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

Following in the footsteps of electric scooters on land and wakeboards at sea, young entrepreneurs are bringing electric power to snow travel with self-propelled skis and all-terrain skates.

Video game play met romantic intimacy in a corner of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Thursday -- but it hasn't always been smooth sailing for sex toys at the Las Vegas gadget extravaganza.

London's National Gallery will open all night on January 17 to give art lovers a final chance to see its blockbuster Vincent Van Gogh exhibition, the museum said Thursday.

Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen know they will need to be close to perfect to hunt down leaders Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga returns from a three-week winter break.

Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have launched a new push to end the Gaza war and secure the release of dozens of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

Lamborghini set a new sales record in 2024, the Italian sportscar maker said on Thursday, defying the gloom that has hit mass-market car companies.

Struggling Everton sacked manager Sean Dyche on Thursday, just hours before their FA Cup third-round tie against Peterborough.

Bochum were handed all three points by a German FA (DFB) court on Thursday after their goalkeeper was hit in the head by a lighter thrown by fans in a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Union Berlin in December.

Two dozen armed men tried to storm into Chad's presidential palace but 18 of the attackers and two soldiers were killed in the failed attack, the national prosecutor said Thursday.

Opponents of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro took to the streets Thursday in a last-ditch protest against his swearing-in for a third six-year term as president.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the "crucial election" by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacuum at the top, calling his victory an opportunity for reform in the country.

France on Thursday charged the founder of an adult website used to commit sexual offences, including by a French man who recruited dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife, prosecutors said.

Jimmy Carter brought a brief moment of national unity to a divided America Thursday as five US presidents gathered for the solemn state funeral of the 39th commander-in-chief in Washington's National Cathedral.

Shell-shocked Los Angeles residents on Thursday surveyed the devastation from wind-whipped fires that have engulfed entire neighborhoods and claimed at least five lives, as forecasters warned of further dangerous conditions.

Chinaese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday pledged Beijing's full support and military aid for the world's poorest continent as he wrapped up his Africa tour in Nigeria.

Italy's far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Thursday Elon Musk's political interventions only caused outrage because he wasn't left-wing -- and that foreigners had been interfering in Italian politics for years.

Jimmy Carter began his final journey Thursday, with his flag-draped coffin being moved from the US Capitol for his state funeral at Washington's National Cathedral as mourners paid their respects to the 39th US president.

Lebanon's lawmakers on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy in the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, on trial charged with accepting illegal campaign financing, told a court Thursday he had never accepted any money from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Injured Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface will not return for Friday's Borussia Dortmund clash, while Granit Xhaka is a doubt, coach Xabi Alonso said.

Wildfires across Los Angeles have claimed at least five lives and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Some blazes are threatening to engulf parts of Hollywood.

Mozambique's main opposition leader returned from weeks of exile Thursday, insisting he won October's presidential elections and welcomed by thousands of jubilant supporters but at least one person was killed as police tried to disperse the crowds.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is facing a crisis after the US government refused to make a $3.6 million contribution to the global watchdog's annual budget amid an ongoing row over a doping scandal involving Chinese swimmers.

Lebanon's lawmakers elected on Thursday army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy of the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

Zoe Aldcroft is set to lead England at this year's Women's Rugby World Cup on home soil after being named Thursday as the team's captain for 2025.

US greenhouse gas emissions barely decreased in 2024, leaving the world's largest economy off track to achieve its climate goals, according to an analysis released Thursday, as the incoming Trump administration looks set to double down on fossil fuels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Donald Trump's return to the White House would open "a new chapter" and reiterated a call for Western allies to send troops to help "force Russia to peace".

Poland's president has urged the government not to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he attend the Auschwitz liberation anniversary event later this month, his office said Thursday.

Former Scotland rugby union captain Stuart Hogg was sentenced to supervision for a year on Thursday, avoiding a jail term after admitting he had abused his estranged wife over the course of five years.

Lebanon's lawmakers voted for a second time in the day Thursday to elect a much-needed president, with army chief Joseph Aoun expected to win.

Battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday in Syria's northern Manbij region, a war monitor said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied Thursday talking to Elon Musk about a cybersecurity deal with the American billionaire's SpaceX company following reports that sparked controversy in Italy.