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

The head of the UN's maritime body Wednesday urged "practical measures" to protect trade ships threatened by the Middle East war, as he opened an emergency meeting amid fears for thousands of stranded ships and seafarers.

Stocks markets climbed and oil prices wavered on Wednesday, as traders were reassured by a partial resumption of Iraq's crude exports and turned their focus to upcoming central bank decisions.

Israel said Wednesday its forces had killed another top Iranian official, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and said its military was authorised to kill any senior figure of the Islamic republic in its sights.

Tencent wants to bring artificial intelligence agents into its WeChat social media app, the Chinese tech firm's president said on Wednesday, a move that could change how hundreds of millions of users interact with the platform in the Asian nation and beyond.

Senegal football fans slammed AFCON'S decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title and give it to Morocco, calling the move a "disgrace for Africa" as they woke up to the news Wednesday.

A clinical Japan swept past South Korea 4-1 on Wednesday to set up a Women's Asian Cup final against hosts Australia, with the two-time champions putting on a masterclass.

Enzo Fernandez has suggested he could leave Chelsea at the end of the current season after the London club were knocked out of the Champions League.

The Iranian women's national football squad arrived in eastern Turkey and headed to the Iran border on their way home Wednesday, among them several players who withdrew an asylum bid in Australia.

Russia on Wednesday condemned the Oscar-winning documentary "Mr Nobody Against Putin", saying it had featured children filmed without their parents' consent, in Moscow's first official reaction to the film scooping the prestigious award.

Afghans readied on Wednesday to bury their dead from this week's Pakistani air strike on a Kabul drug treatment centre, as an international NGO confirmed that hundreds were killed and wounded.

Kasper Schmeichel has revealed a major shoulder injury could end his career.

Israelis have been rushing to bomb shelters for more than two weeks as sirens warn of Iranian missile strikes, the veterinary service in commercial hub Tel Aviv has a clear message: leave no pet behind.

Iran vowed revenge as it prepared the funeral for its security chief Ali Larijani on Wednesday, firing off a wave of missiles against Israel while also reporting fresh Israeli-US strikes across the Islamic Republic.

The Middle East war is forcing petrochemical giants in two key Asian economies to cut production as the conflict rattles supplies of a crucial oil-derived component used to make a range of plastic goods.

Chinese visitors to Japan tumbled 45.2 percent in February from a year earlier, official data showed Wednesday, as the fallout from the countries' diplomatic spat bit for the third month running.

Oil prices sank Wednesday after Iraq said it had resumed exports through Turkey, avoiding the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz, while equities rose following another tech-led advance on Wall Street.

Olympic gold medallists Armand Duplantis and Keely Hodgkinson headline a stellar cast of athletes for the world indoor championships which kick off in Torun, Poland, on Friday.

Chinese visitors to Japan tumbled 45.2 percent in February from a year earlier, official data showed Wednesday, as the fallout from the countries' diplomatic spat bit for the third month running.

Second-hand BTS light sticks were selling for up to six times the original price ahead of the K-pop megagroup's huge comeback concert this weekend, an online reseller showed Wednesday.

James Slipper was hailed as "a special human" Wednesday after being named in the ACT Brumbies side to face the Waikato Chiefs for what will be a record-setting 203rd Super Rugby appearance.

Entrepreneurs will be able to create pan-European companies under new plans to be unveiled Wednesday, which the EU executive says will make it less of a headache to do business across the bloc.

Iran will hold a funeral Wednesday for its security chief Ali Larijani as it vowed revenge, firing off a wave of missiles at Israel after it killed the powerful figure in an air strike.

When the bell rang, William let out a cry drowned out by the crowd: that night, the Greenlandic teen was boxing for his mother, who killed herself two years ago.

A Belgian judge will rule Wednesday in a closely watched case pitting French oil giant TotalEnergies against a farmer seeking compensation for damage to his farm caused by climate change.

Brazil began implementing new measures on Tuesday to restrict minors' access to social media and prevent them from viewing violent or illegal content.

A Thai man broke into the zoo enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo and internet sensation, police said Wednesday, as the zoo filed a trespassing complaint.

Venezuela scored a stunning 3-2 upset over the United States to capture the World Baseball Classic for the first time on Tuesday in a tense final played out against a backdrop of political tensions.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a 40-point scoring performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a 113-108 defeat of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Iran vowed on Wednesday a "decisive" retaliation for the death of its security chief Ali Larijani, firing off a wave of missiles at Israel which said it killed him in an air strike.

Venezuela stunned the United States' star-studded "dream team" 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic for the first time on Tuesday.

Cuba's leader on Tuesday said the US would face "unbreakable resistance" if it tries to take over the impoverished island nation, as communist authorities scrambled to fix a nationwide electricity blackout.

Asian markets mostly rose Wednesday and oil prices dipped following another tech-led advance on Wall Street, as the United States hit Iranian missile sites near the key Strait of Hormuz and Tehran struck crude-producing Gulf neighbours.