Abdiwahab Ahmed

A US plan to pull 5,000 troops out of Germany is sharpening pressure on Europe to bolster its own military strength, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, even as two senior Republicans warned the forces should stay on the continent. The ⁠Pentagon unveiled the reduction from Germany, the hub of America’s military presence in Europe, yesterday, deepening strains in the transatlantic relationship as disagreements over the Iran war and trade tariffs widen. Under the US move, Washington has also scrapped a Biden-era plan…

New UNICEF Child Alert warns violence, hunger, and displacement are once again defining childhood in one of Sudan's most conflict-affected regions PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 28 April 2026 - Two decades after Darfur first became a global humanitarian alarm, children in the region are once again engulfed by widespread violence, hunger and displacement — and international attention and aid remain far more limited, UNICEF warned in a new Child Alert released today. Titled "Darfur: 20 Years On,…

Meta is facing fresh scrutiny in Europe after the European Commission issued a preliminary finding this week alleging the company failed to stop children under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook. According to the commission, weaknesses in Meta's systems amount to a breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA). It said the safeguards in place did not sufficiently stop children under 13 from getting onto the services, or quickly detect and remove those who had already managed to sign up. Meta said it does not accept the…

Phil Hogan’s campaign to lead the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation is running into stiff resistance at a pivotal moment. Ireland’s former EU commissioner is still regarded in Brussels as the standout contender to become the first European to serve as director-general of the Rome-based agency in half a century. But efforts to unite the bloc behind one name have been slowed by determined rival candidacies from Italy and Spain. If no common nominee emerges, Europe again risks splitting its vote when 193 UN member states…

A desperate rescue effort that many had written off has ended with a humpback whale back in open water, after the animal was ferried by barge from near the German coast and released into the North Sea off Denmark. The whale, nicknamed "Timmy" in Germany as its struggle gripped the public and triggered intense media attention, slipped out of the barge, blasted air through its blowhole and swam away, according to Karin Walter-Mommert, one of the wealthy entrepreneurs who bankrolled the operation. She said the whale was moving…

Ireland’s Taoiseach has denounced the Israeli military’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters earlier this week, calling the operation unacceptable. Speaking in Athlone, Micheál Martin said the incident could not go unanswered. "I want to condemn the seizure of the flotilla in what appears to be international waters, it's not acceptable. "I think the international community have to call it out and we will be raising it at European level. It is understood that seven Irish citizens, among the 175…

A planned drawdown of 5,000 US troops from Germany has sharpened a warning already echoing across Europe: the continent can no longer afford to leave its security primarily in Washington’s hands. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Europeans must assume greater responsibility for their own defence after the Pentagon confirmed it would reduce the American military presence in Germany. "Germany is on the right track" in this regard, Mr Pistorius said, citing the expansion of the Bundeswehr, faster and broader weapons…

Hollywood's top honors are drawing a hard line on artificial intelligence: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says AI-generated actors will not qualify for an Oscar as it rolls out tougher rules on the technology's use. Among the changes, the Academy made clear that only flesh-and-blood performers — not AI-created doubles or avatars — can contend for the industry's biggest awards. It also said scripts must be written by a human being, not produced by a chatbot. "In the Acting category, only roles credited in the…

Newly released security footage appears to capture the opening moments of the attack at last Saturday’s White House Correspondents' Association dinner, showing suspect Cole Tomas Allen launching the assault inside the Washington Hilton hotel. The video, released by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, reportedly shows Mr Allen sprinting through a security checkpoint before shooting an agent at point-blank range. Reuters said it verified the location using several visual markers in the footage, including the floor pattern, windows,…

Shock and fury swept through a remote Australian town after the arrest of a man suspected of murdering a five-year-old Indigenous girl triggered violent clashes between protesters and emergency services workers, police said today. Australia's Prime Minister, the Northern Territory's police commissioner and a spokesperson for the victim's family all urged calm after an angry crowd of about 400 Indigenous people gathered last night outside the hospital where the suspect had been taken after locals allegedly beat him…