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

Oil prices dipped and stocks edged higher Tuesday as investors held out hope that despite conflictual rhetoric there was scope for a deal to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas shipments.

Downing Street applied constant pressure on civil servants to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington and seemed to brush off security concerns, a sacked official told MPs Tuesday.

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday arrived in Equatorial Guinea for the final leg of his African tour, where his increasingly vocal defences of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent.

German investor morale slid to its lowest level in over three years in April, a survey showed Tuesday, as the Middle East war threatens to snuff out a tentative recovery in Europe's top economy.

American logistics giant FedEx has been targeted in France by a legal complaint alleging "complicity in the crime of genocide" over claims it transported parts for Israeli aircraft involved in bombing Gaza.

Iran said Tuesday it has not yet sent a delegation for new peace talks with the United States, as the temporary ceasefire which paused the Middle East war was set to expire.

A NASA rover has discovered more building blocks of life on Mars after carrying out a chemistry experiment never before conducted on another planet, scientists said Tuesday.

Russia and North Korea held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the joining of the first road bridge connecting the countries, set to open for traffic this summer, Moscow said.

Sheikh Nadeem sat on a plastic chair outside his bedding store in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, scrolling through his phone as he waited for customers he knew were not coming.

Apple's Tim Cook will step down as the California tech giant's chief executive this year, handing the top job to a company veteran as it navigates a technology landscape being upended by AI.

Hollywood was clad in black and glittering sequins on Monday to host the Los Angeles premiere of Michael Jackson's biopic, drawing fans of the King of Pop to the iconic California boulevard.

One hundred and ten Turkish coal miners who had marched 200 kilometres (125 miles) to stage a hunger strike for their unpaid wages were arrested on Tuesday morning, their union said.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday while stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran said it had not decided whether to attend peace talks.

Associated British Foods announced Tuesday that it would spin off its budget fashion chain Primark, splitting up one of the country's largest consumer businesses.

Pope Leo XIV begins the final leg of his African tour on Tuesday with a visit to Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly vocal defences of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent.

Seeking new fans for Hello Kitty, the company behind the enigmatic character on Tuesday launched a video games division aiming to release 10 original titles over the next three years.

Chelsea great Roberto Di Matteo told AFP on Tuesday it was "vital" that the faltering Premier League side add experienced players and backed Liam Rosenior to still be in charge next season.

Former Tottenham star Edgar Davids on Tuesday told AFP that the fallen London giants will find it hard to avoid relegation and condemned "a lack of quality and a lack of management".

In the desert expanse of Turkmenistan, Chinese engineers are hard at work at the vast Galkynysh gas field -- a mega project that is deepening the closed Central Asian state's already extensive ties with Beijing.

The sultry songs of Lolita Cercel, an AI-generated singer, are a sensation in Romania, racking up millions of views online -- but angering real-life musicians and drawing criticism from the Roma minority as a racist cliche.

Anthony Edwards scored 30 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves staged a double-digit fightback for a series-leveling 119-114 upset of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs on Monday.

The United States and Iran both warned they were ready for war as the clock ticked down on a ceasefire on Tuesday, with uncertainty over whether talks that President Donald Trump had announced would resume in Pakistan.

A gunman killed a Canadian tourist and wounded six other people on Monday at Mexico's famed Teotihuacan archaeological site, authorities said.

The appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as head coach of Union Berlin's men's Bundesliga side may have captured global headlines, but few inside the ambitious club were surprised.

Virginia votes Tuesday in a referendum that could hand Democrats four extra seats in the US House of Representatives, turning President Donald Trump's redistricting push into a potential liability for Republicans in upcoming midterm elections.

Hoteliers are switching on the lights to welcome a trickle of visitors back to the once-booming resort towns of India-controlled Kashmir, a year after militants opened fire on holidaymakers in an attack that killed 26 people.

Competing for attention with Jennifer Lopez is no easy task. But at a recent wedding in India where the American star performed in a barely-there sparkly leotard, it was arguably the cake that stole the show.

Shares in a Chinese tech firm that supplies US chip titan Nvidia soared almost 60 percent on its Hong Kong debut Tuesday, having raised more than US$2 billion in the city's largest listing this year.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday while most stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran said it had not decided whether to attend peace talks.

A Canadian woman was shot dead and 13 others were hurt in a shooting Monday at Mexico's famed Teotihuacan archaeological site, authorities said.

An Alabama-born engineer seen as a supply-chain savant, Tim Cook took on the daunting challenge of succeeding Apple's iconic boss Steve Jobs 15 years ago.

Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.