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The US government was set to take the first tentative steps towards re-opening Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the longest federal shutdown in US history.The 43-day funding freeze had paralysed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game.The Republican-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, largely along party lines, to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.Trump lashed out at Democrats as he put his signature to the bill later in the Oval Office, urging Americans to remember the chaos when voting in hotly contested US midterm elections in a year's time."Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion," said Trump, surrounded by gleeful Republican lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson.Johnson had earlier pointed the finger at the minority party in a withering floor speech before the vote."When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country," Trump said. "So with my signature, the federal government... will now resume normal operations."The package funds military construction, veterans' affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress itself through next fall, and the rest of government through the end of January when lawmakers will again need to reach a funding agreement.Around 670,000 furloughed civil servants will report back to work, and a similar number who were kept at their posts with no compensation — including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff — will get back pay.Several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their staff to return to the office Thursday, according to US media.Travel delays looked set to improve but not disappear with almost 1,000 flights cancelled Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware. Authorities said air traffic controller shortages were easing and the transportation secretary on Wednesday released a fresh order for six percent of flights to be frozen — lower than the eight to 10 percent expected under the previous emergency directive.The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown, while air travel that has been disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.Trump falsely accused Democrats of costing the country $1.5tn. While the full financial toll of the shutdown has yet to be determined, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it has caused $14bn in lost growth.Johnson and his Republicans had almost no room for error as their majority is down to two votes.Democratic leadership — furious over what they see as their Senate colleagues folding — had urged members to vote no and all but a handful held the line.Although polling showed the public mostly on Democrats' side throughout the standoff, Republicans are widely seen as having done better from its conclusion.For more than five weeks, Democrats held firm on refusing to reopen the government unless Trump agreed to extend pandemic-era tax credits that made health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.Election victories in multiple states last week gave Democrats further encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose.But a group of eight Senate moderates broke ranks to cut a deal with Republicans that offers a vote in the upper chamber on health care subsidies — but no floor time in the House and no guarantee of action.Democrats are now deep in a painful reckoning over how their tough stance crumbled without any notable win.Democratic leadership is arguing that — while their health care demands went largely unheard — they were able to shine the spotlight on an issue they hope will power them to victory in the 2026 midterm elections."Over the last several weeks, we have elevated successfully the issue of the Republican health care crisis, and we're not backing away from it," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.But his Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer is facing a backlash from the fractious progressive base for failing to keep his members unified, with a handful of House Democrats calling for his head.Outside Washington, some of the party's hottest prospects for the 2028 presidential nomination added their own voices to the chorus of opprobrium.California Governor Gavin Newsom called the agreement "pathetic," while his Illinois counterpart JB Pritzker said it amounted to an "empty promise." Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg called it a "bad deal."

China’s credit expansion was the weakest in more than a year last month, dragged down by slower government bond sales and sluggish borrowing demand across the economy.Aggregate financing, a broad measure of credit, increased 815bn yuan ($115bn) in October, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data released by the People’s Bank of China on Thursday. That’s the lowest level since July 2024 and well short of the 1.2tn-yuan forecast by economists in a Bloomberg survey.Financial institutions recorded an expansion of 219bn yuan of new loans in the month, also worse than expected, with growth in the outstanding stock of loans to the real economy reaching a record low.Government bond issuance has recently slowed compared with a year ago, as authorities brought forward sales earlier in 2025. Another factor at play for credit growth is seasonal, since banks are usually not in a rush to meet their lending targets at the beginning of each quarter.“Disappointing as the October credit report is, we don’t expect it to push the People’s Bank of China to loosen its key policy levers any further this year. But the PBoC remains in an easing cycle and will probably keep liquidity conditions supportive for growth. Given the weakness in the economy, we see it delivering fresh easing in the first quarter of next year,” says David Qu, Bloomberg Economics.The disappointing reading came despite the boost from the rollout of funding provided under China’s new policy financing tool, which is worth 500bn yuan. It underlined just how sluggish borrowing demand has become in the face of weak consumer and business confidence.Companies were reluctant to borrow for investment or expansion, as mid- and long-term corporate loans only expanded 31bn yuan, less than a fifth the level a year ago.Household mid-and long-term loans, a proxy for mortgages, contracted again, in a sign consumers continue to shy away from home purchases.Taken together, additional borrowing by households so far this year was the smallest since the global financial crisis in 2008.“Weak mortgage demand remains a major drag on credit growth,” said Leah Fahy, China economist at Capital Economics. “It’s also clear that the subsidies for consumer loans launched at the start of September haven’t put a floor under household demand.”Banks struggling to find borrowers are increasingly doling out fake loans to clients in order to meet government-set targets for credit, Bloomberg News has reported.For now, China’s central bank has signalled it remains patient with the continued slowdown in credit growth, saying it’s natural as the economy transitions away from old growth drivers. That guidance has led to reduced expectations for further interest rate cuts by the end of this year.Looking ahead, analysts at Barclays Bank see faster sovereign debt sales offering more support toward the end of the year and into 2026. “Government bond issuance could gain pace in the coming months,” they said.

