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

Elon Musk's estimated $839 billion net worth has made him the wealthiest individual ever recorded, Forbes said Tuesday, as billionaires worldwide saw their combined fortunes surge in the past year to an all-time high of $20.1 trillion.

Peruvian author Alfredo Bryce Echenique, a leading figure in Latin American literature, has died at the age of 87, the government-affiliated House of Peruvian Literature announced Tuesday.

The Trump administration did an about-face Tuesday on an autism treatment it had promoted with great fanfare.

Oil prices sank and equities pushed higher Tuesday following a wild day of swings that came after President Donald Trump signalled that the US-Israeli war on Iran could end sooner than thought.

Member states of the International Energy Agency (IEA) were set to meet on Tuesday for crisis talks to assess security of supply and the potential release of emergency stocks as the Middle East war roils markets, the body's chief said.

The UAE's largest oil refinery closed on Tuesday after a drone attack, as Iran defiantly vowed that no crude exports would leave the Gulf if the United States and Israel kept up their bombardment.

Two men fired multiple shots at the US consulate in Toronto early Tuesday in what police described as a "national security incident," prompting beefed-up protection for US and Israeli diplomatic buildings in the city.

Spanish rider Juan Ayuso pulled on the leader's yellow jersey on Tuesday after the third stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race.

Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet answered to "sweet tea" and praised a table tennis champion as he wooed Chinese fans on Tuesday in Beijing, days before the Academy Awards.

A star of the massively popular Canadian show "Heated Rival" has hit back against an avalanche of hateful online posts, with the hockey drama's success stirring up a frenzy online.

Shirin, a Tehran resident, was one of many who celebrated the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. She drank wine and danced with friends. But as the war drags on, she's begun to question its logic.

Egyptians watched their everyday costs surge on Tuesday after the government raised fuel prices, blaming spiralling global energy markets due to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Kyle Walker announced his retirement from international football on Tuesday after winning 96 caps for England and featuring at five major tournaments.

England have made just one change for their Six Nations meeting with defending champions France, bringing in Ollie Chessum at blindside flanker as they seek to avoid their worst-ever finish.

Japan's Machida Zelvia booked their place in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals in their competition debut after beating South Korea's Gangwon 1-0 in Tuesday's last 16 second leg.

Vietnam moved Tuesday to tap an emergency fund to cool surging fuel prices, as the Middle East war has disrupted supplies and sparked long queues at petrol stations across the country.

Borussia Dortmund's Carney Chukwuemeka has switched his international eligibility to Ralf Rangnick's Austria from England ahead of the World Cup.

Nearly two dozen Indonesians repatriated from Iran arrived home on Tuesday, recalling the terror of falling bombs in the Islamic republic as the Middle East descended into war.

A trial opened in London on Tuesday over a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) class action lawsuit that accuses Japanese entertainment giant Sony of breaching competition law by allegedly overcharging millions of UK PlayStation users.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand questioned whether Champions League opponent Arsenal's set-piece tactics are legal ahead of Wednesday's last-16 first-leg tie in Germany.

Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war on Tuesday:

At least five players from Iran's visiting women's football team claimed asylum in Australia on Tuesday, seeking protection after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.

Moscow's deportation and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia amounts to a crime against humanity, a United Nations team of investigators said Tuesday.

Oil prices sank and equities steadied Tuesday following a wild day of swings that came after President Donald Trump signalled that the US-Israel war on Iran could end sooner than thought.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said Europe's turn away from nuclear power had been a "strategic mistake", as soaring oil prices rekindled concerns about the bloc's energy vulnerability.

Journalists covering the war in the Middle East are facing increasing restrictions and censorship imposed by governments and armed groups, with reporters being stopped and questioned or even detained, a survey of AFP bureau chiefs from the region showed.

Iran vowed on Tuesday that not one litre of oil would be exported from the Gulf while the United States and Israel continue their bombardment, as the United Arab Emirates closed its biggest oil refinery after a drone attack.

Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been charged with an assault near a golf club in northwest England.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said Tuesday his team should not feel inferior to Champions League opponents Manchester City, even without injured striker Kylian Mbappe.

Finland's intelligence agency warned Tuesday that Russian spies could boost their efforts to target and destabilise the new NATO member once the Ukraine war ends.

Already qualified Japan were made to sweat by the Czech Republic's part-time team of teachers and firefighters before the defending World Baseball Classic champions ended pool play with a 9-0 win on Tuesday.

Italy has paid 30 million euros for a Caravaggio painting of the future pope Urban VIII, the culture ministry said Tuesday, a work that will enter the Barberini museum collection in Rome.