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

The final countdown to the most anticipated World Series showdown in decades was under way on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers prepared to face the New York Yankees in what promises to be a baseball blockbuster for the ages.

A prolific "catfish" offender whose cruel campaign of global online blackmail targeted thousands of young victims and drove a 12-year-old US girl to suicide was on Friday jailed for life.

A NASA astronaut who just returned from the International Space Station has been hospitalized for an unspecified medical condition but remains stable, the US space agency said Friday.

US President Joe Biden delivered a historic apology Friday for one of the country's "most horrific chapters": abducting Native American children from their families and placing them in government boarding schools to erase their culture.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday ruled out categorizing drug cartel-related violence as "terrorism," a day after clashes left 19 people dead and a car bomb wounded three police.

Lorenzo Musetti stunned world number three Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals in Vienna on Friday, describing his comeback triumph as "a pretty big win".

Unai Emery has urged his Aston Villa side to maintain their standards after a fine start to the season in both English and European competitions.

Boeing is exploring a possible sale of its space business as its new CEO seeks to improve the embattled company's financial position, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

G20 leaders affirmed their commitment to shifting away from fossil fuels after talks this week in Washington, according to a ministerial statement released Friday.

Injured pace bowler Mohammed Shami will miss India's tour of Australia next month with three uncapped players named in the squad on Friday.

Mining giants BHP and Vale on Friday signed a deal with Brazil's government to pay nearly $30 billion in damages for a 2015 dam collapse that triggered the country's worst environmental disaster.

A severe outbreak of E. Coli linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers has expanded to 75 reported cases, mainly in the western United States, authorities said Friday.

Turkmenistan said on Friday it will capture the gas fuelling its "Gateway to Hell", putting the man-made fire pit at risk of closure as the reclusive state seeks to reduce its greenhouse emissions.

Senegal's new world kickboxing champion Mouhamed Tafsir Ba smashes an uppercut into the punching bag in a dilapidated room in a military barracks. Bare-chested, muscles glistening with sweat, he works on the bag, delivering punches at a dizzying speed.

Waymo on Friday said it raised $5.6 billion from investors to expand a robotaxi program now operating in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco.

Billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man and an avid supporter of Donald Trump, was plunged into new controversy on Friday after a report that he is in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Covid-19 and Ebola outbreaks brought into stark relief the harms that can come to humans if we interfere too much with nature, placing ourselves in contact with animals carrying unknown pathogens.

England rugby coach Steve Borthwick announced Friday that 17 players had been awarded enhanced "Elite Player Squad" (EPS) contracts, giving him greater control over his top stars.

A sex scandal rocking the junior coalition partner of Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has embarrassed a government that has prioritised gender equality and the fight against sexual violence.

France must take "credible" steps to tackle its high deficit, its new finance minister said Thursday, shortly before a major credit ratings agency gives its verdict on the country's sovereign debt.

Global stock markets diverged Friday in an end to a week's trading dominated by earnings updates and bond yield worries.

Mining giants BHP and Vale on Friday signed a deal with Brazil's government to pay nearly $30 billion in compensation for a 2015 dam collapse that triggered the country's worst environmental disaster.

Max Verstappen has told AFP it is "definitely" his intention to remain at Red Bull until 2028 despite a turbulent season on and off the track.

Kylian Mbappe's start at Real Madrid has been satisfactory, his performances neither spectacular nor underwhelming, but Saturday's La Liga Clasico offers the French superstar a springboard to kick on from.

A sarcastic monument is dumped in Washington, Barack Obama shows off his rapping skills, and a bakery says cookies can predict the election outcome.

US President Joe Biden was set on Thursday to deliver a historic apology for one of the country's "darkest chapters": the abduction of Native American children from their families and placement in abusive boarding schools aimed at erasing their culture.

West Ham's Julen Lopetegui said under-fire managers should not complain about pressure as he prepared to face Manchester United's Erik ten Hag in a battle of bosses in the hot seat.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Friday that Israeli forces had detained hundreds of staff, patients and displaced people during a raid on the last functioning hospital in the north of the territory.

Alpine skiing legend Marcel Hirscher on Friday confirmed that he will make his return from retirement to compete in this season's opening men's World Cup race in Soelden, Austria, on the weekend.

The war in Sudan is likely to cause heavy economic damage in neighboring countries, the IMF's deputy director for Africa, Catherine Pattillo, told AFP.

South Korea urged Russia to stop its "illegal cooperation" with Pyongyang and voiced "grave concern" on Friday as Moscow moved to ratify its defence treaty with North Korea.

Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain make a risk-laden trip to the Mediterranean coast Sunday where bitter rivals Marseille and their developing English stars Mason Greenwood and Jonathan Rowe are sharpening their knives.