Sawt Falasteen - News from Ramallah, the political, economic and cultural centre of Palestine, as well as the West Bank and the whole world

A Gabon court on Wednesday sentenced the former first lady and son of the oil-rich country's deposed leader Ali Bongo to 20 years in prison following a two-day graft trial.

Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as the US shutdown nears an end and after fresh jobs data boosted the chances of a third successive Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

Syrupy aromas drift across the guarded compound of Bangladesh's only licensed distillery, a state-owned producer posting record profits in the Muslim-majority nation, where Islamists are staging a political comeback.

When families of those killed in Nepal's deadly September protests that toppled the government demanded justice, the anguish felt painfully familiar to Sunamati Chaudhari.

France's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Thursday will be a poignant occasion as it takes place on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks.

A Russian court on Tuesday sent an 18-year-old street musician who performed anti-war songs to jail for a third time as the Kremlin mounts a no-limits crackdown on any signs of dissent or opposition.

Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, calling for more sustainable cooling solutions.

President Donald Trump declared victory on Tuesday as an effort to end the longest-ever US government shutdown headed to a final vote and rival Democrats tore themselves apart over the deal.

Dozens of Indigenous protesters clashed with security guards Tuesday at the COP30 summit in Brazil, causing minor injuries in a rare incident of violence at the UN climate talks.

France's foreign minister criticized "military operations" in the Caribbean at a G7 meeting on Tuesday, as the deployment of a US aircraft carrier strike group escalated an arms buildup in the region.

COP30 hosts Brazil will seek to land a compromise on Wednesday as some nations seek to put ambitious climate action and financial obligations on the summit agenda -- flashpoints that have stalled past negotiations.

State of Scam Brazil Report Shows R$99 billion Lost; Cross-Sector Webinar to Address Growing Crisis

Uncertainty still surrounds which country will host next year's UN cliamte conference: Australia or Turkey. But for 2027, there's little mystery: it will almost certainly be Ethiopia, an African diplomatic powerhouse.

Ukrainian investigators on Tuesday accused a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky of orchestrating a $100 million corruption scheme, as a major standoff over graft in the war-torn country escalates.

With US President Donald Trump skipping the UN's climate summit in the Amazon, California Governor Gavin Newsom grabbed the spotlight Tuesday and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the fossil fuel agenda of his political nemesis.

Wall Street stocks mostly rose Tuesday as optimism over a likely end to the US government shutdown offset weakness in some leading technology equities.

A US aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Latin America Tuesday, escalating a military buildup Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict as it announced its own "massive" deployment.

Iraqis voted for a new parliament Tuesday, with an unexpectedly high turnout of more than 55 percent, at a pivotal time for the country and the wider region.

Pakistan rode on a fighting century from Salman Agha and four wickets from Haris Rauf to beat Sri Lanka by six runs in the opening one-day international in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday that any Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank would be a "red line" and would provoke a European reaction.

The BBC's outgoing boss urged staff to "fight" for its journalism Tuesday as the British broadcaster grappled with how to respond to US President Donald Trump's threat to sue over a misleading edit.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher held Tuesday what he called "constructive" talks with Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to ensure life-saving aid reaches all corners of the war-ravaged country.

The Mellon Blue, a 9.51-carat fancy vivid blue diamond formerly owned by the US art collector Bunny Mellon, sold for $25.6 million at auction on Tuesday.

Google unveiled its biggest-ever investment in Germany on Tuesday, pledging 5.5 billion euros ($6.4 billion) for a new data centre and other projects, as Europe seeks to catch up in the AI race.

A US aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Latin America on Tuesday, escalating a military buildup that Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict as it announced its own deployment.

On the streets of Damascus on Tuesday, Syrians viewed their leader's visit to Washington as a shift towards the West that could pave the way to reviving the country's war-battered economy.

Installations by renowned international artists including Italy's Michelangelo Pistoletto and Portugal's Alexandre Farto have been erected in the sand under the great pyramids of Giza outside Cairo.

Global stocks turned in a mixed performance on Tuesday as tech shares struggled and a rally on optimism over a deal to end the US government shutdown faded.

With US President Donald Trump skipping the UN's climate summit in the Amazon, California Governor Gavin Newsom grabbed the spotlight at COP30 on Tuesday and took a swipe at the fossil fuel agenda of his political nemesis.

Carlos Alcaraz battled to victory over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals on Tuesday, moving to within one win of securing the year-end number one ranking for the second time.

Russia on Tuesday offered to discuss with the United States allegations from Washington that it had carried out secret underground nuclear tests, in a bid to ease tensions between the world's top two nuclear superpowers.

Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday charged Istanbul's jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu with 142 offences in a massive legal case that could carry a penalty of more than 2,000 years in jail, court documents showed.