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

Lindsey Vonn's dream of Olympic medal glory is alive after the American ski star again defied a serious knee injury to complete her second training run for the Milan-Cortina women's downhill on Saturday.

The United States wants Ukraine and Russia to end their nearly four-year war by June, and has offered to host talks between the two sides in Florida next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Faheem Ashraf smashed an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls as Pakistan scrambled past the Netherlands by three wickets to avoid a massive shock in the curtain-raiser of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Saturday.

President Donald Trump refused to apologize Friday for a video posted on his social media account depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, though he said he condemned the post as the White House shifted the blame to staff.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Saturday to make Japan "more prosperous and safer", including through tougher immigration screening, in a final appeal to voters on the eve of snap elections.

Hard-hitting batsman Phil Salt was passed fit as England named their team Saturday for their first match in the T20 World Cup.

Spain and Portugal on Saturday braced for another storm heading for the Iberian peninsula, just days after the floods caused by Storm Leonardo killed at least one person in each country.

Pakistan's spinners turned the screws to bowl Netherlands out for 147 in the first match of the T20 World Cup at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club on Saturday.

For more than three decades, Bangladesh was one of the few countries in the world to be led by women, yet there are almost none on the February 12 ballots.

A South Korean cryptocurrency exchange apologised on Saturday after mistakenly transferring more than $40 billion worth of bitcoin to users, which briefly prompted a selloff on the platform.

The Detroit Pistons ended the New York Knicks' eight-game NBA winning streak on Friday, routing the Knicks 118-80 in a top of the table Eastern Conference clash.

Funerals will take place on Saturday for some of the victims of a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad that killed at least 31 people and wounded scores more during Friday prayers.

A sign hanging from a rusty ice-green shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia proclaims: "Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area."

The baffling disappearance of a fair-haired, little boy from a remote Australian farm has been declared a major crime, with detectives pointing the finger at a suspect in his home.

The Cuban government on Friday announced emergency measures to address a crippling energy crisis worsened by US sanctions, including the adoption of a four-day work week for state-owned companies and fuel sale restrictions.

The Super Bowl may be as American as apple pie, but a surprising number of this year's stars hail from overseas.

US President Donald Trump said Friday Washington held "very good talks" on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman.

US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday re-approved the use of pesticide dicamba for spraying on top of genetically-modified cotton and soybean crops, drawing swift backlash from environment groups and the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Ryo Hisatsune rode a back-nine binge to an eight-under par 63 on Friday and a one-shot lead over fellow Japanese Hideki Matsuyama at the US PGA Tour Phoenix Open.

Ahead of every Super Bowl, it is the quarterbacks who draw the most headlines.

When the New England Patriots team flew to California last weekend to prepare for the Super Bowl, crews wasted no time ripping up the artificial turf in their stadium back home.

Australian authorities warned protesters to avoid violence in Sydney's streets when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits on Monday to honour victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting.

A suicide blast claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad killed at least 31 people on Friday, with 169 more wounded in the deadliest attack in Pakistan's capital since the 2008 Marriott hotel bombing.

Bolivia's new government plans to restore full diplomatic ties with Washington "as soon as possible," after a nearly two-decade rupture, Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo told AFP.

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig was convicted on Friday on federal charges of obstructing justice and lying to investigators about his involvement in illegal sports betting.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium echoed by festivities at Games venues across the snow-capped Italian Alps.

China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian official told AFP Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing.

President Donald Trump on Friday issued a proclamation reopening commercial fishing in protected waters off the Atlantic coast, in a region renowned for its rich biodiversity.

Michael Carrick said Manchester United must not rush their choice of a permanent new manager after insisting nothing has changed about his own job prospects.

Leeds bolstered their bid for Premier League survival with a vital 3-1 win against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Friday.

From dueling AI giants to Budweiser's Clydesdale horse mascots bonding with a bald eagle, the commercials vying for attention during Sunday's Super Bowl are shaping up as one of the most star-studded — and contentious — advertising battles in years.

The Dow surged above 50,000 points for the first time Friday, shrugging off worries connected to artificial intelligence companies while traders focused on the prospects for US growth and Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.