India warns new US fee for H-1B visa will have 'humanitarian consequences'
The Indian government has said a new $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants seeking US skilled worker visas will have "humanitarian consequences".
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the new fee for H-1B visa applications, which is more than 60 times the amount currently charged, to go into effect on 21 September, BBC reported.
Workers from India receive by far the most skilled visas in the programme, at just more than 70% of those issued.
Some US tech companies reportedly advised employees with H-1B visas to stay in the US or, if they were out of the country, to try to return immediately. The White House then on Saturday clarified the fee will not apply to current visas or renewal applications.
Starmer set to announce UK recognition of Palestinian state on Sunday
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday afternoon, BBC reported.
The move comes after the prime minister said in July the UK would shift its position in September unless Israel met conditions including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and committing to a long-term sustainable peace deal that delivers a two-state solution.
It represents a major change in British foreign policy after successive governments said recognition should come as part of a peace process and at a time of maximum impact.
The move has drawn fierce criticism from the Israeli government, hostage families and some Conservatives, according to BBC.
Egypt says 3,000-year-old bracelet was stolen and melted down
A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet that disappeared from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo was stolen and melted down, Egypt's interior ministry says, BBC reported.
A restoration specialist took the artefact - which dates back to the reign of King Amenemope, a pharaoh who ruled Egypt around 1,000BC – from a safe at the museum nine days ago, according to the ministry.
The woman contacted a silver jeweller she knew, who sold the bracelet to a gold jeweller for $3,735 (£2,750), it said. He then sold it for $4,025 to a gold foundry worker, who had melted it down with other jewellery, it added.
The ministry said the four individuals confessed to their crimes after being arrested and that the money was seized, according to BBC.
Workers across France strike over budget cut plans
Hundreds of thousands of workers have taken take part in strike action across France on Thursday, after trade unions called for a day of protests against budget cuts, BBC reported.
Organisers said one million people turned out, while the interior ministry put that number at 500,000, with 80,000 police officers deployed.
Scuffles were reported in the cities of Lyon and Nantes, and in Paris small-scale clashes broke out between police and protesters.
Officers in riot gear used tear gas and shields to disperse crowds in the centre of the capital after some protesters damaged a small number of businesses and buildings, according to BBC.
