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

The UN health chief was on Friday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities are struggling to contain the spread of a deadly Ebola outbreak but the recovery of a patient, the first since the crisis began, was confirmed.

Jhonatan Narvaez has dropped out of the Giro d'Italia, his team said on Friday, ending the Ecuadorian's bid for the points jersey currently held by Paul Magnier.

Irish football fans disrupted Ireland's friendly with World Cup participants Qatar in Dublin late Thursday by throwing tennis balls on the pitch in protest against upcoming games against Israel.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek progressed to the last 16 of the French Open on Friday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Magda Linette in an all-Polish encounter.

US Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing a deal to extend their ceasefire in the Middle East war, but the potential breakthrough still hangs on President Donald Trump's approval.

France defender Ibrahima Konate is to leave Liverpool when his contract expires next month after failing to agree a new deal, according to multiple reports in the British media on Friday.

A former German transport minister faces a perjury trial related to a failed scheme to charge foreign motorists highway tolls, a debacle that cost the government hundreds of millions of euros.

US rapper Kanye West, whose concerts have been banned in several European venues over controversial antisemitic remarks, may perform in the Netherlands for two concerts in June, officials said Friday.

Argentina are contenders to successfully defend their World Cup crown but their chances will be undermined if coach Lionel Scaloni relies too much on the players who triumphed four years ago, Argentine great Daniel Bertoni told AFP.

Stock markets mostly rose and oil prices fell Friday on optimism that the United States and Iran would reach a deal to extend their ceasefire.

It's at the wacky end of the rock spectrum, but an unlikely recipe of polka-dot pyjamas, floppy-nosed masks and hypnotic guitar riffs has propelled Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine to viral stardom.

A drone hit an apartment building in NATO-member Romania early Friday, wounding two people and drawing condemnation from the Atlantic alliance and the European Union, which blamed Russia and warned against further incursions.

French GDP shrank 0.1 percent in the first quarter, official data showed Friday, a downward revision from previous estimates that analysts warn could herald a recession for the eurozone's second-biggest economy.

The UN health chief, who is in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help fight an Ebola outbreak, was due Friday to meet Congolese authorities before heading Saturday to the violence-hit region at the centre of the crisis.

Sardar Azmoun is Iran's third top scorer in history with a successful club career behind him but is set to miss out on the 2026 World Cup in an exclusion shadowed by political controversy.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape told AFP the South Pacific island nation won't allow foreign military bases, even as Australia steps up its presence at a naval port seen as central to blocking China in any regional conflict.

A Russian drone struck an apartment building in NATO-member Romania early Friday, wounding two people in the latest spillover from the war in Ukraine and prompting strong condemnation from the Atlantic alliance and the European Union.

Hasina Bibi clutched her hungry four-year-old daughter as she waited at an India-Bangladesh border post, trying to leave as fears grow of an Indian crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Ministers gathered for a digital G7 meeting in Paris Friday, with host France expecting they will find common ground on online child protection but diverge over the environmental impact of computing.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket unleashed a massive fireball into the sky as it exploded during a test on Thursday, in the latest blow to billionaire Jeff Bezos's space ambitions.

Dorcas Mapenzi fears the worst if Ebola comes to the Kingonze camp, where she lives alongside more than 25,000 other displaced people in the conflict-hit eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Global betting revenue for the upcoming World Cup is likely to be "in excess of $50 billion", betting expert Darren Small told AFP, for an event he labelled "the biggest circus in town."

Bordeaux-Begles' Fiji winger Salesi Rayasi says claiming a French Top 14 and Champions Cup double will be a challenge before they head to Toulon in the league on Sunday.

Arsenal seek to finally conquer Europe by wresting the Champions League crown from holders Paris Saint-Germain, who are themselves targeting back-to-back titles in Budapest on Saturday.

Holders Argentina arrive at the World Cup aiming to become the first team in more than half a century to successfully defend their title.

Erling Haaland propelled Norway back to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and spearheads a golden generation ready to thrive on the global stage.

After a remarkable 14-year spell in charge capped by one World Cup triumph and another run to the final, Didier Deschamps is hoping to go out on a high as he gets ready to step down as France coach following the upcoming tournament in North America.

Winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France arrive at this World Cup as one of the leading contenders, but the planet's top-ranked team face stiff tests against Senegal and Norway in Group I, which also features outsiders Iraq.

With Jannik Sinner's shock French Open exit blowing the men's draw wide open, Novak Djokovic will look to pounce on the opportunity in his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.

Lionel Messi will turn 39 during the upcoming World Cup and could have been forgiven for quitting international football after leading Argentina to glory in Qatar in 2022, but he remains his country's talisman as they aim to retain the trophy in North America.

Thirty-two years after overseeing the hugely successful 1994 World Cup – the tournament that forced America to take football seriously – Alan Rothenberg believes soccer is firmly on track to replace the NFL as the most popular sport in the United States.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a test Thursday on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, though officials said no injuries were reported from the incident.