By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other. REUTERS/Mohammed Al-Masri

ISRAEL AND HAMAS AT WAR US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel pledging solidarity in its war against Hamas and backing its account that a blast that killed huge numbers of Palestinians at a Gaza hospital had been caused by militants. Follow the latest from the Israel and Hamas war. Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, with the Palestinian Authority's health minister accusing Israel of causing a "massacre". Israel blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility. Jerusalem correspondent Emily Rose and White House correspondent Trevor Hunnicutt are on the  Reuters World News podcast today analyzing the hospital blast and the impact on Biden's visit and wider diplomatic efforts. ELSEWHERE President Vladimir Putin praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Belt and Road Initiative and invited global investment in the Northern Sea route which he said could deepen trade between east and west. Combative right-wing Republican Jim Jordan sought more time to build support for his bid for speaker of the US House of Representatives after coming up short in a first vote, raising questions about his prospects for winning the job. Britain's National Crime Agency said a man who police believe ran an operation involved in smuggling 10,000 people to the UK as part of a pan-European network has been jailed for 11 years in Belgium. The Amazon River fell to its lowest level in over a century this week as a severe drought continues to upend life in the Brazilian rainforest. A hard-won deal on the European Union's negotiating stance for this year's U.N. climate talks has revealed regional rifts that anticipate global tensions at the COP28 summit.

Business & Markets

China's economy grew at a faster-than-expected clip in the third quarter, while consumption and industrial activity in September also surprised on the upside, suggesting the recent flurry of policy measures is helping to bolster a tentative recovery. Qatar has further expanded its long-term gas supply to Europe, reaching a supply deal with the Netherlands to provide 3.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas a year for 27 years. Two LNG sale and purchase agreements were signed between affiliates of QatarEnergy and Shell. The US auto regulator said Tesla will recall 54,676 Model X vehiclesmanufactured between 2021-2023, as the vehicle controller is likely to fail to detect low brake fluid and not display a warning light. A Country Garden $15 million coupon payment deadline has expired without word of payment, fueling expectations that China's biggest private property developer has defaulted on its offshore debt as the nation's real estate woes deepen. British consumer price inflation unexpectedly held at an 18-month low of 6.7% in September and remained the highest of any major advanced economy, official data showed, raising the possibility of another rise in interest rates.

US throws Nvidia a lifeline while choking off China's chipmaking future

A view of a Nvidia logo at their headquarters in Taipei. REUTERS/Ann Wang

While stripping China's access to key US artificial intelligence chips, the Biden administration's sweeping new rules also quietly threw Nvidia, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices a potential lifeline to preserve lucrative business in one of the world's biggest chip markets.   Buried deep in more than 400 pages of rules issued on Tuesday, officials at the US Bureau of Industry and Security said they are open to the semiconductor industry's input for finding ways to keep sending AI chips to China for small and medium-sized systems. The rules were designed to curtail China's ability to exploit American chips

And Finally

SAG-AFTRA members walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Sony Studios. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Santa Claus will not be coming to Hollywood this year.   “Dear Santa,” a comedy by the Farrelly brothers about a young boy who accidentally sends a letter to Satan instead of Santa, will not reach theaters this holiday season, one of many victims of a prolonged actors’ strike that has set the US entertainment industry reeling from one of the longest work stoppages in its history.   The strike, which has entered its 14th week, is scrambling next year’s film slate and delaying the return of primetime television comedies and dramas. Reuters