BERLIN - African films are enjoying a high profile at this year’s Berlinale festival, with debuts from South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) turning heads along with a new take on “Nollywood”.

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II returned to royal duties at her Windsor Castle residence on Tuesday, carrying out her first engagements since fears emerged that she could have contracted coronavirus last week.

LOS ANGELES - An American actor who swindled $650 million in a huge Hollywood ponzi scheme, using it to finance a lavish lifestyle of yachts, jets and fast cars, was jailed on Tuesday for 20 years.

CIUDAD NEZAHUALCÓYOTL - With tears in their eyes and smiles beneath their face masks, more than 660 couples tied the knot at a Valentine’s Day mass wedding in Mexico.

LONDON - Prince Andrew has settled a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by Virginia Giuffre, court documents show.

ULAANBAATAR - Mongolia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated international tourista, state media reported, rolling back coronavirus curbs that had kept the country isolated for two years.

PARIS - The French senate approved on Tuesday the return of 15 artworks looted from Jews during World War II, as part of efforts by the government to accelerate restitutions.

ISLAMABAD - The world’s leading short-form video platform, TikTok, has removed more than 6 million videos from Pakistan for violating community guidelines.

KUALA LUMPUR - An AirAsia passenger plane was forced to divert and make an unscheduled landing after a snake was spotted slithering through the overhead lights, the Malaysian budget carrier confirmed Monday.

LONDON - Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has tested positive for coronavirus a few days after her husband Prince Charles, their office in London said Monday.

LONDON - Lord of the Rings fans have been given the first glimpse at footage from the new $1bn (£800m) Amazon TV series.

ATAFONA - Vultures roam the sand in the Brazilian resort town of Atafona amid the ruins of the latest houses destroyed by the sea, whose relentless rise has turned the local coastline into an apocalyptic landscape.

BANGKOK - Hundreds of headbanging metalheads rock out to the roaring guitars and thundering drums of Thai band Defying Decay, chanting along to their latest politically charged tune.

LONDON - Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are likely to be snubbed on Prince Charles’ coronation day.

CALIFORNIA - Ashley Benson’s friends are worried over her relationship with her ex-boyfriend G-Eazy, reported OK.

NEW YORK - Brad Pitt and his Make It Right Foundation continue to being called out by victims of Hurricane Katrina who are protesting the construction of defective homes by actor, according to Page Six.

WARWICKSHIRE - An 18th Century mansion in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside is being transformed on winter evenings as thousands of lights illuminate the site.

LONDON - A concert to celebrate the life of MP Sir David Amess and Southend becoming a city will become an annual event, the organiser has said Sunday.

Pakistani stunning actress Mahira Khan has stepped into production with a web series titled Baarwan Khiladi.

PESHAWAR - A three-day snow festival has begun at Nathiagali under the auspices of Galiyat Development Authority (GDA).

MADRID - The regional government of Spain’s Balearic Islands on Saturday suspended the opening of new tourist beds for four years to prevent over-tourism on the Mediterranean archipelago.

LONDON - ‘An “absolute goldmine” of costume and set designs by an artist who worked with opera star Dame Joan Sutherland is to be auctioned.

NEW YORK - Kim Kardashian is sending out an uplifting message for her fans.

LONDON - Who would have thought the day would come when you could see the words “Adele,” “pole dancing” and “beige pantsuit” in the same sentence? The Grammy award-winning singer became a trending topic Saturday after footage surfaced of her performing an impromptu pole dance for the audience at the G-A-Y event.

REYKJAVIK - Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir has tested positive for Covid-19 after contracting the virus from a family member, she announced on Facebook on Saturday.

BERLIN - A period of pandemic-enforced solitude and his actress daughter’s enthusiasm led Italian horror legend Dario Argento, 81, to snap open his director’s chair after a decade’s absence to make one more of his signature gorefests.

Madrid - Spanish actress and LGBTQ+ activist Isabel Torres, who starred in “Veneno”, a hit series about a famed transgender singer which caught international attention when shown on HBO, died Friday.

Beijing - Aged just 15, Russian prodigy Kamila Valieva came to Beijing favourite for figure skating Olympic gold.

ISLAMABAD - A music competition, Nayi Awaaz, has been organized with hundreds of entries pouring in it.

Paris - Thousands of protesters headed toward Paris on Friday in convoys from across France, with many hoping to blockade the capital in opposition to Covid vaccination rules and other restrictions despite police warnings to back off.

LAHORE - Pakistani-American writer Usman T.

ISLAMABAD - A two-day festival to promote the culture and heritage of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral kicked off here at the Arts and Crafts Village, Shakaparian on Friday.

LONDON - Prince Charles, the eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II, is isolating after testing positive for coronavirus for the second time, his office said on Thursday.

DUBAI - Prince William made a climate-focused visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as post-Brexit Britain seeks to strengthen relations with the wealthy Gulf state.

ISLAMABAD - Ace fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yaseen aka HSY, all set to impress his fans with yet another project for television.

LONDON - Award-winning singer Adele has been accused of being transphobic in light of her vocal admission of love for her inner divine feminine energy.

ISLAMABAD- Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Thursday launched a series of cultural activities in collaboration with The Sadequain Foundation USA to commemorate the 35th anniversary of a legendary master artist, Sadequain.

ISLAMABAD - The Japan Foundation, in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan will hold a virtual Japanese Film Festival (JFF) from February 14 to February 27.

SAN FRANCISCO - YouTube on Thursday laid out goals for the year that included making the lives of creators easier and boosting a popular format that rivals TikTok.

Popular television host and PTI MNA Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain has announced third marriage with an 18-year-old.

LONDON - Ka-blam! Like a massive pop bazooka, Adele has just blown away the competition at the Brit Awards.

MADRID-Spain’s King Felipe VI has tested positive for Covid-19 but is experiencing only mild symptoms, the Royal House said Wednesday.

COPENHAGEN - Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has tested positive for Covid-19, experiencing only mild symptoms, the Royal House said Wednesday.

NEWS DESK - The on-site medic from Rust hits the production team back with a lawsuit citing ‘severe emotional distress’ and ‘tremendous shock’ from Halyna Hutchins death as the reason she is unable to return to work.

ABINGDON - Scientists in Britain said Wednesday they have smashed a previous record for generating fusion energy, an achievement hailed a “milestone” on the protracted path towards harnessing a power source considered cheap and clean.

TORONTO - Buses in the Canadian city of Toronto are decorated with Tiger images to mark the Lunar New Year for the first time, and they are intended to better exhibit the Chinese culture, the designer of the bus decorations told Xinhua in a recent interview.

First Turkish film ‘Ayla‘is set to be displayed in Pakistani cinemas on February 11.

Actress Halle Berry’s dream for another African American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar will have to wait yet another year.

NEW YORK - Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, an intense Western starring Benedict Cumberbatch, leads this year’s Oscar nominations with 12.

LOS ANGELES - The following are the nominees for the best international film Oscar, which will be handed out on March 27 in Hollywood: “Drive My Car” (Japan) “Flee” (Denmark) “The Hand of God” (Italy) “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan) The Worst Person in the World” (Norway).