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

Asian markets drifted Friday as traders positioned themselves ahead of a highly anticipated US jobs report later in the day and following a mixed bag of economic data on the world's top economy.

Taiwanese volunteers gathered around a large inflatable whale as they learned how to help beached sea mammals -- an increasingly common sight across the island.

The co-founder of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel agreed on Thursday to be transferred to New York from Texas, where he has been held since his dramatic arrest in late July, to appear in the first of his US drug trials.

The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures ever recorded, beating last year's record and making this year likely Earth's hottest ever, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visits Germany where Ukraine's military backers are meeting, days after one of the deadliest strikes of the war and as Russian forces make battlefield gains.

Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez and Paulo Dybala were on target as Argentina tightened their grip on South America's 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament with a 3-0 win over Chile on Thursday.

Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to arrive in South Korea on Friday for a final round of talks, hoping to cement improving ties between the two countries before he leaves office.

Bare feet pressed against the rough trunk of a palm tree, his back supported by a metal and fabric harness, Ali Abed begins the climb to the dates above.

Hamas called on the United States Thursday to "exert real pressure" on Israel to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no deal in the making.

Movie critics and audiences don't always see eye-to-eye -- but rarely have they appeared as divided as they are over "Reagan," a highly flattering biopic of the Republican president released just months before another deeply polarized US election.

When Sandra filed a complaint against her partner for sexually abusing their son, she said she became the target of Colombia's justice system.

Boeing's problem-plagued Starliner is set to finally depart the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, returning to Earth without astronauts after NASA deemed the risk too great.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka reached a second successive US Open final on Thursday when she defeated a battling Emma Navarro as well as a partisan crowd to move one win away from her third Grand Slam title.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven said Friday it had rejected a takeover bid from retail giant Alimentation Couche-Tard, saying the proposal "grossly undervalues" the company.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka reached a second successive US Open final on Thursday when she defeated a battling Emma Navarro to move one win away from her third Grand Slam title.

Colombian police moved in Thursday to break up road blockades in and around the capital on the fourth day of protests against a rise in diesel prices.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a rare visit to violence-ravaged Haiti on Thursday heard guarded optimism as he promised $45 million in aid, urged greater international support for a new security mission and sought concrete action toward elections.

Uruguay's leftist ex-leader Jose Mujica, battling cancer, was hospitalized Thursday for the fourth time in two weeks, his doctor said.

Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial on Thursday, without reaching the deal he had sought with prosecutors, in a case that has been an embarrassment for the US president.

Peruvian authorities said Thursday they had seized hundreds of endangered frogs from Lake Titicaca that were illegally captured to be used for their purported aphrodisiac properties.

Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov on Thursday hit out at France for arresting and charging him last month over the publication of extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app.

Republican White House candidate Donald Trump unveiled a plan Thursday to install tech billionaire Elon Musk at the head of a government efficiency commission to eliminate "trillions" of dollars in wasteful spending.

Bolivia reignited their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-0 drubbing over Venezuela on Thursday in a game played more than 4,000m (13,100 feet) above sea level.

Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded guilty in his tax evasion trial on Thursday, without reaching the deal he had sought with prosecutors, in a case that has been an embarrassment and a distraction for the US president.

One of Colombia's biggest left-wing guerrilla groups says peace talks are "blocked" over the government's failure to cancel warrants for the arrest of its leaders.

Spain were held by Serbia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday in their first game since winning Euro 2024, while Cristiano Ronaldo reached another milestone by scoring his 900th career goal as Portugal beat Croatia.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with shooting four people dead at a US high school, authorities said Thursday, adding that their investigation into the country's latest outburst of gun violence is ongoing.

French center Rudy Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, said Thursday he was sad his success "triggered" Shaquille O'Neal into calling him the NBA's all-time worst player.

Scotland suffered a hangover from their dismal Euro 2024 campaign as Nicola Zalewski's 96th minute penalty handed Poland a 3-2 win to kick off their Nations League campaign at Hampden.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 900th goal of his remarkable career on Thursday as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in Lisbon in their first game of the UEFA Nations League.

A collapse in North America's bat population led to a surge in pesticide use by farmers as an alternative way to protect crops from insects -- in turn triggering a rise in infant mortalities, a study revealed Thursday.

Ecuadoran officials said they had thwarted an attack Thursday carried out by an explosive-laden drone on La Roca prison, which houses ex-vice president Jorge Glas, arrested in a raid on the Mexican embassy in April.