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

In the lobby of a vocational school packed with hundreds of people, Zeinab Moqdad, who fled Beirut's southern suburbs, rages at a new war between Hezbollah and Israel whose consequences she is once again forced to bear.

The United Nations rights chief called Friday for answers after a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, as a media investigation concluded the United States was most likely responsible.

AC Milan face Serie A leaders Inter this weekend knowing the derby could offer a last chance to apply pressure.

Italian skier Laura Pirovano vowed to "savour this victory" after finally claiming her first World Cup win on Friday in the first of two downhills on home snow in Val di Fassa.

Iceland's government on Friday proposed that a referendum be held on August 29 on resuming the country's EU membership talks after they were terminated in 2015.

Hungary will expel seven detained Ukrainians, the government said Friday, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded threats in a row over stalled Russian oil supplies.

Shohei Ohtani blasted a home run to ignite Japan's World Baseball Classic campaign as the defending champions thrashed Taiwan 13-0 in their tournament opener in Tokyo on Friday.

A US submarine this week torpedoing an Iranian warship during the Middle East conflict raised the crucial question of who controls the seas during wartime.

Fresh strikes rocked Iran and Lebanon Friday as Israel and the United States stepped up their attacks in the spawling Middle East war, with powerful explosions shattering the skies of Tehran.

Italian skier Laura Pirovano finally claimed her first World Cup victory on Friday by winning the first of two downhills on home snow in Val di Fassa.

Iranian drone strikes on Azerbaijan have raised fears that the Middle East war could spill into the Caucasus, as Baku, an ally of Israel, vows to respond.

Israel's air superiority over Iranian skies in the war with the Islamic republic reflects decades of strategic thinking and a singular partnership with Washington, experts told AFP.

Hungary will expel seven detained Ukrainians, the government said Friday, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded threats in a row over stalled Russian oil supplies.

Nepal's centrist party of rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah took an early lead in the high-stakes parliamentary election on Friday, as slow counting continued after the first polls since last year's deadly uprising.

Global stock markets fluctuated and oil prices jumped Friday at the end of a volatile week's trading unleashed by the Middle East conflict.

German aviation giant Lufthansa warned Friday it faced a more uncertain outlook because of the unfolding Middle East conflict, and that the fallout showed how vulnerable air traffic remains to geopolitical shocks.

Fresh Israeli strikes on Friday battered Lebanon, where Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned "a humanitarian disaster is looming" due to mass displacement.

Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal against the national security conviction for which he was jailed for 20 years last month, his legal team said on Friday without providing a reason.

A retired general who criticises the EU, wants to send home illegal migrants and says Ukraine should accept a peace deal with Russia is challenging Italy's hard-right government on its own turf.

China's leaders are "clearly aware" of challenges facing growth, the head of the country's top economic planning body said on Friday, vowing to boost sluggish domestic consumption.

Kyiv accused Budapest of kidnapping seven of its citizens on Friday, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would use "every means" to pressure Ukraine in an escalating row over stalled Russian oil supplies.

North Korea and defending champions China both eased ominously into the Women's Asian Cup quarter-finals on Friday, joining South Korea and hosts Australia in the last eight.

Israeli air strikes left behind massive destruction in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday morning, with the Israeli military saying it had destroyed Hezbollah targets.

Asian markets mostly down Friday as the war in the Middle East showed no sign of ending, though there was some reprieve from the surge in oil prices after the United States looked to ease supply concerns.

Opener Finn Allen has long been regarded as the hardest hitter of a cricket ball in New Zealand and his performance in taking his side to the T20 World Cup final showed just why.

With his ability to bowl yorkers at will, Jasprit Bumrah is India's main weapon as they hunt for their third T20 World Cup title on Sunday, and he will carry the hopes of a billion-plus fans in the cricket-obsessed country.

India face New Zealand on Sunday in Ahmedabad looking to become the first side to lift the T20 World Cup for a third time but under huge pressure with the weight of a nation on their shoulders.

German aviation giant Lufthansa warned Friday it faced heightened uncertainty because of the unfolding Middle East conflict, adding the fallout showed how vulnerable air traffic remains to geopolitical shocks.

Fresh strikes rocked Iran and Lebanon on Friday, as Israel vowed to escalate to a new phase in the Middle East war that has spiralled rapidly throughout the region and beyond.

Asian markets were mixed Friday as the war in the Middle East showed no sign of ending, though there was some reprieve from the surge in oil prices after the United States looked to ease supply concerns.

Sri Lanka on Friday denounced the toll of the Mideast fighting, as the nation opened its arms to over 200 Iranian sailors who sought help after a deadly torpedo strike on another of Iran's ships.

Japan's Naoya Inoue said Friday that he will have to be at his destructive best for his "historic" showdown against dangerous countryman Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome next month.