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Meta unveils AI-powered smart glasses
MENLO PARK, California (Reuters) -- Meta on Wednesday launched $499 Oakley-branded smart glasses for athletes that come with a centered action camera, louder speakers and better water resistance, expanding its wearables beyond the Ray-Ban line that has been an early AI-era hit. Dubbed Oakley Meta Vanguard, the glasses integrate with Meta's AI app and fitness platforms such as Garmin and Strava to deliver real-time training stats and post-workout summaries. They will come with nine hours of batte
Sept. 18, 2025 -
US Fed announces rate cut for 1st time this year, signals 2 more ahead
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point in the first reduction since December, and signaled two more cuts this year, amid mounting pressure from President Donald Trump to bring it down to help boost the economy. Following the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank decided to lower the key rate to the 4-4.25 percent range. The cut put the gap between the key rates of South Korea and the United States at up to 1
Sept. 18, 2025 -
US nearly doubles application fee for visa waiver program
The United States will raise the application fee for its electronic travel authorization required for short-term travelers under its visa waiver program starting later this month, the US Embassy in Seoul said Wednesday. The fee for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization will increase from $21 to $40, effective Sept. 30, the embassy said in a posting on X. The measure comes as US authorities tighten visa policies for foreigners, including international students, amid the Trump administrat
Sept. 17, 2025 -
Trump sues The New York Times for defamation, seeks $15b
US President Donald Trump sued the New York Times, four of its reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House for at least $15 billion Monday, claiming defamation and libel, and citing reputational damage, a Florida court filing showed. Trump's suit cites a series of New York Times articles, one an editorial prior to the 2024 presidential election, which said he was unfit for office, and a 2024 book published by Penguin titled "Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Cre
Sept. 16, 2025 -
In trade warning to US, China says Nvidia violated anti-monopoly law
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China on Monday accused Nvidia of violating the country's anti-monopoly law, the latest escalation in its trade war with the United States that has claimed the chipmaker as collateral damage. The statement from China's market regulator was made after what it said was a preliminary probe into Nvidia's business practices, and comes as the two countries hold trade talks in Madrid, where chips are expected to be on the agenda. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the annou
Sept. 16, 2025 -
US to begin applying 15% tariff on Japanese cars; Korea still faces 25%
US President Donald Trump's administration said Monday it will start implementing a lowered tariff of 15 percent on Japanese automobiles this week in line with a bilateral trade deal. In a notice posted on the Federal Register, the International Trade Administration under the Commerce Department said that the reduced tariff rate will go into effect Tuesday -- an enactment after Trump's signing of an executive order earlier this month to officially implement the deal with Japan. Under the deal, t
Sept. 16, 2025 -
Trump seen again pushing deadline on TikTok sale or divestment
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Trump administration is expected to again extend a Sept. 17 deadline for China's ByteDance to divest the US assets of short-video app TikTok or shut it down, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. It would be the fourth reprieve granted by President Donald Trump from federal enforcement of a law that originally gave ByteDance until January 2025 to sell or shut down the popular social media platform. Last month, Trump said he had US buyers lined up for the app
Sept. 15, 2025 -
Trump says he does not want to 'frighten off' or 'disincentivize' foreign investments
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he does not want to "frighten off" or "disincentivize" foreign investments, reiterating he wants foreign firms, which are building semiconductors, ships and other "complex" products, to bring their workers into the United States to train American workers. Trump made the remarks in a social media post amid questions over US credibility as a reliable investment destination as more than 310 South Korean workers returned home on Friday following a week of d
Sept. 15, 2025 -
Trump appeals ruling allowing Cook to remain Fed governor
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday moved quickly to appeal a federal judge's ruling temporarily blocking Trump from taking the unprecedented step of firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, as it aims to be able to remove her before the US central bank's interest-rate-setting meeting next week. The US Department of Justice filed a brief notice that it was appealing the ruling from late Tuesday by US District Judge Jia Cobb, who said Trump's claims that Cook committed mortgage fra
Sept. 11, 2025 -
Kremlin declines to comment on Poland drone incursion
The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to comment on a drone incursion into Poland, after the NATO member said it had downed several Russian drones overnight, accusing Moscow of violating its airspace during an attack on Ukraine. "We prefer not to comment, it is not within our competence, it is the prerogative of the ministry of defence," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including AFP, in a briefing call. Poland was gathering its NATO allies for urgent talks on Wednesday, Prime Minister Dona
Sept. 10, 2025 -
S. Korea voices 'serious concern' over Israel's strike on Qatar amid ceasefire talks
South Korea voiced "serious concern" Wednesday over Israel's air strike on Qatar's capital the previous day, calling it an "unacceptable" act that violates Qatar's territorial sovereignty. The statement by the foreign ministry's spokesperson came a day after Israel struck Doha in an attempt to kill Hamas leaders gathered to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. "Israel's attack was an unacceptable act that violated Qatar's territorial sovereignty, and our government expresses serious concern over the p
Sept. 10, 2025 -
EU looking at faster Russian oil and gas exit, after US pressure
The European Union is considering a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions against Moscow, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, following U.S. pressure to stop buying Russian oil. EU officials are currently in Washington to discuss coordination on new Russia sanctions with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump, seeking to end Russia's war with Ukraine, told European leaders last week to stop buying oil from Russia, a Whit
Sept. 10, 2025 -
JPMorgan CEO warns of cloudy US economic outlook
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is cautious about the US economic outlook, believing that the full effects of tariffs and other geopolitical headwinds have yet to fully unfold. "I think you better be careful on that one (on the economic impact on the US) because some of these things have long cycles. So we don’t know yet. People are expecting these things to happen right away. But actually, a lot of them haven’t happened," Dimon said in a podcast interview on Office Hours: B
Sept. 10, 2025 -
US Supreme Court to decide legality of Trump's sweeping tariffs
The US Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide the legality of Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs, setting up a major test of one of the Republican president's boldest assertions of executive power that has been central to his economic and trade agenda. The justices took up the Justice Department's appeal of a lower court's ruling that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing most of his tariffs under a federal law meant for emergencies. The court swiftly acted after the administration las
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Japan hires Wood Mackenzie to assess Trump-backed Alaska LNG project
Japan has hired energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie to assess a proposed 800-mile Alaska gas pipeline and LNG plant in a sign it is weighing support for the $44 billion project touted by US President Donald Trump, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. The assessment could help assuage lingering concerns among potential Japanese off-takers and investors about a project that has languished for decades due to cost and logistical challenges, said one of the sources, requesting anonymity due t
Sept. 9, 2025