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

The US economy grew at a significantly slower pace than initially estimated for the final months of 2025, government data showed Friday, a major downgrade that comes as fallout from war in the Middle East looms.

Poland's centrist government on Friday unveiled a "Plan B" for financing the modernisation of its military and arms industry, after nationalist President Karol Nawrocki's veto of nearly 44 billion euros in European loans.

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy.

Swiss skier Marco Odermatt sealed his fifth successive overall World Cup title on Friday with a third-placed finish in the downhill won by Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr.

Chelsea captain Reece James believes the Blues "have everything it takes" to be successful after signing a new six-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said Friday he was "confident" that Kylian Mbappe will be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday for talks aimed at ramping up pressure on Russia to end its four-year invasion.

EU nations on Friday backed a ban on AI systems generating sexualised deepfakes, after an outcry over such images produced by Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok.

An Iranian drone has killed a French soldier in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, his commanding officer said on Friday, after President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the first French military death in the Middle East war.

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to disrupted crude supplies.

Sunrisers Leeds are facing a fierce social media backlash after the Indian-owned Hundred franchise signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed this week.

Abdul Malick sat among mourning relatives in his village in southern Pakistan, receiving condolences from neighbours after his nephew, Muzaffar Ali, was killed in Dubai last week.

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials on Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy.

Moscow on Friday urged the United States to lift more sanctions on its oil exports to stabilise the global energy markets, upended by the war in the Middle East.

"I am worried," a sailor stuck in the Gulf told AFP on Friday, his vessel unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked for nearly two weeks after US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran says no one can exclude it from the World Cup later this year, in response to President Donald Trump's warning that their "life and safety" would be at risk in the US.

Arne Slot said the "bar at Liverpool is always high" as he targets glory in the FA Cup and Champions League to save the club's season following a disastrous Premier League title defence.

A fuming Max Verstappen said Friday was "a disaster" after torrid practice and sprint qualifying sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Sri Lanka is repatriating on Friday the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who perished when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, the Foreign Ministry said.

Afghan authorities said on Friday that Pakistan attacks on Kabul and border provinces killed four people in the capital and two in the east, the latest deadly clashes in the long-running conflict.

Championship pacesetter George Russell took pole position on Friday for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of Kimi Antonelli.

Manager Craig Bellamy told AFP on Friday that he "feels a responsibility" to take Wales to this summer's World Cup, ahead of a crunch home play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Friday, his spokesman said, for talks with President Emmanuel Macron on ramping up pressure on Russia.

Afghan authorities said on Friday that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes on Kabul and border provinces, killing four people in the capital, in the latest deadly clashes in the long-running conflict.

Fresh strikes rocked Iran and several Gulf countries Friday, as Israel and the Islamic republic unleashed a new wave of attacks in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy.

Oil prices held gains above $100 Friday and most equity markets dropped after Iran's leader called for the blocking of the crucial Strait of Hormuz and the opening up of new fronts in the war against the United States and Israel.

China coach Ante Milicic urged his players on Friday to remain "calm and confident" in a charged Women's Asian Cup quarter-final against Taiwan.

China's top economic official will leave on Saturday for talks with his US counterpart in France, Beijing said, less than three weeks before President Donald Trump's expected summit with President Xi Jinping.

Pointing at a calf lying motionless in a green field in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, farmer Igsahn Felix let out a heavy sigh. "That one is not going to make it," he said.

Heels click on cracked paving stones as fantastically long-limbed men and women practice moves they hope will whisk them away from South Sudan, one of the fashion world's favourite scouting locations.

New waves of attacks struck Iran and Gulf nations on Friday after Tehran renewed its threats on oil facilities, while France announced its first soldier killed during the Mideast war.

In an English seaside village, researchers discuss options for relocating a graveyard threatened with slipping into the sea, or moving back a car park perilously close to a cliff edge.