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France's lower house on Friday rejected a wealth tax proposed by the left, which has threatened to bring down the government if a levy on the super-rich is not in the budget. France is under pressure to pass a spending bill by the end of the year to rein in its deficit and soaring debt, but efforts have been hampered by a political deadlock. A left-wing bloc made up of the Socialist, Communist, Green parties and the hard-left France Unbowed had proposed a minimum two-percent tax on wealth over 100 million euros ($115 million), dubbed the "Zucman tax" after the French economist who devised it. But lawmakers in the National Assembly rejected the measure on Friday evening, 228 voting against and 172 in favour. After the vote, Socialist leader Olivier Faure said there was "no possibility" of voting on the budget in its current form, but urged the premier and lawmakers to keep seeking a compromise - or face censure and the threat of new legislative elections. "I...

Tanzania's main opposition said hundreds had been killed in three days of election protests, with the country still under an internet blackout on Friday and the government denying any use of "excessive force". A security source and diplomat in Dar es Salaam both told AFP that deaths were "in the hundreds" as protests continued on Friday. President Samia Suluhu Hassan had sought to cement her position and silence critics in her party with an emphatic win in Wednesday's election, in which her main challengers were either jailed or barred from standing. But the vote descended into chaos as crowds took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities, tearing down her posters and attacking police and polling stations, leading to an internet shutdown and curfew. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said his government had "no figures" on any dead. "Currently no excessive force has been used," he said in an interview with Al-Jazeera. "The...

Rachel Mosley, a Florida pre-school teacher, recently learned her family's health insurance premiums are set to nearly triple to a staggering $4,000 a month next year when US government subsidies expire. Like more than 20 million middle-class Americans, Mosley and her husband until now have benefited from subsidies connected to the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. But under US President Donald Trump, these subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year -- and Republicans for now are refusing to negotiate their extension. The explosive issue is core to the budget standoff between Republicans and Democrats, which has triggered a shutdown that has paralyzed the American federal government for a month. And on November 1, insurance renewals and enrollments open -- leaving households across the country to learn their new rates with terror. "I had some tears on my front porch," Mosley -- a mother of five kids, who makes around $24,000 a year as a teacher -- to...

China urges the G7 nations to stop disrupting the international trade order with the self-made rules of a group, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing when commenting on the reports that the G7 nations are set to announce a critical minerals production alliance to counter China's dominance of the market. "China took steps to standardize and improve the export control system. This is consistent with international practice and aimed at better upholding world peace and regional stability and performing non-proliferation and other international obligations," the spokesperson said. "We urge the G7 to earnestly observe the principles of market economy and international trade rules, stop disrupting the international trade order with the self-made rules of a group, and jointly work for a stable global economy," Guo said. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt...

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has introduced new regulations that shorten the validity period of Umrah visas before entry into the Kingdom, in a move aimed at improving crowd management during the peak pilgrimage season. According to Al Arabiya, Umrah visas will now be automatically cancelled if the holder does not enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the visa being issued. Previously, the pre-entry validity period was three months. The revised policy is expected to come into effect next week. However, the duration of stay allowed for pilgrims inside the Kingdom remains unchanged at three months, once they arrive. Ahmed Bajaeifer, adviser to the National Committee for Umrah and Visit, said the decision is part of preparations for an anticipated rise in the number of pilgrims as temperatures in Mecca and Medina fall and travel typically increases. “The aim is to better manage crowds and prevent overcrowding in the two holy cities,” he told Al Arabiya. The Kingdom has already...

A demolished church, roofs blown off homes, shattered windows and debris-strewn, impassable roads: Hurricane Melissa dealt a direct hit to Jamaica's southwestern coastal communities that face a long haul picking up the pieces. "It has been devastating," officer Warrell Nicholson told AFP by phone from the Black River police station, a building that was damaged but has still become something of a refuge for people seeking shelter. Footage of the area shows felled trees, smashed cars, downed power lines and ruined homes — a portrait of wreckage that is only starting to come clear as assessment is hampered by a lack of power and communications across the Caribbean island. Hurricane Melissa smashed into Jamaica as a ferocious top-level storm, whose sustained winds peaked at 185 miles (295 kilometers) per hour while drenching the nation with torrential, life-threatening rain. A little up the coast from Black River, Andrew Houston Moncure took shelter with his wife and 20-month...

