New York, United States | Lady Gaga cleaned up at MTV's Video Music Awards, an unorthodox show that paid socially distanced homage to New York City as themes of voting and racial justice punctuated the night.

The 2020 VMAs -- a show known more for ostentatious performances, made-for-Twitter moments and wild costumes than the actual awards -- was scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, with performances held at outdoor spaces and many celebrities accepting prizes via video.

Host Keke Palmer, known for her role in last year's film "Hustlers," opened the show with an emotional cold-open paying tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman, who just died after of cancer.

"We dedicate tonight's show to a man whose spirit touched so many," she said of the performer who portrayed James Brown and Jackie Robinson, and was the first Black superhero in "Black Panther." 

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd -- whose wins included the coveted Video of The Year -- then launched into a performance of the hit "Blinding Lights" atop a viewing deck protruding off a Manhattan skyscraper, 1,000 feet in the air.

"It's really hard for me to celebrate right now," he said in accepting his moon man trophy for Best R&B. 

"I'm just going to say justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor," he continued, referring to recent black victims of police violence.

It was one of many nods to the Black Lives Matter movement, acknowledging a year that has seen months of anti-racism protests. 

Several stars also encouraged voting during the show where the Joe Biden campaign bought a number of advertisements in a bid to reach youth in his campaign against President Donald Trump.

Lady Gaga took home trophies including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Rain on Me," her collaboration with Ariana Grande.

The pair staged a futuristic performance atop the Empire State Building, both masked, with Gaga in a BDSM-esque corseted get-up, one of her many eccentric costumes of the night. 

The 34-year-old -- who famously wore a dress crafted of raw flank steak to the 2010 VMAs -- also won the show's inaugural "Tricon Award," which recognizes an artist who is highly accomplished across three or more disciplines.

"This has not been an easy year for a lot of people, but what I see in the world is a massive triumph of courage," she said. 

"Stay safe. Speak your mind and, I might sound like a broken record, but wear a mask. It's a sign of respect."

- Exempt from quarantine -

The show featured sweeping pans of New York, a city devastated in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and that originally was meant to host the VMAs at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

In addition to the Empire State Building, performances were also held at the waterfront Skyline Drive-in theater, with an audience watching from spaced-out cars.

Performers and crew at this year's VMAs were exempt from New York's statewide mandatory two-week quarantine imposed on travelers coming from areas with high rates of Covid-19.

The state's Department of Health said those involved with the show were required to quarantine when not working and submit to "rigorous testing."

This year's edition included new awards recognizing the tumultuous year in music, with the pandemic halting tours and festivals worldwide in a devastating blow to the industry.

The show also honored healthcare workers with a tribute to doctors and nurses singing and dancing in crowd-sourced videos.

Grande and fellow pop star Justin Bieber won Best Music Video From Home for "Stuck With You," while Latin boy band CNCO won Best Quarantine Performance for "Unplugged At Home."

And while American pop regulars including Gaga, Grande and Taylor Swift all took home trophies, they were upset in their genre's primary category by Korean megastars BTS, which won for Best Pop for "On."

The group held a green-screen performance that placed them in front of the Brooklyn Bridge in a shot recalling the classic film "Once Upon A Time in America" that starred Robert DeNiro.

Miley Cyrus meanwhile performed "Midnight Sky" while swinging on a disco ball, recalling her "Wrecking Ball" music video.

Colombian singer Maluma won Best Latin for "Que Pena" featuring J Balvin, as R&B prodigy H.E.R. won MTV's Video For Good, which honors work with a social message, for "I Can't Breathe."

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion -- currently basking in the glow of her recent success with Cardi B for their raunchy hit "WAP" -- won Best Hip Hop for "Savage."

The star accepted her award from home, popping champagne wearing spandex shorts and a T-shirt.

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© Agence France-Presse

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 

A US-Israeli delegation led by White House advisor Jared Kushner arrived Monday in Abu Dhabi, on the first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to mark the normalisation of ties between the Jewish state and the UAE.

