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

More than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed on Thursday due to pollution, authorities said, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.

The head of the Louvre in Paris has warned the government about leaks, overcrowding and sub-standard catering in a confidential note that has raised alarm about the state of the world's most-visited museum.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final.

Manchester City on Thursday announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, with Kyle Walker joining AC Milan on loan, as the club step up their rebuild during a disappointing season.

The Kremlin said Thursday it saw nothing new in US President Donald Trump's calls for Russia to end its military offensive in Ukraine, and that Moscow was ready for "mutually respectful" dialogue with him.

Negligence played a role in the deaths of 78 people who perished when a huge fire gutted a luxury ski resort hotel in northern Turkey this week, an expert has told AFP.

The Champions League's new format is set for a thrilling climax on Wednesday but Celtic's place in the knockout phase for the first time in 12 years is already assured.

Real Madrid are the first football club to top a billion euros in revenue during a single season, fuelled by income generated by the revamped Santiago Bernabeu stadium, according to financial experts Deloitte.

Manchester City on Thursday announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush for a reported initial fee of around £59 million ($72.6 million).

Sweden and Finland, Europe's most forested countries, are not doing enough to protect their primary and old-growth forests, falling short of EU commitments, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a report Thursday.

Donald Trump is back in the White House, promising to use the United States's vast economic weight to hit back at China for its alleged unfair trade practices and role in the deadly American fentanyl crisis.

Asian equities mostly rose Thursday, cheered by another tech-fuelled run-up on Wall Street after Donald Trump's huge AI investment announcement, as traders assessed the outlook for the next four years under the new president.

The US film industry's first major gathering since wildfires devastated Los Angeles begins Thursday at Sundance, where Olivia Colman and John Lithgow will kick off the indie movie festival under somber circumstances.

The United States' new top diplomat Marco Rubio reaffirmed the country's "unwavering support" for Israel, days into a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a large-scale raid in the occupied West Bank.

This year's Oscar nominations will be unveiled Thursday in an announcement delayed by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, with transgender cartel musical "Emilia Perez" expected to lead a highly competitive field.

Air pollution forced nearly 200 schools in Bangkok to close on Thursday, local authorities said, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.

Spain's Javier Romo swept to his first UCI World Tour victory on the back of a daring attack to win the third stage and take the lead in the Tour Down Under on Thursday.

Napoli are riding a wave of enthusiasm ahead of Saturday's visit of Juventus as fans begin to believe that Antonio Conte can bring Serie A title glory back to southern Italy.

Marco Odermatt, fresh from a stunning victory in Wengen, will lead the men in World Cup Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuehel, Austria, this weekend.

One of Japan's biggest pop stars and best-known TV hosts, Masahiro Nakai, announced his retirement Thursday over sexual misconduct allegations, reports said, in the latest scandal to rock Japan's entertainment industry.

Scores of same-sex and transgender couples married in Thailand on Thursday as the kingdom's equal marriage law went into effect, with two high-profile gay actors among the first to do so.

A strange sight appears on the streets of Mogadishu: a figure dressed all in black, including a cowboy hat, riding a horse through the beeping traffic of tuk-tuks and motorbikes.

Ukraine's Lyudmyla Kichenok accused France's Kristina Mladenovic Thursday of making a "very direct threat" against her during a testy women's doubles clash at the Australian Open.

Donald Trump on Thursday will star in an eagerly-anticipated online appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, addressing global elites whose annual gabfest has been consumed by the US president's days-old second term.

Tucking into beer and pretzels, the frontrunner to become Germany's next chancellor, conservative millionaire Friedrich Merz, is showing off his folksy side.

Donald Trump's return to the White House has darkened the mood in Germany a month before elections, as multiple crises shake the foundations on which Europe's biggest economy built its post-war prosperity.

Mauricio Pochettino said he has been handed a welcome selection headache after watching his youthful United States squad wrap up their January training camp with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in Florida on Wednesday.

Asian equities mostly rose Thursday, cheered by another tech-fuelled run-up on Wall Street after Donald Trump's huge AI investment announcement, as traders assessed the outlook for the next four years under the new president.

Bangladeshi students braved bullets to overthrow an autocratic government, but six months after the revolution, many say finding a job is proving a harder task than manning the barricades.

South Korean investigators recommended Thursday that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol be charged with insurrection and abuse of power, as they handed over the results of their probe into his ill-fated declaration of martial law to prosecutors.

Solar overtook coal in the European Union's electricity production in 2024, with the share of renewables rising to almost half the bloc's power sector, according to a report released Thursday.

The gesture was controversial enough, but now come the sub-controversies: Elon Musk is trolling Wikipedia and encouraging its defunding after a description of his recent flourish, seen by some as a Hitler salute, appeared on the encyclopedic website.