The Ministry of Finance announced that government tenders and auctions reached a total value of QAR 15 billion during the third quarter of 2025.Data published Thursday by the Ministry on X, showed that QAR 9.7 billion worth of tenders were awarded to local companies, while QAR 5.5 billion were awarded to foreign companies. This represents a portion of the 1,027 tenders, practices, and direct agreements awarded.The Ministry of Finance indicated that the top four sectors, according to the sector activity index for the third quarter of this year, were Transport and Communications, Municipality and Environment, Energy, and Health.

US President Donald Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the government, ending the longest shutdown in the US history after the US House of Representatives approved the bill earlier in a 222-209 vote, with nearly every Republican and a some Democrats voting for it, according to CNN.The House, which is controlled by the Republicans, voted by a narrow majority to approve a package passed by the Senate that would reopen federal departments and agencies. Six Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting yes for the bill while two Republicans joined most Democrats in voting no.The US Senate had reached a bipartisan agreement a few days ago between the Republican and Democratic parties to resume federal funding and end the government shutdown.

Days before US government-mandated flight cuts went into effect across domestic carriers, some airline executives privately pressed for more information on whether the safety data justified the Trump administration’s measures.On a November 5 call with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford, some airline leaders asked if the agency was seeing risks that the carriers might not have been aware of, according to people familiar with the matter.Bedford, a former aviation executive, shot down any concerns over a plan to cut 10% of flights across 40 major airports, saying it was the FAA’s decision — not airlines’ — and that the reductions weren’t negotiable, said the people, who weren’t authorised to speak publicly on the discussions.What ensued was an injection of chaos into an already strained US airline network.The flight restrictions, since compounded by foul weather and other system constraints, have forced carriers to cancel thousands of flights in recent days. The impact is expected to reverberate even after lawmakers forged a pact to work toward an end to the longest government shutdown in US history.Although the Senate passed a temporary funding measure on Monday that may soon resolve the 41-day government shutdown, it’s unclear how quickly any deal would translate into a substantial easing of the disruptions.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the government won’t reverse its flight cuts until air traffic controllers who haven’t been showing up to work are back at their facilities.More than 5mn airline passengers have been affected since the shutdown started, according to Airlines for America, a trade group representing the largest carriers.Alaska Air Group Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci was among the most vocal in asking for more data to justify the need for the cuts, the people said. Smaller airlines have had a harder time absorbing the reductions than larger carriers, which tend to have more flexibility in their networks.In many cases, the restrictions have hit regional flights or less-critical routes.To be sure, people familiar with the November 5 call said many of the airline executives were willing to accommodate the orders because they were already seeing an uptick of flight disruptions due to air traffic controller shortages. The safety risks were heightened, given the increased spotlight on dangerous near-misses and deadly crashes earlier this year.That included a midair collision between an American Airlines Group regional jet and a US Army helicopter in January, which resulted in safety investigators and lawmakers lambasting the FAA for not using their data more proactively to respond to risks in the airspace around Washington.Many of the executives were also being careful: Politically, speaking out against a directive from President Donald Trump could draw an unwanted rebuke or pressure from the White House.A representative for Alaska Air confirmed the airline participated in the call but disputed Bloomberg’s characterisation of its comments, without elaborating. The company referred further questions to Airlines for America, which said “safety is always our shared top priority, and Americans should have increased confidence in our airspace because the FAA has taken these measures,” according to a statement from CEO Chris Sununu.“As our safety regulator, when the FAA says they have concerns heading into a busy travel period like Thanksgiving, airlines will do whatever is necessary to ensure the system can continue to operate safely,” said Sununu, the former Republican governor of New Hampshire.Representatives for Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. American, Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. declined to comment.Safety isn’t something the Transportation Department bargains over, a spokesperson for the department said. It trusts the non-political safety team at the FAA to put the American people first, the representative said.Bedford and Duffy have said the flight cuts are intended to alleviate strain on air traffic controllers during the shutdown.Since the impasse over funding shuttered some federal operations, there has been an increase in controller staffing shortages at facilities across the country, resulting in delays at major airports, including those serving the New York area, Washington, Dallas and Atlanta.Supporters have praised the FAA and Transportation Department for acting quickly to address a growing safety issue.Critics have questioned Duffy’s decision to withhold the safety data used to inform the cuts, and whether the decision was, to some degree, part of efforts to pressure Democrats to forge a deal to end the shutdown.

