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

With Thai lawmakers voting to legalise same-sex marriage Tuesday, we look at the situation across the globe.

Marcus Smith will start at fly-half for England ahead of Fin Smith against Japan on Saturday, head coach Steve Borthwick said as he announced his side two days earlier than expected.

Manchester City will begin their Premier League title defence away to Chelsea on the opening weekend of the new season after the fixture list was published on Tuesday.

More than a dozen people were missing in China on Tuesday after heavy rains and flooding struck swaths of the south, while the north baked under some of its highest temperatures this year.

Four Philippine policemen were found guilty Tuesday of killing a father and son, court officials said, in a rare case of law enforcement officers being prosecuted for taking part in former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war.

Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 13 people in central Gaza, the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run territory said, although fighting has largely subsided as Muslims mark Eid al-Adha.

Veteran British actor Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, was rushed to hospital late on Monday after falling from the stage during a London performance.

Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, in a historic parliamentary vote hailed as a "victory" by campaigners.

Music pounds through an empty hangar on the outskirts of Paris as dancers perform a few snatches of a top-secret routine in front of giant mirrors.

Four Philippine policemen were found guilty Tuesday of killing a father and son, court officials said, in a rare case of law enforcement officers being prosecuted for taking part in former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war.

Survivors of an Indian double train crash that killed nine people described on Tuesday their terror when a driver missed a signal and rammed a goods train into a passenger express.

David Warner says he will forever be tarnished by the "Sandpaper-gate" scandal of 2018, as the Australian opener ponders his legacy ahead of impending international retirement.

Musicians around the world have described artificial intelligence as a threat to creativity, but the CEO of one popular platform told AFP he thinks critics are looking at it all wrong.

Dozens of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border Tuesday but retreated after warning shots were fired, Seoul said, the second such incident in two weeks as Pyongyang reinforces its frontiers with the South.

A resurgence of cholera across Africa has driven an urgent need for more vaccine doses, but stock shortages have hampered the fight against the increasing outbreaks of the deadly disease.

Gautam Gambhir is in pole position to become India's next head coach after media reports said Tuesday that he was the only applicant for the high-profile post.

Celine Dion vowed Monday her "passion as a performer will never disappear," despite health struggles she says are still just a small part of her monumental story.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will likely face tough questions Tuesday when a Senate panel grills the executive on safety problems, manufacturing missteps and alleged efforts to intimidate whistleblowers.

Nicholas Pooran was run out agonisingly short of a maiden T20 World Cup hundred as a rampant West Indies humbled Afghanistan by 104 runs in a clash of unbeaten teams on Monday.

Dallas star Luka Doncic was still absorbing the bitter blow of NBA Finals defeat, but one big lesson from the Mavericks 4-1 loss to the Boston Celtics was already clear.

Jayson Tatum said the bitter sting of past postseason defeats powered the Boston Celtics to their record-breaking 18th NBA championship title on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Otago Highlanders back Connor Garden-Bachop has died aged 25 after an unspecified "medical event", New Zealand Rugby said on Tuesday.

Australia voiced concern Tuesday about the "ham-fisted" actions of two Chinese diplomats at a press event, tarnishing a highly touted visit in which Premier Li Qiang has sought to celebrate trade and friendship.

Jaylen Brown was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Monday as his Boston Celtics polished off the Dallas Mavericks four games to one to earn a record 18th championship.

Croatia will be aiming to get their Euro 2024 campaign back on track against Albania on Wednesday, with their 'golden generation' in danger of a disappointing farewell from the top level following a humbling loss to Spain.

Thai prosecutors on Tuesday formally indicted influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra under the kingdom's strict royal insult laws over comments he made nearly a decade ago.

Hong Kong's stock exchange will continue trading through typhoons and heavy storms from September, the city's leader announced Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum produced a dazzling 31-point display as the Boston Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to clinch a record-breaking 18th NBA championship crown on Monday.

When Bae Jin-soo quit his well-paying job at one of South Korea's biggest conglomerates to write stories, his parents were so upset they kicked him out of the house.

Asian equities rallied Tuesday, tracking another tech-driven record on Wall Street, while investors awaited fresh US economic data to get a better handle on the outlook for inflation.

Thai lawmakers met Tuesday to vote on legalising same-sex marriage, putting the kingdom on the cusp of becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to recognise marriage equality.

Nicholas Pooran was run out agonisingly short of a maiden T20 World Cup hundred in propelling the West Indies to 218-5 against Afghanistan on Monday, the highest total at the tournament.