Exclusive-US defense secretary scraps South Korea trip after martial law attempt

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin no longer plans to travel to South Korea, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched attempt this week to impose martial law. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said planning had been underway for a trip in the near term but it was determined now was not the appropriate time. The official said … Read more…

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Poland gets $4 billion US loan for defence purchases, minister says

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland signed a $4 billion loan under the United States’ Foreign Military Financing program that will help finance the transformation of its armed forces, the Polish defence minister said on Thursday. “This is another proof of enormous trust and strong alliance between Poland and the United States of America,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz posted on X. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that in total the United States has provided Poland with over $11 billion to finance armament … Read more…

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EVs, plug-in hybrids’ reliability concerns ease but still lag gas-powered peers, survey shows

(Reuters) – Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are seeing concerns over their reliability easing but they still lag gas-powered vehicles, a survey by an influential U.S. non-profit organization showed on Thursday. EVs now have 42% more problems than their gas-powered counterparts, down from last year’s 79%, according to the Consumer Reports (CR) annual auto reliability survey. Plug-in hybrids have 70% more problems than internal combustion models, improving from the 146% more problems it had last … Read more…

Alphabet’s Waymo to expand ride-hailing services to Miami

(Reuters) – Alphabet’s Waymo said on Thursday it will expand its autonomous ride-hailing services to Miami, Florida, adding another city to its operations as it seeks to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive market. The company plans to introduce its vehicles to Miami’s streets early next year and aims to launch services to riders in 2026, offering ride-hailing through the Waymo One app. Waymo’s expansion comes at a crucial time as the firm is … Read more…

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Trump, RFK Jr. met with Pfizer, Lilly executives, Axios reports

(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met with the chief executives of U.S. drugmakers Pfizer and Eli Lilly as well as industry lobbying group PhRMA on Wednesday night, Axios reported on Thursday. Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the United States’ top health agency, was also present at the meeting, according to the report. Eli Lilly, Pfizer and PhRMA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Trump and the … Read more…

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Elon Musk brings Trump’s government efficiency push to Capitol Hill

By Andy Sullivan, David Morgan and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON -Billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy met on Thursday with Republican lawmakers whose support they will need to win the sweeping spending cuts that President-elect Donald Trump has asked them to find. Trump has named two entrepreneurs to a task force that aims for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. government, which spent $6.8 trillion in the most recent fiscal year. Musk has … Read more…

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Schneider Electric working with Nvidia to design data center cooling systems

By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) – French electrical equipment maker Schneider Electric is working with Nvidia to develop designs for data center cooling systems for use in new artificial intelligence data centers, it said on Wednesday. Schneider’s designs will be used in data centres that use Nvidia’s flagship server containing 72 of its most powerful AI chips, which is rolling out early next year. No financial details of the agreement were disclosed. Those servers will consume … Read more…

Trump’s crypto advocacy steers businesses away from traditional treasury assets

By Niket Nishant and Bhanvi Satija (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance is prompting small businesses to allocate portions of their cash to bitcoin, challenging the dominance of traditional assets as companies look for more robust inflation hedges. Over the past month, biotech firms Enlivex Therapeutics, Acurx Pharmaceuticals and Hoth Therapeutics have set a target of purchasing up to $1 million of bitcoin to hold as a treasury reserve asset. The moves underscore … Read more…

Nippon Steel committed to U.S. Steel takeover, aims to close in Dec, says executive

By Yuka Obayashi, Katya Golubkova and Ritsuko Shimizu TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Nippon Steel is committed to its $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel and is confident of completing it by year-end, a senior executive said, despite strong U.S. opposition including from President-elect Donald Trump. “We will not give up on the deal… There is no global strategy without the U.S.,” Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori told Reuters this week, after returning from his … Read more…

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Citigroup rolls out artificial intelligence tools for employees in eight countries

By Tatiana Bautzer NEW YORK (Reuters) – Citigroup began rolling out on Wednesday new artificial intelligence tools to be used by employees in eight countries, senior executives said. Around 140,000 employees will have access to the tools. In a memo to staff sent on Wednesday, Tim Ryan, head of technology and business enablement, explained how each of them works. Citi Assist searches internal bank policies and procedures. “It’s like having a super-smart coworker at your … Read more…