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

A two-acre paddy field in northern Thailand has been transformed into an artwork depicting a dragon and a cat, symbols of hope and resilience as the community recovers from floods.

Markets extended a global rally Thursday after below-forecast US inflation provided a much-needed shot of relief to investors and revived hopes for interest rate cuts this year.

Impeached leader Yoon Suk Yeol made history this week as the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, ending a weeks-long standoff. But analysts say the country's political crisis is far from over.

Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its massive New Glenn rocket for the first time early Thursday, a livestream of the blastoff showed.

Beijing is hoping subsidies for rice cookers, microwave ovens and smartphones can boost sluggish spending and help the country weather an economic storm from incoming US president Donald Trump.

The World Bank plans to loan cash-strapped Pakistan $20 billion over the coming decade to nurture its private sector and bolster resilience to climate change, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan underwent surgery Thursday after he was repeatedly stabbed in an apparent burglary at his home in Mumbai, his public relations team said.

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC on Thursday announced a better-than-expected net profit for the fourth quarter as it benefits from booming demand for AI technology.

India docked two satellites in space Thursday, a key milestone for the country's dreams of a space station and manned Moon mission, the space agency said.

Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round showdown with Emma Raducanu in the Australian Open on Thursday while Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol refused to appear for fresh questioning by investigators Thursday, a day after his dramatic arrest over a failed martial law declaration.

The ancient game of kho kho is enjoying a resurgence in India, with organisers of the first international tournament hoping their efforts will secure the sport's place in the Olympics.

Fired-up Taylor Fritz scorched through to an Australian Open third-round clash against Gael Monfils with another emphatic win Thursday, dropping just eight games in the tournament so far.

AFP photographer Eric Schwab recorded the horrors of the Holocaust -- the crematoria, the piles of skeletal bodies and emaciated faces -- as he went from one Nazi extermination camp to the next in the spring of 1945 searching for his mother.

For years, Auschwitz survivor Naftali Furst kept his story to himself.

Israel's cabinet was expected to meet Thursday to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported, a day after mediators announced an agreement they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.

A bad bout of asthma nearly derailed the comeback of former world number two Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open Wednesday, with the Tunisian saying she found it hard to breathe and nearly gave up.

Iga Swiatek romped into a showdown with Emma Raducanu in early Australian Open second-round action Thursday ahead of Jannik Sinner stepping up the defence of his Melbourne Park title.

Speculation over Nintendo's new console, a successor to the wildly popular Switch, reached a fever pitch Thursday with specialist media predicting an imminent announcement from the Japanese gaming giant.

US President Joe Biden urged Americans Wednesday to stand guard against a "dangerous" oligarchy forming under Donald Trump as he delivered a dark farewell address before stepping down next week.

World number two Iga Swiatek romped into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday to set up a high-profile clash with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Asian markets extended a global rally Thursday after below-forecast US inflation provided a much-needed shot of relief to investors and revived hopes for interest rate cuts this year.

US officials late Wednesday announced a $1.6 billion deal with Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors to settle charges it deceived regulators about the amount of emissions spewed by its diesel engines.

Fire-wrecked Los Angeles got a break Wednesday as dangerous winds dropped, giving hope to weary firefighters still battling to snuff out deadly blazes.

Iga Swiatek raced into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday with a 6-0, 6-2 demolition of Rebecca Sramkova, taking another step on the road to redemption after a doping ban last year.

US President Joe Biden urged Americans Wednesday to "stand guard" against a "dangerous" oligarchy forming under Donald Trump as he delivered a dark farewell address before stepping down next week.

First came the slow hand movements, then the tremor, and now the looming fear of what lies ahead.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol faced renewed questioning Thursday, a day after his dramatic arrest over a failed martial law declaration, but his lawyers said he would not take part.

The Israel-Hamas deal was made possible by 18-hour days and a "remarkable" partnership between Joe Biden and Donald Trump's Mideast envoys -- but even then it seemed it might come apart at the last minute.

Unbearable noise forced a match close to the Australian Open's polarising "party court" to be moved, but the men playing in front of "extremely drunk" fans said they loved the atmosphere.

Global news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) and French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI have signed a deal for the start-up's chatbot to use news agency reports to respond to users' requests, executives from the two organisations said Thursday.

Cuba began releasing people Wednesday who had been jailed for protesting against the regime under a deal that saw departing US President Joe Biden remove the communist island from a list of terrorism sponsors.