International

Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparred for the last time before election day. Though both candidates had their moments, Trump fared better with an unusually calm performance. DW correspondent Carla Bleiker gives an analysis.      Thursday night’s debate was one of the last chances Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, had to appeal to …

United Arab Emirates citizens will be able to stay in Israel for up to 90 days on a single visit, the Gulf power’s state news agency WAM said on Thursday, after it became the first Arab nation to reach a visa-exemption agreement with Israel. Until recently, only Egypt and Jordan had full relations with Israel, but their nationals must still apply for entry permits. …

New Delhi was blanketed in noxious haze on Friday as air pollution levels in parts of the city soared to “severe” levels, hours after US President Donald Trump described the air in the vast nation as “filthy”. Smoke from agricultural burning, vehicle fumes and industrial emissions — combined with cooler temperatures and slow moving winds that trap pollutants over the …

BANGKOK: Thailand’s premier on Thursday revoked an emergency decree that had been intended to quell pro-democracy rallies despite it failing to stamp out daily protests demanding he resign and for reforms of the unassailable monarchy. The student-led pro-democracy movement has been gaining momentum since mid-July, with mostly young demonstrators calling for Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s removal and a rewrite of a …

AARHUS (Denmark): Facebook’s Oversight Board has announced that users can now submit appeals on content removal to the global body for an independent review. In May, Facebook appointed 20 people from around the world to serve on what will effectively be the social media network’s “Supreme Court” for speech, issuing rulings on what kind of posts will be allowed and …

BEIJING: A secretive 2018 agreement between Beijing and the Vatican was renewed on Thursday, despite strident US condemnation and warnings from Chinese priests loyal to Rome that they have only become more marginalised since it was signed. The deal allows both Beijing and the Holy See a say in appointing bishops in an attempt to close a schism in China’s …

NEW YORK: Global financial titan Goldman Sachs on Thursday agreed to pay $2.9 billion in penalties to settle criminal charges in the 1MDB Malaysian bribery scandal, the largest US fine ever in a corruption case, the Justice Department announced. Acting US Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt said Goldman “accepted responsibility” in the case that involved $1.6 billion in bribes, …

MOSCOW: A trio of space travellers safely returned to Earth on Thursday after a six-month mission on the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-16 capsule carrying US astronaut Chris Cassidy, as well as Russians Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan. After a brief medical checkup, the three were taken …

JERUSALEM: An Israeli delegation visited Sudan on Wednesday to discuss normalising relations following the Jewish state’s US-brokered deals with UAE and Bahrain, according to sources in Khartoum and Jerusalem. The one-day return trip has heightened speculation Israel could soon strike a peace deal with the Arab-led African country with which it is technically at war. President Donald Trump has pushed …

US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden offered sharply contrasting views on the still-raging coronavirus pandemic at Thursday’s final presidential debate, seeking to persuade the few remaining undecided voters 12 days before the November 3 election. Trump, a Republican, adopted a more restrained tone than he did during the chaotic first presidential debate in September, when he repeatedly …