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

In a battle against Poland's constant smog, scientists are testing out a new "cannon" that uses soundwaves to push toxic particles higher into the atmosphere to allow residents to breathe.

At least two people were killed and 22 wounded Thursday by a bomb blast in a busy shopping district of the Pakistani megacity of Lahore, police and officials said.

Prosecution and defence lawyers presented their closing arguments on Thursday to a Norwegian court which will now decide whether to parole Anders Behring Breivik, just 10 years after the neo-Nazi committed the country's deadliest peacetime attack.

The newly elected leader of Hong Kong barristers said Thursday that his profession should avoid politics and build closer ties to mainland China, as concerns grow about rule of law in the financial hub.

At least 29 people, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, were killed when robbers triggered a stampede at a religious rally in Liberia's capital, officials said on Thursday.

Scotland's Scott Jamieson fired a sparkling nine-under-par 63 to take a one-shot lead over Norwegian star Viktor Hovland after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday.

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas on Thursday at protesters rallying against the killing of dozens in a post-coup crackdown, as US diplomats pressed for an end to the violence.

Henry Slade now appears to be available for all of England's Six Nations matches after Exeter said he was in contention to play in their European Champions Cup match against French side Montpellier on Sunday.

Turkey's central bank on Thursday bowed to market pressure and halted a four-month streak of interest rate cuts that saw inflation soar and the currency collapse.

Benedict XVI, accused of failing to act in German sex abuse cases, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after presiding over a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.

Daniil Medvedev took aim at sections of the raucous Australian Open crowd following his entertaining victory over home hero Nick Kyrgios on Thursday, saying: "They probably have a low IQ."

American Airlines reported another quarterly loss Thursday after the latest Covid-19 surge dented demand at the end of the year, but said consumers were booking more trips for the spring.

Wales wing Alex Cuthbert has been given a three-week ban for a dangerous tackle during the Ospreys' Europeans Champions Cup clash with Racing 92, tournament organisers announced Thursday.

Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round Thursday as she struggled with blisters on her hand so bad that some of her team had urged her not to play.

Rivals St Pauli and Hamburg clash on Friday in historically one of the fiercest derbies in German football, with the two sides fresh from knocking Bundesliga clubs Borussia Dortmund and Cologne out of the German Cup.

Indonesia will push for the creation of a new global health agency while the country holds the presidency of the G20, President Joko Widodo said Thursday at the virtual Davos forum.

Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer is serving her time in quarantine as she prepares to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unvaccinated for Covid-19.

A years-long saga over tech firms transferring data from Europe to the US re-erupted on Thursday, days after Austrian officials slapped down Google for failing to respect EU privacy rules.

Nick Kyrgios said that he put on a "good show" during four high-octane sets against Daniil Medvedev and has no plans to change despite bowing out of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Norway's 2020 overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is aiming to keep his simple ethos of successful skiing ticking over into next month's Beijing Olympics.

British artist Tracey Emin demanded Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office remove an artwork of hers reading "More Passion," saying it did not need further encouragement to party.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde suggested Thursday that Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci and pioneering French politician Simone Veil appear on the new euro banknotes, as she waded into a politically sensitive topic.

Australian Open chiefs said Thursday that their Covid measures were working after several players questioned the "optional" testing policy at the Grand Slam.

Scientists have discovered a vast reef of "pristine" rose-shaped corals apparently unharmed by climate change in deep water off the coast of Tahiti, UNESCO announced Thursday.

Tonga prop Ben Tameifuna said on Wednesday a tsunami that hit the Pacific Island nation last weekend will "knock it back a few steps" after also struggling due to coronavirus restrictions.

European stock markets mainly fell Thursday with sentiment jarred by sliding shares on Wall Street, which was rocked by surging global inflation and the prospect of rising interest rates.

A growing number of Western nations and cybersecurity groups have issued digital surveillance warnings for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing, with some advising foreign athletes to leave personal phones and laptops at home.

Daniil Medvedev tamed Nick Kyrgios to surge into the Australian Open third round on Thursday and avoid joining Garbine Muguruza and Emma Raducanu on the list of high-profile casualties.

An app that Winter Olympics attendees must use has been patched, a Chinese official told AFP Thursday, after cyber security researchers said they had found a "simple but devastating" flaw that could allow data leaks.

Emirates said Thursday it will lift a suspension of flights to several US destinations in a "temporary reprieve" after the launch of 5G networks was delayed near American airports over safety fears.

"Frustrated" three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was stunned by Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in straight sets in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Several Afghan women's rights activists said Thursday they are going into hiding to escape a Taliban crackdown, just days after the hardline Islamists used pepper spray to break up a rally in the capital.