Axadle - Breaking news and analysis from Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and across Africa.

A Canadian passenger from the cruise ship MV Hondius has tested “presumptive positive” for Andes hantavirus, prompting health officials to intensify monitoring while stressing that the broader public risk remains low. Canadian public health authorities said the patient was among four Canadians identified as high risk after travelling on the vessel, which departed Argentina on 1 April for an Atlantic crossing before the outbreak of the rare rodent-borne disease came to light. In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the country is confronting a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province, where the death toll has climbed to at least 80 as authorities step up screening and contact tracing efforts to slow the spread. A fresh outbreak of Ebola has been reported in eastern DRC, where tens of people have died as a result. / Reuters Authorities announced the outbreak on Friday, saying 65 people had died and 246 suspected cases had been identified. By Saturday, they…

Keir Starmer’s unraveling is easy to cast as the downfall of a prime minister who blew a commanding majority. After all, only 22 months ago, Mr Starmer secured 411 seats — Labour’s third-strongest performance ever, and its best since Tony Blair’s second landslide in 2001. By that measure, the case for a squandered majority looks straightforward enough. Yet for all its size, Mr Starmer’s majority never amounted to a sweeping public mandate. Labour won fewer votes overall than Jeremy Corbyn managed in both of his general…

By  JAMES ROBSONSunday May 17, 2026 Wembley has seen plenty of dramatic FA Cup finals in its 155-year history, but few goals can have matched the audacity of the strike that decided this one. Manchester City claimed a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday, sealing the trophy through a moment of sheer invention from Antoine Semenyo. The final had been drifting toward a tense, chance-starved conclusion until the forward produced a stunning back-heel finish in the second half to transform the contest. In the 72nd minute,…

Alarm over a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda intensified after the World Health Organization declared it a "public health emergency of international concern". The WHO said the outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo virus, falls short of the threshold for a pandemic emergency. Even so, it warned that countries sharing land borders with the DRC face a high risk of further transmission. In a statement, the UN health agency said 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s stalled political transition has drawn fresh concern from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which is pressing the country’s leaders to stay at the table after talks between the federal government and opposition figures failed to bridge major divides. In a statement released Saturday from Djibouti, the IGAD Secretariat said it had followed consultations held in Mogadishu from May 13 to 15 between the Federal Government of Somalia and opposition stakeholders. The…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s stalled political transition has once again drawn urgent attention from the African Union, which on Saturday called on the federal government and opposition leaders to return to the negotiating table after a three-day round of talks in Mogadishu collapsed without a deal. The discussions, held from May 13 to 15, brought together the Federal Government of Somalia and representatives of the Somali Future Council. The AU Commission said it had monitored the process closely and…

A rare disease outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has reached Canada, where public health officials say a "high risk" passenger from the cruise ship has tested "presumptive positive" for the Andes hantavirus. The patient was among four Canadians on the hantavirus-affected vessel, which departed Argentina on 1 April and was crossing the Atlantic Ocean when the outbreak of the uncommon rodent-borne illness emerged. In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said authorities in British Columbia, the country’s westernmost…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — Israel’s newly named ambassador to North Western State of Somalia said Saturday that ties with the self-declared republic are moving ahead rapidly, with cooperation on the table in security, energy, infrastructure, technology, trade and other fields. In an interview with Israel’s N12, Michael Lotem, Israel’s non-resident ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, said North Western State of Somalia had signaled strong interest in deepening relations after Israel formally recognized it…

Fresh Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on Thursday, jolting a fragile pause in hostilities just one day after Israel and Lebanon agreed in Washington to prolong their truce. "The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military said. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said at least five villages in the south were struck, after residents fled toward the southern city of Sidon and the capital, Beirut. Earlier, the Israeli military had warned…