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By Phil Stewart AMMAN (Reuters) – The top U.S. general began an unannounced visit to the Middle East on Saturday to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict, as the region braces for a threatened Iranian attack against Israel. Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel … Read more…

LONDON (Reuters) – The latest earnings from AI darling Nvidia and key inflation numbers in the euro area and Australia should keep markets busy in the coming week. Gold’s relentless climb to record highs and a dollar under pressure as U.S. rate cut speculation builds are also in investors’ sights. Here’s your guide to the week ahead in financial markets from Rae Wee in Singapore, Sruthi Shankar in Bangalore, Ira Iosebashvili in New York, Yoruk … Read more…

(Reuters) -Meta Platforms has canceled plans for a premium mixed-reality headset intended to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro, the Information reported on Friday, citing two Meta employees. Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company told employees at its Reality Labs division to stop work on the device this week after a product review meeting, according to the report. The axed device was internally code-named La Jolla and was scheduled … Read more…

By Dietrich Knauth and Mike Spector NEW YORK (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson said on Friday it is negotiating with plaintiffs’ lawyers who have opposed the company’s proposed settlement of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer, seeking to eliminate holdouts to the deal.  J&J has announced plans to finalize a $6.48 billion global settlement through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary company, after earlier efforts were rebuffed twice by federal courts. … Read more…

By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) – The rally in U.S. stocks faces an important test next week with earnings from chipmaking giant Nvidia, whose blistering run has powered markets throughout 2024. The S&P 500 has pared a sharp drop it suffered after U.S. economic worries contributed to a sell-off at the beginning of the month and again stands near a fresh all-time high. Nvidia, whose chips are widely seen as the gold standard in … Read more…

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -NASA said on Thursday it expects to announce on Saturday its decision on whether the two astronauts who rode Boeing’s glitchy Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station will need a SpaceX vehicle to return to Earth. “NASA’s decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than Saturday, Aug. 24 at the conclusion of an agency-level review,” the space agency said in a … Read more…