Digital Financial News

The Active Investor Plus Visa that historically lured rich individuals to New Zealand and raked in an average NZ$1 billion ($580 million) a year has languished after rule changes in 2022. Just 35 applications have been fully approved in the past two years, equating to NZ$352 million of nominated investment funds, according to data from Immigration New Zealand. ALSO READ: 7 reasons to pick New Zealand as Australia tightens rules for international students

FTA) with the European Union (EU) during an interaction with Ambassadors from the European Commission delegation and member states. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the meeting, attended by representatives from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, and several other EU nations, along with senior Indian officials, emphasized the growing trade and economic partnership between India and the EU. Highlighting the progress in the FTA negotiations, Goyal acknowledged the need for political guidance to finalize a commercially meaningful agreement that respects the sensitivities of both parties.

EsportsXO, an esports tournament management firm, on Thursday, announced a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Gaming, as part of its expansion into the MENA region. XO will establish its regional headquarter in Abu Dhabi. This collaboration is aimed at fostering the growth of Abu Dhabi’s local gaming ecosystem and will enable both companies to seize the emerging opportunities in this growing sector. With a projected valuation of $397.21 billion by 2029, the global gaming industry is on a sturdy growth track and the MENA region is rapidly emerging as one of its largest markets. By setting up its regional hub in Abu Dhabi, XO aims to position itself at the epicentre of this dynamic landscape, poised to tap into a market ripe for expansion. Vikas Goel, Founder, XO, said in a statement, “Working with Abu Dhabi Gaming is a major step for XO as we look to expand our presence in one of the world’s most exciting gaming regions. We are eager to contribute to the development of the local gaming ecosystem, nurture homegrown talent, and bring world-class gaming experiences to the MENA region. This reinforces our commitment to expanding our global footprint while fostering meaningful connections with gamers and industry leaders across the region.”

record producer Benny Blanco on Instagram on Thursday, sharing a series of touching photos. In one image, Gomez proudly displayed her oval-cut diamond engagement ring, likely taken during a picnic where Benny proposed. Captioning the post “Forever begins now,” Gomez set off celebrations among her fans and close friends. Blanco added to the moment with his comment, “Hey wait… that’s my wife.” The post, which limited comments to those followed by the couple, quickly filled with congratulatory messages from their inner circle.

While ruling out suicide, officials said, “in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it.” The 31-year-old One Direction star was at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Investigators believe Payne was in a state of “semi- or total unconsciousness” during the fall. He did not appear to try to protect himself, according to the report from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office released November 7.

mutual fund inflows fell 14% last month, midcap and smallcap funds registered a growth of 4% and 9%, respectively, in November. Both the categories are now outperforming largecaps this month. The mid cap funds in November received an inflow of Rs 4,883 crore and contributed around 13% to the total inflows of Rs 35,943 crore in equity mutual funds. The category received an inflow of Rs 4,682 crore in October. In FY25 so far, the mid cap funds have received an inflow of Rs 24,322 crore. Also Read | Debt MFs inflows decline 92% in November. Will it regain attraction?

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Wednesday defended meeting industrialist Gautam Adani, calling it «not a sin» and accusing Congress and DMK of misleading the public with their protests over Adani's ties to the party. «He is a businessman in our country. Every single state government wants to roll a red carpet for inviting big industrialists to their global investor summit. It is the Congress and DMK MPs that started this bogus protest outside the Parliament saying that 'Adani-BJP Ek Hai.' Since CM (MK Stalin) said he has not met Adani, we are making a charge against him. Don't hoodwink Tamil Nadu people… You should acknowledge that Adhas done business in Tamil Nadu,» Annamalai said. Meanwhile, Congress on Tuesday denied BJP's allegations of links to billionaire George Soros. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate called the claims «baseless» and said they were a diversion from the Adani controversy.

Supreme Court is set to hear a series of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) today, challenging the validity of specific sections of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This law prohibits filing lawsuits to reclaim or alter the character of places of worship as they stood on August 15, 1947. The matter will be taken up by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan.

Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was picking Kari Lake, a former news anchor and a hardline Republican who failed to win an Arizona Senate seat last month, to be the director of U.S. government-funded media outlet Voice of America. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, said Lake will «ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.» Lake, a strong Trump supporter who has echoed his false claims about fraud at the 2020 election, also lost the governor's race in swing state Arizona in 2022 and was previously an anchor at Phoenix-based Fox 10.

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was apprehended after he illegally crossed over into the Indian territory along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. «One PoK national Saliiq son of Khalid resident of Bandi Abbaspur deliberately crossed over into Indian Territory. Alert troops of the Indian Army deployed on the Line of Control in the Gulpur sector apprehended the PoK national while he was illegally crossing into Indian Territory,» the Poonch Police said. Further investigation is underway and more details are awaited.

