Abdiwahab Ahmed

In Somalia, trees are most often invoked as evidence of loss: absent canopy, failing rains, charcoal pits, and spreading wasteland. That portrayal is accurate — large swaths of the country endure repeated droughts, creeping desertification, and shrinking biomass — but it narrows the conversation to decline rather than possibility. Estimates suggest more than 60 per cent of Somalia’s land shows signs of degradation and tree cover is among the lowest in the Horn of Africa. The causes are familiar: prolonged conflict, weak land…

Against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical strain, Britain’s King Charles arrives in the United States today for a state visit overshadowed by the Iran war and by a shooting at a dinner attended by US President Donald Trump just two days ago. The four-day journey by Charles and Queen Camilla is meant to celebrate the long-standing relationship between Britain and the United States as America commemorates its 250th anniversary, the British government said. During the visit, Charles is set to become the first British monarch…

Amid the wreckage of Gaza, Palestinians are turning the debris of war into the groundwork for recovery, crushing shattered concrete and twisted metal to repave streets destroyed during Israel's ⁠two-year assault in what they hope will be the first visible step toward restoring their battered cities. The effort, led by the United Nations Development Programme, comes as momentum fades behind US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, which was intended to build on an October Israel-Hamas ceasefire by ramping up aid and launching a…

As diplomacy faltered and tensions in the Gulf remained high, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday blaming the United States for the collapse of peace talks in Pakistan ahead of a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The previous round of negotiations had made progress but ultimately failed because of “excessive demands” from Washington, Mr Araghchi said, according to Iranian state media. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach…

Mali’s ruling junta came under intense strain after Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his home, while army forces battled for a second straight day against jihadist fighters and separatist rebels near Bamako and in other parts of the country. Camara, his second wife and two of his grandchildren were killed in a car bomb attack on his residence in the junta bastion of Kita, outside the capital, according to his family and an official. The coordinated assaults were carried out by Tuareg rebels from the…

What began as a black-tie evening of celebration turned into a scene of panic, according to Caitríona Perry, the BBC News Chief Anchor in Washington and former RTÉ journalist, who witnessed the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner firsthand. Ms Perry was seated in the middle of the room when US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet were hurried out before the suspect was ⁠taken into custody. In an interview with RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor, she recalled hearing a "commotion" outside before…

Chaos erupted at a Washington DC media gala over the weekend, and the man arrested after the shooting is expected to appear in court later today. The acting US Attorney General said investigators believe US President Donald Trump and members of his administration were the "likely" targets of the suspected gunman who tried to force his way into the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Late on Saturday, a person carrying a shotgun, a handgun and knives ran through a hotel security checkpoint toward the ballroom hosting the…

Chaos erupted at the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents' Association dinner when a gunman opened fire, prompting Secret Service agents to rush President Donald Trump and his cabinet from the scene before the suspect was ⁠taken into custody. Here is a timeline of the shooting and the response that followed: At about 8.35pm (1.35 am Sunday Irish time), guests at the Washington Hilton dinner ducked for cover after shots rang out, according to video footage. Within moments, Secret Service agents moved swiftly towards…

A devastating highway bombing in Colombia has killed 20 people and injured 36 others, marking one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the region in years, according to a statement posted on X by the local department’s governor. The blast - which local and national authorities have blamed on armed groups - struck just one month before Colombians are due to elect a new president on 31 May. Cauca Department Governor Octavio Guzman called it the area’s "most brutal and ruthless attack against the civilian population in…

Shuttling between regional capitals in a last-ditch diplomatic push, Iran's foreign minister returned to Islamabad on Sunday as mediators tried to prevent peace contacts between Tehran and the United States from collapsing altogether. After departing Pakistan, Abbas Araghchi travelled on to Muscat in Oman and is due in Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though there was still no sign that direct negotiations between Iran and the US were about to restart. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump…