The U.S. State Department said on Friday it is denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, including President Mahmoud Abbas, blocking them from traveling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for September. In a written statement, the department cited U.S. sanctions laws and national-security concerns, alleging the Palestinian leadership continues to finance militants and pursue unilateral statehood moves. Visas already issued to the officials are being cancelled, while new applications will be refused, the department added. The restrictions do not apply to the Palestinian observer mission to the UN, which remains covered by waivers under the UN Headquarters Agreement. Even so, the action is expected to prevent Abbas from delivering his customary address to the annual gathering, complicating a diplomatic push by several Western governments that are weighing recognition of a Palestinian state. Friday’s step extends penalties the United States imposed in July on senior PA and PLO figures. The State Department said it could revisit the decision if the Palestinian leadership repudiates terrorism, ends payments to militants’ families and drops legal cases against Israel in international courts.

President Donald Trump has ordered an end to U.S. Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a memorandum dated Aug. 28 and reviewed by multiple news organizations. The letter, addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, instructs the department to discontinue all security measures beyond what is required by law, effective Sept. 1. Under a 2008 statute, former vice presidents receive Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office, a period that expired for Harris on July 21. Then-President Joe Biden had quietly signed a directive extending her coverage by an additional year; Trump’s memorandum rescinds that extension. The decision arrives just weeks before Harris is scheduled to begin a 15-city tour on Sept. 23 to promote her memoir, “107 Days.” Losing the federally funded detail removes round-the-clock agents and threat-intelligence support, potentially obliging Harris to rely on private or local security that experts say could cost millions of dollars annually. The Secret Service and the White House declined to comment. Harris adviser Kirsten Allen said the former vice president is grateful for the agency’s professionalism. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized the move, while administration officials noted that Trump has similarly withdrawn extended protection from several other figures, including Hunter and Ashley Biden and former national security adviser John Bolton.

President Donald Trump has moved to unilaterally cancel nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, deploying a budget maneuver known as a “pocket rescission” that has not been attempted since 1977. In a letter sent late Thursday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it would withhold funding for 15 international programs, including roughly $3.2 billion in US Agency for International Development projects and about $838 million earmarked for United Nations peacekeeping operations. The administration argues that the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act permits the president to freeze the money for 45 days, long enough for it to lapse when the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. The move has intensified a long-running clash over Congress’s power of the purse. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the rescission illegal and warned that Democrats could tie the issue to forthcoming spending bills, heightening the risk of a government shutdown. Republican Senator Susan Collins also voiced concern, signaling bipartisan unease with the approach. Legal challenges are expected. The Government Accountability Office maintains that pocket rescissions violate the 1974 law, while the administration cites precedents set during the Ford and Carter presidencies. The funds had been frozen in litigation until the DC Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction earlier in the day, clearing the way for what could become a major constitutional test of executive spending authority.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will serve out his full mandate through 2027, rejecting speculation that political and budgetary turmoil at home could force an early departure. “The mandate given to me by the French people will be carried to its term,” he told reporters on Friday after the 25th Franco-German Council of Ministers in Toulon. The statement comes ahead of a confidence vote sought by Prime Minister François Bayrou next month and follows renewed opposition criticism of the government’s fiscal plans. Standing alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron said the two leaders had agreed on “very concrete decisions” to bolster Europe’s digital sovereignty, economic competitiveness and defence capabilities. Merz called for “a radical change of course” to strengthen European companies and jobs, while both leaders reiterated that any peace negotiations on Ukraine must involve Kyiv and be backed by firm security guarantees. Macron again labelled Russian President Vladimir Putin “insincere” and defended earlier remarks in which he called the Kremlin leader an “ogre” and “prédateur,” comments that Moscow on Friday denounced as “vulgar insults.” The Élysée and the Chancellery also affirmed their commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East and pledged to maintain close coordination as Europe confronts security threats and economic headwinds.

Alibaba Group reported fiscal first-quarter revenue of RMB 247.65 billion (US$34.6 billion), missing analysts’ RMB 253.17 billion consensus, while adjusted earnings per share slipped 10% year-on-year to RMB 14.75. Net income nevertheless jumped 76% to RMB 42.38 billion, helped by investment gains, and the operating margin held at 14%. The Cloud Intelligence unit, now Alibaba’s main growth driver, posted a 26% revenue increase to RMB 33.4 billion. AI-related products recorded triple-digit growth for an eighth consecutive quarter and account for more than 20% of external cloud sales. Executives said the company has invested over RMB 100 billion in AI infrastructure and is prioritising scale over near-term margins in the segment. Separately, the company is testing a home-grown AI chip aimed at a broad range of inference tasks, a move that could reduce dependence on Nvidia processors amid tightened US export rules. The processor, fabricated by a mainland manufacturer, expands Alibaba’s push to build a full domestic AI hardware–software stack. Alibaba repurchased 667,200 ADRs for about US$10 million on 28 August and reiterated plans to channel cash into its “consumption” and “AI + cloud” pillars. The results and chip news sent the shares as much as 12% higher in US trading on Friday.

