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

Pope Francis said Friday that the Catholic Church must "seek forgiveness" over the "scourge" of child sexual abuse, during a visit to Belgium where the Church's dark past looms large.

Former supermodel Naomi Campbell has been barred from running a charity after an inquiry found funds raised by an organisation she founded had been spent on spa treatment and room service charges.

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan's prime minister next week after winning the conservative ruling party's leadership vote on Friday.

Israel and Hezbollah traded fire Friday after the United States and its allies failed to secure a halt in clashes that have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon this week.

Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev both won in straight sets to start their China Open title bids Friday while 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai pulled off a big shock in the women's draw.

Enea Bastianini marked himself down as the man to beat at the Indonesia MotoGP with a sparkling record lap in practice on Friday, raising his hopes of closing the gap on championship leader Jorge Martin.

More than 3,600 people have been killed this year in the "senseless" gang violence ravaging Haiti, the United Nations said on Friday.

France's new Justice Minister Didier Migaud said Friday that he was in favour of adding the notion of "consent" to the country's law defining rape.

Workers removed the Olympics logo from the Eiffel Tower overnight on Friday, returning the beloved monument to its usual form -- but perhaps only temporarily.

China on Friday opened up over a hundred billion dollars in cash for its ailing economy, capping a week in which its leadership embark on one of their biggest drives in years to kickstart growth.

Elon Musk's X social media platform has complied with orders from Brazil's Supreme Court and is asking for its suspension in the country to be lifted, a source close to the case told AFP on Thursday.

US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper says he is ready for the "responsibility" of leading British tennis but thinks it is "unrealistic" to match the achievements of retired great Andy Murray.

China this week unveiled a bundle of new measures aimed at kickstarting its economy, battered by unprecedented headwinds including a property sector crisis and sluggish spending.

France's vast public debt pile grew in the second quarter, official figures showed Friday, as Prime Minister Michel Barnier's shaky minority government girds itself for a gruelling budget debate.

Israel has killed several top Hezbollah commanders in a series of targeted strikes on the Iran-backed movement's stronghold in Beirut.

Shigeru Ishiba, who will be Japan's next prime minister after winning his party's leadership vote on Friday, is a seasoned lawmaker known for his in-depth security policy knowledge.

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan's next prime minister after winning the ruling party's leadership vote on Friday, the official count showed.

As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy's hands.

Britain's US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper said he felt "really strong" after knocking out number two seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Japan Open quarter-finals on Friday.

Hurricane Helene weakened on Friday hours after it made landfall in the US state of Florida, with officials warning the storm remained "extremely dangerous" as it surged inland, leaving flooded roads and homes in its wake.

Daring to prefix a company or even a pop group's name with "easy" could land you with legal action, as the founder of British airline easyJet relentlessly tackles alleged trademark breaches.

Amid the scorching heat at the Albanian port of Durres, 102 containers set sail for Thailand in early July, sparking a high-seas drama that highlighted the perils of the global waste trade.

From disinformation campaigns to soaring scepticism, plummeting trust and economic slumps, the global media landscape has been hit with blow after blow.

Gently holding a blackcap warbler in his palm, ornithologist Christos Barboutis blew on its feathers to reveal the size of its belly: a good indicator of how far the bird can migrate.

A seasoned defence geek and a nationalist who would be Japan's first woman prime minister will go head-to-head in the final round of a ruling party leadership vote on Friday, the official count showed.

The stain of Catholic child abuse looms over Pope Francis's visit to Belgium this week, but a lesser-known scandal still roils the country: the "forced adoption" of newborns taken from their mothers, with nuns' complicity.

The 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai, who earlier this week won her first match in more than 600 days, stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing on Friday.

The Dallas Cowboys snapped a two-game skid with a 20-15 victory over NFC East rivals the New York Giants on Thursday to improve to 2-2 early in the NFL season.

The world's most populous nation India has a waste problem to match, but one group hopes their efforts can inspire change in one of the top polluters of plastic.

Italian rider Franco Morbidelli topped the times in Friday morning's free practice session at the Indonesia MotoGP, with his teammate and championship leader Jorge Martin back in third.

The "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Helene made landfall in the US state of Florida on Thursday, with officials warning of "unsurvivable" conditions and a potentially catastrophic storm surge high enough to swamp a two-story house.

China on Friday cut the amount banks must hold in reserve, releasing an estimated $142.6 billion in liquidity into the financial market as leaders embark on one of their biggest drives in years to kickstart growth.