Trump says US will work closely with Iran, discuss sanctions

The United ​States will work closely with Iran and the two countries are discussing tariff and sanctions relief, US President Donald Trump said ‌on Wednesday, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. Trump pulled back from the brink of a threatened full-on assault on Iran on Tuesday night, two hours before a deadline he had ‌set for Tehran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. He said on social media that many of the 15 points in the US plan proposed to Iran had been agreed to, but

2026-04-08 21:36:20:00

US consumer confidence rises, but job openings, hiring drop sharply

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US consumer confidence unexpectedly edged up in March, but households remained downbeat on the labor market and anticipated higher inflation over the next 12 months amid a surge in gasoline prices and ‌continued tariff pass-through. That labor market apprehension was underscored by the other data Tuesday showing fewer job openings in February and hiring tumbling to a six-year low. Economists say lingering uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump's trade and immigratio

2026-04-01 11:23:47:00

Meta unveils two $499 Ray-Ban smart glasses

Meta ​Platforms launched two new Ray-Ban prescription smart glasses on Tuesday, expanding its offerings in an area that has ‌become one of the few breakthrough successes in the race for artificial intelligence-powered gadgets. The new glasses, which are available for pre-order in the US starting at $499, ‌will broaden options for prescription eyewear users. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in January that "billions of people wear glasses or contacts for vision correction." Meta said the new products --

2026-04-01 10:36:27:00

Hanwha Defense, Hanwha Philly Shipyard win first US Navy subcontract

Hanwha Defense USA ‌and Hanwha Philly Shipyard won their first US Navy project ‌as a subcontractor to Vard Marine US on the Next Generation ⁠Logistics Ship Program to develop smaller and more agile vessels for ⁠use in refueling, rearming and resupplying combat ships, ​the companies said on Monday. It is ‌the first US Navy contract ‌awarded ‌to Hanwha Defense since ‌its founding and ​Hanwha's acquisition of the Philly Shipyard. ⁠Since the shipyard acquisition in December 2024, Hanwha has invested

2026-03-31 08:21:45:00

WTO talks deadlock after Brazil blocks e-commerce deal

World Trade Organization talks ended deadlocked early Monday as Brazil blocked a bid by the US and ‌other countries to extend a moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, dealing a fresh blow to the embattled trade body. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the e-commerce moratorium had expired, meaning countries could apply duties on electronic goods such as digital downloads and streaming. But she said the WTO hoped to be ‌able to restore the moratorium and that Brazil

2026-03-30 13:15:48:00

Meta, Google lose US case over social media harm to kids

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Alphabet's Google negligent for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people, in a $6 million verdict that will serve as a bellwether for numerous similar cases. The jury found Meta liable for $4.2 million in damages and Google for $1.8 million, small amounts for two of the world's most valuable companies with ‌annual capital spending over $100 billion each. The Los Angeles trial is meant to serve as a b

2026-03-26 10:44:18:00

BOJ debated need for more rate hikes, weak yen impact on prices

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Many Bank of Japan policymakers saw the need to keep raising interest rates, with some calling for timely action on mounting inflationary pressures, minutes of their January meeting showed, highlighting their hawkish bias even before the Iran war boosted ‌oil prices. They also called for increased vigilance to the weak yen's impact on inflation, which they saw as becoming bigger than in the past as companies more actively passed on higher import and labor costs, the minutes sh

2026-03-25 11:20:17:00

Iran war starts to hit global economy, business surveys show

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Iran war is already taking a toll on major economies around the world, according to business surveys on ‌Tuesday which showed how a surge in energy prices and rising uncertainty were dampening activity and pushing inflation expectations higher. The initial findings of questionnaires sent to purchasing managers at companies in the United States, Europe and Japan are the most comprehensive snapshot yet of the economic impact of the near ‌four-week conflict that has shut

2026-03-25 11:08:35:00

Global airlines hike fares, cut routes as fuel costs balloon

Global airlines sounded the alarm Tuesday over soaring jet fuel prices triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran, warning of hundreds of millions of extra costs, higher fares and cuts to some routes. Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said the dramatic run-up ‌in jet fuel prices had increased the airline's costs by as much as $400 million in March alone. The industry is moving quickly to pass on higher expenses through fare hikes, he told a JPMorgan industrials conference. American Ai

2026-03-18 10:58:38:00

Gulf importers race to reroute supplies amid Hormuz closure

DUBAI (Reuters) -- Importers across the Gulf are scrambling to secure alternative routes for vital goods -- from food to medicines and factory supplies -- as the effective closure of the Hormuz strait blocks ‌ports in an import-dependent region. The halt to commercial navigation through the critical shipping choke point brought on by the US-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted Gulf nations' oil exports, roiling global energy markets. But the closure is also forcing a rapid and costly supply chain r

2026-03-17 11:03:04:00