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

Pesto the penguin towers over the colony at his Australian aquarium home, a fluffy brown furball impossible to miss as he waddles across the ice.

"The fashion world likes everything to be slick, but I'm a bit like Dr. Frankenstein, experimenting all the time with little bits and bobs," said Kevin Germanier, the young Swiss designer who created the Golden Voyager costume for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

Volkswagen managers and workers representatives will start crunch talks in Hanover on Wednesday, following the German group's announcement that drastic cost-cutting measures are needed to keep the carmaker competitive.

Princess Zelda will shed her role as damsel in distress to play the heroine for the first time in the nearly four-decade history of the Nintendo fantasy series named after her.

The Houston Astros clinched their fourth consecutive American League West divisional title on Tuesday to surge into the postseason with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Most Asian markets built on a global rally Wednesday as China announced another interest rate cut the day after unveiling a series of measures to boost the country's ailing economy.

The health ministry in Gaza says the war that erupted after Hamas attacked on Israel on October 7 has killed more than 41,467 people.

China's central bank on Wednesday said it would slash another key interest rate, a day after it unveiled a raft of new measures aimed at boosting its ailing economy.

Two American energy companies are each preparing to bring a nuclear power station back into service, an unprecedented operation which should help meet the growing need for electricity in the United States.

Two men on death row in the United States were executed Tuesday, including a Black man convicted of murder who had maintained his innocence and drawn support from civil rights groups.

Fleeing civil war in his home country Cameroon, Fossi Wandji found himself stuck in Incheon airport terminal for a year when his attempt at obtaining asylum from South Korea was rejected.

It has been nearly 10 months since Aviva Siegel was freed from captivity in Gaza, but her thoughts remain in the Palestinian territory where her husband Keith is still held by Hamas.

Pope Francis has offered refuge on Vatican territory for Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Italian media said on Tuesday.

Newly freed from an Israeli prison, Wael Masha rode atop friends' shoulders through the streets of his West Bank refugee camp before bursting into his home to kiss his mother's feet.

US intelligence has warned Donald Trump of "real and specific" threats from Iran to assassinate him, his presidential campaign said in a statement Tuesday.

Stars from Taylor Swift to George Clooney are flocking to endorse Kamala Harris, but celebrities are unlikely to move the needle when it comes to voters and are seen by insiders as more effective at fundraising.

British foreign minister David Lammy said Tuesday he was working to put Ukraine in the "strongest position" in its war with Russia ahead of the winter months.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday pressed Iran's new president to use his influence to dial down soaring tensions in Lebanon, where Israel is striking Tehran-backed Hezbollah.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees is bracing for a triple crisis as Israeli strikes on Lebanon add to the strain it is facing in Gaza and the West Bank, its chief told AFP on Tuesday.

Russian MPs on Tuesday called for a ban on promoting childless lifestyles, the latest measures targeting what Moscow depicts as a liberal ideology at odds with Russia's conservative values.

Venezuelan authorities launched an investigation Tuesday into a mysterious online fundraiser fronted by the founder of infamous US security contractor Blackwater, who claims to have raised over $1 million towards ousting President Nicolas Maduro.

Caroline Ellison, who testified against her former boyfriend and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried at his crypto fraud trial, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for her role in the case, New York prosecutors told AFP.

Hezbollah announced on Wednesday the death of a commander, hours after the Israeli army said it had killed him in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs which Lebanese authorities said killed six people.

Jayson Tatum said Tuesday the Boston Celtics are hungry for more titles as they prepare to launch the defense of their NBA crown when the new season tips off next month.

A woman who alleges Sean "Diddy" Combs drugged and violently raped her, filming the assault so he could sell it for the titillation of others, said Tuesday she was suing the rapper.

Joe Biden gave a somber farewell address to the United Nations on Tuesday, using his own decision to drop out of the US presidential election to warn of the dangers of autocrats around the globe refusing to quit.

New York area shipping officials urged customers to immediately retrieve their cargo ahead of a possible strike next week which would impact major US ports, according to a letter released Tuesday.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he had the responsibility to find a way of coping without key midfielder Rodri, who could miss the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury.

Harry Brook said he felt a sense of relief after his maiden one-day international hundred paved the way for his first win as England captain.

Dior gave Paris Fashion Week a shot of Olympic adrenaline on Tuesday with a troop of athletic Amazons striding down its runway amid whizzing arrows.

Kylian Mbappe struck for the fourth consecutive game as Real Madrid survived a late scare to beat Alaves 3-2 in La Liga on Tuesday.

Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea thrashed fourth tier Barrow 5-0 to reach the last 16 of the League Cup on Tuesday as a much-changed Manchester City edged out Watford 2-1.