Iran’s wartime executions rise with killing of protester

Iran has carried out another execution tied to the nationwide protests in January, deepening fears among rights groups as the number of people they describe as political prisoners put to death continues to rise amid the war against Israel and the United States. Ali Fahim, 23, was executed after being convicted over an attack on a Tehran base used by the Revolutionary Guards' Basij militia during the unrest, according to rights groups that have tracked the case. The judiciary's Mizan Online website called him "one of the…

Ukraine Drones Strike Russian Terminal in Novorossiysk

Flames tore through the Sheskharis oil terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after overnight Ukrainian drone strikes, in what appeared to be one of the most consequential hits on Russia’s energy infrastructure in the more than four-year-old conflict. Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine struck facilities at the maritime transhipment complex in Novorossiysk, damaging a mooring point used by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) and setting four oil product reservoirs ablaze, according to Russian media. The…

Somali Defence Minister lauds AU mission’s contribution to national security

A high-level show of coordination unfolded in Baidoa this week as Somalia’s defence minister pressed home the need for tighter military cooperation in the long-running campaign against insurgents. During the visit, Minister Fiqi met with Brigadier General Teklu Hurisa Janka, the Sector 3 Commander, and received a detailed briefing on the sector’s activities, operational progress, and the cooperation between the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) and AUSSOM forces in the South West State. Minister Fiqi commended AUSSOM’s…

UK ends two-child benefit cap

A major shift in UK welfare policy takes effect as the two-child cap on benefits is formally abolished, a move expected to lift an estimated 450,000 children out of poverty. Introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, the measure limited child tax credit and universal credit payments to the first two children in most households. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in her November budget that the cap would be removed on 6 April, following months of sustained pressure from Labour backbenchers. The end of the two-child cap comes…

UNIFIL to leave Lebanon next year, leaving uncertainty over next steps

Another blast inside a UN position has underscored just how perilous southern Lebanon has become, with three peacekeepers injured on Friday in what a UN spokesperson called “a difficult week” for troops operating in the heart of UNIFIL’s area. The latest incident came after two separate attacks earlier in the week killed three Indonesian soldiers and wounded three others. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the violence as a “shocking escalation”. Even as the Blue Helmets insist they will hold their ground, conditions on the…

Somalia’s Ministry of Labour Welcomes New Director General at Formal Handover Ceremony

Mogadishu — A formal handover at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Mogadishu marked a seamless change of command as Somalia’s labour ministry welcomed a new director general in a ceremony that underscored continuity and a call for strengthened public service. At the event, outgoing Director General Yusuf Hassan Isack formally transferred his duties to the newly appointed Director General, Mohamed Saney Dalmar. The ceremony, led by Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Salim Alio Ibrow, drew senior ministry…

Artemis crew reaches moon, nears record distance from Earth

Humanity’s next chapter in deep space is edging into view as the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission cross into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, riding a trajectory that will soon carry them above the shadowed lunar far side and place them farther from Earth than any people have ever travelled. The Artemis II crew, aboard their Orion capsule since lifting off from Florida last week, are expected to wake at about 10.50am ET (3.05pm Irish time) for the mission’s sixth day in flight. At 7:05pm ET (12.05am…

Fresh strikes hit Tehran ahead of US deadline to reopen Strait of Hormuz

More than five weeks into a war that has killed thousands, rattled economies and driven up oil prices, fresh aerial strikes were reported in Tehran as the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran showed no sign of easing. US President Donald Trump warned Iran he would unleash "hell" if it failed to reach a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has in effect shut the Hormuz waterway — a passage for about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supply — while also striking US military bases and other targets across…

Advocates Demand Authorities Drop False Charges and Free Journalist Abdiqani Abdirahman Mohamed in Laascaanood

MOGADISHU, Somalia 05 April 2026 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) on Sunday decried what it calls the wrongful detention of reporter Abdiqani Abdirahman Mohamed, arrested on 26 March by Laascaanood police, and demanded that local authorities drop the charges and free him at once. On Thursday, 26 March, police officers in Laascaanood arrested Abdiqani Abdirahman Mohamed, who reports for Dhulmar Media, an online news channel covering the northeastern regions, following his publication ofan…

Trump warns Iran of ‘hell’ if Strait stays shut, says deal possible

A stark new warning from President Donald Trump has raised the temperature in an already dangerous conflict, as he threatened to unleash “hell” on Tehran if it failed to strike a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline, while also hailing US special forces for extracting an airman from deep inside Iran in a risky rescue mission. For more than five weeks, the United States and Israel have battered Iran with missiles and airstrikes in a campaign they say is aimed at eliminating an imminent threat posed by…