The Swiss town of Neuchatel on Tuesday handed over to South Africa three artefacts that had spent more than a century in one of its museums. The set of 30 divining bones in a woven basket, a bull's foot bone used as an amulet, and a walking staff were purchased by Swiss missionary and ethnographer Henri-Alexandre Junod. The items came from the regent of the Nkuna chiefdom's Shilubana royal family, with whom Junod had become close friends. They were then brought back to Neuchatel in northwest Switzerland. The return of the items comes ahead of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's state visit to Switzerland on Wednesday and Thursday. "Neuchatel today handed over to South Africa three objects of symbolic and religious significance that had been housed in the collections of the Ethnographic Museum of Neuchatel for over a century," the town said in a statement. "The return of these artefacts to their country of origin attests to the excellent state of relatio...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to carry out intense strikes on the Gaza Strip, after accusing Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire. “Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” a statement from his office said. This development came after the Israeli military accused Hamas of staging its search for the remains of a Gaza captive’s body, one of 28 the group had agreed to hand over under a ceasefire deal. Read More: Netanyahu says Israel will decide which foreign troops acceptable to secure Gaza ceasefire “Yesterday (Monday) Hamas operatives were documented removing body remains from a structure that had been prepared in advance and burying them nearby,” the military said in a statement, attaching drone footage which it said showed the act. The aerial footage shows three individuals exiting a damaged Gaza building holding what could be a b...

Argentine President Javier Milei’s party cruised to victory in midterm legislative elections as voters handed him a mandate to keep pushing through his radical overhaul of the economy despite widespread discontent with his deep austerity measures. A relief to Milei, whose poll numbers had sagged in recent weeks, the results are also likely to please US President Donald Trump, whose administration had faced criticism after providing Argentina with a hefty financial bailout. “Congratulations to President Javier Milei on his Landslide Victory in Argentina. He is doing a wonderful job! Our confidence in him was justified by the People of Argentina,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Analysts said the stronger-than-expected showing could reflect fear of renewed economic turmoil if the country abandoned Milei’s austerity policies which, while slashing subsidies long relied on by many Argentines, have succeeded in drastically slowing inflation. “Argentines showed that they don’t want to r...

US President Donald Trump on Monday ruled out running for the vice presidency in the 2028 US election, an approach some of his supporters have floated to allow the Republican president to serve an additional term in office. “I'd be allowed to do that,” Trump said, in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One. But he added: “I wouldn't do that. I think it's too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because it's too cute. I think the people wouldn't like that. It's too cute. It's not – it wouldn't be right.” The remarks were Trump’s latest on the subject, which he has teased in public remarks and with “Trump 2028” hats he hands out at the White House. Also Read: US, China reach rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider No one may be elected to the US presidency a third time, according to the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution. Some have suggested that one way around this prohibition would be for Trump to stand as vice president, while ano...

Ten people went on trial in Paris Monday charged with sexist online harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case linked to unsubstantiated gender claims made against the French first lady. The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July, in connection with a false claim amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. The claim has long targeted the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their quarter-century age gap. The first lady was absent as the trial opened at a Paris criminal court for 10 defendants -- eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65 -- accused of cyber-harassment targeting Brigitte Macron. Brigitte Macron, 72, is not expected to appear in court, but her daughter Tiphaine Auziere may testify on Tuesday, the first lady's lawyer told AFP. If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison. They have been accused of making numerous malicious comment...

German authorities said Sunday they have ordered the culling of around 130,000 ducks and chickens on farms near Berlin as the country battles a surge in bird flu cases. The disease has been detected in a duck farm with around 80,000 birds and a broiler chicken farm with around 50,000, the Maerkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg said in a statement. “The veterinary office has decided, in consultation with the relevant authorities, to remove the affected animals for animal welfare and health reasons,” the statement said. Several German states have introduced measures to slow the spread of bird flu, including surveillance zones and orders to keep birds in stalls. German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer warned on Friday that there had been a “very rapid increase in infections” over the past two weeks. Germany’s national animal disease research centre, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), has warned of a “high” risk from the outbreak from Latest World News, International News | Bre...

Lebanon's health ministry said on Sunday that an Israeli strike on the country's south and east killed two people, the latest in a string of deadly attacks despite a ceasefire. "The Israeli enemy strike on a car in Naqoura in Tyre province led to the death of one person," the ministry said. Another strike on a vehicle in Nabi Sheet in the country's eastern Baalbek region killed one more person, the ministry said. Despite a nearly year-long ceasefire, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon, often saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Sunday's strikes. The Lebanese health ministry also said one person was wounded after war remnants exploded in the town of Aitaroun, in the south. Israel has intensified strikes in recent weeks, with several deadly attacks launched over the past days. The health ministry said two people were killed and another wounded in two Israeli strikes on the country's south Saturday...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel would determine which foreign forces it would allow as part of a planned international force in Gaza to help secure a fragile ceasefire under US President Donald Trump's plan. It remains unclear whether Arab and other states will be ready to commit troops, in part given the refusal of Palestinian Hamas militants to disarm as called for by the plan, while Israel has voiced concerns about the make-up of the force. While the Trump administration has ruled out sending US soldiers into the Gaza Strip, it has been speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute to the multinational force. Read More: Palestinians agree on governing body for Gaza "We are in control of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate," Netanyahu sa...

