D'YAVOL, which was established in 2022 by Aryan Khan, the son of Shah Rukh Khan, Leti Blagoeva, and Bunty Singh, sells blended malt Scotch whisky, vodka, and high-end streetwear. Radico Khaitan Managing Director Abhishek Khaitan told Reuters on Tuesday that D'YAVOL Añejo is scheduled to launch by December and will cost between 20,000 rupees ($228.21) and 30,000 rupees, depending on state excise duty. The launch coincides with wealthy Indians spending mo...

With just hours before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were set to return to triple-digit rates, a White House official announced Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump had signed an executive order extending a tariff truce with China by an additional ninety days. The order came a day after Trump urged Beijing to quadruple its purchases of U.S. soybeans and gave reporters a vague response when asked if he would extend the lower tariff rates. On Tuesday at 00:01 ET (04:01 GMT), a tariff truce between Washington and Beijing was scheduled to end. With Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods expected to reach 125%, the order keeps U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from skyrocketing to 145%, which would have effectively created a trade embargo. When asked how he intended to extend the deadline, Trump responded at a press conference, "We'll see what happens." "They've been getting along just fine. My relationship with President Xi (Jinping) is excellent. Washington imposed 30% tarif...

Oil prices saw their biggest weekly losses since late June due to a tariff-hit economic outlook, but they remained stable on Friday as markets anticipated a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, in the coming days. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures remained steady at $63.88, but Brent crude futures ended the day 16 cents, or 0.2%, higher at $66.59 a barrel. WTI closed 5.1% below last Friday's close, and Brent dropped 4.4% over the week. After Bloomberg News reported that Washington and Moscow were seeking to reach an agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine that would lock in Russia's occupation of territory seized during its military invasion, U.S. crude fell more than 1% earlier in the day. According to the report, which cited people familiar with the situation, U.S. and Russian officials are trying to reach a territorial agreement for a summit meeting between Trump and Putin that is scheduled to begin as early ...

The Trump family-backed business, World Liberty Financial, is seeking to join the growing number of digital asset treasury firms by establishing a public company to hold its WLFI tokens. According to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private, the deal's structure is still being finalized. They added that they anticipate raising about $1.5 billion. According to the people, the venture has been approached by high-profile investors in the technology and cryptocurrency sectors. It is reported that discussions are progressing quickly. Currently offering USD1, a stablecoin backed by the US dollar, World Liberty, whose website lists President Donald Trump as "co-founder emeritus," announced plans for a crypto-lending app last year. Sales of its WLFI token, which was first intended to be a non-transferable governance token but will soon be tradable on the open market, have helped it raise funds. Thanks to a supportive regu...

In what was thought to be a typical market swing, Firefly Aerospace's (FLY.O) new tab shares dropped 11% in morning trading on Friday. However, the space tech company's strong debut demonstrated that investors are once again interested in high-growth listings. A rebound in high-risk industries like fintech, crypto, and space, driven by successful new listings like Firefly and Circle (CRCL.N), is anticipated to encourage startups that waited out market volatility to make their first public offerings after almost three years of a dry spell. In contrast to the initial public offering price of $45, Firefly's shares opened for trading on the Nasdaq at $70 each. It was about 34% higher at the end of the first session. "High levels of short-term money trading, whether by hedge funds or retail investors, are evident in large pops and drops around initial public offerings. The market has exhibited this characteristic in recent months," Mergermarket's head of equity ca...

A fter the image-sharing site warned of lower ad spending in the United States, its largest market, as a result of the elimination of the "de minimis" trade loophole, Pinterest's stock fell roughly 15% on Friday. Some Asian e-commerce companies have been forced to reduce their U.S. marketing budgets due t o uncertainty caused by tariffs and the suspension of the exemption that allowed packages va lued at or under $800 to be shipped to the U.S. without incurring import duties. T he company, known for curating links to lifestyle products such as home decor, fashion accessories, and beauty items, saw a 25% decline in advertising prices in the second quarter. With U.S. tariffs in place, the trend is expected to continue. "Management's comments on tariff concerns extending into the third quarter likely spooked the Street," Roth Capital Partners analysts said. According to Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, the stalled user growth is a "sig...

On charges of money laundering and evading sanctions against the founder of Tornado Cash, a company that makes cryptocurrency transactions more difficult to trace, a U.S. jury reached a deadlock on Wednesday. Roman Storm was accused of conspiring to launder the proceeds of hacks, including those carried out by a group supported by the North Korean government, but the jury in a Manhattan federal court was unable to reach a decision. However, he was convicted by the jury of conspiring to run an unlicensed money transmission business, which is a less serious charge. Later, U.S. District Judge Katherine Faille will sentence him to a maximum of five years in prison. Each of the conspiracy charges related to money laundering and sanctions evasion carried a potential 20-year sentence. Storm was detained in 2023 on suspicion of assisting in the concealment of over $1 billion, including hundreds of millions of dollars for the hacking group Lazarus Group, which is backed by Pyongyang and has be...

The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that two Chinese nationals were arrested in California and charged with illegally delivering Nvidia H100s and other AI chips worth tens of millions of dollars to China. According to a criminal complaint, Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, exported cutting-edge Nvidia chips and other technology to China between October 2022 and July 2025 without securing the necessary licenses from the U.S. Commerce Department. The complaint claims that Geng and Yang's El Monte-based business, ALX Solutions Inc., was established in 2022, just after the United States started requiring licenses for the chips and enacted broad export restrictions on technology to China. An Nvidia representative declined to comment. Shipping and freight forwarding firms in Singapore and Malaysia, which are frequently used as transshipment hubs for illicit goods to China, received more than 20 shipments from ALX Solutions. In January 2024, ALX rec...