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World news from Axadle, with international politics, security, diplomacy, and major global developments that matter to Horn of Africa readers.

Mexico says two aid boats en route to Cuba are missing

Mexican naval forces have launched a search-and-rescue mission in the Caribbean after two sailboats carrying humanitarian supplies to Cuba failed to reach Havana as planned. The navy said the vessels departed from Isla Mujeres, in the state of Quintana Roo, last week en route to Havana with nine crew members of various nationalities aboard. Officials had expected the boats to arrive between 24 and 25 March, but the navy reported there has been no contact with the crews and no confirmation that the ships reached their…

European Parliament Gives Conditional Approval to U.S. Tariff Agreement

In a decisive move to implement its side of a transatlantic trade deal, the European Union has pushed forward legislation aimed at fulfilling commitments made with the United States amid months of uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff threats and a fresh US import surcharge. Lawmakers in the European Parliament approved the measures by 417 votes to 154, with 71 abstentions, but only after inserting a series of safeguards that reflect lingering doubts about Washington’s reliability following the Turnberry,…

World Trade Organization: War Causing Worst Global Trade Disruption in 80 Years

The global trading order is under siege, World Trade Organization director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned as delegates convened for the WTO ministerial in Yaounde, calling the disruption the most severe the system has faced in eight decades. "The world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed," she said, stressing: "We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today." With 166 member states represented, the WTO meets in the Cameroonian capital amid stark divisions among…

Former Google executive Matt Brittin named BBC director-general

Matt Brittin, the former head of Google's European operations, has been appointed Director General of the BBC, the corporation has confirmed. The 57-year-old, who spent nearly 20 years at Google after an early career at McKinsey, rose to become president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa before announcing his departure from the company last year. Tim Davie, who had led the broadcaster since 2020, stepped down in November 2025 following a controversy over a Panorama edit of a speech by Donald Trump; his resignation was…

New Mexico Jury Orders Meta to Pay $375 Million Over Child Exploitation, User-Safety Claims

A jury in New Mexico has ruled that Meta Platforms broke state law, concluding the tech giant misled users about safety on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and enabled child sexual exploitation on its services, according to the state attorney general’s lawsuit. After less than a day of deliberations, jurors determined Meta violated New Mexico’s consumer protection statute and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The verdict is the first jury decision on these types of claims against Meta, which is…

Drone Crashes in Romania Following Russian Strike on Ukraine

A drone that Romanian authorities say was diverted by Ukrainian air defences crashed near a village after overnight Russian strikes on neighbouring Ukraine, officials reported. Romania, a NATO member and key supporter of Kyiv, has repeatedly experienced airspace violations and falling drone debris since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "At 00:44, a drone deflected by Ukrainian air defence entered national airspace for a distance of approximately four kilometres," the defence ministry said. "The…

Trump says Iran ‘afraid’ to admit it wants a deal

President Donald Trump asserted that Iran is quietly engaged in negotiations and suggested Tehran's public denials stem from fears that negotiators could be killed by hardliners — or targeted by the United States. "They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly. But they're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," Mr Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us." His remarks came after Iranian Foreign…

Hungary Election Nears as Candidates Face Claims of Russian Links

Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orbán faces perhaps the most consequential test of his 16-year rule as voters prepare to go to the polls on 12 April. Opinion polls put his nationalist Fidesz party nine points behind the centre-right Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, a 44-year-old lawyer and former Fidesz insider now running a vigorous challenge. Mr Magyar has ridden a platform focused on anti-corruption and business-friendly reform, building momentum after strong showings for his party in European and local ballots in 2024.…

Trump: Iran ‘afraid’ to admit it wants a deal

President Donald Trump asserted that Iran is engaged in negotiations, accusing Tehran of publicly denying talks out of fear that Iranian negotiators could be killed by hardliners — or by the United States. "They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly. But they're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," Mr Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us." The president's remarks came after Iranian Foreign…