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

Chess legend and avid football fan Magnus Carlsen predicted on Tuesday that Norway would "hammer" Iraq in their World Cup opener -- and could go on to reach the quarter-finals.

Singer Bonnie Tyler, known for mega-hits "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," has come out of a coma following emergency surgery last month, her family said.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged support on Tuesday for Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty, state media reported, as he met with President Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing.

In the crystalline waters off Kenya's coast, coral reefs are thriving -- evidence of a rare good news story in the battle to protect oceans from the ravages of climate change.

Solemn silence during the national anthem and howls of joy after the goals: in Tehran, Iranians followed their team's first steps on American soil in the World Cup with curiosity through the night.

Tuesday marks the final day for UniCredit's hostile and highly political takeover offer for Commerzbank, as Italy's second-largest bank has its sights on an ambitious pan-European banking merger.

Clad in his black cassock and energised by the frenetic beat, Jean-Pierre Mongambi, Kinshasa's "rapping priest", roamed underprivileged districts using rap to bring the gospel to the city's youth.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei said Iran is the "most oppressed team in the World Cup" after his players were suddenly informed they must travel back to Mexico immediately after their opening game ended in Los Angeles late Monday.

When Egypt took the lead against Belgium in their opening World Cup match on Monday, decades of doubt gave way to belief for 62-year-old Bahgat Abbas.

The Bank of Japan hiked interest rates to a 31-year high Tuesday as it battles inflation caused by the Middle East war, even after Washington and Tehran agreed a peace deal.

Fifteen-year-old cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blew his fuse in an India A game in Sri Lanka and pushed an opposition player after a heated on-field exchange.

Growing up in Tahiti, Anna-Bella Failloux saw first-hand the threat posed by mosquitoes: nearly a third of adults on the picturesque island once had swollen limbs from elephantiasis caused by their bites.

Ben Stokes' absence will cast a long shadow over England's bid to clinch a series victory against New Zealand when they face the Black Caps without their controversial captain this week.

Inside a factory in southern France, millions of tiger mosquitoes are being bred, not to have them spread, but to stop them from reproducing -- though scaling up such efforts poses a mighty challenge.

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, seeking to bolster trade and security ties with his diplomatically isolated country's most crucial ally.

Iran's World Cup campaign began in Los Angeles in a blaze of goals and controversy Monday, with hundreds protesting against a team they see as stooges for an extremist government in Tehran.

Iran came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their long-awaited opening game at the World Cup on Monday as European heavyweights Spain were frustrated in a shock stalemate by tiny tournament debutants Cape Verde.

Under a shed in north India, women scoop cow dung, lumps of unrefined sugar and flour to produce biofertiliser -- part of a growing effort to tackle anxieties over the supply of chemical fertilisers.

Iran twice battled back for a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday in their frenetic opening match of a World Cup campaign that has been utterly overshadowed by war, politics and protests.

Marcelo Bielsa was involved in an awkward exchange with a reporter at the World Cup on Monday which concluded with the Uruguay coach saying: "I'm not a model."

Equities mostly rose Tuesday and oil prices held losses following the previous day's euphoric rally sparked by the US-Iran peace deal that will reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Thai fisherman Somdet Singthong steered his metal skiff across the brown waters of the Mekong river, resigned to the pollution that has put his health and lifelong source of livelihood at risk.

UN chief Antonio Guterres will visit gang-ravaged Haiti on Tuesday to show solidarity with victims of violence in the impoverished Caribbean nation long plagued by political, economic and security woes.

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said there is no room for fear as his unfancied side prepare to face Erling Haaland and Norway in their first World Cup match in 40 years.

The European Parliament is set on Tuesday to give a final sign off to implement a tariff deal with the United States as it seeks to close a volatile chapter of transatlantic trade relations.

The G7 group of leading powers will hold talks on Tuesday with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukraine with US leader Donald Trump saying that "maybe we can do something" after over four years of war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion.

The European Union on Monday moved Ukraine's bid to join onto the next stage after a long delay -- but Kyiv still has a long and tricky path ahead to becoming a full member.

Ukraine announced an overhaul of its army recruitment system on Monday, offering lucrative contracts and clearly defined terms of service in a bid to attract new recruits.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he intended to run in elections scheduled for later this year, as he faced domestic criticism over his wartime leadership.

Hundreds of anti-regime protesters gathered outside the stadium in Los Angeles where Iran will take on New Zealand in their opening game of the 2026 World Cup on Monday.

The United States said Monday that ships will move toll-free through the Strait of Hormuz under an Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump, and insisted Tehran would have to fulfill its commitments before getting any economic benefits.

More than one billion children face at least three overlapping climate hazards, UNICEF warned Monday, while highlighting the disproportionate impact in some regions of the world.