Around a quarter of the members of the National Assembly (MNAs) did not attend any sitting during the National Assembly's 19th session, according to a report issued by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The session spanned three sittings from September 1 to September 5, 2025. As many as 111 – 34 per cent – MNAs attended all of the sittings during the session. The second sitting had the highest number of MNAs – 61 per cent of the current membership – present during the session. The third sitting had the lowest number of MNAs in attendance – 49 per cent. As many as 216 – 66 per cent – MNAs skipped at least one sitting during the session. As Many as 50 – 23 per cent of 216 – MNAs submitted applications for leave of absence during the session. As many as 166 – 77 per cent of 216 – MNAs skipped the House proceedings without any formal leave application in advance. Among the cabinet members, four federal ministers and one state minister attended all the sittings. The prime minis...

The scene shocked many and highlighted the violence of this year's olive harvest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: a young masked man clubs an older Palestinian woman picking olives, who then collapses on the ground. The incident during an attack by Israeli settlers, filmed by an American journalist, took place in the town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah, a hotspot of violence this year. "Everybody was fleeing because the settlers attacked suddenly, maybe 100 of them," witness Yasser Alkam told AFP, adding that one Swedish activist also had his arm and leg broken by settlers. Alkam, a Turmus Ayya city official, said that the woman, 55-year-old Um Saleh Abu Aliya, was struck as she was waiting for her son to drive her away from a mob of settlers. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/LY4aKGq via IFTTT

The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire deal on Sunday, watched over by US President Donald Trump, who landed in Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit and to oversee a series of pivotal trade talks on the sidelines. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed the agreement at a ceasefire ceremony in front of a sign that read "Delivering Peace", building on a truce signed three months ago. "This declaration, if fully implemented, will provide the building blocks for a lasting peace, but more importantly, it will begin the process of mending our ties," Hun Manet said. "Our border communities have been divided by conflict, and innocent civilians have suffered immense losses." Trump helped broker an end to the five-day conflict in July by calling the then-leaders of the two countries and urging them to end hostilities or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold. "The U...

US President Donald Trump's administration has prepared additional sanctions it could use to target key areas of Russia's economy if President Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending Moscow's war in Ukraine, according to a US official and another person familiar with the matter. US officials have also told European counterparts that they support the EU using frozen Russian assets to buy US weapons for Kyiv, and Washington has held nascent internal conversations about leveraging Russian assets held in the US to support Ukraine's war effort, two US officials said. While it is not clear whether Washington will actually carry out any of those moves in the immediate term, it shows there is a well-developed toolkit within the administration to up the ante further after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia on Wednesday for the first time since returning to office in January. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean Trump has positioned himsel...

Top economic officials from the US and China ended their first day of talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, with a Treasury spokesperson describing them as "very constructive". The world's two largest economies are looking to avert an escalation of their trade war and ensure that a meeting happens next week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will chart a path forward after Trump threatened new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China's vastly expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean The recent actions, which also include an expanded US export blacklist that covers thousands more Chinese firms, have disrupted a delicate trade truce crafted by US. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Ja...

Thailand's Queen Mother Sirikit, who brought glamour and elegance to a postwar revival in the country's monarchy and who, in later years, would occasionally wade into politics, has died aged 93, the Thai Royal Household Bureau said on Saturday. Sirikit had been out of the public eye since a stroke in 2012. The palace said she had been hospitalised since 2019 due to several illnesses and developed a bloodstream infection on October 17 before passing away late on Friday. A mourning period of one year has been declared for members of the royal family and household. The government said public offices would fly flags at half-mast for a month and asked government officials to observe mourning for one year. Entertainment venues were asked to suspend activities for a month. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cancelled trips to the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and the APEC summit in South Korea next week due to the Queen Mother's death. He told reporters he would travel to Mala...

