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

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.

Liam Rosenior insists he has support from Chelsea's owners despite an alarming slump that has dealt a huge blow to the club's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

US and European stocks reversed Monday as oil prices surged over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long Middle East war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz following its brief reopening.

Gheorghe Hagi took over as coach of the Romanian national team on Monday with the former Barcelona star announcing ambitious targets for his new charges.

Pace sensation Nahid Rana took 5-32 to lead Bangladesh to a comfortable six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second one-day international and level the three-match series at 1-1 on Monday.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa mounted a strong defence of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who was criticised for what some perceived as ignoring his defensive responsibilities in last week's Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich.

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

The father of music superstar Amy Winehouse on Monday lost a UK lawsuit he brought against two of her friends, who auctioned some of her clothes and other possessions years after her death.

Japan issued a special advisory on Monday warning of an increased risk of earthquakes at magnitude 8.0 or stronger, after a powerful jolt rattled the country's north and prompted a tsunami warning.

Italian bank UniCredit wooed shareholders in Germany's Commerzbank with promises of higher returns on Monday as it hopes to win a 35-billion-euro ($41 billion) takeover battle fiercely opposed by many Germans.

European stocks fell Monday as oil prices surged over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long Middle East war, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz following its brief reopening.

The father of music superstar Amy Winehouse on Monday lost a UK lawsuit he brought against two of her friends, who auctioned some of her clothes years after her death.

Slovenian outgoing Prime Minister Robert Golob, whose party secured a razor-thin majority in parliamentary elections last month, on Monday said he had failed to form a coalition.

Billionaire Elon Musk has been summoned for a voluntary interview in Paris on Monday as part of a French probe into his social media platform X, though it remains unclear if he will appear.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan Monday, shaking large buildings in Tokyo hundreds of kilometres away and prompting a warning for tsunami waves of up to three metres (10 feet).

Pace sensation Nahid Rana took 5-32 as Bangladesh bundled out New Zealand for 198 in the second one-day international on Monday in Dhaka.

American AI developer Anthropic plans to "lay the risks out on the table" even as it restricts deployment of a new model dubbed Mythos, whose powerful cybersecurity capabilities raise stark questions for companies and governments.

Iran insisted it has no plan to attend a new round of negotiations with the United States on Monday, as uncertainty grows over a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming.

Iran on Monday executed two more members of opposition group the People's Mujahedin (MEK), the organisation said, with Iranian authorities saying they had been hanged on charges of spying for Israel.

Pope Leo XIV heads to Angola's remote and diamond-rich northeast on Monday in the latest stop on an Africa tour during which he has spoken out against the country's glaring poverty.

Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war.

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev, an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia, took an absolute majority in parliamentary elections that could spell an end to the country's half-decade of political uncertainty, according to near complete vote results on Monday.

Oil prices surged Monday on a re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, just a day after reopening it, citing the United States' blockade of its ports.

Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war.

When falling bombs shattered the usual calm of his Kashmir village, Mohammad Rashid set his mind to building a shelter for his family, ready in case fighting erupts again in the divided Himalayan region.

Sporting towering Elvis-style hair and a school uniform modified into a rebellious silhouette, 15-year-old Reona worships Japan's classic bad-boy subculture recently taken global by a hit Netflix dating show.

The Orlando Magic stunned the Detroit Pistons 112-101 on Sunday as the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics opened the NBA playoffs with big wins.

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles that tested the power of its cluster munitions, its government news agency said on Monday, confirming the latest in a flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.

Oil prices surged Monday on a re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, just a day after reopening it, citing the United States' blockade of its ports.