Palestinians are turning to their fledgling high-tech sector as they lay the groundwork for a future state, saying the unique hardships of life in the West Bank have fostered a creative spirit conducive to the world of startups.

Dozens of high-tech hopefuls recently competed for the honor of having the best business idea at the West Bank's premier startup conference. Just a few kilometers (miles) away, Palestinian youths clashed with Israeli security forces at a military checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday painted a dim picture of the world's environmental progress, two decades after he founded the environmental group Green Cross International.

Laying much of the blame on a lack of leadership and vision, he railed against governments for falling short on nuclear disarmament, waste, development and climate change.

Eight-time defending champion Rafael Nadal extended his Monte Carlo Masters winning streak to 44 matches by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-4 Thursday, while second-seeded Andy Murray was thrashed 6-1, 6-2 by Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic put his sore right ankle to the test again as he came back from a set down for the second straight match to beat Juan Monaco of Argentina 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The lineup for the Cannes Film Festival includes 19 films and lots of world cinema, including from some of the globe's most difficult locales for artists.

Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux said Thursday that the high-profile festival protects talent in countries where freedom of expression is threatened.

French big box retailer Carrefour saw its sales slip in the first quarter due to the poor economy in Europe and currency depreciation in Latin America.

The retailer said Thursday that revenue was 20.8 billion euros ($27.3 billion) in the January-to-March period. That's a 1.3 percent drop when sales from discontinued operations are excluded.

Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle SA notched a gain of 2.3 percent in first-quarter sales and confirmed Thursday it was on track for another year of steady growth, despite economic problems in a number of its key markets in the developed world.

The maker of Nescafe, Haagen Dazs and Jenny reported sales of 21.9 billion Swiss francs ($23.48 billion) during the January to March period, up from 20.8 billion francs the same period a year earlier. As a major buyer of food commodities such as wheat, sugar, milk and coffee, Nestle's results can provide insights into the state of the global economy.

Mexican architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez has died at the age of 94.

Ramirez Vazquez designed some of Mexico's biggest landmark modernist structures, including the new Basilica of Guadalupe, the Anthropology Museum and the Azteca Stadium, all in Mexico City.

Online professional networking service LinkedIn is dressing up its mobile application to impress people who are increasingly scrolling through content on smartphones.

The changes being unveiled Thursday mark LinkedIn Corp.'s first major overhaul of its mobile app in 20 months.

The halls of Parliament echoed with a traditional Maori love song after lawmakers made New Zealand the 13th country in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage.

Supporters of the bill, including hundreds of gay-rights advocates, stood and cheered after the 77-44 vote was announced late Wednesday. Then as lawmakers tried to get back to business, someone started signing "Pokarekare Ana" in the indigenous Maori language, and soon nearly the whole room joined in.

Groups protesting Bahrain's Formula One race have put up makeshift roadblocks and barricades of burning tires during clashes with security forces in the violence-wracked Gulf nation.

The demonstrations on Thursday were mostly isolated to anti-government hotbed areas, however, and unlikely to disrupt preparations for Sunday's race, which is the premier international event in the kingdom.