The United States will expand the use of facial recognition technology to track non-citizens entering and leaving the country in an effort to combat visa overstays and passport fraud, according to a government document published on Friday. A new regulation will allow US border authorities to require non-citizens to be photographed at airports, seaports, land crossings and other points of departure, expanding on an earlier pilot program. Under the regulation, set to take effect on December 26, US authorities could also require the submission of other biometrics such as fingerprints or DNA. It allows border authorities to use facial recognition for children under age 14 and elderly people over 79, groups that are currently exempted. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean The tighter border rules reflect a broader effort by US President Donald Trump to crack down on illegal immigration. While the Republican president has boosted resources to secure t...

More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff walked off the job on Thursday demanding more money and resources for the public sector in a sign of growing discontent with the country's centre-right government. Public servants marched with placards and banners in towns across New Zealand, chanting and listening to speeches. However, protests in capital Wellington as well as Christchurch had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions. The unions in a joint statement last week billed the strike as the largest in decades with more than 100,000 public servants taking part. The government dismissed the protests as a "union-orchestrated political stunt", even as the demonstrations highlight growing public unease over its direction. Middlemore Hospital emergency doctor and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Vice President Sylvia Boys told a crowd at Aotea Square in Auckland the government had been elected on promises...

China’s Communist Party elite vowed on Thursday to build a modern industrial system and step up efforts to achieve technological self-reliance, moves seen as key to strengthening its position amid intensifying rivalry with the United States. As expected, the Party’s Central Committee also pledged to expand domestic demand and improve livelihoods — long-standing goals that have taken a back seat in recent years as Beijing prioritised manufacturing and investment — though few details were provided. During the four-day closed-door meeting, known as a plenum, leaders also replaced 11 members — the highest personnel turnover since 2017 — amid an ongoing military corruption purge. Read More: China, Russia hail Pak-Afghan ceasefire China’s assertive industrial policies have created sophisticated domestic supply chains and global dominance in many sectors. These policies have bolstered Beijing’s confidence in its trade war with the US, where President Donald Trump has threatened triple-digit t...

Iran warned on Thursday against fresh attacks on his country, after UN nuclear watchdog chief said he fears a possible "renewed use of force" if attempts at diplomacy with Tehran fail. In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a war during which Iran responded with missile and drone strikes. During the 12-day war, Israel targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites as well as residential areas, with the United States joining later with strikes on key nuclear facilities. Read More: Iran accuses US of blocking N-talks The conflict derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington which had begun in April. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24. In an interview published Wednesday with Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said "if diplomacy fails, I fear a renewed use of force". Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday sai...

North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, a week before a key Asia-Pacific leaders' meeting in South Korea. It was the first launch of ballistic missiles since May by Pyongyang, which has defied a United Nations Security Council ban on the weapons. It was also the first such launch since Lee Jae Myung was elected president in South Korea, with a platform of engagement with North Korea. Lee and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet in South Korea next week at a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Trump is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. South Korea detected several projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles fired from an area near North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, in a northeasterly direction early on Wednesday, its Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Trump visit to South Korea Lee and Trump have discussed the idea of try...

A fuel tanker overturned and exploded in Nigeria's northern Niger state on Tuesday, killing at least 35 people, the Federal Road Safety Corps said. The vehicle skidded off the road and spilled petrol, which ignited shortly after the crash, according to Aishatu Saádu, FRSC sector commander in Niger state. She said the victims were taken to a nearby hospital. Such incidents are common in Africa's most populous country, where petroleum products are transported by road due to limited pipeline infrastructure. Poorly maintained roads riddled with potholes contribute to frequent accidents that claim dozens of lives annually. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/tBOUsc8 via IFTTT

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya, arriving at La Santé prison in Paris in a stunning downfall for a man who led the country between 2007 and 2012. The 70-year-old former conservative leader left his home for the car journey to the prison, walking hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni and cheered by supporters chanting “Nicolas, Nicolas” and singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. Sarkozy, who was convicted and sentenced last month, is the first former French leader to be jailed since Marshal Philippe Pétain, a Nazi collaborator, after World War Two. Also Read: Nakai shocks Sakamoto to win Grand Prix de France   Sarkozy says he is innocent Shortly after heading for La Santé, Sarkozy published a lengthy post on X claiming he was the victim of “revenge and hatred.” “It is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning — it is an innocent man,...

Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, shattering the nation’s glass ceiling and paving the way for a decisive turn to the right. An acolyte of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi received 237 votes in the lower house election to choose the next premier, securing a majority in the 465-seat chamber. Her victory marks a historic moment for Japan, where men continue to dominate top political roles, but it also signals a potential shift toward more hardline stances on immigration and social policy. Read: Dar for deepening ties with EU, Japan Takaichi’s win came after her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) — which has ruled Japan for most of its post-war history — struck a coalition deal on Monday with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin). The agreement helped cement her path to the premiership. Japan is currently grappling with rising prices after years of deflation, fuel...

