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

Thomas Tuchel has urged England to play without fear after claiming they were "afraid" in a scathing assessment of their run to the Euro 2024 final under his predecessor Gareth Southgate.

The NBA's Boston Celtics are being sold to the head of a California private equity firm for $6.1 billion, a record price for a US sports franchise, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

France's education ministry has cancelled an order for "Beauty and the Beast" with modern illustrations, saying a cartoonist's 21st-century version including a police sniffer dog and smartphones was inappropriate for tweens.

Scotland's former leader Nicola Sturgeon was on Thursday cleared following a long-running investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP), police said, as her former partner appeared in court charged with embezzlement.

Hundreds of people clutching red and white roses and wearing t-shirts with their loved ones' faces gathered in a small town in North Macedonia on Thursday to bury victims of a devastating nightclub fire.

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call snap elections on Sunday, sending voters to the polls on April 28, two government sources told AFP.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Thursday urged the judiciary to take a stand against the Turkish government's misuse of the courts as protesters rallied for a second day over his shock arrest in a graft and terror probe.

The EU said Thursday its tariffs targeting American goods in retaliation for US levies on steel and aluminium would start in mid-April, two weeks later than planned, to give more time for dialogue.

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as South Korea were held but still inched closer along with a rampant Australia.

Oxygen has been detected in the most distant galaxy ever discovered, surprised astronomers said Thursday, offering further evidence that stars in the early universe matured far quicker than had been thought possible.

South Korea conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman stunned Son Heung-min's side to snatch a precious 1-1 away draw in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo gave them a 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday.

Defending MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin, who suffered two pre-season crashes, said he hopes to be back for the fourth round of this year's championship.

The Bank of England kept its key interest rate at 4.5 percent Thursday, as it warned of "a lot of economic uncertainty" caused largely by US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo gave them a 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday.

Hamas said it fired rockets at Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv on Thursday in its first military response to the growing civilian death toll from Israel's resumption of air and ground operations in Gaza.

Protesters gathered in Istanbul for a second day on Thursday after police detained the city's powerful mayor in a graft and terror probe that the opposition has slammed as a political "coup".

Paulo Dybala is set to miss the rest of the season after Roma announced on Thursday that the Argentina forward would go under the knife in the hope of resolving a thigh injury.

The once-pristine white oil tanks of Sudan's largest refinery have been blackened by nearly two years of devastating war, leaving the country heavily dependent on fuel imports it can ill afford.

Senior military figures and European leaders gathered Thursday to thrash out plans for long-term peace in Ukraine, as the United States and Russia prepared for fresh talks on ending the war.

Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis vowed Thursday that he had "more in the tank" going into the defence of his world indoor title in Nanjing, with the possibility of clearing the mythical 6-metre mark for the 100th time on the cards.

Former Formula One world champion Damon Hill admitted he was "very sad and shocked" on Thursday by news of the death of his former boss Eddie Jordan in South Africa.

Two goals in two minutes helped Australia secure a 5-1 thrashing of Indonesia on Thursday to inch closer to World Cup qualification as Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert was well beaten in his first game in charge.

Boxing will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously for its inclusion on Thursday.

France has expressed concern after US border agents read the contents of a visiting French space scientist's smartphone and deported him after accusing him of "hateful" messages against US policy.

Major European and Asian stock markets retreated Thursday following a weaker-than-forecast US economic outlook and despite the Federal Reserve trying to calm fears over President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Philippine senators on Thursday grilled government officials over their decision to hand former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court last week, with the country's justice minister denying coordinating the arrest ahead of time.

An upbeat Lewis Hamilton declared Thursday things would be different at the Chinese Grand Prix after a disappointing debut with Ferrari in Melbourne, saying his new team "can close the gap" on McLaren.

Chelsea have completed the double signing of Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon, agreeing a combined fee of around £62.5 million ($81 million) for the pair.

Thai F1 ace Alex Albon said Thursday he was excited at the possibility of a future grand prix in his home country and would do everything he could to help make it a reality.

The race to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee reaches a climax on Thursday with Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry believed to be neck and neck but clear of the remaining quartet.

Eddie Jordan, the fast-talking Dubliner who famously gave Michael Schumacher his debut, made his name in Formula One before putting his head for figures to good use in establishing a massive fortune from a diverse portfolio of business ventures.