Abdiwahab Ahmed

A promotional stunt for Drake’s upcoming album Iceman came to an abrupt end in Toronto, where firefighters took apart a massive ice sculpture after swelling crowds around the display raised safety concerns. Hundreds of people flocked to the installation, turning the scene chaotic as some fans climbed onto the structure and others tried to chip away at it in hopes of revealing the album’s release date, which Drake had said was concealed inside. Accounts from the scene said one person arrived with a sledgehammer, while others…

A sweeping shift in US drug policy is underway after the Department of Justice said it would immediately ease restrictions on some marijuana products and speed up the long-running effort to treat the drug as less dangerous under federal law. The Trump administration said FDA-approved marijuana products and state-regulated medical marijuana would be moved at once from a category reserved for highly addictive drugs to one considered to carry a low to moderate risk of abuse. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the federal…

Rodrigo Duterte is set to stand trial at the International Criminal Court after judges cleared the way for proceedings over crimes against humanity tied to his so-called "war on drugs." In a statement, the ICC said pre-trial judges had "unanimously confirmed all the charges... against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committed him to trial." The case marks a first for the court: Mr Duterte will become the first former Asian head of state to go on trial before the ICC, which is tasked with prosecuting individuals accused of the…

Iran has released dramatic footage of commandos boarding a massive cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring its tightening hold on the strategic passage after peace talks broke down. Washington had pinned hopes on the negotiations to reopen what is widely regarded as the world's most vital shipping route. On Iranian state television, masked forces were shown racing up to the MSC Francesca in a speedboat, scaling a rope ladder to a hull door and leaping inside with rifles in hand. The video, set to an…

Iran moved to tighten control of the Strait of Hormuz by seizing two ships, escalating pressure in the strategic waterway just after US President Donald Trump said he was indefinitely shelving planned attacks and with peace efforts still stalled. The fate of a ceasefire that began two weeks ago and was due to expire earlier this week was still uncertain. Only hours after warning of renewed force, Mr Trump abruptly shifted course on Tuesday, appearing to declare unilaterally that the US would prolong the truce while it…

Russian oil has resumed flowing through the Ukrainian stretch of the Druzhba pipeline after a stoppage that lasted months, officials said, clearing the way for Hungary to drop its veto on a €90 billion EU loan Ukraine says it urgently needs. Since a Russian drone strike damaged the line in western Ukraine and cut off deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia, the Druzhba pipeline has stood at the centre of one of Europe’s most politically sensitive energy disputes. Hungarian oil group MOL said Ukraine had notified it that shipments…

Europe moved on Thursday to blunt the immediate shock of an energy crisis set off by the US-Israel war on Iran, with the European Commission unveiling a package of emergency and medium-term steps aimed at shielding households, businesses and heavy industry from surging costs. At the heart of the response is a temporary easing of EU state aid rules, giving member states more room to deploy public money to soften the blow of higher energy prices for consumers and industry. That support could take the form of price controls,…

In a sweeping test of El Salvador’s hardline anti-gang campaign, a Salvadoran court has opened a collective trial for 486 alleged gang members, marking one of the largest mass proceedings yet under President Nayib Bukele’s controversial use of emergency powers. According to prosecutors, the case against the alleged Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, members covers more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend of bloodshed that became El Salvador’s deadliest since the end of its civil war. Those…

Russian drones struck critical infrastructure at Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa overnight, in an attack that damaged key facilities but, according to early reports, caused no injuries. Berths, warehouses, railway infrastructure and facilities used by port operators were hit in the assault, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. A cargo ship was also caught in the attack, with Ukraine’s seaports authority saying a strike hit the vessel’s hold and sparked a fire. Preliminary…

Barawe, 22 April 2026 – With elections on the horizon, a high-level Somali government delegation visited Barawe today to thank and assess the forces keeping the Lower Shabelle town secure, underscoring stability as a foundation for the political process. The delegation, led by State Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ambassador Ilyaas Sheikh Omar, commended AUSSOM troops and the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) in the Barawe sub-sector for maintaining peace and stability. "Thank you so much for making the…