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

Major stock markets mostly retreated and oil prices steadied Thursday as technology shares extended falls and the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes.

After hours of overnight torrential rain lashed Lagos recently, church pastor Samuel Akpan spent most of next day bailing water from his flooded parsonage in an upscale district of Nigeria's commercial capital.

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday approved the appointment of Naftogaz state energy boss Sergiy Koretsky as the new prime minister, part of a disputed government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Italy made nine changes Thursday to its starting XV for their Nations Championship clash with Australia in Perth at the weekend, where head coach Gonzalo Quesada will be absent after copping a two-Test ban.

Rowers on the River Po in Turin are battling vast blooms of algae, as high temperatures in northwest Italy and runoff from farms create ideal conditions for rampant plant growth.

A team of international scientists sets sail Thursday from Britain for Greenland to study its rapidly melting ice using drones, mini-submarines and autonomous swimming robots.

Peru's conservative president-elect Keiko Fujimori called Wednesday for the "reconciliation" of political forces, after a decade of instability in the Andean nation that has seen it burn through eight leaders.

A German neo-Nazi provocateur who was slated to be sent to a women's prison after having a legal gender change will instead be incarcerated with men, local authorities said on Thursday.

The British government said Thursday it had taken British Steel into full public ownership to "protect the future of steel production in the UK", after taking control from Chinese firm Jingye.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt insisted Thursday his struggling team were "not far off" as he rolled the dice with three changes for the Nations Championship clash with Italy in what will be his last Test in charge.

An Italian court is set to deliver a verdict Thursday in the case of a bridge collapse nearly eight years ago that killed 43 people in one of the country's worst infrastructure disasters.

German food delivery group Delivery Hero said Thursday it has agreed to be taken over by US ride-hailing giant Uber in a 12.7-billion-euro ($14.6-billion) deal.

The United States announced on Wednesday a new tariff on various imports from Brazil, following a year-long investigation into the Latin American giant's trade and other policies.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC will invest an additional US$100 billion in the US state of Arizona, the company said Thursday, as it reported a record quarterly net profit on the back of massive demand for AI hardware.

Argentina will play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday after Lionel Messi orchestrated a spectacular comeback against England in a semi-final with a dramatic ending.

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada was slapped with a two-match ban by World Rugby on Thursday for criticising the referee and Nations Championship scheduling after their heavy loss to New Zealand.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's close relationship with Donald Trump has ensured a successful World Cup and all eyes will be on IOC president Kirsty Coventry to see if she adopts a similar strategy ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC will invest an additional $100 billion in the US state of Arizona, the company said Thursday, as it reported a record quarterly net profit on the back of massive demand for AI hardware.

The beaches of Hungary's once-popular Lake Velence lie largely deserted, summer holidaymakers staying away because climate change and mismanagement have dried up the waters to record lows.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC reported a record net profit for the second quarter on Thursday, fuelled by massive demand for artificial intelligence hardware.

France coach Fabien Galthie said Thursday that he was "not completely satisfied" with his team's scrum as he named a completely new front row to face Japan in Tokyo.

In the high seas off west Africa, a fisherman on a Chinese longline tuna vessel cuts the fins off a live shark before throwing it back in the water to suffocate and drown.

Lured by promises of good money working aboard a foreign fishing vessel, Akhmad left Indonesia and headed out to sea, enduring months of abuse and exploitation while being cut off from the world.

Joe Schmidt kept faith with rookie flyhalf Declan Meredith Thursday but benched star flanker Fraser McReight for the Nations Championship clash with Italy in what will be the Australia coach's last Test in charge.

The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war.

As Andy Burnham prepares to become the UK's next prime minister he faces calls to tackle Labour's alleged "boys' club" by ensuring women get half of the top jobs in his first cabinet.

"Jurassic Park" star Sam Neill died of pneumonia, his agent said Thursday, in a message aimed at providing clarity to fans.

Decorated fly-half Beauden Barrett was once again omitted as New Zealand announced four starting changes on Thursday for the Nations Championship Test against Ireland in Auckland.

Fiji scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli was on Thursday suspended for four weeks after receiving a red card in the 73-8 defeat to England last weekend, meaning he will miss the Nations Championship Test against Scotland in Edinburgh.

Japan coach Eddie Jones said Thursday that he was expecting a fierce forward battle against France in a hot and humid Tokyo as he named flanker Esei Haangana to make his debut.

Most Asian stocks sank on Thursday as tech firms came under renewed pressure from worries over the AI boom, with Seoul again taking the brunt of the selling, while oil prices rose further as the US and Iran continued to trade strikes.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell said on Thursday his side were "fortunate" to have "another shot" at what he called one of the great rugby challenges -- beating the All Blacks at Eden Park.