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

The treason trial of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye opened on Monday but without his main defence lawyers after they were arrested or barred from the country.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States was reinstating its blockade of Iranian ports and "taking over" the Strait of Hormuz, where it would levy charges on shipping.

Andoni Iraola said on Monday he wants to enjoy the "magic" linked with being the manager of Liverpool but is determined his Anfield appointment does not change him fundamentally.

Brendon McCullum has apologised for the unsuccessful end of his reign as England's Test coach, saying "it's time for someone else to have a go".

Volkswagen's boss told employees Monday a further 50,000 jobs could go at the struggling auto giant, according to an internal memo seen by AFP, confirming reports the group is targeting 100,000 cuts worldwide.

The United States is "taking over" the Strait of Hormuz and will be paid for protecting it, US President Donald Trump declared on Monday, as Washington and Tehran once again fought over the vital waterway.

Yemen's internationally-recognised government said it struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday, its biggest flare-up in years with the rebels, who blamed the authorities' Saudi backers for the attack and threatened retaliation.

Three Britons and one national each from France, Belgium and Spain are among the 13 victims of one of the deadliest Spanish wildfires in recent times, authorities said on Monday.

The European Union on Monday announced sanctions against the company behind Russia's state-backed messaging app Max, which it said had been used to help clamp down on dissent.

Switzerland and Britain have concluded negotiations on an upgraded free trade agreement, Bern said Monday, saying the deal would boost legal certainty for businesses in both countries.

World oil prices surged Monday as a fresh flare-up between the United States and Iran rattled investors, while a selloff in chipmakers sent South Korea's stock market plunging.

Afghanistan's minister in charge of vice and virtue defended on Monday the crackdown on women's dress code in the western city of Herat, saying it protected "dignity" and dismissing criticism as propaganda.

Anti-terrorism police have taken charge of the investigation into the killing of veteran British right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe after fresh evidence emerged, the interior minister said Monday.

The commander of Ukraine's scandal-hit "Anne of Kyiv" army brigade has been arrested as part of a murder probe, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma shared the last four wickets as India completed a 270-run thrashing of England to win the first women's Test at Lord's on Monday.

Slaven Bilic will return as head coach of Croatia, the national football federation announced Monday, replacing Zlatko Dalic who resigned after the country's World Cup exit.

The UK government announced plans on Monday to ban Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a threat to national security, alongside an Iran-linked group accused of a series of attacks against the Jewish community.

Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma shared the last four wickets as India completed a 270-run thrashing of England to win the first women's Test at Lord's on Monday.

First the band saw smoke. Then the lights went out and an explosive fire ripped through the Bangkok bar and restaurant, spraying flames from the entrance into the street.

Nigeria's crude production reached a 74-month high last month, authorities said over the weekend, hitting an average of 1.56 million barrels per day, or 104 percent of its OPEC quota.

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, announced the addition of five Ondo tokenized stock and ETF trading pairs to its spot market, the latest expansion of its ongoing collaboration with Ondo Finance. The new pairs cover the semiconductor, energy and AI infrastructure sectors, expanding the range of tokenized U.S. equities available to users and allowing them to trade these assets using USDT.

Investigators combed on Monday through the wreckage of a huge fire at a Bangkok bar that killed at least 28 people, as relatives began the grim task of identifying the dead.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said Europe was ready to defend itself and freedom with "blood" if necessary, before a meeting of Ukraine's allies to reaffirm support for Kyiv and step up pressure on Russia.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday urged Spain to strengthen its prevention measures after one of the country's deadliest wildfires in recent history killed 13 people and razed a huge area.

World oil prices surged Monday as a fresh flare-up between the United States and Iran rattled investors, while a selloff in chipmakers sent South Korea's stock market plunging.

Without natural drinking water, residents of Italy's Aeolian Islands are mulling whether to build more desalination plants that will also cater to the large number of tourists, or continue bringing in water by ship.

A colossal budget, a stellar cast and based on one of the greatest stories in Western literature: Christopher Nolan's latest film "The Odyssey" should be one of this year's biggest blockbusters.

De Beers announced Monday it will pause production at South Africa's largest diamond mine for two years to reduce costs while trading conditions remained tough.

Cycling's Tour de France has become so hard that only "global superstars" are able to win even a single stage, French champion Romain Gregoire moaned on Monday's first rest day.

Investigators combed on Monday through the wreckage of a huge fire at a Bangkok bar that killed at least 27 people, as relatives began the grim task of identifying the dead.

Sharks fly-half Vusi Moyo will debut for South Africa against Wales in a Nations Championship third round match in Durban on Saturday.

The Middle East has been rocked by US and Iranian attacks of a scale unseen since an April ceasefire, as fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz threatened to derail efforts to permanently end the war.