The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed Monday to an eventual resolution, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in advancing a compromise deal -- sparking intra-party backlash.Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted.Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with hundreds of flights canceled daily, raising the political pressure to end the stalemate.After clearing a key procedural hurdle late Sunday, the Senate was expected to pass the compromise budget late Monday or overnight.The bill will then move to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which could vote on it as early as Wednesday to send it to President Donald Trump's desk."It appears to us this morning that our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, and we're grateful for that," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday morning."At least some Democrats now finally appear ready to do what Republicans and President Trump and millions of hardworking American people have been asking them to do for weeks."The House -- which Johnson has kept out of session throughout the standoff -- would be called back this week, he said.At the heart of the budgetary impasse is Democrats' demand to extend health insurance subsidies expiring at the end of the year. Republicans insist any negotiation occur after the government is re-opened.Millions of Americans who have purchased health insurance through the "Obamacare" programme would see their costs double if the subsidies are not extended.Sunday's breakthrough agreement would re-open the government through January, with some programmes funded for the full fiscal year, and reverse some of the Trump administration's firings of federal workers.The bill notably would restore funding for the SNAP food aid programme, which helps more than 42mn lower-income Americans pay for groceries.While Republican leadership has agreed to hold an eventual vote on healthcare, it does not ensure the insurance subsidies will be extended."After 40 days of uncertainty, I'm profoundly glad to be able to announce that nutrition programmes, our veterans, and other critical priorities will have their full-year funding," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday night.While leaders were rushing to move the bill through Congress, it could still take days to make its way to Trump's desk. Tuesday is a national holiday in the United States.Senator Jeanne Shaheen, one of eight Democratic Caucus members who backed the measure, said the Senate "took a big step forward towards protecting the health care of tens of millions of Americans."She said the agreement would grant Democrats, despite being in the minority, the power to call a vote on healthcare legislation.However, with the extension of the subsidies not guaranteed, the move has angered party members who preferred to keep holding out."Pathetic," wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom on X in reaction to the announced agreement.Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer voted against the measure, saying he could "not in good faith" support a measure "that fails to address the health care crisis.""This fight will and must continue," he vowed.Some lawmakers criticised Schumer himself for failing to keep the Democrats united."Tonight is another example of why we need new leadership," Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton said Sunday in a post on X.

As part of efforts to advance the implementation of the Government Resource Planning and Management System Project, members of the project’s steering committee took part in the Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Las Vegas in USA.The conference is one of the world’s leading platforms showcasing the latest developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, and AI governance.The delegation’s participation aimed to explore the latest international applications and experiences in human and financial resource management systems, artificial intelligence solutions, cloud technologies, and big data analytics, supporting Qatar’s drive to enhance digital transformation and unify national systems across government entities.The visit came within the framework of Qatar’s agreement with global technology giant Oracle, marking a key step in developing the country’s digital infrastructure and leveraging Oracle’s expertise to build integrated smart systems powered by AI, cloud computing, and big data analytics. The partnership seeks to strengthen institutional integration and improve the efficiency of government resource management.Mashaal Ali al-Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Government Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Chair of the Committee, said: “This visit reflects our commitment to building an integrated digital ecosystem through strategic partnerships with global technology leaders. It supports our efforts to enhance the efficiency of government resource management and improve the quality of public services.”Al-Hammadi added that the collaboration with Oracle represents a pivotal step toward adopting AI and cloud technologies in managing human and financial resources, and in developing intelligent systems that support decision-making and institutional performance, in line with the goals of the Digital Agenda 2030 and the country’s vision for a fully data and knowledge-driven government.On the sidelines of the conference, committee members held several bilateral meetings with Oracle executives and representatives of other global technology firms to review leading international experiences in AI and cloud computing applications. The discussions focused on opportunities for development, knowledge exchange, and aligning best practices with the needs of Qatar’s national project — contributing to faster implementation of digital transformation initiatives and improved efficiency in government operations.The Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 provided a dynamic platform for these engagements, highlighting the latest global trends in AI and cloud technologies. It showcased how advanced data analytics can drive innovation and enhance institutional performance, with sessions focusing on intelligent cloud applications in human resources, finance, and supply chain management, as well as the future integration of AI and cloud computing as key drivers reshaping business and service models worldwide.The Steering Committee delegation for the Unified Government Resources Planning (UGRP) was established by a Cabinet decision and includes representatives from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau.

