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

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.

Australia entrusted rookie Tane Edmed with playmaker duties ahead of the experienced James O'Connor for Saturday's crunch Rugby Championship Test with New Zealand that will be James Slipper's 151st and last.

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in the central Philippines rose to 72 on Thursday, officials said, as the search for the missing wound down and rescuers turned their focus to the hundreds injured and thousands left homeless.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to join talks with leaders from across Europe in Copenhagen Thursday, as the EU seeks to bolster Kyiv's fight against Russia in the face of dwindling US support.

Papua New Guinea's cabinet has approved a contentious mutual defence treaty with Australia, the Pacific country's prime minister said Thursday, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with the region and counter Beijing's rising influence.

Over a dozen suncreams have been pulled from shelves in Australia after consumer advocacy group analysis found many of them did not provide the sun protection factor their makers claimed.

The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Wednesday to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs as the New York Yankees stayed alive with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Scott Barrett got the all-clear Thursday to return for New Zealand's must-win Rugby Championship clash against Australia in Perth, with the influential skipper among six changes to an injury-ravaged side.

Inner Mongolian herder Dorj looked bitterly at the vast grasslands where his flock once grazed freely, before the practice was banned as part of a massive Chinese state greening project.

Swifties, the wait is nearly over.

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in the central Philippines rose to 72 on Thursday, rescuers said, as officials turned their efforts to the hundreds injured and thousands left homeless.

Billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is nearly halfway to becoming the planet's first trillionaire, Forbes magazine reported Wednesday.

Sam Surridge converted the game-winning penalty in the 60th minute as Nashville SC beat Austin FC 2-1 in the US Open Cup final in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday.

Donald Trump's assault on science could threaten the United States' position as the world's leading research nation and have knock-on effects worldwide, Nobel Prize officials in Sweden told AFP.

A flotilla carrying aid to Gaza said dozens of its ships were still "sailing strong" towards the war-battered Palestinian territory on Thursday despite an interception by Israeli naval forces.

Asian 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.

US President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants the Nobel Peace Prize when it is announced next week but experts predict he has little chance against those toiling on forgotten causes outside the limelight.

Scammers are among the top political ad spenders on Meta's platforms, using deepfake videos of American politicians -- including President Donald Trump -- to promote fake government benefits, a watchdog group said Wednesday.

Jazz Chisholm raced from first base to score the go-ahead run as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Celtics 4-3 on Wednesday to force a decisive game three in their Major League Baseball playoff series.

Papua New Guinea's cabinet has approved a contentious mutual defence treaty with Australia, officials told AFP on Thursday, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with Pacific nations and counter Beijing's rising influence.

Rescuers searching for people trapped under a collapsed school in Indonesia on Thursday are hoping to dig a tunnel, at the risk of destabilising the rubble, to reach an estimated 59 still missing.