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

A South Korean court handed former president Yoon Suk Yeol a 30-year prison sentence on Friday for sending drones into North Korea to "manufacture" a crisis ahead of his disastrous martial law bid.

British artist David Hockney's paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, from carefree 1960s California to the bucolic landscapes of his native Yorkshire.

Belgian rider Wout Van Aert retired from the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Friday with a persistent elbow injury a day after sprinting to victory in stage five.

Pope Leo XIV told migrants at a reception centre on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Friday that "all of us are migrants", on the final day of a weeklong visit to Spain focused on the plight of irregular immigrants.

The Waikato Chiefs booked their place in the Super Rugby final on Friday after humiliating defending champions Canterbury Crusaders in Hamilton, with Kyren Taumoefolau scoring twice in a 49-12 romp.

Massive cuts to international aid have put the world's response to HIV "in peril", the UN's top AIDS official warned Friday, as a new report revealed the scale of disruption to HIV prevention efforts.

Asian and European stocks gained and oil dipped Friday after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of further strikes on Iran and said a deal could be signed in the coming days.

The United States begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on a savvy Paraguay side in a high-stakes match in Los Angeles.

When drones strayed over the Danube and crashed in Romania, Roxana Saraev felt uneasy. But ensconced in her seaside jewellery shop at the country's easternmost tip, she has made up her mind -- she is not going anywhere.

Australia coach Tony Popovic signed a contract extension Thursday ahead of their World Cup opener against Turkey that will take him through to the Asian Cup early next year.

Switzerland's vote on proposed measures to restrict immigration to ensure the population does not exceed 10 million is dividing the country.

Families of those killed in last year's Air India plane crash gathered at the site on Friday to mark the anniversary of the disaster, still awaiting answers about its cause.

A major reform of European migration rules aimed at hardening border procedures and overhauling the asylum process comes into force on Friday.

The United States Navy will deploy a nuclear-powered submarine squadron to a strategic Australian navy port this year, Canberra's defence minister said on Friday.

On the balcony of his house in Indonesia, Muhammad Yusuf swayed to blaring music and waved a replica of the World Cup trophy as hundreds paraded past, many decked out in Argentina's colours.

A group of UN experts on Thursday denounced a crackdown on women in Afghanistan's western city of Herat, saying at least two people had been killed during a protest against the restrictions.

Rice farmer Mohammad Ismail Hossain fears violence could blight his quiet fields in southwestern Bangladesh, on the front line of a growing Indian push to expel undocumented migrants.

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the king's eldest daughter, has died aged 47, the royal palace announced Friday, more than three years after she was hospitalised following a sudden illness.

A South Korean court sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for sending military drones into North Korea, saying he planned the action as pretext for his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024.

In a blaring nightclub in wartime Myanmar, partied-out revellers doze until dawn by the dancefloor, wary of journeying home despite the end of a post-coup curfew.

Tehran said Friday it had not reached a final decision on a deal to end the Middle East war, despite US President Donald Trump claiming an agreement could be signed in days and cancelling threatened strikes on Iran.

South Korea got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 Thursday after finally converting some of the many chances they created.

Shakira had the spectators out of their seats at the World Cup opening ceremony Thursday, but outside the Estadio Azteca fans and protesters clashed with police.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has made awe-inspiring achievements since its founding over two decades ago and has big ideas -- colonies on Mars, orbital AI data centers, rapidly reusable rockets -- for the future.

Asian stocks gained and oil dipped Friday after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of further strikes on Iran and said a deal could be signed in the coming days.

Elon Musk's SpaceX was set to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange Friday with the biggest initial public offering in history expected to make the polarizing entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire.

When they get home, the residents of a small housing association on the outskirts of Hudiksvall, Sweden, plug in their electric vehicles to charge them or, intriguingly, power their homes.

As workers put final touches to a massive arena for Sunday's "cage fight" on the White House South Lawn, a few miles away, a professional pianist is learning how to choke someone unconscious.

It's the ultimate symbol of American politics under Donald Trump -- a blood-soaked cage match on the lawn of the White House for the US president's 80th birthday.

Auckland Blues coach Vern Cotter is confident his side can upset the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday and book a spot in the Super Rugby final, but the odds are stacked against them.

In Nairobi's congested streets, the almost imperceptible hum of electric motorbikes is increasingly replacing the roar of their petrol-powered counterparts.

Pope Leo XIV will meet migrants and hold an open-air mass on the island of Tenerife on Friday to end a visit to Spain that has highlighted the plight of irregular arrivals.