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

he presidents of Brazil and Colombia, leftist allies of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, called Thursday for fresh elections in that country after international condemnation of last month's vote the opposition says was stolen.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said his side are "not ready" for the start of the Premier League season on Friday, but is hoping new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui can bed in quickly.

US prosecutors said Thursday they have charged five people, including two doctors, over the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry, who died at his Los Angeles home last year after years of struggling with addiction.

The Democratic Republic of Congo said Thursday an mpox outbreak has killed 548 people there this year, as the first case outside Africa of the virus's more dangerous variant was recorded in a traveller in Sweden.

Mauricio Pochettino has agreed terms to become the new coach of the United States national team, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder Marco Reus has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to play for LA Galaxy, the Major League Soccer side announced on Thursday.

Hong Kong on Thursday announced the birth of a set of giant panda twins, the first cubs to be born in the city.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has signed a partnership deal unveiled Thursday with North American football governing body CONCACAF ahead of the region playing host to the 2026 World Cup.

Sweden on Thursday announced the first case outside Africa of the more dangerous variant of mpox, which the WHO has declared a global public health emergency.

Brazil's president on Thursday urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to consider holding new elections after international condemnation of last month's vote the opposition says the strongman stole.

Yanina Kuskova rode Thursday's fifth stage of the women's Tour de France as the sole survivor of a team that had thought twice about even being there.

Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic said Thursday it was ready to produce up to 10 million doses of its vaccine targeting mpox by 2025 after the World Health Organization declared a surge in the virus in Africa a global public health emergency.

Hungary's Blanka Vas won the fifth stage of the women's Tour de France on Thursday with Dutch teammate Demi Vollering losing the race lead after being caught up in a big crash.

Fans flocked to London's Wembley Stadium on Thursday ahead of Taylor Swift's return to the stage a week after her Vienna concerts were cancelled due to a foiled suicide attack plot.

A Russian court on Thursday jailed US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina for 12 years after she was found guilty of "high treason" for giving about $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity in a case slammed as "vindictive cruelty" by the US presidency.

At least one person has been arrested in connection with the ketamine overdose death last year of "Friends" actor Matthew Perry, US media reported Thursday.

A Greenland court on Thursday ordered US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson to be kept in custody until September 5 pending a decision on his possible extradition to Japan.

Hungary's Blanka Vas won the fifth stage of the women's Tour de France on Thursday with Dutch teammate Demi Vollering losing the race lead after being caught up in a big crash.

Ukraine on Thursday rejected as "absolute nonsense" suggestions it was involved in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which transported Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea.

Ukraine on Thursday claimed fresh advances in its cross-border offensive into Russia, where it said it had seized over a thousand square kilometres, the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris touted a likely vote-winning cut in medical costs Thursday ahead of holding their first joint public event since Harris replaced the president as the Democratic candidate in November's election.

Stock markets mostly rose Thursday, with strong retail sales data dispelling worries about the strength of the US economy.

Gaza ceasefire talks resumed in Doha on Thursday as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the spread of a war that the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said has killed 40,000.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas told a special session of the Turkish parliament on Thursday that he would travel to Gaza.

Four people have been arrested after a knife attack on the father of young Spanish football star Lamine Yamal in Catalonia, local police told AFP Thursday.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said midfielder Yves Bissouma has been suspended for Monday's trip to Leicester after he was seen inhaling laughing gas in a video on social media.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the heir of Thailand's most powerful political dynasty, is tipped to become the kingdom's youngest leader in a parliament vote on Friday after a top court sacked a prime minister this week.

Coach Luis Enrique says his Paris Saint-Germain team have a "range of possibilities" following the departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid as they prepare for the start of the new season.

Shares in Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, which manufactures a vaccine targeting mpox, soared Thursday after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an mpox surge in Africa a global public health emergency.

The US retail giant Walmart reported a rise in revenues on Thursday on increased e-commerce and advertising sales, and raised its outlook for the year.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reported a 29 percent fall in quarterly profit on Thursday as it battles sluggish consumption during an economic slowdown.

Kenyans poured scorn and ridicule Thursday on a statue they said depicted Olympic running icon Faith Kipyegon, among several erected in the world-renowned running hub of Eldoret to fete the nation's victorious Olympians.