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

Top-ranked Nelly Korda chases a lifelong dream and Thailand's second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul seeks her first major title when the 81st US Women's Open begins on Thursday at Riviera Country Club.

The Justice Department on Tuesday dropped a contentious plan to create a $1.8 billion compensation program that critics had denounced as a "slush fund" for President Donald Trump's political allies.

Canada and Mexico on Tuesday called for a 16-year renewal of the North American free trade agreement with the United States, in hopes of binding the three countries to a pact that President Donald Trump has openly questioned.

Football superstar David Beckham is to be honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, organizers announced Tuesday, as the United States readies to host the World Cup.

Turkey on Tuesday expressed alarm over a weekend gig by Kanye West in Istanbul attended by nearly 120,000 fans, saying it included elements that offended its spiritual sensitivities.

Alexander Zverev breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Joao Fonseca's scintillating run came to an end in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

With a US deadline to sever ties with Cuba's military conglomerate GAESA fast approaching, foreign companies had by Tuesday vastly reduced their presence on the island.

Victor Wembanyama is making a lasting impression in his first playoff run, inspiring awe-struck comments from his opponents on the eve of the NBA Finals opener.

Czech youngster Jakub Mensik produced a brilliant display to upstage Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca and reach the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday.

Bodycam footage of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage on Tuesday, with protesters in the city where the crime took place throwing bricks at police.

England kicked off their pre-World Cup preparations in Florida on Tuesday, holding a light first training session in hot and humid conditions following their arrival in the United States.

French lawmakers on Tuesday recognised the state's partial responsibility in allowing a toxic pesticide to be used in the French West Indies despite health warnings, inflicting long-term harm on the islands and their people.

Stalled progress in peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran sent oil prices higher on Tuesday, with stocks also making advances based on optimism around AI-related tech equities.

They went to war together against Iran, but Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's relationship is under strain after the US president reportedly called the Israeli premier "crazy."

Fast bowler Nathan Ellis took a career best four-wicket haul as an understrength Australia shocked Pakistan by 41 runs in the second one-day international in Lahore on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series 1-1.

Jalen Brunson says doubters have only made the New York Knicks work harder to capture the club's first title since 1973 in the NBA Finals against San Antonio.

Russia pummelled Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people and reducing buildings to rubble, officials and AFP reporters said.

Body camera footage of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage on Tuesday, with angry protesters throwing projectiles at police in the city where the crime took place.

Alexander Zverev insisted he's just focused on his upcoming semi-final rather than being the favourite to win a first major after he laid down a marker at the French Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Rafael Jodar.

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Tuesday while Lebanese and Israeli diplomats met in Washington for direct talks, with top US diplomat Marco Rubio saying the militant group was the only impediment to a peace deal.

Microsoft unveiled its own cutting-edge artificial intelligence models in San Francisco on Tuesday, a crucial step toward reducing its dependence on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said on Tuesday Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku scoring on his first international appearance in more than a year in a 2-0 World Cup friendly win over Croatia was "ideal".

Body camera footage of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage on Tuesday.

Russia pummelled Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and reducing buildings to rubble, officials and AFP reporters said.

A sophisticated tunnel that runs hundreds of feet (meters) under the US-Mexico border and pops up in a California retail store was used to smuggle more than $45 million worth of cocaine, US officials say.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will speak at a rescheduled White House correspondents dinner on July 24, after a shooting incident disrupted the gala event in April.

Victor Wembanyama says the San Antonio Spurs are still coming down off an emotional high from defeating Oklahoma City to reach the NBA Finals on the eve of the championship series.

Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku scored on his first international appearance in more than a year as Belgium beat Croatia 2-0 on Tuesday in Rijeka in a World Cup friendly.

The new government formed by Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in defiance of his powerful sacked prime minister can overcome potential efforts by his estranged ally to block its reforms, analysts say.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expressed hope that a deal to end the war in Iran was in the cards, stressing that Tehran must severely curtail its nuclear program before any sanctions are lifted.

Canada has formally told the United States and Mexico that it wants to renew the North American free trade agreement derided by President Donald Trump, a letter released Tuesday said.

Airbus said Tuesday its A350-1000ULR widebody aircraft capable of flying up to 22 hours non-stop has successfully completed a first test flight.