From losing her house in a fire to mending a broken heart, Miley Cyrus has turned 2020 around in the best possible way, all with the release of her next studio album, Plastic Hearts. The Grammy award winning singer announced the news over on Instagram and began by thanking her fans for their unending support. She claimed, “If you’re reading this… …

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. …

KARACHI: Hamza Ali Abbasi-starrer Parwaaz Hai Junoon will debut in China on November 13, shortly before the 70-year anniversary of the day when Pakistan and its key ally established diplomatic relations. The aerial combat-war film, with a touch of romance, honours the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the pilots who put their lives at risk to protect the country’s citizens. According to …

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 …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned for four weeks the hearing of an appeal from the family of American journalist Daniel Pearl against the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man convicted over the 2002 beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter. The key suspect in Pearl’s slaying, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and three other accomplices were sentenced to life …