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

If Donald Trump was worried about a hostile reception over his breakneck remaking of presidential norms, he did not show it -- striding in six minutes late, with the unhurried confidence of a man who knew the evening belonged to him.

Japan's Greenland-born women's football coach Nils Nielsen is no fan of Donald Trump but he loves his team and believes they can become fan favourites at the Asian Cup in Australia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz touched down in China on Wednesday, beginning his inaugural visit to his country's largest trade partner and a high-tech rival as Europe's biggest economy struggles.

The mayor of New Zealand's capital city took an afternoon dip on Wednesday hoping to assuage public fears after a breakdown at a local wastewater treatment plant pumped raw sewage into the ocean and sprayed faecal matter on coastal homes.

US President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday of a "turnaround for the ages" in a State of the Union speech, seeking to reverse his dismal polls and see off mounting challenges at home and abroad ahead of crucial midterm elections.

Defending champion Marc Marquez launches his bid for a record-equalling eighth MotoGP world title as the season opens this week in Thailand.

Normally, Indonesian mother-of-four Rauzah would cook a feast for her family to break their Ramadan fast. This year, she makes do as best she can in the orange tent where they have been sheltering for almost three months.

Stock markets in Seoul and Tokyo surged to record highs as tech firms led an Asia-wide rally Wednesday following a rebound in their counterparts on Wall Street.

Overseas Nepali workers bankroll their families and buttress the economy, making them a key constituency in elections next week -- but they cannot vote themselves.

Jacques Poissant's suffering stopped the day he asked his daughter if it would be "cowardly to ask to be helped to die".

US President Donald Trump was to deliver a high-stakes State of the Union address Tuesday, boasting of a "turnaround for the ages" and vowing to confront threats to America as conflict with Iran looms.

A deserted cafe and petrol station near the Niirala border crossing to Russia shows how life has been on hold since Finland shut the frontier with its giant neighbour in December 2023.

Along Egypt's Mediterranean coast, the oldest tram in Africa and the Middle East rumbles for a final few weeks before its removal -- the latest urban upheaval Alexandrians say is hollowing out their city's identity.

When US and Iranian negotiators meet on Thursday in Geneva, Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani will be Tehran's key player behind the scenes.

A harpoon gun from "Jaws," a jacket worn by "The Terminator," and a "Star Wars" lightsaber hilt and C-3PO head are among the eye-catching items to be sold at auction next month.

A Brazilian prosecutor on Tuesday urged the conviction of two politicians accused of ordering the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, a case that exposed deep ties between politics and organized crime in the city.

The US-imposed oil blockade on Cuba is upending the lives of everyday workers, who are switching jobs and ditching their cars to make due amid rolling blackouts and fuel shortages.

Bodo/Glimt are on the march in the Champions League after dumping out European giants Inter Milan, the latest chapter in a remarkable rise for the tiny club from north of the Arctic Circle.

Norway's Bodo/Glimt pulled off one of the most remarkable results in modern Champions League history on Tuesday, beating last season's runners-up Inter Milan 2-1 at San Siro to reach the last 16 with a 5-2 aggregate triumph, while Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen also went through.

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley is stepping down after a "transformative" tenure to run the US Tennis Association (USTA), the Australian governing body said Wednesday.

A few years ago, El Tunco beach in El Salvador was crawling with gang members who robbed and extorted people at will.

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino told AFP on Tuesday he was "very reassured" about Mexico's hosting of games in the football World Cup, in his first comments on the violence triggered by the killing of a drug cartel leader.

Fifteen Democratic-run US states announced Tuesday they are suing President Donald Trump's administration over its reduction in the number of recommended pediatric vaccines, which they criticize as contrary to science.

Three firemen pulled a man's body from the mud amidst the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in southeastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.

Warner Bros. Discovery said Tuesday it has received a revised acquisition proposal from Paramount Skydance, signaling that the offer could open the door to the company rethinking its deal with Netflix.

Newcastle United completed their stroll into the Champions League last 16 with a 3-2 win over Qarabag on Tuesday to progress 9-3 on aggregate over the Azeri champions.

Bayer Leverkusen are through to the last 16 of the Champions League after a scoreless home draw with Olympiacos on Tuesday, winning their play-off round tie 2-0 on aggregate.

Bodo/Glimt completed the greatest achievement in the Norwegian minnows' history on Tuesday by winning 2-1 at Inter Milan and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League, 5-2 on aggregate.

Tech shares bounced on Tuesday following the prior session's selloff as markets weigh the impact of artificial intelligence on incumbent technology companies while navigating tariff uncertainty.

Known as a sunny tourist paradise, parts of the coastal city of Puerto Vallarta seem more like the set of a war film in the aftermath of violent chaos spurred by the capture and death of Mexico's most-wanted drug lord.

Alexander Sorloth's hat-trick fired Atletico Madrid into the Champions League last 16 with an emphatic 4-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, progressing 7-4 on aggregate from the play-off round.

The head of France's Louvre museum resigned on Tuesday, the office of the French presidency announced, following a months-long string of scandals -- including the brazen theft of priceless jewels in broad daylight.