Bolivia's new center-right president-elect said Monday he would seek to reinstate diplomatic ties with the United States that were broken off nearly two decades ago under leftist ex-leader Evo Morales. "In the specific case of the United States... that relationship will be resumed," economist-turned-senator Rodrigo Paz, 58, told reporters after emerging victorious in a run-off election Sunday. He beat a fellow right-wing rival after voters in a first round in August delivered a critical blow to the socialist MAS party created by Morales and blamed by many for the South American country's myriad economic woes. Paz is set to take office on November 8. Under Morales, in office from 2006 to 2019, Bolivia took a sharp turn to the left -- nationalizing energy resources, breaking ties with Washington and making alliances with China, Russia and fellow leftists in Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America. Morales in 2008 expelled the US ambassador and officials of the US...

A cargo plane veered off a runway on Monday during landing in Hong Kong, hit a security patrol car and then skidded into the sea, leaving two men in the vehicle dead, authorities said. Officials said an investigation would aim to determine what caused the Boeing aircraft to leave the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport, the world's busiest for cargo last year, according to an industry ranking. The plane's damaged fuselage was left partly submerged in the seawater that borders the airport, with its emergency evacuation slides extended, following one of the most serious incidents since the airport began operations in 1998. Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the cargo plane from Dubai "went off from the north runway upon landing and crashed through the fence and into the sea". A 30-year-old man aboard the ground vehicle was confirmed dead at the scene while another, aged 41, died after being rushed to hospital....

The Donald Trump administration quietly authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, escalating efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro, The New York Times reported on the authority of US officials. The move reflects a deepening US campaign aimed at unseating Maduro, who is criticised by Americans as an authoritarian leader. In recent weeks, US military operations have targeted boats off Venezuela’s coast, which officials claimed were involved in drug trafficking. These operations have resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people. Privately, senior US officials have said their broader goal is regime change in Caracas. President Trump publicly acknowledged the covert authorisation shortly after NYT reported on it. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump told reporters, indicating that US military action inside Venezuelan territory was under consideration. If launched, such strikes would mark a significant e...

The Israeli military said on Sunday that a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an attack killed two of its soldiers and prompted a wave of airstrikes that Palestinians said killed 26 people, in the most serious test yet of this month's truce. US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire he brokered was still in place. Hamas leadership, he said, may not be involved in the violations. "We think maybe the leadership isn't involved in that," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "Either way ... it's going to be handled toughly but properly." Trump said he did not know whether the Israeli strikes were justified. "I'd have to get back to you on that," he said. Aid into Gaza was set to resume on Monday following US pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt in supplies in response to what it said was a "blatant" violation by Hamas of the truce. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets acro...

The United Arab Emirates has introduced a new category of its coveted 10-year Golden Visa for individuals who donate at least AED 2 million to Islamic Waqf endowments — a move that intertwines philanthropy with long-term residency. According to a Gulf News report, the initiative follows the signing of a cooperation agreement between the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) and the Endowments and Minors Affairs Foundation (Awqaf Dubai). The accord enables both resident and non-resident donors to qualify for the Golden Visa under the category of “financial supporters of humanitarian work.” Signed during GITEX GLOBAL 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the agreement marks a major step in integrating Dubai’s residency framework with its humanitarian vision. Read More: 'First drop of rain'—Pakistan finalises first women bank sale to UAE’s IHC The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials from both entities, including Lieutenant Gene...

Against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China, fashion, culture, and diplomacy converged in spectacular harmony as the Pakistan Embassy Beijing, in collaboration with the China International Cultural Communication Center (CICCC), hosted the inaugural Pakistan-China Fashion Show. The historic stone pathway—long a symbol of unity, strength, and cultural resilience—was transformed into a vibrant runway, marking the first-ever fashion event of its kind at this iconic location. The evening brought together a curated mix of heritage, innovation, and cross-cultural creativity, celebrating the evolving aesthetic synergy between Pakistan and China. Acclaimed Pakistani designers Maheen Khan, Moazzam Abbasi, Ayesha Tariq, Rizwaullah, and Zain Hashmi unveiled bespoke collections crafted to reflect a fusion of Pakistani craftsmanship with Chinese artistic influences. The garments celebrated tradition while embracing modern silhouettes, tailored to resonate wi...