Trump courted crypto campaign dollars with promises to be a «crypto president» and end the Biden administration's crackdown on the sector, but banks are nevertheless unlikely to rush head-first into the volatile asset, bankers said.

Alexander Brothers, a multimillionaire realtor, is accused of human trafficking. Following civil lawsuits accusing the siblings of sexual misconduct, the arrests were made. Oren and Tal Alexander, two upscale real estate brokers, were arrested on Wednesday along with their brother and accused of human trafficking, as quoted in a report by the Daily Beast. Their attorneys confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the brokers, who own the record for selling the most expensive house in America, were arrested in Florida along with Alon Alexander, a security firm executive.

US President- elect Donald Trump have recently mocked the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media while referring to him as the ‘Governor of the Great State of Canada’, reported NBC News. According to NBC News, this certain comment was actually followed by a dinner at Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau eventually discussed regarding potential tariffs on Canadian imports. At the same time, Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff unless Canada addresses issues related to illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Also Read: What is Israel up to in Syria? Its tanks are just 24 kilometres southwest of Damascus

Jay-Z has been publicly named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13 year old girl in the year 2000 alongside Sean Diddy Combs. According to LA Times, the lawsuit which was initially filed against Sean Diddy Combs in the month of October was eventually amended to include Jay-Z after the plaintiff referred to as Jane Doe alleged that both men assaulted her at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards. LA Times reported that in accordance to the allegations, the girl was invited to the party by a driver claiming to work for Sean Diddy Combs and was later drugged and raped by Jay-Z and Sean Diddy Combs while another female celebrity allegedly watched. Also Read: LeBron James time's up? Some say the ace NBA star may ask Lakers to trade him in the coming weeks

Donald Trump doesn't think much of Joe Biden's foreign policy record. The Republican president-elect frequently casts the outgoing Democratic president as a feckless leader who shredded American credibility around the world during his four-year term, AP reported. But a funny thing happened on Trump's way back to the White House: The Biden and Trump national security teams have come to an understanding that they have no choice but to work together as conflicts in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine have left a significant swath of the world on a knife's edge, as per AP report.

Jennifer Lopez is blaming Jennifer Garner for Ben Affleck's holiday drama saying Ben is much more comfortable with Garner. Jennifer Lopez is keen to maintain her friendship with her ex-boyfriend Ben Affleck and visit him as often as possible throughout the holidays and beyond. However, she is finding Jennifer Garner to be a fierce rival, and the competition behind the scenes is getting intense, as quoted in a report by In Touch. A significant portion of the problem stems from the fact that the 52-year-old Gone Girl star has three children of his own with his ex-wife Jen Garner, 52: Violet, 19, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12. He further blended his family with that of his most recent ex-wife, J. Lo, who has two children with his ex-husband Marc Anthony: twins Max and Emme, 16.

Jamie Foxx declares he is done dating white women and says he has recovered following his stroke and his romance with Katie Holmes. White women seem to be off limits to Jamie Foxx. In his Netflix special, «What Had Happened Was...» Foxx broke into song while discussing his 2023 medical emergency, which he claimed was a stroke brought on by a brain bleed. He claimed that despite his six-year relationship with Katie Holmes, he was done dating white women, as quoted in a report by The NY Post. The 45-year-old actress from Dawson's Creek began dating Foxx in 2013 following the conclusion of her divorce from Tom Cruise the previous year. Before splitting up later that year, the couple made their red carpet debut in 2019 after going public with their romance in 2015.

Regional supermarket chain Stop & Shop is installing kiosks in all of its stores in the Northeast U.S. to make digital-only coupons more accessible

Oscars 2025 is set to be live streamed on Hulu. This is the first time in its history that Academy Awards can be live streamed, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have announced, as per a report. Apart from the live streaming, the traditional live telecast of Oscars ceremony will continue as usual, the report says. Oscars 2025 will be live telecast on ABC. Oscars 2025 date and time details are out. Oscars 2025 will live streamed from 4 pm (PT) on March 2, 2025. Academy Awards red carpet will commence at 3.30 pm (PT).

High on popularity charts is winter travel to European destinations with Thomas Cook and SOTC seeing a 50-60% increase in business for winter tours this year. “Consumers are displaying a keen appetite for ice and outdoor snow experiences including skiing, snowshoe trekking, crab fishing safaris, snowboarding and snowmobiling across Europe’s Alpine regions of Switzerland, France, Austria and Germany,” said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and Visa, Thomas Cook (India).