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Thursday February 12, 2026 MOGADISHU (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is set to travel to Addis Ababa for the 39th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government, where he will spotlight Somalia’s recent security gains and restate the country’s position on sovereignty and foreign interference. The summit brings together leaders from 55 African nations for the continent’s top political forum. Officials said the president is scheduled to address Somalia’s progress on security sector reform, the effects of…

UN urges Russia to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid as fresh barrages kill civilians, cripple heat and water supplies The United Nations on Thursday called on Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after another nationwide barrage killed two people and plunged parts of the country into darkness and subzero cold. “The relentless attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure across Ukraine are depriving an already long-suffering civilian population of adequate warmth, water and…

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unveiled a three-pronged diplomatic and legal campaign to overturn Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, warning the move threatens Somalia’s sovereignty and the security of the Red Sea corridor. He said Mogadishu is acting in close coordination with partners led by Saudi Arabia to contain what he called a reckless escalation. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohamud said any recognition of the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia as an independent…

Russia blocks WhatsApp, urges users onto domestic ‘Max’ app as Kremlin cites legal noncompliance Russia has blocked WhatsApp nationwide over what the Kremlin called the platform’s failure to comply with local legislation, intensifying a state push to shift tens of millions of people to a homegrown alternative that lacks end-to-end encryption. “As for the blocking of WhatsApp ... such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the move stemmed from the service’s…

CAIRO — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Egypt’s defense minister, Gen. Abdel Mageed Saqr, on Wednesday attended a military formation ceremony for Egyptian troops preparing to deploy to Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). The event, held in Egypt, was also attended by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa and senior commanders, according to a statement from the Egyptian military spokesman. During the visit, officials received a detailed briefing on the preparation…

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Families in the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, are mourning eight people killed in a mass shooting Tuesday that tore through a home and a secondary school, claiming the lives of five children and a teacher. Police identified the shooter as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who later died by suicide. Among the victims was 12-year-old Kylie Smith, remembered by her family as “a beautiful soul.” Kylie was killed alongside four other children and a teacher at the town’s secondary school, authorities…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has won a seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council for the 2026–2028 term, a diplomatic milestone that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday cast as proof of the country’s renewed standing on the continent and beyond. In a national address, Hassan Sheikh said the election reflects Somalia’s growing credibility and the reemergence of its voice in regional affairs after years of rebuilding state institutions. “This victory demonstrates the significant progress of Somalia’s diplomacy and…

TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — Canadian police on Tuesday identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the gunman who killed eight people, including family members and students at her former school, before taking her own life in one of the worst mass shootings in Canada’s history. Authorities revised the death toll to nine, including the attacker, down from an earlier count of 10. A motive has not been determined. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Van Rootselaar first killed…

Former Somali premiers warn reforms timetable is unrealistic, urge consensus on elections MOGADISHU — Two former Somali prime ministers sharply criticized the federal government’s push to complete sweeping constitutional and political changes before the current term ends, warning that the roughly three months remaining are insufficient and risk deepening instability. Speaking at an event in Mogadishu on Wednesday, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the administration’s reform agenda — including a constitutional…