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

Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir shut more than 1,000 religious schools Thursday over fears of possible military action from India in retaliation for last week's deadly attack.

When he grows up, five-year-old Ahmad wants to be "stronger than Spider-Man".

Veteran Australian back Kurtley Beale admitted Thursday ahead of his comeback this weekend that he came close to retiring after rupturing his Achilles tendon .

Syrian estate agent Fahd Haidar shuttered his business and got out his rifle to defend his hometown of Jaramana when it came under attack this week by Islamists loyal to the new government.

Sales of Tesla cars in France plunged 59 percent in April, piling on more bad news for the electric vehicle company run by Elon Musk, the billionaire advisor to US President Donald Trump.

The United States has appealed to India and Pakistan to de-escalate after a deadly attack in Kashmir, as New Delhi on Thursday said that both sides again traded border gunfire overnight.

Israeli firefighting teams battled wildfires near Jerusalem for a second day on Thursday, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed.

Hard-right and far-right parties are riding high in polls across Europe but their electoral success conceals divisions which could become major sources of tension if they win power, according to analysts.

NBA superstar LeBron James says he'll take time to decide whether to return for a 23rd season after his Los Angeles Lakers were dumped out of the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

Ukraine's chief rabbi Moshe Azman stood in front of a microphone inside a studio and started to sing "Donald Trump, it's time to fight in the name of light" to a catchy rock rune.

The husband of an Australian woman accused of triple murder with a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington told a court Thursday his father was "hunched" in pain before he died.

The Minnesota Timberwolves sent LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tumbling out of the NBA playoffs at the first hurdle on Wednesday, producing a clinical 103-96 win to complete a 4-1 series victory.

Albania's coast is being hit by a double whammy of climate change and chaotic tourist development.

United States officials have reached out to their Chinese counterparts for talks on vast tariffs that have hammered markets and global supply chains, a Beijing-backed outlet said on Thursday citing sources.

The Bank of Japan revised down its growth forecasts and held interest rates steady on Thursday, warning that trade tariffs are fuelling global economic uncertainty.

New Australia coach Les Kiss will have little over a year to mould the Wallabies into a force to challenge for their home Rugby World Cup in 2027.

Serbia's trade unions will for the first time join a protest Thursday called by student leaders, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption.

A dejected-looking Lionel Messi walked off the field in defeat on Wednesday after his Inter Miami team were exposed in emphatic fashion by a young Vancouver Whitecaps.

A man was in hospital after falling some 20 feet from the stands onto the warning track in the PNC Park outfield during a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Wednesday, the Major League Baseball team said.

Rich in solar and wind power, and bulging in critical minerals for renewable energy technology, Australia touts itself as a leader in the race to net zero carbon emissions.

Japanese stocks rose Thursday as the central bank kept its key interest rates steady as expected, in thin trade with most Asian markets shut for the May 1 holiday.

The Bank of Japan on Thursday left its key interest rate unchanged but revised down its growth forecasts, warning that US trade tariffs are fuelling economic uncertainty.

Bordeaux-Begles host Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-final on Sunday having come a long way since their inception more than two decades ago.

Napoli are closing in on a second Serie A title in three seasons ahead of their trip to struggling Lecce on Saturday, the first of four matches against modest opposition which could confirm a stunning league crown.

Driven by huge crowds, unpredictable results and some of Germany's biggest clubs including Hamburg and Schalke, the Bundesliga 2 broke through the billion-euro revenue barrier last season to become Europe's wealthiest second division.

Paris Saint-Germain must go to Strasbourg this weekend, in between the two legs of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, for a clash with one of a host of sides scrapping to qualify from Ligue 1 for Europe's elite club competition next season.

Centenarian Dorothea Barron recalled the wave of relief she felt when she heard World War II had finally come to an end.

Myanmar's military junta let a truce declared to spur aid efforts after last month's earthquake expire on Thursday, a ceasefire that monitors say it consistently violated with air strikes.

The Houston Rockets thrashed the Golden State Warriors 131-116 to fend off elimination in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, narrowing the gap in their Western Conference series to 3-2.

Lionel Messi's dream of winning Inter Miami's first CONCACAF Champions Cup title ended on Wednesday with the Vancouver Whitecaps reaching the final with a 3-1 win in south Florida earning them a 5-1 aggregate victory.

The head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on Wednesday criticized US President Donald Trump's order to fast-track deep-sea mining in the open ocean outside American territorial waters.

Britain's two main parties are tipped to suffer losses Thursday in local elections likely to confirm the rise of hard-right populists and portend the splintering of a century-long political duopoly.