WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government recorded a $66 billion budget deficit for June that was reduced sharply by a shift of benefit payments into May that ballooned that month’s deficit to $347 billion, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. The Treasury said that the $66 billion June deficit nominally fell 71% from the $228 billion deficit recorded in June 2023. Without the June calendar adjustments in both years, the Treasury said the June 2024 … Read more…

By Daina Beth Solomon and Ernest Scheyder SALAR CENTENARIO, Argentina (Reuters) – In a dusty plain in northern Argentina’s mountains, black tubes stretching two stories high fill a massive tank with salty brine sucked from deep below ground. The brine contains lithium, a silvery white metal essential for making electric vehicle batteries and in high demand as the world shifts to green energy. French miner Eramet is attempting to use an innovative technique, known as … Read more…

By Noel Randewich and Lisa Pauline Mattackal (Reuters) -The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs on Tuesday, propelled by gains in Nvidia and other megacaps after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers that more “good” economic data would strengthen the case for rate cuts. AI heavyweight Nvidia climbed 1.4%, offsetting declines in other chip stocks, leaving the S&P 500 and Nasdaq with marginal gains for the session. Microsoft dipped 1.4%, leaving the … Read more…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NATO has placed an order for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles worth almost $700 million dollars in the name of several member states, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. “Just today, the (NATO procurement agency) NSPA signed a new multinational contract for Stinger missiles worth almost 700 million dollars,” he told a gathering of defence industry leaders on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Mike … Read more…

By Jonathan Landay and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) – Recent satellite imagery shows major expansions at two key Iranian ballistic missile facilities that two American researchers assessed are for boosting missile production, a conclusion confirmed by three senior Iranian officials. The enlargement of the sites follows an October 2022 deal in which Iran agreed to provide missiles to Russia, which has been seeking them for its war against Ukraine. Tehran also supplies missiles to Yemen’s … Read more…