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

Ministers in the UK's last Conservative government have "serious questions to answer" over a secret resettlement plan for thousands of Afghans after a data breach endangered their lives, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday.

Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic joined Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported £25 million ($33 million) on Wednesday.

Real Madrid defender Lucas Vazquez will leave the club, the Spanish giants confirmed Wednesday.

British Open organisers the Royal and Ancient (R&A) refused to rule out a return to US President Donald Trump's Turnberry course if infrastructure challenges were overcome.

Following weeks of rumours, President Volodymyr Zelensky this week unveiled a government reshuffle, replacing his prime minister and defence minister as he aims to inject fresh energy into his team, with no end in sight to the war.

Two stars of the "Harry Potter" films, including actress Emma Watson, were each banned from driving for six months Wednesday after being caught speeding in separate incidents.

Israel said it bombed Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland where a monitor says sectarian clashes have killed nearly 250 people.

England captain Ben Stokes put his body on the line to inspire his side's dramatic victory over India at Lord's, according to team-mate Joe Root.

Major stock markets turned steadier Wednesday as traders weighed a spike to US inflation that pared bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.

Liverpool are considering a blockbuster £120 million ($160 million) bid for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak despite the Magpies' desire to hold onto the Sweden star, according to reports on Wednesday.

Leo XIV has not long been pope, yet the American head of the Catholic Church already receives 100 kilogrammes of letters a day, faithfully sorted by the Italian post office.

Jeep-maker Stellantis said Wednesday it was pulling the plug on plans to build light vans using hydrogen fuel cells, saying it saw no prospects for it to be commercially viable.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday his firm was "doing our best" to serve China's vast market for semiconductors after meeting Beijing officials.

A Japanese man enraged by the noise of go-karting popular with foreign tourists was arrested Wednesday for trying to set fire to the motor vehicles, according to police and local media.

Sweeping foreign aid cuts led by the United States will cause international health funding to plummet to the lowest level in 15 years, a study said Wednesday, warning the world has entered a new "era of global health austerity."

Germany's Florian Wellbrock won the men's 10km at the world championships in Singapore on Wednesday after the race had been postponed for several hours because of poor water quality.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as they weighed Indonesia's trade deal with Washington and a spike in US inflation that saw investors pare their bets on Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

At a leather boot shop in the Indonesian city of Bandung, workers handle an order from Texas but owner Etnawati Melani says she fears such business will dwindle when Donald Trump's tariffs hit exports.

Indonesia's leader on Wednesday hailed a "new era" of trade relations with the United States, after Donald Trump said he slashed the tariff rate faced by Southeast Asia's biggest economy from 32 percent to 19 percent.

Flanker Rob Valetini has resumed training in a big boost for Australia ahead of the first Test against the British and Irish Lions, with assistant coach Geoff Parling Wednesday "very hopeful" the dynamic forward will be fit.

Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt.

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra testified in court on Wednesday, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges in a watershed case for his faltering political dynasty.

Dutch tech giant ASML said Wednesday it booked higher net profits in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year but warned that geopolitical headwinds had darkened the 2026 outlook.

Tajik apricot farmer Uktam Kuziev is worried about the future now that climate change is threatening Central Asia's vital fruit harvest.

NBA team owners authorized league officials to begin an in-depth analysis regarding expansion on Tuesday, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver said there was no timetable for any changes.

Kyle Schwarber smashed three home runs on three swings in a tie-breaker swing-off to lift the National League over the American League 4-3 in Monday's 95th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The British Open returns to Royal Portrush this week as the world's top golfers descend on Northern Ireland, all with eyes on the Claret Jug.

A raucous reception will greet Rory McIlroy as the British Open returns to Royal Portrush and Northern Ireland on Thursday for the first time since Shane Lowry's 2019 triumph.

The UN's unflinching expert on Palestinian affairs Francesca Albanese said Tuesday that Washington's sanctions following her criticism of the White House's stance on Gaza are a "violation" of her immunity.

Tech firms led another rally in Hong Kong stocks Wednesday after US titan Nvidia said it would resume exports of key chips to China after Washington pledged to remove licensing curbs.

The labor minister in economically depressed Cuba resigned Tuesday amid an uproar over her claim that people rummaging through garbage cans were only pretending to be poor and not truly desperate.

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to testify in court on Wednesday, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges in a watershed case for his faltering political dynasty.