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

More than 200 tourists were trapped Monday atop an iconic hill overlooking Rio de Janeiro after a gunfight broke out between police and drug gangs in a nearby favela, authorities and a tour operator said.

Iran said Monday it had not decided whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, while President Donald Trump vowed no let-up in a blockade and threatened to start bombing again.

French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz insisted Monday he would rather miss defending the Roland Garros title in May rather than rush treatment on a "serious" wrist injury.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a challenge by Catholic preschools to a state requirement that they enroll children of gay or transgender parents in order to receive public funds.

Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Federal Reserve, will stress his dedication to central bank independence on interest rates at a crucial confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to prepared remarks seen by AFP.

Taliban officials are expected in Brussels in the coming weeks for talks on deporting Afghans from the EU to their home country, sources told AFP.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is requiring Blue Origin to conduct a "mishap investigation" after the space company's New Glenn rocket failed to deliver a communications satellite into the correct orbit.

Pope Leo XIV condemned exploitation and corruption by the rich and powerful during a visit Monday to Angola's diamond-rich but impoverished northeast, returning to a theme of his 11-day tour of Africa.

German basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki said Victor Wembanyama, who won on his play-off debut on Sunday, was "changing the game as we speak".

Singer D4vd was charged Monday with the murder and dismemberment of his young teenage girlfriend, whose decomposing corpse was found in a Tesla that had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills.

Swiss football club FC Basel on Monday confirmed to AFP they had turned down an approach about staging a Kanye West concert at their St. Jakob-Park ground.

Ten years after authoring the ultimate sporting fairytale, former Premier League champions Leicester are on the brink of a humiliating relegation to the third tier.

Pope Leo XIV condemned exploitation and corruption by the rich and powerful during a visit Monday to Angola's diamond-rich but impoverished northeast, returning to a theme of his 11-day tour of Africa.

Swashbuckling batter Tilak Varma hit his maiden IPL century to lead Mumbai Indians to just their second win of the campaign as they hammered Gujarat Titans by 99 runs on Monday.

Formula One chiefs unanimously agreed on Monday to make rule changes following severe criticism of new regulations introduced this season which led to doubts over Max Verstappen continuing in the sport.

Singer D4vd was charged Monday with the murder and dismemberment of a teenage girl whose decomposing body was found in an abandoned Tesla in the Hollywood Hills.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday denied misleading parliament over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington, and accused officials of deliberately hiding information that the Labour politician had been denied security clearance.

Traffic once again seized up in the Strait of Hormuz as both Tehran and Washington imposed separate blockades, with Iranian vessels continuing to test the US shutdown, tracking data showed Monday.

Brazil's two-time World Cup winner Cafu said on Monday he believes this year's tournament is the perfect time for the five-time champions to take back the crown for the first time for 24 years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that his government would introduce sweeping measures, including restrictions on gun ownership, after two school shootings last week that shocked Turkey.

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington's delegation prepared to depart for Pakistan on Monday.

Bournemouth announced on Monday that German manager Marco Rose will take charge of the Premier League club next season, succeeding the departing Andoni Iraola.

European squash champion Victor Crouin believes the visibility of his sport will get a huge boost after it makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Defending champions John Korir and Sharon Lokedi completed a Kenyan double-double at the Boston Marathon on Monday, both delivering tactical masterpieces to clinch back-to-back victories in the 130th edition of the prestigious road race.

Efforts to rescue a humpback whale stranded for weeks on Germany's Baltic Sea coast were complicated Monday when the animal unexpectedly swam away but then appeared to have got stuck again.

Iran is banking on the Strait of Hormuz as its main card in any peace negotiations with the United States, but using the waterway as leverage is not without risk for the Islamic republic.

Argentine cinema, theater and television legend Luis Brandoni has died at the age of 86, his friend and producer Carlos Rottemberg announced Monday on X.

Lois Boisson, the French player who lit up Roland Garros last year with her stunning run to the French Open semi-finals, told AFP she cannot wait to return to action on Tuesday at the Madrid Open after months out injured.

Embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he had been wrong to appoint Labour politician Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington, seeking to quell anger over a scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's long-time associate.

Elon Musk did not appear Monday for a voluntary interview with Paris prosecutors, who had summoned the American tech billionaire over a probe into his social media platform X and AI chatbok Grok.

Celebrated British zoologist Desmond Morris, who died Sunday aged 98, shook up the world in 1967 when his book "The Naked Ape" posited that humans are essentially primates still captive to evolutionary impulses.

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States on Monday, casting uncertainty on a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming.