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China has finally announced the opening ceremony for the world’s longest sea bridge, which will connect Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, but critics hit back Thursday over the secrecy surrounding the project. Construction started in 2009 on the 55-kilometre (34-mile) crossing, which includes a snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel, linking Hong Kong’s Lantau island to the southern mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai and the gambling enclave of Macau, across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary. It has been dogged by delays, budget overruns, corruption prosecutions and the deaths of construction workers. While supporters promote it as an engineering marvel, others see the multi-billion dollar

Saudis close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be involved in what Turkish sources say is the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Al Jazeera has been told that a royal bodyguard controlled the operation, which allegedly led to Khashoggi's torture and death in Istanbul. He was last seen entering the consulate of Saudi Arabia 15 days ago. A joint Saudi-Turkish investigation team has searched the building, but complained of a lack of cooperation by the Saudis to the request to search the home of the Saudi consul general. The kingdom continues to deny any links to the journalist's disappearance. And MBS is distancing himself from the scandal. Will it affect his grip on power? Presenter:

UPDATE as of 11.38am  Dubai/Sharjah/Ras Al Khaimah: Hundreds of investors in the UAE are believed to have been affected by the Heera Group ponzi scam which has left a trail of devastated lives across India and the Middle East. On Wednesday, several investors trooped down to Heera Group's office in Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai looking for answers. The office, however, remained locked and phones of all their representatives in the UAE had been switched off. Visits to their offices in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah also drew a blank. Arrest On October 16, the arrest of an entrepreneur-cum-politician in India has sparked panic. Dr Aalima Nowhera Shaik, chairperson of Heera Group, was taken into custody

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia has agreed to withdraw an additional Umrah fee of SAR2,000 (Dh1,958) for Pakistanis following a request made by Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia. The information was shared by secretary of religious affairs Mohammad Mushtaq with the senate committee that met to discuss the problems faced by Pakistanis while performing Haj and Umrah. The chairman of senate standing committee on religious affairs, senator Maulana Abdul Ghafour Haideri, said he had received several complaints about the “discriminatory tax” of SAR2,000 by Saudi government on Pakistani pilgrims performing more than one Umrah within two years. Mushtaq explained that the rationale

DUBAI: Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé both chose Middle East-based designers for their trip down the red carpet at a charity event last week. The superstars attended the City of Hope Gala in Santa Monica, California, wearing floor-length gowns by designers from Kuwait and Lebanon. For her part, Rowland chose a glittering, rose gold gown by Kuwaiti designer Yousef Al-Jasmi, with a high collar and slit at the back. She accented the figure-hugging dress with a pair of dazzling earrings and slicked-back hair. Meanwhile, Beyoncé chose a black velvet jacket by Lebanese label Elie Saab. The belted piece featured embellishments on the shoulder and a plunging neckline and is from the label’s Autumn/Winter

LAHORE, Pakistan - A serial killer of eight children has been executed at a Pakistani prison after the country’s top court rejected request for his public hanging. Imran Ali was hanged Wednesday morning in the eastern city of Lahore in the presence of the father of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari whose rape and murder shocked Pakistan in January. A child holds up a picture of Zainab Ansari, the eight-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Kasur, during a protest in Islamabad. Reuters Imran was arrested two weeks after he threw Zainab’s body into a garbage dump in the city of Kasur in Punjab province. After his arrest, Imran confessed to the other slayings and was convicted. Zainab’s father Mohammed

Los Angeles: Former world welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather insisted Wednesday he plans to fight mixed martial arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov following the Russian’s victory over Conor McGregor. In comments to the TMZ Sports website, Mayweather was adamant that a fight with Nurmagomedov was “happening” provided it took place in the boxing ring. Asked by a TMZ if a fight with Nurmagomedov would take place, the 41-year-old replied: “Oh, we’re fighting.” “I’m my own boss. I can’t say what’s going on on Khabib’s end, but on my end we can make it happen,” Mayweather said. Mayweather, who came out of retirement to defeat McGregor in a money-spinning fight in Las Vegas last year, stressed