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

Coco Gauff, last year's US Open champion, and coach Brad Gilbert announced on Wednesday they have split after 14 months together.

Senior United Nations officials warned on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk in the besieged Sudanese town of El-Fasher, amid signs that the fighting could soon escalate.

Disgraced US movie producer Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York.

Venezuela's opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said Wednesday he had been coerced into signing a letter distributed by Venezuelan authorities in which he supposedly conceded election defeat to strongman President Nicolas Maduro.

Russia's counteroffensive to retake Ukrainian-held territory in the Kursk region has been "stopped", a spokesman from Ukraine's military administration there told AFP on Wednesday, after Moscow said it was beginning to repel the surprise incursion.

Elon Musk's X social network carried out an automatic update overnight on phone applications that allowed it to bypass a ban in Brazil, an association of internet providers said Wednesday.

A second wave of device explosions killed 14 people and wounded more than 450 others on Wednesday in Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, officials said, stoking fears of an all-out war with Israel.

The US Federal Reserve cut its key lending rate by half a percentage-point Wednesday in its first reduction since the Covid-19 pandemic, sharply lowering borrowing costs just before November's presidential election.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out "for a while" with an ankle injury he suffered on international duty with Norway, manager Mikel Arteta said on Wednesday.

India's plans to expand coal mining could double emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from its domestic coal sector by 2029, threatening its climate goals, a report warned Thursday.

China presents the top challenge to the United States in its history, surpassing the Cold War, a top US official said Wednesday, as he urged Europe to get tougher on Beijing.

The US Federal Reserve cut its key lending rate by half a percentage-point Wednesday in its first reduction since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, sharply lowering borrowing costs shortly before November's presidential election.

Saudi club Al Nassr announced Wednesday the appointment of Stefano Pioli as coach of the side headed up by Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.

British boat Ineos Britannia booked its place in the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Barcelona on Wednesday clinching the point it needed against Switzerland while American Magic fought back against the Italian Luna Rossa.

Roma sacked club icon Daniele De Rossi and replaced him with Ivan Juric on Wednesday after a poor start to the season which has left the Serie A team without a win and languishing near the relegation zone.

The Women's NBA, enjoying a record-shattering season of growth, announced Wednesday it will add an expansion club in Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 season.

Brazil's raging wildfires are being driven by people seeking to clear land for agriculture or arsonists out to sow havoc, a top police official told AFP, calling for harsher punishments for environmental crimes.

Boeing said Wednesday it would start temporary furloughs of professional and white-collar staff as it seeks to conserve cash amid a labor strike that has shuttered Seattle manufacturing plants.

A second wave of device explosions killed nine people and wounded more than 300 in Hezbollah strongholds of Lebanon on Wednesday, officials said, stoking fears of an all-out war in the region.

Conservationists on Wednesday voiced concern at a fall in the number of butterflies found in the UK, declaring a "butterfly emergency" and calling for greater protections for under-threat species.

Rory McIlroy claims the US Department of Justice and the rift between players on both sides of golf's civil war pose the biggest threats to a peace deal.

European markets and the dollar slipped, while US stocks barely budged Wednesday as traders avoided taking strong bets on the size of the US Federal Reserve's interest rate cut expected later in the day.

Russia's counter-offensive to retake Ukrainian-held territory in the Kursk region has been "stopped", a spokesman from Ukraine's military administration there told AFP Wednesday, after Moscow said it was beginning to repel the surprise incursion.

UN member states formally demanded in a non-binding resolution Wednesday an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months and sanctions for non-compliance.

Snapchat, the popular teen-focused social network, is positioning itself as a healthier alternative to platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which have faced criticism for their impact on youth mental health. However, not everyone is convinced.

A second wave of device explosions killed three people and wounded more than 100 in Hezbollah strongholds of Lebanon on Wednesday, officials said, stoking fears of an all-out war in the region.

Taiwan and Hungary on Wednesday denied making pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, killing 12 people.

In the form of bottles, tyres, packaging and piping, millions of tonnes of plastic waste are dumped every year in the world's waterways, often ending up in the oceans.

With full military honours and proud family members looking on, two Allied servicemen were laid to rest Wednesday, 80 years after giving their lives to liberate Europe from the Nazis.

Mitch Marsh refused to reveal who Australia will pick to open alongside Travis Head on the eve of their one-day international series against England.

A new sculpture on London's Trafalgar Square, unveiled on Wednesday, will give "visibility to the trans community," its Mexican creator told AFP.

Doctors in Lebanon spoke Wednesday of horrific eye injuries and finger amputations, a day after Hezbollah paging devices exploded across the country, killing 12 people and wounding up to 2,800.