Somali Trade Unions Oppose New Labour Law Due to Rights Concerns

Somalia's Trade Unions Reject New Labour Code Amidst International Concerns The Somali Congress of Trade Unions (SOCOTU) has expressed strong opposition to the recently enacted Somali Labour Code (Law No. 36), highlighting its failure to meet international labour standards and the lack of meaningful involvement of workers' representatives in its drafting process. The law was approved by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs without proper tripartite consultation. SOCOTU argues that the code undermines existing…

Gordon Brown: Keir Starmer’s leadership crisis serious, but PM remains principled

Gordon Brown said the crisis engulfing Keir Starmer over Peter Mandelson was “serious” and that the Labour leader had been “too slow to do the right things,” even as he backed Starmer as “a man of integrity” who had been “betrayed” by his former Cabinet ally. The intervention from the former prime minister came as the Metropolitan Police confirmed its misconduct-in-public-office investigation into Mandelson will “take some time,” after officers searched properties in London and Wiltshire. Mandelson has not been arrested. “I…

Iran vows to strike back if attacked, signals openness to U.S. talks

Iran’s foreign minister said talks with the United States would resume soon after an initial round in Oman, even as he warned that Tehran would target U.S. bases in the region if Washington strikes Iranian territory. The comments underscore the fragile path back to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program amid new U.S. sanctions and tariff threats. Abbas Araghchi, speaking in excerpts carried on his official Telegram channel from an interview with Al Jazeera, called the Muscat exchanges “a good start” and said rebuilding…

Officials report massive Russian drone strikes batter Ukraine’s power grid

Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Ukraine’s energy network, striking electricity generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and about 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the barrage targeted the grid, generation sites and distribution substations across the country, as winter temperatures begin to plunge. “Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes,” he posted on X. Moscow did not immediately comment on the…

Clintons seek public hearing for their testimony in Epstein case

Clintons ask House committee to make Epstein testimony public Bill and Hillary Clinton are urging the House Oversight Committee to take their testimony in public rather than behind closed doors, arguing that transparency is the best guard against politicization of the panel’s inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s connections and how authorities handled information about his crimes. The Republican-led committee had ordered the former president and former secretary of state to sit for closed-door depositions as part of its Epstein…

Keir Starmer Faces Inevitable Controversy Over Peter Mandelson Appointment

Keir Starmer’s defense of his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington — that he did not grasp the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — does not withstand the weight of what was already widely known. The scandal now engulfing Downing Street is not a bolt from the blue; it is the foreseeable consequence of elevating a man whose entanglements, instincts and methods were part of the public record. And it has exposed the operating system of this government more starkly than…

Police warn protesters ahead of Israeli president’s Sydney visit

Sydney is bracing for large protests and a heavy police presence as Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrives Monday for a four-day visit to honor victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, with authorities warning demonstrators to avoid violence and disruption in the city’s streets. New South Wales Police said they will deploy in large numbers and have declared the visit a “major event,” a designation that allows officers to separate rival groups and impose crowd-management controls to reduce the risk of confrontation. “It’s…

U.S. seeks new trilateral nuclear pact with Russia and China

GENEVA — The United States called for three-way talks with Russia and China to set new limits on nuclear weapons after the New START treaty expired, erasing the last binding cap on U.S.-Russian strategic arsenals and reviving fears of a new arms race. Thomas DiNanno, the under secretary of state for arms control, told the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that the now-lapsed pact had “fundamental flaws,” citing what he called serial Russian violations, the growth of global stockpiles and weaknesses in the treaty’s…

Islamabad mosque explosion leaves at least 31 dead, 130 injured

ISLAMABAD — A suicide bombing tore through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital after morning prayers, killing at least 31 people and wounding more than 130, local authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike Islamabad in recent years. The blast hit the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai area, where worshippers had gathered at the start of the day. A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the toll was expected to rise as critically injured victims…

EU Commission alleges TikTok deploys addictive features to keep users

EU accuses TikTok of ‘addictive design’ in preliminary Digital Services Act case The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that TikTok’s “addictive design” violates the EU’s Digital Services Act, alleging multiple failures to assess and mitigate risks to the physical and mental well-being of minors and vulnerable adults. If upheld, the ruling could expose the platform to a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover. TikTok can challenge the conclusions and submit a written response. Investigators cited…