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

Equities jumped Thursday thanks to gains in tech stocks and as weak US jobs data fanned optimism for more interest rate cuts, outweighing concerns over a partial government shutdown.

Barcelona's return to the Camp Nou has been delayed again after the Spanish champions said on Thursday the stadium would not be ready to host the club's next Champions League match against Olympiakos.

Israel said on Thursday it will deport pro-Palestinian activists on an aid flotilla intercepted at sea as they headed towards Gaza, adding that none of the vessels had successfully breached its maritime blockade.

Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi said on Thursday he had full confidence in his inexperienced half-backs for their closing Rugby Championship match against South Africa this weekend.

Four people were injured and a suspected knifeman shot by police Thursday after a car ramming and stabbing incident outside a synagogue in Manchester, officials said.

A French court was Thursday examining accusations by actor Gerard Depardieu that a 2023 television report falsely portrayed him as making sexual comments about a young girl.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday that recent drone incursions showed Russia was looking to "escalate" its aggression, as he offered his country's war-honed expertise to help counter the threat.

Spain welcomed a record 22.3 million foreign tourists in the key summer holiday months of July and August as the sector heads for another year of unprecedented numbers, data showed on Thursday.

The valuation of ChatGPT developer OpenAI soared to a chart-topping $500 billion in a deal for employees to sell a limited number of shares, financial media reported Thursday.

Argentina scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz will make just his second Test start when they face South Africa in the Rugby Championship in London this weekend, the Argentina Rugby Union (UAR) announced on Thursday.

This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix was on Thursday declared an official Formula One "Heat Hazard" -- the first time a new rule to help drivers stay cool has been invoked.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann made six changes to his 24-man squad for October's World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, recalling centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck and dropping striker Niclas Fuellkrug.

Erling Haaland said Manchester City must show more energy to end their miserable run on the road in the Champions League after twice blowing the lead in a 2-2 draw at Monaco.

A giant screen, lots of cheering and applause: the scene inside La Caserne venue in trendy northeast Paris might feels like a sports bar. But the crowd there were watching live fashion, not football.

Defending champion Coco Gauff brushed aside unseeded Eva Lys 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to power into her third consecutive China Open semi-final.

France has extended the detention of two senior crew members of a tanker linked to Russia, which data showed was off the Danish coast last month during mysterious drone flights, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Red-hot Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah led India's bowling charge with seven wickets between them as the hosts dismissed the West Indies for 162 on day one of the first Test on Thursday.

World number two Jannik Sinner said Thursday he anticipates "a very, very difficult and tough challenge" as he prepares to defend his Shanghai Masters title, a day after winning the China Open.

Israel said on Thursday it will deport to Europe pro-Palestinian activists on an aid flotilla headed towards Gaza as the Israeli navy intercepted vessel after vessel in the Mediterranean.

Coach Eddie Jones believes Japan do not get the respect they deserve on or off the pitch and said Thursday that they are out to change minds in Tests against some of the world's top rugby teams.

Dutch authorities told companies and organisations on Thursday they should not rely solely on chatbots to communicate with consumers, describing their use as "one of the biggest annoyances" customers face.

Equities jumped Thursday after data showing job losses in the US private sector fanned optimism for more interest rate cuts and overshadowed a partial shutdown of the country's government.

Britain's largest retailer Tesco on Thursday raised its 2025/2026 profit guidance as the supermarket chain won customers with competitive prices.

Rehearsal time is over. The world's best and most ambitious young pianists have descended on Warsaw for the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition -- for some, a gateway to classical music glory.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson drilled the importance of consistency into his side with the Rugby Championship at stake on Saturday in a must-win Test against Australia.

An Egyptian ex-minister is the favourite to become head of the UN's culture agency, but his Congolese rival says bets are still off before a key decision next week.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj took three wickets to lead some inspired Indian bowling as West Indies stumbled to 90-5 at lunch on day one of the first Test on Thursday.

Rescuers detected "no more signs of life" at a collapsed Indonesian school where 59 people were believed missing days after it gave way, an official said Thursday, raising fears no more survivors would be found.

Turkish opposition leaders say the government has found a new way to silence dissent: pressuring its mayors and local officials to defect to the ruling party.

In Ivory Coast's biggest city Abidjan, vulnerable drug addicts say that discovering a secluded care and support centre in an upscale part of the city has helped them to turn around their lives.

Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold returns to his roots on Friday with the release of his sixth album, "Fuji", which he described as a tribute to the ancestral sounds of his home country.

Recent drone sorties over Lithuania and its neighbours have sparked fears of a full-scale Russian attack, prompting the small Baltic country to encourage the building of bomb shelters.