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

Drug overdose deaths in the United States declined last year for the first time since 2018, provisional data released Wednesday showed, suggesting the strategy of increasing access to the life-saving medicine naloxone could be working.

A brain injury charity has questioned why Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was not replaced immediately following his collision with Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero.

City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City, must reduce its stake in Girona if the Spanish club is to be allowed to compete in next season's Champions League, UEFA said on Wednesday.

US consumer inflation eased slightly last month, according to US government data published Wednesday, a positive sign for President Joe Biden ahead of November's election.

Dual world champion Mathieu van der Poel announced on Wednesday that he would not be competing in the mountain bike event at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, prefering to focus on his bid to win gold in the road event instead.

President Emmanuel Macron moved Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia after a second night of rioting that left three dead and hundreds wounded, his office said.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed Russian advances in the Kharkiv region and the recapture of a symbolic town further south that was one of the only prizes of Ukraine's underwhelming counteroffensive last summer.

Ireland is certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the country's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said on Wednesday, without specifying a date.

Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced Gambian ex-interior minister Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed under the regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the semi-finals of the Rome Open on Wednesday after comfortably defeating Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Russia said Wednesday its forces had pushed deeper into the Kharkiv region and also captured the symbolic town of Robotyne further south, one of the only prizes of Ukraine's underwhelming counteroffensive last summer.

German travel giant TUI said Wednesday it takes protests against overtourism, like recent demonstrations in the Canary Islands, very seriously, while arguing that its business model was not contributing to the problem.

French star Lea Seydoux said Wednesday she had personally witnessed more respect for women on film sets since the #MeToo movement.

Caster Semenya said Wednesday's hearing at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) into whether the double Olympic champion can be required to lower her testosterone levels to compete was an "important day" as her costly legal marathon entered its last lap.

Taylor Swift's worldwide Eras Tour will boost the UK economy by almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion) as fans splash the cash to see the US music star, Barclays bank estimated Wednesday.

Britain's Queen Camilla has promised not to buy any more fur for her wardrobe, according to a letter from Buckingham Palace that animal rights group PETA released Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was trying to send a message of defiance and hope when he took to the stage of a Kyiv bar on Tuesday night for a guitar performance of "Rockin' in the Free World".

Russia said Wednesday its forces had pushed deeper into the Kharkiv region and also captured the symbolic town of Robotyne further south, one of the only prizes of Ukraine's underwhelming counteroffensive last summer.

Asian and European equities diverged Wednesday as most dealers sat on their hands before key US inflation data, but London set a new record peak on solid US gains and largely upbeat earnings.

Georgia faced a blizzard of international condemnation Wednesday as the EU, NATO and UN slammed the adoption of a controversial "foreign influence" law targeting overseas-funded NGOs.

Tens of thousands of civilians fled heavy fighting in Gaza as Palestinians on Wednesday marked 76 years since their mass displacement during Israel's wartime creation which they call the Nakba or "catastrophe".

Caster Semenya said Wednesday's hearing at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) into whether the double Olympic champion can be required to lower her testosterone levels to compete was an "important day" as her costly legal marathon entered its last lap.

Erling Haaland has urged his Manchester City teammates to "relax" after they closed in on making English football history with a 2-0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Ukraine on Wednesday said it had pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements in a new offensive along the border.

Raw sewage was pumped into Windermere, England's largest and best-known lake, over a 10-hour period after a fault caused pumps to stop working, according to documents seen by the BBC and reported Wednesday.

Alex Albon has committed his long-term future to Williams after it was announced Wednesday he had signed a "multi-year" contract extension with the British Formula One team.

French police were on Wednesday hunting for a group of gunmen who killed two prison officers in an attack at a motorway toll that freed a convict linked to gangland drug killings.

A blood-splattered "Mad Max" heroine, a Meryl Streep masterclass, a #MeToo figurehead -- the Cannes Film Festival showed the progress women have made in cinema on its first full day on Wednesday.

Mohamed Amra, the convict freed by gunmen in a murderous motorway attack Tuesday, has a long history of convictions for violent crimes that started when he was only 15, according to judicial sources.

Qatar expects to sign more long-term natural gas supply deals this year to meet growing international demand, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said on Wednesday.

The EU on Wednesday predicted lower inflation in the eurozone in 2024 than previously forecast but warned the single-currency area's economy still faced risks from geopolitical tensions including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Sporting costumes ranging from Cinderella dresses to Dragon Ball Z outfits, children were hoisted onto metal poles as unofficial mascots of a boisterous parade as Hong Kong celebrated its annual bun festival on Wednesday.