The White House on Wednesday removed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, saying the agency’s first Senate-confirmed chief was “not aligned” with President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Monarez, who had held the post for barely four weeks, is contesting the decision; her lawyers argue she can be dismissed only by the president himself. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had pressed Monarez to endorse sweeping changes to vaccine policy and to fire senior staff, according to people familiar with the talks. Monarez resisted, calling the directives unscientific and potentially illegal. Kennedy said the CDC suffers from deep “malaise” and must execute the administration’s priorities. Within hours of the firing, Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, immunization chief Demetre Daskalakis, zoonotic-disease director Daniel Jernigan and data chief Jennifer Layden quit and were escorted from the CDC’s Atlanta campus. Hundreds of employees later staged a walkout in support of the departing leaders, leaving the nation’s top public-health agency effectively leaderless. An administration official said Kennedy’s deputy, Jim O’Neill, will serve as acting director while Trump selects a permanent nominee. Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy and other lawmakers called for oversight hearings, and Kennedy is scheduled to testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4. The upheaval follows Kennedy’s earlier dismissal of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and the FDA’s decision this week to limit updated Covid-19 shots mainly to older adults and high-risk patients. Public-health groups warned that the leadership vacuum and continued political interference could undermine the CDC’s ability to respond to infectious-disease threats.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said its GDPNow model now projects US real gross domestic product to expand at a 3.5% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the third quarter of 2025, up sharply from the 2.2% pace estimated on Aug. 26. The update, released on Aug. 29, signals a stronger near-term outlook for economic growth than suggested just three days earlier. The model’s upward revision follows recent government data showing firmer consumer spending and business investment, as well as an expected swing in net exports from a drag to a modest boost. GDPNow is a purely data-driven nowcast rather than an official forecast by the Atlanta Fed or the Federal Open Market Committee, but it is closely watched by investors as an early gauge of momentum ahead of the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ first official GDP estimate due in late October.

Turkey has halted all economic and commercial exchanges with Israel, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an address on 29 August. The measure includes an immediate suspension of bilateral trade and investment activity. Ankara is also closing its airspace to Israeli aircraft and will no longer permit Turkish-flagged vessels to dock at Israeli ports, effectively cutting off two key transport corridors between the countries. Fidan accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, framing the move as part of Turkey’s response to the war. Some reports said the decision followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recognition of the 1915 killings of Armenians as genocide. Israel had not issued an official reaction by late Friday. The step represents the sharpest rupture in ties between the two U.S. allies in years and adds further strain to regional diplomacy around the Gaza conflict.

Gucci will begin accepting cryptocurrency payments at several of its U.S. boutiques later this month, allowing shoppers to pay with Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin, according to trade outlet Vogue Business and company communications on Friday. The luxury label, owned by Kering SA, said the initiative will be limited to select stores in the United States for now. Details on the exact number of locations and any broader rollout were not disclosed. By integrating digital-asset payments, Gucci joins a small but growing group of high-end retailers testing cryptocurrencies in brick-and-mortar settings as they court customers who prefer to transact with digital tokens.

Argentina’s central bank issued a new regulation that further restricts the dollar exposure of commercial lenders as the government seeks to shore up the peso before mid-term elections. Communication “A” 8311, published on 29 August, forbids banks from raising their spot foreign-currency position on the final business day of each month, a change that took effect immediately. From 1 December 2025, banks must also observe their negative net foreign-currency position on a daily, rather than monthly, basis. That short position may not exceed 30% of the institution’s Computable Capital Responsibility for the preceding month. The rule does not alter the existing ceiling on overall net foreign-currency holdings. Officials say the tighter controls are designed to prevent end-of-month maneuvers that can drain central-bank reserves and fuel exchange-rate volatility. The move follows a series of liquidity and reserve-requirement measures adopted since July as President Javier Milei’s administration tries to curb inflation and stabilize the currency.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday, 29 August, dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after ruling that she breached ethical standards during a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. The nine-member panel voted 6–3 that the conversation, held in June while the two countries faced a simmering border dispute, undermined the national interest and damaged public confidence in the premiership. Paetongtarn, 39, had already been suspended from her duties in July pending the verdict. Her removal ends a little over one year in office and marks the second consecutive Thai leader pushed out by the court in just thirteen months. She is also the third member of the Shinawatra family—after her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck—to see a premiership cut short, underscoring the dynasty’s long-running clash with Thailand’s conservative establishment. The decision makes Paetongtarn the fifth prime minister in 17 years to be ousted by the Constitutional Court. Deputy Premier Phumtham Wechayachai and the existing cabinet will run the government in a caretaker capacity while the lower house begins the process of selecting a new leader. With Pheu Thai controlling only a slim majority in parliament, analysts expect intense bargaining and the potential for renewed protests, adding fresh uncertainty to Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.

A gunman opened fire from outside Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, spraying 116 rifle rounds and shotgun blasts through stained-glass windows during the first Mass of the school year. Two pupils—eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski—were killed and 18 others were wounded, including 15 children aged six to 15 and three elderly parishioners. Hospital officials said one 12-year-old girl remained in critical condition on Thursday but that all of the injured are expected to survive. Vigils drew hundreds of residents, and federal and state flags were lowered to half-staff in tribute to the victims. Police identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin (Robert) Westman, a former Annunciation student whose mother once worked at the parish. Westman, armed with a legally purchased rifle, shotgun and handgun, died of a self-inflicted gunshot in the church parking lot. Investigators found anti-Catholic slogans and a threat against President Donald Trump scrawled on the firearms. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said agents recovered hundreds of pages of journals that showed Westman’s “deranged fascination” with previous massacres and hatred “toward almost every group imaginable.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is treating the assault as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics after uncovering anti-religious and antisemitic material in the shooter’s manifesto. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara credited locked church doors and a four-minute police response for limiting casualties. President Trump offered condolences in a call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, while Mayor Jacob Frey and Representative Ilhan Omar renewed calls for state and federal bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.