2026

Friday May 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali National Army forces have killed at least 22 Al-Shabaab militants in a planned offensive in the Lower Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said the 72-hour operation struck militant positions in the Bulo Abdalla area, situated between Mubarak and Ugunji. The assault combined ground fighting with coordinated airstrikes, and officials said it left 22 militants dead, among them a senior figure identified as Abdirahman Jeeri. Authorities…

Iran has threatened “long and painful strikes” on American positions if Washington resumes attacks and presses its claim over the Strait of Hormuz, injecting fresh uncertainty into US efforts to assemble a coalition to reopen the crucial waterway. Now two months into the US-Israeli war with Iran, the narrow sea passage remains shut, cutting off 20% of global oil and gas supplies. The disruption has driven energy prices sharply higher and intensified fears that the world economy could slide toward a downturn. Attempts to…

Warning lights over inflation are flashing brighter across the euro zone, and while the European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold as expected today, it made clear that pressure is building for rate cuts to give way to hikes, with markets now looking to June for the first move. Inflation climbed to 3% this month, comfortably above the bank's 2% target, and policymakers now face the prospect of further acceleration after the Iran war drove oil prices to their highest level in four years. ECB President Christine Lagarde…

Thursday April 30, 2026 Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will head to London with everything still hanging in the balance after a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Metropolitano on Wednesday night. Both sides scored from the penalty spot, but Arsenal were left furious after a late VAR review wiped out what appeared to be a strong case for a second spot-kick that could have swung the tie their way. Atletico named Ademola Lookman on the left and Jan Oblak in goal, while Johnny Cardoso…

TikTok has won a crucial reprieve in its battle over European user data, after the Supreme Court here confirmed the company may continue transferring data from the European Union to China while it pursues an appeal against a regulator’s order to stop the practice over privacy concerns. The platform’s lead EU privacy watchdog, the Irish Data Protection Commission, imposed a €530m fine on the short-video app last May and directed it to suspend data transfers to China unless its processing was brought into ⁠compliance within…

Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu and Rachel SavageThursday April 30, 2026 The motor vessel Sward was hijacked on Sunday. Photograph: EU naval force Operation ATALANTA A fresh wave of hijackings off Somalia has jolted one of the world’s most sensitive shipping corridors, with three vessels seized in a week and memories of the country’s pirate era suddenly back in focus. The merchant vessel Sward was captured on 26 April, just one day after a dhow was taken. Those incidents came after the 21 April hijacking of Honour 25, a motor…

Britain has moved to bolster protection for Jewish communities after a fresh attack in north London sharpened fears over antisemitism and security, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer promising immediate support and urging the country to stand together. Under fire from British Jews who say ministers have too often failed to keep them safe, Mr Starmer said funding for synagogues and other community sites would be increased at once, while stressing that the response cannot rest on security measures alone and that the country…

Bamako, Mali’s sprawling capital and a West African commercial centre of more than three million people, is facing a tightening siege as Islamist militants step up a partial blockade days after the defence minister was assassinated there. "Our army isn't capable of protecting us. How are we going to get back home?" a mother-of-two told the BBC after being unable to return to Bamako following a visit to her parents outside the city. She was among dozens left stranded for nearly a day on the Bamako-Kéniéba highway, one…

By Ahmed Abdi Hussein Thursday April 30, 2026 Somalia has one of the strongest livestock sectors in the region, yet the country still sells much of that wealth through an outdated system that leaves producers with little power and limited returns. From the country’s wide rangelands come millions of goats and sheep raised under pastoral systems refined over generations. The animals are hardy, naturally grazed, and well matched to global demand. They have long supported livelihoods and played a central role in the…

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that Tehran will defend its "nuclear and missile capabilities" as core national assets, striking a combative note as Washington presses for a broader agreement to shore up a fragile ceasefire. The intervention comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for an expanded deal aimed at reinforcing the uneasy truce that followed the war. Since assuming power after his father was killed at the outset of the conflict, Mr Khamenei has consistently projected defiance, and his…