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

Lionel Messi was set to feature Tuesday as reigning champions Argentina played their final warm-up game for a World Cup overshadowed by off-field distractions, as the Somali referee refused entry to the United States said his dream was over.

Former Australia captain Liam Wright has signed for Welsh club Ospreys, with the flanker saying on Wednesday it was a chance to test himself in a different environment.

Forty years after playing for Belgium against hosts Mexico in the 1986 World Cup opener, Hugo Broos makes an emotional return to the Estadio Azteca on Thursday, this time as coach of South Africa.

Golf Australia chief James Sutherland said Wednesday he envisages the Australian Open becoming one of the world's top tournaments after the PGA Tour agreed to co-sanction the event.

Elon Musk has become the most powerful, prolific and bewildering human on earth and is about to become the world's first trillionaire if his latest brainchild -- the IPO of his rocket and AI company SpaceX -- goes as planned.

A lavish spending spree brought star players and attention to Saudi Arabia, but it has not reaped rewards for the national team who arrive at the World Cup desperate to reverse a run of poor results.

Thousands of armed police patrol alongside tourists in Mexico City, where authorities say security is under control in the days leading up to the World Cup.

World Cup co-hosts the United States can be "too honest" in games and need to improve at soccer's dark arts for their opener against Paraguay, midfielder Cristian Roldan said Tuesday.

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano is hoping to bring a taste of his homeland to the Artemis III mission he will pilot near Earth in 2027 to test two lunar modules.

The leaders of North Korea and China have adopted a "far-reaching blueprint" for bilateral ties during Xi Jinping's recent visit to Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday.

Benfica on Tuesday parted company with coach Jose Mourinho, who is close to returning to Real Madrid, and announced an agreement with Fulham boss Marco Silva to replace him.

Anti-immigration protesters torched buildings and vehicles in Belfast on Tuesday evening and blocked roads, a day after a stabbing allegedly by a Sudanese refugee, captured in a graphic video that shocked the country.

US forces carried out strikes against Iran on Tuesday in what President Donald Trump said was retaliation for the downing of an American helicopter a day earlier by the Islamic Republic.

From explicit calls for murder to sexual harassment, violent threats targeting US lawmakers on Facebook rocketed after tech giant Meta rolled back key content moderation policies last year, a tech watchdog said Tuesday.

Nick Reiner, the son of legendary US movie director Rob Reiner, is demanding access to a $1.5 million trust fund set up by the parents he is charged with murdering, court documents show.

World champions Spain and France booked their tickets to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil on Tuesday, but England missed out on automatic qualification despite beating Ukraine.

Anti-immigration protesters torched a building and vehicles in Belfast on Tuesday evening and blocked roads, a day after a stabbing allegedly by a Sudanese refugee, captured in a graphic video that shocked the country.

It is high time a woman took charge of the United Nations, argued three of the candidates in the running to take over as secretary-general, at a debate on Tuesday.

Global stocks mostly fell Tuesday as US tech shares faced another round of selling followed recent outsized gains and markets weighed the latest uptick in US-Iran tensions.

Thousands of demonstrators blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Tuesday, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the venue.

The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.

Serena Williams said she had "so much fun" as the American legend rolled back the years in her triumphant return to tennis in the Queen's Club doubles on Tuesday.

US soccer star Gio Reyna on Tuesday said he has put the controversy of the 2022 World Cup behind him and is solely focussed on helping the co-hosts succeed this summer.

Somali referee Omar Artan said the "biggest dream of my life" had been ripped away after he was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup.

With their 13-game playoff win streak snapped, the New York Knicks know they need to be aggressive early in Wednesday's fourth game of the NBA Finals after slow starts.

Three months after her son died at the hands of Ecuador's military, Monica Franco is still inconsolable.

Anthropic, maker of the Claude artificial intelligence (AI) models, made the most powerful version of its technology available to the general public on Tuesday while restricting its use in sensitive areas.

Serena Williams made a winning return to tennis after four years in retirement as the American legend partnered Victoria Mboko in a first-round doubles victory at the Queen's Club on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to respond after he accused Iran of shooting down a US military helicopter the previous night, hours after he said negotiations to end the Middle East war were in their final stages.

Real Madrid said on Tuesday that Atletico Madrid had rejected the club's offer of 150 million euros ($173 million) for Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

Handling physicality from the New York Knicks and hostility from New York supporters has helped boost the San Antonio Spurs as they try to pull level in the NBA Finals.

The head of Peru's election authority told AFP that the results of Sunday's presidential election may not be known for a fortnight, dashing hopes of a quick resolution to the ultra-tight race.