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

Overnight rain helped douse some of South Korea's worst-ever wildfires, authorities said Friday, as the death toll from the unprecedented blazes raging for nearly a week reached 28.

Two women, put onto canvas through paint and collage, hold the world in their hands -- and cast a spell on Nancy Keshinro.

Gleb Gurami believes the parties he organises in a Minsk nightclub are an outlet for young Belarusians, reeling from the exodus that followed mass protests and a political crackdown in 2020.

The Gavi vaccine alliance, which proudly claims it vaccinates more than half the world's children against deadly and debilitating diseases, is now seemingly next in line for US funding cuts.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday warned of "severe challenges" to global trade, vowing to open the country's door "wider and wider" to foreign firms as Beijing faces down a mounting trade war with the United States.

Walking with a cane, 84-year-old apple farmer Kim Mi-ja surveys the wreckage of her village, which was reduced to rubble and covered in ash by South Korea's worst wildfires.

An Australian judge sentenced a policeman who fatally tasered a "frail and confused" 95-year-old woman to do community service rather than jail time.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that Donald Trump's views on tariffs were "difficult to understand" after the US president announced 25 percent levies on imported cars and parts.

Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala's remarkable run at the Miami Open came to a brave end with a three-set loss to Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday pledged deeper cooperation with Bangladeshi counterpart Muhammad Yunus in a meeting that came as Dhaka seeks new friends to offset frosty ties with India.

Yuki Tsunoda stands just 1.59 metres (5ft 3in) but the racer who has joined Formula One world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull is a strong personality who has tried to tame his temper to get his big chance.

Family and supporters of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will rally Friday to mark his 80th birthday and protest his detention in The Hague on a charge of crimes against humanity.

Ukraine's boxing icon Oleksandr Usyk told AFP he will stay in the sport "a little longer" so he can provide "financial support to our army and civilians" and achieve his sporting goal of once again being undisputed heavyweight world champion.

Igor Tudor begins his bid to get Juventus into the Champions League against Genoa on Saturday as Napoli host AC Milan with their Serie A title battle with Inter Milan entering the home straight.

NBA scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander netted a game-high 37 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder over Memphis 125-104 on Thursday for a team-record 61st season victory.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday he has canceled more than 300 visas in a crackdown on anti-Israel activism and vowed to keep doing so, brushing aside furor after masked agents snatched a student.

Asian markets were mixed Friday as traders brace for next week's expected wave of US tariffs, while auto firms extended their painful losses following President Donald Trump's announcement of steep levies on vehicle imports.

China has rushed ahead in recent years as the world's forerunner in wind energy, propelled by explosive local demand as Beijing aggressively pursues strategic and environmental targets.

Overnight rain helped douse some of South Korea's worst-ever wildfires, authorities said Friday, as the death toll from the unprecedented blazes raging for nearly a week reached 28.

Since his teenage years, Koji Hayashi has dreaded one thing: his stubborn, once-vivacious mother being hanged for murder after failing to win her long campaign for a retrial.

US defence chief Pete Hegseth met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday, saying the two countries must stand "shoulder to shoulder" in the face of the threat represented by China.

Defending champion Ilia Malinin seized command of the men's competition at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday while Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs title in Boston.

Novak Djokovic turned on the style to take his place in the last four of the Miami Open with an impressive 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over American Sebastian Korda, becoming the oldest man to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove "improper ideology" from the famed Smithsonian Museums -- and the National Zoo -- expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.

A French court on Monday will rule in the trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen over an alleged fake jobs scam at the EU parliament, a verdict which could ruin her chances of standing for president in 2027.

South Korean game publisher Krafton released early access to its life simulation game "InZOI" Friday, hoping its powerful lifelike graphics will unseat the decades-long dominance of "The Sims" hit franchise.

Banks may have to pay out tens of billions of pounds if the British Supreme Court upholds a judgment ruling controversial car loans are unlawful, in a case beginning in April.

US Vice President JD Vance is on Friday due to tour a US military base in Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation amid President Donald Trump's bid to annex the Danish territory.

Saudi tailor Habib Mohammed's shop once made ornate, hand-woven cloaks for royals, a time-honoured craft he is determined to preserve even as mass-produced garments flood the market, threatening his traditional business.

The saying goes that time is money but in the European Union, time is political too.

Manchester City face Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-finals aiming to keep alive their last chance of silverware in a turbulent season.

Canada's Taylor Pendrith, Argentina's Alejandro Tosti and US golfers Keith Mitchell and Ryan Gerard shared the lead on Thursday when darkness halted the first round of the PGA Houston Open.