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

Sri Lanka's new leftist president is expected to call a snap parliamentary election ahead of his plans to renegotiate the bankrupt island nation's unpopular International Monetary Fund bailout programme.

Walking through the deserted streets of Pokrovsk as Russian troops inch closer and closer every day, Galyna said she was not worried about the prospect of occupation.

A Singaporean former minister pleaded guilty to bribery charges Tuesday after more severe allegations were dropped, local media said, as the first graft trial of a political office holder for more than four decades began in the city-state.

Shimmering piles of silver fish are snapped up for exorbitant prices in India's port of Kolkata, the unlikely side effect of a diplomatic fallout after a student-led revolution in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Aryna Sabalenka said Tuesday that she wants to cap off a stellar year by returning to the top of the world rankings.

Scientists in New Zealand said Tuesday they have discovered a new species of "ghost shark", a type of fish that prowls the Pacific Ocean floor hunting prey more than a mile down.

Donald Trump dismissed early voting Monday as "stupid" but nevertheless encouraged voters in Pennsylvania to cast ballots as soon as possible, as he vowed if elected US president to repel a migrant "invasion" of the battleground state.

A Singaporean former minister pleaded guilty to bribery charges Tuesday after more severe allegations were dropped, local media said, as the first graft trial of a political office holder for more than four decades began in the city-state.

Hurricane John on Monday slammed into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a major Category 3 storm, bringing warnings for residents to seek shelter indoors.

The International Monetary Fund is ready to discuss its controversial $2.9 billion bailout programme for Sri Lanka with the country's new government, a spokesman said.

The Philadelphia Phillies ended their 13-year wait to clinch the National League East divisional crown on Monday with a 6-2 defeat of the Chicago Cubs.

Josh Allen produced a monster performance as the Buffalo Bills trampled over the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 to maintain their perfect start to the NFL season on Monday.

China's central bank on Tuesday unveiled a raft of measures to boost the country's struggling economy as it battles a prolonged property sector debt crisis, continued deflationary pressure and high youth unemployment.

Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks rallied Tuesday after China unveiled fresh stimulus measures as the country's leaders struggle to kickstart growth in the world's number two economy.

The world's longest serving death row prisoner will hear from a Japanese court on Thursday if he would face execution or finally be acquitted, a decade after obtaining a retrial of his murder conviction.

The rare graft trial of a former Singaporean minister began on Tuesday, the first involving a political office holder for more than four decades in a nation often cited as one of the world's least corrupt.

After nearly three decades of dithering, Ghana has passed a law pledging to give women equal representation in parliament, public life and business, but activists say parity is a long way off.

China's central bank on Tuesday unveiled a raft of measures to boost the country's struggling economy, cutting the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve and lowering a key interest rate.

Israel's military campaign to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack has weakened it by killing several of its leaders and thousands of fighters, and by reducing swaths of the territory it rules to rubble.

Nearly a year of war in Gaza has battered Israel's economy, and poverty is now threatening communities including in areas far removed from the fighting against Hamas.

A year after October 7, Israelis are united in the trauma caused by Hamas's attack on their country, but are divided in their views on how to end the war.

Five years ago, the New York Liberty were used to playing games in a deserted, 2,100-capacity arena out in the suburbs, a world away from the bright lights of the Big Apple.

Union negotiators slammed Boeing's new offer to lift hourly wages for striking workers by 30 percent on Monday, saying it "missed the mark" and won't be voted on by members.

Environmental and rights groups urged the European Union Tuesday to label Malaysia's Sarawak region "high risk" under controversial new anti-deforestation rules to be implemented from the end of December.

Courts in Argentina and Venezuela issued warrants for the arrests of each other's presidents on Monday amid a showdown between "anarcho-capitalist" leader Javier Milei and socialist strongman Nicolas Maduro.

Bolivia's ex-president Evo Morales demanded Monday that his successor Luis Arce change his cabinet "within 24 hours" or face the wrath of thousands of protestors, whom he led in a march on the capital La Paz.

One year after Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists, the rivals are making substantial diplomatic progress together -- but a peace treaty appears out of reach for now.

Escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to overshadow US President Joe Biden's final appearance at the UN's signature annual event on Tuesday as diplomats scrambled to avert an all-out regional war.

Behind the smiles as Joe Biden bids farewell to world leaders at the UN General Assembly this week will be one goal -- shoring up his legacy against a possible White House comeback by Donald Trump.

Singapore's former transport minister will appear in court Tuesday for the start of its first political graft trial in more than four decades, which has gripped a nation often cited as one of the world's least corrupt.

Manchester United and Tottenham kick off their Europa League campaigns this week, hoping to put disappointing starts to the Premier League season behind them.

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed at least 492 people on Monday, including 35 children, the health ministry said, marking the deadliest day of cross-border violence since the Gaza war began.