In another breakthrough, regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia allowed the historic flight to cross its airspace, halving what would otherwise have been a long trip around the Arabian peninsula.

"This is the first time this has ever happened. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for making that possible," Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said on arrival in Abu Dhabi.

The word "peace" was written in Arabic, English and Hebrew on the cockpit of the El Al flight that landed in the Emirates capital, where US flags flew alongside the Star of David banner.

The direct flight by Israel's national carrier, numbered LY971 in a nod to the UAE's international dialling code, is due to return on Tuesday with the number 972, matching Israel's dialling code.

"While this is a historic flight, we hope that it will start an even more historic journey in the Middle East and beyond," Kushner, a key architect of Trump's Middle East policy, said before boarding.

"The future does not have to be predetermined by the past. This is a very hopeful time."

Kushner urged the Palestinians, who have condemned the UAE deal as a betrayal of their cause, to come to the negotiating table.

"When they are ready, the whole region is very excited to help lift them up and move them forward. But they can't be stuck in the past, they have to come to the table," he said.

The accord was announced by Trump on August 13, making the UAE the first Gulf country and only the third Arab nation to establish relations with Israel.

Unlike Egypt, which made peace with its former battlefield enemy in 1979, and Jordan, which followed in 1994, the UAE has never fought a war with Israel.

- Saudi next? -

Gulf Arab nations have had increasingly publicly ties with Israel in recent years, boosted by their shared rivalry with Iran and the advantages of linking their powerful economies.

Saudi Arabia, in keeping with decades of policy by most Arab nations, says it will not normalise relations until Israel has signed a peace deal establishing an independent Palestinian state.

But the overflight was a concrete sign of Saudi cooperation with Israel after years of behind-the-scenes overtures.

The plane however skirted the Gulf states of Qatar and Bahrain, who have declined so far to follow the UAE's move, also met with criticism elsewhere in the Arab world.

"Peace is not an empty word used to normalise crimes and oppression," Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said Monday.

"Peace is the outcome of justice. Peace is not made by denying Palestine's right to exist."

- 'There are no limits' -

In a joint statement on Monday, the US, UAE and Israel said the accord represented "a courageous step towards a more stable, integrated and prosperous Middle East" after a decade that has witnessed an escalation of "war, destruction and dislocation".

They said that on Tuesday, officials would begin discussing cooperation in seven areas: investment, finance, health, space exploration, civil aviation, foreign policy, and tourism and culture. 

"The result will be broad cooperation between two of the region’s most innovative and dynamic economies," they said after talks between Kushner and Israeli and Emirati national security advisors Meir Ben-Shabbat and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed.

Ben-Shabbat, who was also on the flight to the UAE, said the delegation's goal was to make a plan to push ahead relations in a broad range of areas. 

"We came here to transform a vision into a reality. There are no limits to cooperation... in education, innovation, health, aviation, agriculture, energy and many other fields," he said.

Since the agreement was unveiled, there have been phone calls between ministers from the two countries, and on Saturday the Emirates in a new milestone repealed a 1972 law boycotting Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has praised "the swift pace of normalisation", said that Ben-Shabbat had invited the Emirati delegation to visit Israel.

"I can tell you we will welcome them with same red carpet they gave us," he said Monday, without specifying if they had accepted.

As part of the normalisation agreement, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexations in the occupied West Bank, although Netanyahu quickly insisted the plans remained on the table in the long run.

The Israeli leader has also denied reports that the accord hinges on the sale of US F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE, saying he opposes a move that could reduce Israel's strategic edge in the region.

Kushner said Monday that the US could maintain that edge "while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates" and that the issue would be discussed further in "coming weeks and months".

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© Agence France-Presse

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam A tech-savvy population, a fast-growing economy, and the perks of being first in an emerging market -- Vietnamese entrepreneur Le Thanh saw the potential in booming Ho Chi Minh City for his start-up transforming coffee grounds into masks.