Qatar won three awards at the GCC e-Government Award 2025, held in the State of Kuwait Wednesday, in recognition of its distinguished government initiatives in digital transformation and smart service development. These awards reflect the country’s continuous progress in implementing pioneering digital projects.The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) was recognised with the Outstanding Project Award in the Best Government Competencies Building Initiative Award category for its initiative ‘Qatar Digital Academy’. The award recognises the ministry’s efforts in raising awareness of emerging technologies and empowering all segments of society to actively participate in Qatar’s national digital transformation initiatives.This achievement marks a milestone in the MCIT’s ongoing efforts to implement projects and programmes that promote digital culture and advance digital inclusion across Qatar, in alignment with the objectives of the Digital Agenda 2030 which aims to build an integrated digital society where individuals and institutions participate equally.The Ministry of Social Development and Family received the Outstanding Project Award in the Best Digital Inclusion Initiative Award category for its project “Sokoon” application to digitise Sign Language. Meanwhile, the National Planning Council earned the first place in the Open Data Initiative category for its project “Qatar Open Data Platform.”This achievement reaffirms Qatar’s leading position in digital government, driven by continuous investment in digital infrastructure, national talent, and regional collaboration in innovation and the digital economy. HE the Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammed bin Ali al-Mannai emphasised that Qatar’s winning of three awards at the Digital Government Award 2025 reflects the success of the national strategy for digital transformation and underscores the country’s pioneering role in advancing the GCC digital integration process.

The US government shut down early Wednesday for the first time in nearly seven years, after Congress (the primary constitutional institution in the US, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives) failed to pass a funding law to ensure the continued operation of institutions. Following the vote's failure on Tuesday, Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), informed federal agencies that they "should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown." The US has previously experienced four government shutdowns that affected services for more than one business day, the most recent of which was during US President Donald Trump's first term in 2019. A federal government shutdown results in the temporary layoffs of hundreds of thousands of federal employees. Some workers, classified as essential, are required to continue working but will not receive their pay until the shutdown is resolved. In contrast, certain positions that are not funded by annual appropriations from Congress will continue to receive pay during this time. The current crisis involves $1.7 trillion in funding, amounting to one-quarter of the $7 trillion government's budget, with the largest remainder to health and retirement programmes and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

The British government agreed a loan guarantee worth £1.5 billion ($2 billion) for Jaguar Land Rover to shore up its cash reserves and supply chain, the trade minister said Sunday, after a damaging recent cyberattack.JLR said on September 2 that it had been targeted by hackers, forcing it to suspend production at its UK factories.The automaker said on Thursday that its IT systems were partly back online as part of a "phased restart", but production would remain on pause until at least October 1.The government announced that it would back the company with a loan guarantee "expected to unlock up to £1.5 billion to give certainty to its supply chain".The move does not mean that the government will lend money directly to JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors.Instead, a government credit agency will provide the guarantee for a loan from a commercial bank that will be repaid over five years.Trade minister Peter Kyle said the guarantee "will help support the supply chain and protect skilled jobs in the West Midlands, Merseyside and throughout the UK"."This cyberattack was not only an assault on an iconic British brand, but on our world-leading automotive sector and the men and women whose livelihoods depend on it," he said.JLR has said its partial systems restart was helping to clear a backlog of payments to its suppliers, after unions warned that some were at risk of collapse due to the disruption.Cyber gangs have increasingly targeted luxury brands and retailers, including Britain's Marks and Spencer, Harrods and the Co-op food chain.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt proposed a roadmap to end the conflict in Sudan, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire following a three-month truce and for a nine-month transitional process to establish a civilian-led government.In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the four countries urged a three-month humanitarian truce to allow urgent delivery of aid, to be followed by a permanent ceasefire. They stressed that there was no military solution to the conflict and warned that the current situation was causing unacceptable suffering and posing risks to peace and security. The ministers also rejected any return of Sudan's former regime or groups linked to it.The warring parties in Sudan have not yet stated their positions on this initiative.This joint appeal followed a call last June by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a one-week truce in El Fasher, a proposal accepted by the Sudanese army but rejected by the Rapid Support Forces.The war in Sudan has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, pushing much of the population into famine and leaving millions in extremely dire conditions.

HE Director of the Government Communications Office (GCO) Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al-Thani met with a delegation from Meta led by Head of Service Industries for the Middle East and Africa Joachim Marciano.Discussions during the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation to develop national talent, on the sidelines of a training program organised by the GCO on digital advertising strategies in collaboration with leading global digital platforms.