Mexico's Congress approved Wednesday most of the tariff increases proposed by the government on more than 1,400 products imported from China and other countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico.

The Senate passed the measure Wednesday evening, following the lower chamber, which had approved the increases before dawn. The governing Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said the tariffs were necessary to spur domestic production, controls both chambers. The Senate passed the legislation with 76 votes in favor, five against and 35 abstentions.

The year the radio station company where he worked held its holiday party at a dive bar, Ryan Arnold walked in and saw coworkers passing around a tall glass boot filled with beer. He heard the office manager belting out '80s power ballads between whiskey shots. Arnold's first thought was, "When can I leave?"

More than 20 years later, he still remembers that awkward social event he felt obligated to attend. Arnold, 46, who describes himself as socially anxious, now thinks twice before accepting invitations to group gatherings.

More than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group escalated its offensive in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo, regional officials said, adding that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.

M23's latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington. The accord didn't include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities.

As Australia began enforcing a world-first social media ban for children under 16 years old this week, Denmark is planning to follow its lead and severely restrict social media access for young people.

The Danish government announced last month that it had secured an agreement by three governing coalition and two opposition parties in parliament to ban access to social media for anyone under the age of 15. Such a measure would be the most sweeping step yet by a European Union nation to limit use of social media among teens and children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to hold urgent talks Thursday with leaders and officials from about 30 countries that support Kyiv's efforts to obtain fair terms for halting nearly four years of war following Russia's full-scale invasion.

The leaders of Germany, Britain and France were among those expected to take part in the meeting of Ukraine's allies, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, via video link.

Washington state was under a state of emergency Thursday from a barrage of torrential rain that has sent rivers flowing over their banks, caused a mudslide to crash down on a highway and trapped people in floodwaters. Tens of thousands of residents could face evacuation orders.

Heavy rain continued to fall over parts of the state Thursday morning, prompting road closures, water rescues and suspension of Amtrak trains between Seattle and Vancouver. Rainfall intensity increased in several counties in Washington's Cascade Mountains, which had seen up to 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period. One area, Snoqualmie Pass, picked up an additional 1.7 inches (4.3 centimeters) of rain in six hours, the National Weather Service said.

Israel has given the go-ahead for the construction of 764 more houses in three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a decision likely to further stoke tensions as a watchdog group accused the Israeli government of moving toward "de facto annexation" of the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday that the Higher Planning Council, the body in charge of settlement construction plans in the West Bank, approved 478, 230, and 56 housing units in the Hashmonaim, Beitar Illit and Givat Ze'ev settlements, respectively.

The carpet outside the 2025 edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival was unfurled in its usual red, but the stars who walked across it shimmered in every color.

Actors and filmmakers drifted down its length in embroidered velvet robes and delicately cut black lace dresses, amid the sounds of camera shutters and microphones humming.

Rains drenched Gaza's tent camps and dropping temperatures chilled Palestinians huddling inside them Thursday as storm Byron descended on the war-battered territory, showing how two months of a ceasefire have failed to sufficiently address the spiraling humanitarian crisis there.

Children's sandaled feet disappeared under opaque brown water that flooded the camps. Trucks moved slowly to avoid sending waves of mud toward the tents. Piles of garbage and sewage turned to waterfalls.

UNESCO recognized Wednesday Egypt's favorite daily dish as intangible cultural heritage, to the delight of Egyptians digging into the spicy staple at every corner.

"We grew up eating koshary in plastic bags. It's a heritage we grew up with," Emad Yassin told AFP during the lunch rush of a popular downtown Cairo joint, Koshary Abou Tarek.