DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is offering a 10-year Golden Visa to donors contributing at least AED 2 million to Islamic Waqf endowments, making charitable giving a pathway to long-term residency.

The programme has been launched in collaboration with GDRFA Dubai and Dubai Islamic Awqaf. It allows both UAE residents and international donors to apply under the “Financial Supporters of Humanitarian Work” category.

To qualify, applicants must make a minimum donation of AED 2 million (Rs156 million) to a certified Waqf or humanitarian project, and they must also hold at least a university degree.

The nominees must come from Awqaf Dubai or an authorised humanitarian institution.

Proof of donation, identity documents, and academic credentials are mandatory, according to the official.

Applications can be submitted through the GDRFA Smart Services portal or at Amer Centres across Dubai.

A joint GDRFA-Awqaf committee reviews submissions before approval.

Once granted, the visa remains valid even if the holder stays outside the UAE for more than six months.

Waqf, in Islamic tradition, refers to a permanent charitable endowment. It can include land, buildings, cash, or other assets dedicated to public welfare, such as education, healthcare, or religious institutions. Once donated, the assets cannot be sold or inherited.

Awqaf Dubai ensures that all endowments are Sharia-compliant, transparent, and channelled into sustainable community development.

Officials emphasise that the Golden Visa is not only a reward for philanthropists but also a strategic move to attract global supporters of sustainable humanitarian work, reinforcing Dubai’s image as a centre of generosity and social impact.

PARIS: Thieves broke into Paris’ Louvre museum by using a crane and smashing an upstairs window on Sunday, stealing priceless jewellery from an area that houses the French crown jewels before escaping on motorbikes, the French government said.

The robbery is likely to raise awkward questions about security at the museum, where officials had already sounded the alarm about a lack of investment at a world-famous site that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024.

The thieves struck at about 9:30am (0730 GMT) when the museum had already opened its doors to the public, and entered the Galerie d’Apollon building, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The robbery took around four minutes, Culture Minister Rachida Dati told TF1, and it was carried out by professionals.

“We saw some footage: they don’t target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave. No violence, very professional,” she said on TF1.

She said one piece of jewellery had been recovered outside the museum, apparently dropped as they made their escape.

Dati declined to say what the item was, but newspaper Le Parisien said it was believed to be the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie. The jewel was broken, the newspaper said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France Inter that three or four thieves got into the museum from outside using a crane that was positioned on a truck.

“They broke a window, headed to several display cases and stole jewels… which have a real historical, priceless value,” Nunez said.

Probe underway

A video posted on X by a museum guide showed visitors filing towards exits in the middle of their tour, initially unaware of the reason for the disruption.

Nunez said a probe had been opened, with a specialised police unit that has a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies such as this one, tasked with running it.

No injuries were reported, Dati said.

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, said on X it would remain closed for the day for “exceptional reasons”.

In one of the most daring art thefts in history, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the museum in 1911 in a heist involving a former employee. He was eventually caught and the painting was returned to the museum two years later.

Questions on security

Earlier this year, officials at the Louvre requested urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate the museum’s ageing exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of art.

Dati said the issue of museum security was not new.

“For 40 years, there was little focus on securing these major museums, and two years ago, the president of the Louvre requested a security audit from the police prefect. Why? Because museums must adapt to new forms of crime,” she said. “Today, it’s organised crime — professionals.”

• NSA tried to hack national time centre between2022-24: ministry.
• China finds “irrefutable evidence” NSA-linked hacking attempts.
• Chinese authorities have since “severed attack chains”: ministry.
  

China on Sunday accused the United States of conducting cyberattacks on Beijing’s national time centre that could have caused severe damage to critical financial and telecommunications infrastructure.

Beijing has stepped up espionage warnings in recent years as relations with the United States and other Western nations have worsened.

Chinese authorities found “irrefutable evidence” of efforts by the US National Security Agency (NSA) to hack the National Time Service Center, between 2022 and 2024, according to a statement published on the official Ministry of State Security WeChat account.

The facility is responsible for coordinating clocks around the country used by everything from computer servers to train stations and power grids.

The ministry accused the NSA of exploiting weaknesses in the messaging service of an unspecified foreign mobile phone brand in order to steal login credentials from employees at the time centre.

The attacks could have jeopardised power grids, transport, and even space launches, the ministry said.

Chinese authorities have since “severed attack chains, upgraded protective measures, and eliminated potential threats.”

“In recent years, the United States has aggressively pursued cyber hegemony, repeatedly trampling on international cyberspace rules,” the ministry said in its statement.

It urged Chinese citizens to be vigilant of foreign attacks and to report suspicious activity to the authorities.

Western countries have accused hacker groups allegedly supported by China of conducting a global cyber espionage campaign against figures critical of Beijing, democratic institutions, and companies in various sensitive sectors.

Washington said last year that a China state-sponsored actor was behind a cyber breach at the US Treasury Department.

Beijing at the time called the accusations “groundless”.

“Ironclad evidence proves that the United States is the true ‘hacker empire’ and the greatest source of chaos in cyberspace,” the Chinese Ministry of State Security said Sunday.