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

A 30-year-old man died on an athletics track outside Paris on Thursday, as a new heatwave swept across much of France, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.

Neymar will not travel with the Brazil squad for Friday's second World Cup group game against Haiti as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.

Antoine Dupont will start for Toulouse in their Top 14 semi-final against Racing 92 on Friday, but kicker Thomas Ramos is out injured.

Aidan O'Brien became the first trainer to train 100 Royal Ascot winners as Scandinavia won the feature race the Ascot Gold Cup in a thrilling finish on Thursday.

World number three Alexander Zverev advanced to the final eight of the Halle Open grass-court tournament on Thursday, continuing his winning run since his French Open victory on clay earlier in June.

A judge investigating former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling has expanded his politically explosive probe to the Socialist's daughters, a court said on Thursday.

The Iran war was cast as a catalyst for the Islamic republic's collapse, but months of fighting failed to dislodge the clerical leadership and left its opponents out in the cold.

Frenchman Romain Gregoire won the second stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Thursday as world champion Tadej Pogacar extended his overall lead.

France rugby head coach Fabien Galthie confirmed on Thursday a shakeup in the national coaching setup that will see both Shaun Edwards and Vlok Cilliers leave.

Since hiring Jose Mourinho as coach in early June, Real Madrid have moved quickly to reinforce ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team's NBA Finals victory.

Cuts in development aid by wealthy countries tend to drive up displacement away from the world's poorest regions, the head of the UN's International Organization for Migration warned in an interview with AFP on Thursday.

Fatima Sana will become the first Pakistani woman to play in The Hundred after being selected by the Birmingham Phoenix.

Three big Saudi oil tankers left the Gulf through the Hormuz Strait on Thursday, maritime trackers said, after leaders vowed to reopen the route under an agreement to end the US-Iran war.

Cuba's communist model needs "urgent changes" to overcome a major crisis which cannot be solely blamed on a crippling US oil blockade, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in his frankest admission yet of the need for radical reforms.

UK voters went to the polls on Thursday in a historic local election that could determine the future of beleaguered Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and shape the next government.

Haitians living in New York -- some threatened by Donald Trump's immigration crackdown -- have found a rare reason for joy as their national men's team plays in its first World Cup since 1974, facing giants Brazil on Friday.

Rory McIlroy birdied two of his first three holes on Thursday to seize the early lead of the fog-hit US Open, while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler parred to began his bid for a career Grand Slam.

US President Donald Trump's deal with Iran has opened a rare breach with Republican hawks, who warn that the agreement falls far short of the sweeping victory he promised and could leave Tehran richer, stronger and still able to threaten the region.

Switzerland's parliament on Thursday approved a divisive government plan to build new nuclear power stations, overturning a 2018 ban and putting the country on course for a referendum.

Pre-sales of Grand Theft Auto VI, the feverishly anticipated video game release, will begin on June 25, Rockstar Games said on Thursday.

The remains of Czech-French novelist Milan Kundera and his wife Vera were buried in the writer's native city of Brno on Thursday, the city hall said.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO Thursday the Pentagon will review its force presence in Europe within six months, as he lashed out at allies over defence spending and their response to the Iran war.

Cuba's economy needs "urgent changes" to overcome a major crisis intensified by a US oil blockade, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech to Communist Party leaders broadcast on Thursday.

Greenland has recently been hit by localised wildfires, a rarity at this time of year that could be explained by global warming, a researcher at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources said Thursday.

Play resumed in Thursday's first round of the 126th US Open after heavy fog halted the competition for two hours at Shinnecock.

There are no vaccines or treatments for the strain of Ebola that has killed nearly 200 people in DR Congo and Uganda, but several are being urgently developed in the hope of reining in the outbreak.

Spain's King Felipe VI will visit Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on June 25 during a World Cup trip in another sign of the countries' diplomatic thaw, the royal palace said on Thursday.

Glenn Phillips's maiden Test century was the cornerstone of New Zealand's first-innings 391 all out as the Black Caps stepped up their fightback against England at the Oval on Thursday.

Forward Elye Wahi will miss Ivory Coast's second World Cup match against Germany after he was denied a visa to enter Canada, the Ivorian federation said on Thursday.

Switzerland's central bank left interest rates unchanged at zero percent on Thursday, a move widely expected by analysts, but said it was watching out for signs of upward pressure on the Swiss franc currency.

A South African court has convicted and fined a rhino horn trafficking "mastermind", ending a trial spanning 15 years, police said Thursday, describing it as the world's largest such case.