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

The United States authorised the departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Israel on Friday, as it threatened strikes on Iran and pressed its biggest military build-up in the Middle East in decades.

The European Union will implement a mammoth trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc while waiting for a top court's ruling on its legality, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday.

Cambodian monks chanted blessings and scattered flowers Friday over 74 cultural artefacts returned to the country after being plundered by a notorious British antiques smuggler.

Looking out at the blue and yellow cranes towering over the Black Sea horizon, Viktor Berestenko worries about the relentless Russian bombardment of Odesa, Ukraine's southern port city.

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said the scale of the Bundesliga match at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday means victory would be like winning "a mini title".

Britain's ruling Labour party slumped Friday to a humiliating third-place finish as it lost a crunch vote in a traditional stronghold to the left-wing Greens, heaping fresh pressure on embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Exiled Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told AFP in an interview that her country must not become a "consolation prize" for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid intense efforts to end the Ukraine war.

Manchester United's decision to sack Ruben Amorim as their manager could end up costing the Premier League giants almost £16 million ($22 million) according to financial figures released by the club.

Marco Bezzecchi set a new track record to finish fastest ahead of defending world champion Marc Marquez in practice for the season-opening Thailand MotoGP on Friday.

Iran said Friday that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its "excessive demands", tempering the optimism expressed after talks seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war.

Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.

Markets mostly rose Friday as traders extended their buying at the end of a healthy week in Asia, where tech firms rallied on a reassessment of AI investments.

When two students in London tell their families they are going to get married, it should be one of the happiest moments of their lives.

The biggest exhibition ever devoted to the decades-spanning career of provocative British artist Tracey Emin opens Friday at London's Tate Modern, celebrating her ability to transform "life's trauma" into visceral art.

He traded on the glamour of owning Harrods, the Paris Ritz and luxury yachts, but Mohamed Al-Fayed was at the centre of a dark web of alleged abuse, say French lawyers for women who liken him to US sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ruling party has approved plans to beef up the country's intelligence capability, a party official said Friday, as the premier pushes ahead with a defence overhaul.

India revived their T20 World Cup campaign with their "fearless" brand of cricket ahead of a winner-takes-all decider against the West Indies for the last semi-final berth.

Tech titan Amazon is working to step out of Nvidia's shadow with custom "Trainium" chips designed specially for machine learning as billions of dollars are poured into artificial intelligence (AI).

The San Antonio Spurs rolled to an 11th straight NBA victory on Thursday, beating the Brooklyn Nets 126-110 to inch closer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the Western Conference.

Britain's ruling Labour party on Friday lost a crunch local poll in one of its traditional northern English heartlands to the left-wing Greens, adding to the woes of unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez was sixth-fastest behind leader Marco Bezzecchi in the first free practice in Thailand on Friday as the new season got underway.

Melania Trump will preside over a UN Security Council meeting next week, her office has announced, in the first such appearance by a US first lady.

The Philippine, US and Japanese militaries conducted joint exercises this week over the Bashi Channel that separates the Philippines from Taiwan, officials said Friday.

Former US president Bill Clinton will be grilled by a Congressional panel on Friday on his well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein, as Democrats seek to shift focus onto Donald Trump's own ties to the convicted sex offender.

Nepali student leader-turned-politician Gagan Thapa has sought to rejuvenate his party's stale image, campaigning on generational change ahead of the Himalayan nation's first elections since a deadly youth-led uprising.

With the pain of a crushing Champions League exit still raw, Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel hopes Bayern Munich's high-stakes visit on Saturday will provide the spark for his side to save their season.

Barcelona host high-flying Villarreal on Saturday aiming to tighten their grip on pole position in La Liga amid concerns about the form of strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Away from Paris Saint-Germain's quest to hold off Lens and retain the Ligue 1 title, Marseille and Lyon are fighting it out for France's last automatic Champions League qualifying berth and face off in a huge game on Sunday.

A security scare at the Australian prime minister's residence this week was sparked by a bomb threat against an anti-Beijing Chinese dance troupe, the act's hosts said Friday.

As dengue surges globally, an Indian vaccine candidate has entered the final stage of testing, raising hopes for one of the world's first single-dose shots against the deadly mosquito-borne disease.

Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.

The giant Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair for telecoms kicks off for its 20th annual edition in Barcelona on Monday, with firms racing to pump AI into their systems even as debate rages over the technology's regulation.