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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — NATO member Romania signed an agreement Monday with German defense company Rheinmetall to build a gunpowder factory in central Romania, as Europe races to rearm itself in the face of an increasingly provocative Russia.After signing the deal, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan hailed the joint venture between the Romanian state and Europe’s largest arms producer as a sign that Romania is “emerging as a player with potential in the defense industry of Southeast Europe.”Construction of the 535 million-euro ($616 million) plant in the town of Victoria in Brasov County is expected to start in 2026, take three…

An aerial view of the Shard on June 28, 2012 in London, England.Greg Fonne/Getty ImagesLONDON — European stocks opened the new trading week — and month — on a positive note ahead of a busy week of central bank decisions and earnings.The pan-European Stoxx 600 gained 0.2% by 2:12 p.m. in London (9:12 a.m. ET). The U.K.’s FTSE index was last seen hovering just above the flatline, as Germany’s DAX added almost 0.9%. France’s CAC 40  was down about 0.1%, and Italy’s FTSE MIB had gained 0.2%.’Useless’ and ‘hopeless’: Ryanair CEO slams U.K. government over travel taxThe week’s earnings kicked…

A wheel loader takes ore to a crusher at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, U.S. January 30, 2020.Steve Marcus | ReutersThe emergence of critical minerals as a new arena of geopolitical competition has coincided with a dizzying rally in U.S.-listed rare earths mining stocks.Despite paring gains in recent weeks, shares of Critical Metals have advanced 241% over the last three months, while NioCorp Developments, Energy Fuels and Idaho Strategic Resources have all surged well above 100% over the same period.The eye-watering gains are even more remarkable year-to-date. Energy Fuels’ stock price has quadrupled through the…

CHENGDU, CHINA – JANUARY 05: Lee Teuk, Ye Sung, Dong Hae and Kim Ryeo Wook of South Korean boy group Super Junior attend a press conference on January 5, 2020 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesK-pop prospects have brightened after Seoul and Beijing signed a content exchange deal, potentially paving the way for South Korean entertainment to re-enter the Chinese market.South Korea’s national broadcaster KBS on Saturday entered into a media exchange and cooperation business agreement with Chinese state media company China Media Group. CMG includes state…

Anduril’s maiden flight of its YFQ-44A signals a fierce sprint to field AI-enabled wingmen, as the US Air Force races to plug a historic fighter shortfall it can’t easily build its way out of. This month, multiple media outlets reported that Anduril’s YFQ-44A prototype drone, a contender in the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, has completed its maiden flight at a California test site, officials said, marking the second CCA vehicle to enter flight trials after General Atomics’ YFQ-42A flew in August. The semiautonomous aircraft, derived from technology acquired from Blue Force Technologies in 2023, is designed…

Chinese tech company Baidu announced Monday it can sell some robotaxi rides without any human staff in the vehicles.BaiduBEIJING — As Baidu ramps up its robotaxi operations worldwide, fully driverless weekly rides as of Oct. 31 have now surpassed 250,000 orders, according to a spokesperson for the company’s driverless car unit Apollo Go.That’s on par with what Waymo reported in late April for its weekly paid U.S. rides. When contacted by CNBC, Waymo did not have a new specific figure to share. The Alphabet-backed robotaxi operator primarily operates in San Francisco and Los Angeles in California and Phoenix, Arizona. Waymo…

Robots manufacture auto parts at a factory in Ningde, China, on Oct. 17, 2024.Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesChina’s factory activity growth in October missed market expectations, dragged down by a sharper drop in new export orders, as trade tensions with the U.S. intensified during the month, according to a private survey released Monday.The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, compiled by S&P Global, dropped to 50.6 in October from the six-month high of 51.2 in September, missing analysts’ expectations of 50.9 in a Reuters poll.New export orders fell at the quickest pace since May, which the survey respondents attributed to…

Denis Bouanga had two goals and an assist on Sunday night to help LAFC beat Austin FC 4-1 and sweep the best-of-three series in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.LAFC, which won Game 1 2-1, plays at second-seeded Vancouver in the one-game Western Conference semifinals.Son Heung-Min added a goal and an assist for No. 3 seed LAFC. Jeremy Ebobisse replaced Son in the 88th minute and capped the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.Son, on the counter-attack, hesitated to freeze defender Ilie Sánchez at the top of the area and then exploded toward the left end…

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, attends a press conference after the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 31, 2025. Kim Soo-hyeon | Reuters Traders who shorted the S&P 500 — essentially, betting that it would go down — last month were in for a rude surprise. The broad-based index ended the month 2.3% higher, defying “Octoberphobia,” a term that arose because of the market crashes in 1929 and 1987 that happened during the month.The Nasdaq Composite had an even better month than the S&P 500. The tech-heavy index climbed 4.7%, giving a hint of…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug center abruptly resigned Sunday after federal officials began reviewing “serious concerns about his personal conduct,” according to a government spokesperson.Dr. George Tidmarsh, who was named to the FDA post in July, was placed on leave Friday after officials in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel were notified of the issues, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said in an email. Tidmarsh then resigned Sunday morning.“Secretary Kennedy expects the highest ethical standards from all individuals serving under his leadership and remains committed to full transparency,”…