Storm Goretti slams Northern Europe, causing mass power outages and travel chaos

Storm Goretti battered northern Europe with heavy snow and gale-force winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, closing schools and suspending rail services across France, Britain and Germany as the region endured a week of freezing weather. Emergency crews from the Atlantic coast to the North Sea scrambled to clear downed trees, restore power and keep key corridors open after Goretti slammed into Britain yesterday and moved eastward overnight. France absorbed some of the worst of the impacts as the storm…

7 Significant Updates in the New U.S. Dietary Recommendations Explained

The content of the source text best fits the Healthy Eating format. This is primarily because it focuses on science-informed nutrition and emerging dietary guidelines, providing an analysis of changes in nutritional recommendations, making it relevant to wellness trends and practical habits. Here’s how the structure can be laid out: Understanding the New U.S. Dietary Guidelines The recent overhaul of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines marks a significant shift in nutritional advice, emphasizing whole foods and reducing processed…

This Critical Moment Calls for Real National Statesmanship

Somalia’s unity and constitutional legitimacy are entering a perilous phase. With the mandates of the federal parliament and president set to expire in April and May 2026, respectively, the country has no agreed electoral framework—and no margin for political brinkmanship. In a forceful public statement, opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame warns that the stakes now transcend routine power struggles: the survival of the Somali state as a cohesive, credible entity is on the line. Warsame argues that a cocktail of…

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael MEPs to reject Mercosur deal in European Parliament

Irish members of the European Parliament from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael say they will oppose the EU–Mercosur trade agreement in any European Parliament vote, signaling fresh headwinds for a pact that has stalled for years over environmental and agricultural concerns. The coordinated stance by MEPs from Ireland’s two dominant centrist parties underscores persistent resistance to the agreement, which would lower tariffs and open markets between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and…

Former Ghana Finance Minister Arrested in the United States

Former Ghana Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta Detained in U.S. Amid Corruption Allegations U.S. immigration authorities have detained Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana's former Finance Minister, who is currently wanted in his home country on corruption allegations. According to his legal team, the former official has been in the United States since January 2024 to receive treatment for prostate cancer. Ofori-Atta was declared a fugitive by Ghanaian authorities shortly before being formally charged in November 2025. In December,…

US-Somalia Relations Worsen as Washington Pauses Aid to Somali Government

U.S. halts some Somalia aid after WFP warehouse demolished; Mogadishu disputes theft as 75 tons recovered MOGADISHU/WASHINGTON — The United States said it is pausing further assistance that benefits Somalia’s federal government after a dispute over the demolition of a World Food Programme warehouse at Mogadishu Port, escalating tensions with a key partner battling hunger and insecurity. The State Department’s top foreign assistance official said on X that Somali government officials destroyed a U.S.-funded WFP facility and…

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Opens Fire, Injures Two in Portland, Oregon

Two people were shot and wounded by a U.S. immigration agent during a vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon, authorities said, intensifying tensions already high after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis a day earlier. Portland Police Chief Bob Day urged restraint as investigators worked to establish what happened. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to…

Switzerland plans nationwide moment of silence honoring bar fire victims

Switzerland will observe a national day of mourning today for the 40 people, many of them teenagers, killed when fire tore through the Le Constellation bar during New Year’s celebrations in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. A minute of silence is set for 2 p.m. local time, to be followed by church bells ringing across the Alpine nation. The government called the silence a “testament to the shared grief felt by the entire nation with all the families and friends directly affected.” The ceremony will be livestreamed on large…

Somalia Denies U.S. Accusation of Destroying Food Aid Warehouse

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government on Thursday denied a U.S. allegation that authorities in Mogadishu destroyed an American-funded World Food Program warehouse and seized food aid, as Washington suspended assistance to the federal government over concerns about possible diversion of relief supplies. The State Department said Wednesday it had halted all U.S. assistance to Somalia’s federal government, citing “a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft and diversion of life-saving assistance.” The move immediately…

Qatari embassy damaged as Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Zelensky says

Russia launched a “massive” night-time barrage across Ukraine that killed at least four people, wounded 25 and damaged 20 residential buildings in Kyiv and its suburbs, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding a drone also hit the Embassy of Qatar in the capital. The overnight assault combined ballistic and cruise missiles with swarms of drones as temperatures plunged to minus 10 C and power outages spread. Zelensky said Russia fired 13 ballistic missiles, including the hypersonic Oreshnik, and 22 cruise missiles, and…