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

British bank Barclays on Thursday said its net profit jumped almost a quarter in the third quarter, helped by improved performance at its core UK and investment divisions alongside cost-cutting.

A New Zealand airport has imposed a three-minute limit on farewell hugs, sparking a worldwide debate over how long to cling on for a cuddle.

At least 1.1 million people on India's eastern coast are fleeing to storm shelters inland, hours before a powerful cyclone is expected to hammer the low-lying region, ministers said Thursday.

South Africa cruised to a seven-wicket first Test win over Bangladesh Thursday, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC halted shipments to a customer this month after its semiconductors were sent to China's Huawei, a Taipei government official told AFP, potentially breaching US sanctions.

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets, including captain Tom Latham, as New Zealand reached 92-2 at lunch on day one of the second Test on Thursday.

For Pakistani police, reports of a college campus rape that went viral this month are "fake news" fomenting unrest. For protesting students, the social media posts offer a rare public reckoning with sexual assault.

After suffocating Covid-19 restrictions, many embraced the call of the wild and the joys of foraging, but tightening Swiss biodiversity protection measures are infuriating growing hordes of mushroom-picking enthusiasts.

A harrowing new documentary about three Texas women who suffered unspeakable tragedy after they were refused abortions hits theaters Friday, as the battle over reproductive rights looms large ahead of the US election.

Japan's undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue will defend his titles against Australia's Sam Goodman in Tokyo on Christmas Eve, it was announced Thursday.

Italian priest Davide Marcheselli has been fighting for years against Chinese companies illegally mining gold in the town of Kitutu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Damian Lillard scored 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 124-109 victory over the injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in the NBA season-opener for both teams.

Argentine police raided on Wednesday the Buenos Aires hotel where former One Direction star Liam Payne died after falling from his third-floor balcony, a police source told AFP.

South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada finished with figures of 6-46 on Thursday to bowl out Bangladesh for 307 on day four of the first Test in Mirpur.

The countries bordering the North Sea meet in Denmark on Thursday to seal commitments to boost offshore wind power, a sector that is suffering from stiff competition from China.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads Thursday to key Hamas mediator Qatar as he seeks momentum to end the Gaza war following Israel's killing of the group's leader.

While the outcome of next month's US presidential election remains on a knife-edge, analysts say that for many in China the consequence is the same whoever emerges victorious: more tariffs, more tensions and a trade war that shows no sign of easing.

Philippine rescuers raced Thursday to reach residents still stranded by flooding in the hard-hit Bicol region, after torrential rains from Tropical Storm Trami submerged villages and killed more than 20 people.

Before the Zaha Hadid-designed plaza, before the luxury high rises, before the South Korean neighbourhood hosted fashion week, there was a pastor handing out rice to poor pensioners in Seoul's Dongdaemun district.

Inter Milan head into Sunday's clash with Juventus in fine spirits after snatching a last gasp win at Young Boys while their Serie A title rivals are struggling to fire under new coach Thiago Motta.

King Charles III took part in a traditional kava-drinking ceremony before a line of bare-chested, heavily tattooed Samoans and was declared a "high chief" of his Pacific island realm on Thursday.

New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's snap election gamble could backfire this Sunday, with his ruling party at risk of losing its majority for the first time in 15 years.

Damian Lillard scored 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 124-109 victory over the injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in the NBA season-opener for both teams.

Boeing workers in the Seattle region decisively rejected the company's latest contract offer on Wednesday, extending the nearly six-week strike.

Jefferson Savarino scored twice as Brazil's Botafogo crushed Uruguay's Penarol 5-0 in their Copa Libertadores semi-final, first-leg on Wednesday.

Asian markets were mixed Thursday following steep losses on Wall Street as a spike in US Treasury yields led investors to scale back their expectations on interest rate cuts.

Japan wants to host the Women's World Cup in 2031 to ignite the domestic game and cut the gap on Europe and North America, the country's football chief told AFP.

Kamala Harris called Donald Trump a "fascist" Wednesday and warned that her US election rival was "increasingly unstable" as she addressed his reported praise for Adolf Hitler at a town hall event.

Microsoft's ambition to become the "Netflix of video games" faces a huge test this week with the release of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" on Friday.

Vladimir Putin will meet UN chief Antonio Guterres for the first time in over two years on Thursday, as the Russian president faces calls from his BRICS allies to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Kamala Harris said on Wednesday Donald Trump was a fascist and called her US election rival "increasingly unstable" as she addressed his reported praise for Adolf Hitler at a town hall event.

In her store located a stone's throw from the wall separating the United States and Mexico, Ida Pedrego sighs at the thought of White House hopefuls visiting the border to talk about immigration.