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

Thousands lined the streets of UK city Birmingham on Wednesday to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hellraiser was laid to rest.

The World Health Organization's chief said getting a continuous flow of medical supplies into Gaza was "critical", as WHO trucks carrying aid headed for the border on Wednesday.

Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky and his former business partner are likely to be forced to repay $1.9 billion they "unlawfully" appropriated from a Ukrainian bank they owned, London's High Court ruled Wednesday.

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and deciding Test against India with a shoulder injury in a devastating blow for the home side.

Stock markets were mixed in Europe and on Wall Street on Wednesday while the dollar rose further from recent lows as investors took a cautious approach ahead of earnings from US tech giants and the latest interest-rate call from the Federal Reserve.

India captain Shubman Gill said the head groundsman at the Oval had sparked an "unnecessary" row with coach Gautam Gambhir following the latest flashpoint in a fractious series against England.

The theory of quantum mechanics has transformed daily life since being proposed a century ago, yet how it works remains a mystery -- and physicists are deeply divided about what is actually going on, a survey in the journal Nature said Wednesday.

Russia lifted a tsunami alert on Wednesday after a massive quake and tsunami largely spared the country's sparsely populated far east from casualties and major damage.

Leon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday, setting a new mark of 1min 52.69sec, a year on from his Paris Olympics heroics.

France's government on Wednesday discussed a bill designed to speed up the return of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin, officials said.

The Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky and his former business partner are likely to be forced to repay $1.9 billion that they "unlawfully" appropriated from a Ukrainian bank they owned, London's High Court ruled Wednesday.

Germany's two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead aged 31 on Wednesday after being hit by falling rocks on a Pakistani mountain.

German double biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday after she was seriously injured by a rockfall on a Pakistani mountain.

France's Leon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday, setting a new mark of 1min 52.69sec.

The US economy returned to growth in the second quarter, government data showed Wednesday, as analysts warned of distortions due to shifting trade flows over President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Villager Hu Yuefang returned her home in the rural outskirts of Beijing to pick up medicine for her elderly and disabled father, only to find it had been washed away by some of worst flooding to hit the Chinese capital in years.

British luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda on Wednesday revised down its full-year outlook as US President Donald Trump's tariffs weigh on operations.

German sportswear giant Adidas warned Wednesday that it might raise prices in the United States due to tariffs that could cost it an extra 200 million euros ($230 million) this year.

British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that its annual performance should be better than expected, despite US tariffs, after sales of its cancer drugs jumped in the second quarter.

China's Olympic champion and world record holder Pan Zhanle said he "wasn't in good shape" after crashing out in the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle at swimming's world championships on Wednesday.

A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India launched Wednesday, designed to track subtle changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged allegations on Wednesday of breaching a ceasefire deal which has largely halted the open combat that engulfed their frontier.

The clock was pointing towards peace when Private First Class Theerayuth Krajangthong was cut down on the Thai frontier -- among the last casualties before a midnight ceasefire with Cambodia.

Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor has been added to his country's Test squad after serving a three-and-a-half year ban, Zimbabwe Cricket announced on Wednesday.

Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan romped to an emphatic victory in the 200m freestyle on Wednesday for her 10th world championship title.

Firefighters gained control over some of the dozens of wildfires scorching Portugal on Wednesday, as fears mounted that weather conditions could further fan the flames.

Bayern Munich on Wednesday signed forward Luis Diaz from Premier League champions Liverpool for a fee that could reportedly rise to 75 million euros ($86.5 million).

Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi won his first major title with victory in the 800m freestyle at swimming's world championships on Wednesday with a perfectly timed attack.

French luxury group Hermes confirmed Wednesday its outlook for full-year sales growth as it turned rising revenue for all parts of the world in the first half despite global economic uncertainty.

Stock markets diverged on Wednesday and the dollar slid further from recent highs as investors awaited earnings from US tech giants and the latest interest-rate call from the Federal Reserve.

Australian medal hope Sam Short became the latest swimmer to be struck down by stomach trouble at the world championships as he pulled out hours before Wednesday's 800m freestyle final.

England captain Ben Stokes was Wednesday ruled out of the fifth and deciding Test against India with a shoulder injury.