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

A teenager nicknamed "The Girl in the River Main" after her body was found floating in Germany a quarter-century ago bearing signs of abuse has finally been identified, leading to her father's arrest, Interpol said Monday.

A federal jury ruled Monday that Elon Musk waited too long to sue OpenAI and its co-founders, delivering a decisive victory to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and ending one of Silicon Valley's most closely watched courtroom battles.

The global corporation Scandic Finance Group (SFG) from Hong Kong is taking an unusual path: with the SNC Scandic Coin (SNC), it is launching a digital asset on the market that is not intended purely as a speculative object but as a genuine means of payment, an access medium and a customer loyalty instrument. The token is the core of a large ecosystem comprising media, mobility, technology, real estate and security services, in which users are meant to pay for their daily needs with a single digital currency. Following the announced listings on BitMart and L-Bank, SFG has now announced that Biconomy has been won as the third of five major exchange partners. This cooperation is intended to massively increase the international reach of the SNC and put the vision of a regulated, practical real-world asset token into practice.A new kind of utility tokenUnlike many hype coins, the SNC Scandic Coin focuses on clear use cases. According to the SFG board, the letters “SNC” stand for security/synergy, network and community and reflect Scandinavian values such as transparency, modern design and technological affinity. The fixed total supply of one billion tokens and the planned issue price of USD 0.02 per SNC limit the supply and create long-term planning certainty. A detailed vesting plan ensures that new tokens are released only gradually; according to the white paper, the proceeds from the sale flow into security measures, audits, the expansion of SFG infrastructure and liquidity, as well as into marketing and operations.The Scandic platforms – including Scandic Fly, Scandic Pay, Scandic Cars, Scandic Estate, Scandic DEV, Scandic SEC, Scandic Domains and Scandic Yachts – plan to accept the coin in future for flight and yacht charters, vehicle and property purchases, apps, artificial intelligence services and domain services. In addition, users will receive cashback, rewards and access to exclusive services such as luxury travel and premium media offerings, which the Legier-Group markets worldwide through its portfolio of over 115+ daily newspapers across all continents, and even operates its own Global-News-App.Security and regulation occupy a central position in this project. The SNC smart contract was audited by CertiK; the publicly accessible Skynet report of 2 March 2026 found no critical vulnerabilities. For the KYC/KYB processes and anti-money laundering controls, SFG cooperates with the data and credit provider CRIF. A multi-layered risk management system is intended to ensure compliance and ESG certificates. This strong regulatory basis is decisive for establishing a utility token in the highly regulated environment of real-world assets.

The US judge overseeing Luigi Mangione's New York state trial for the murder of a healthcare executive decided Monday to admit crucial items of evidence including a gun and a notebook.

The first attack targeting an Arab nuclear site has sent a symbolic warning to the United Arab Emirates and its allies, even as Iran and the US remain in negotiations to end the Middle East war, analysts say.

Stock markets diverged Monday as investors worried about borrowing costs, while oil prices rose as US President Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on Iran.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slightly higher last week, returning to levels in line with the average recorded since the start of the Middle East conflict after hitting a wartime low.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party suffered a beating in regional elections in Andalusia over the weekend, extending a series of local poll losses ahead of next year's general election.

One of Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani's companies will pay the United States $275 million to settle a probe into whether it violated Washington's sanctions against Iran, the US Treasury said in a statement on Monday.

Europeans are choosing to vacation closer to home as the war in the Middle East has amplified security concerns and made long-haul flights more expensive.

Britain's ruling Labour party on Monday revisited the divisive wounds of Brexit, after a senior figure hoping to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for the country to rejoin the European Union.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele needs treatment for a right calf issue, the French club said Monday, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal later this month.

Roberto De Zerbi has urged his Tottenham team to play with "courage and pride" as they seek to secure Premier League survival in Tuesday's match at Chelsea.

A cruise ship that sparked global alarm after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus ended its voyage by docking in Rotterdam harbour Monday, with the skeleton crew facing weeks of quarantine.

The 2028 Tour de France will embark from Reims in the French champagne region, organisers ASO revealed on Monday.

Dogs will be allowed on one of the normally tightly controlled beaches in Cannes that was renamed Monday after late film legend-turned-animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot.

Oil prices turned lower in afternoon trading Monday and stock markets advanced after an Iranian media report said US officials had agreed to suspend sanctions against its crude while talks on ending the war continue.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic announced Monday a preliminary 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup, to be led by veteran Luka Modric, the key architect of the country's historic success in recent years.

Iran's football team arrived in Turkey on Monday for a training camp and to complete visa applications ahead of the 2026 World Cup, AFP correspondents said.

Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim hit a glittering century as Bangladesh set Pakistan an imposing target of 427 to win the second Test after another commanding day for the hosts on Monday.

Kenya's public transport system was paralysed on Monday, when protesters barricaded roads over fuel price hikes triggered by the Middle East war.

A former Google executive took over as the BBC's new director-general on Monday amid proposed job cuts and a $10-billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump, arguing that the world now "needs the BBC more than ever".

France said Monday that it had selected an international team of architects to transform the Louvre, which has been hit by a litany of problems including a $100 million jewellery robbery.

A wonky mosaic in the shape of Nigeria plays a subtly telling role in Arie and Chuko Esiri's Cannes Film Festival break-out hit "Clarissa".

A former Google executive took over as the BBC's new director-general on Monday amid proposed job cuts and a $10-billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump, arguing that the world now "needs the BBC more than ever".

Swiss watch giant Swatch said Monday insufficient organisation by shopping centres contributed to scuffles at around 20 stores worldwide over the weekend as clients raced to buy a limited-edition timepiece.

Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal will leave the club at the end of the season, Los Blancos said Monday.

Stock markets mostly retreated and oil prices gained Monday after US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Tehran, saying it must move quickly towards a peace deal or "there won't be anything left of them".

Acclaimed director Na Hong-jin has unveiled South Korea's biggest budget film ever: a blood-splattered sci-fi thriller featuring killer extraterrestrials played by real-life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

The Lagos of Arie and Chuko Esiri's Cannes Film Festival hit "Clarissa" is not one that has ever been seen on the big screen.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo believed to have killed more than 90 people has been declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi has returned to her home in Tehran after being discharged from hospital in the wake of her release on bail, her family and supporters said Monday.