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

The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N'Djamena, the general staffs of both countries announced Thursday.

French police have arrested six people on suspicion of plotting to kidnap YouTube star Inoxtag or one of his relatives and demand a ransom, a source close to the case and prosecutors said on Thursday.

Wales captain Jac Morgan said on Thursday that his team would be using pre-tournament negativity surrounding their hopes in the Six Nations as motivation before the opener against France.

The close-knit world of figure skating was in mourning on Thursday after a passenger jet carrying athletes and coaches, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, crashed into Washington's Potomac River.

US actor Richard Gere, who recently moved to Spain, will be honoured next month at the country's top film honours, the Goya awards, the Spanish Film Academy said Thursday.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has left his role as Saudi side Al-Ettifaq's coach by mutual consent after 18 months in charge, the club said on Thursday.

European football body UEFA hailed the "more dynamic" new format of the Champions League as a huge success after the first phase concluded on Wednesday while all of the continent's biggest clubs survived to reach the knockout stage.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions with a Qatari delegation in Damascus Thursday included reconstruction in the war-torn country, during the first visit by a head of state since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Eurozone growth slowed to a halt in the fourth quarter last year, dragged by contractions in major powers Germany and France which were held back by economic headwinds and political instability.

Australia had Sri Lanka three down after opener Usman Khawaja's first double century and a ton on debut by Josh Inglis helped the tourists to 654-6 declared in the first match on Thursday.

Sam Prendergast will start at fly-half for reigning champions Ireland when they begin their Six Nations title defence against England in Dublin on Saturday.

DR Congo's president has vowed a "vigorous" military response against Rwandan-backed fighters who have advanced further in the mineral-rich east of the country after seizing most of the region's main city.

Russian figure skaters including world champion couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 pairs title, were on board a US passenger jet that crashed in Washington on Wednesday, Russian state news agencies reported.

Palestinian militants on Thursday freed three Israeli hostages and five foreigners captured in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel as the third hostage-prisoner exchange of the Gaza ceasefire got under way.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, is to be released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Opener Usman Khawaja's first double century and a ton on debut by Josh Inglis helped Australia to 654-6 declared on day two of the first match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, was released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

A man who repeatedly burnt the Koran in 2023 in Sweden, sparking outrage in Muslim countries, has been shot dead south of Stockholm, investigators said Thursday, adding that five people had been arrested.

A Scottish court on Thursday ruled against the development of two oil and gas fields in the North Sea in a "historic win" for two environmental groups.

Hopes faded for a 74-year-old man in Japan whose truck was swallowed by a sinkhole as a difficult rescue operation entered its third night Thursday, with the chasm widening and locals urged to limit water use to aid efforts.

The EU promised Thursday an "action plan" to help the bloc's beleaguered auto sector as it held talks with industry leaders who have sounded the alarm over emissions fines and Chinese competition.

English rugby giants Leicester said Thursday head coach Michael Cheika will leave at the end of the season after he opted not to extend his contract with the Premiership club.

European stock markets rose and the euro dipped Thursday, with the European Central Bank expected to cut interest rates as inflation eases and the eurozone economy stalls.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane says Marcus Rashford "must be ashamed" at his exile under Ruben Amorim.

A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington's Potomac River Wednesday after colliding midair with a military helicopter, with US media reporting multiple bodies pulled from the dark, near-freezing water.

Europe's top rights court on Thursday ruled that Italy had failed to protect nearly three million people living in a region blighted by toxic waste dumped by the mafia and gave the government two years to fix the situation.

Josh Inglis struck a century on debut and Usman Khawaja made 232 as Australia piled the agony on Sri Lanka on Thursday, day two of the first Test.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its "aggressive and coercive behaviour" in the contested South China Sea and ceases claiming Filipino territory.

A record 92.3 million passengers travelled through Dubai's international airport last year, its operator said on Thursday, underlining the Gulf city's economic boom.

Hindu pilgrim Parvati Gupta braved jostling crowds to be at the world's largest religious festival in India but will leave with injuries that will keep her bedridden for months.

A man who repeatedly burnt the Koran in 2023 in Sweden, sparking outrage in Muslim countries, has been shot dead, media reported Thursday as police confirmed a man died in a shooting the day before.

British energy giant Shell on Thursday announced a 17-percent drop in annual net profit owing to weaker oil and gas prices as well as asset write-offs.