BRAZILIAN soccer star Ronaldo received a warm welcome in the Palestinian city of Ramallah yesterday.

A winter storm has closed roads, schools and businesses in parts of the Middle East, dumping around a foot of snow on Amman, where snowmen sprouted along streets in the desert kingdom.

Israeli authorities today barred 12 Palestinian lawmakers from travelling from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank to attend a parliamentary session discussing democratic reforms sought by Israel and the United States.