Turkey’s Erdogan warns Ethiopia: recognizing North Western State of Somalia offers no benefits

Erdogan tells Ethiopia it would gain nothing from recognizing North Western State of Somalia ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during an official visit to Addis Ababa that Ethiopia would gain no benefit from recognizing North Western State of Somalia, underscoring Ankara’s support for Somalia’s territorial integrity. Erdogan said he conveyed the message directly to Abiy, arguing that any formal move to recognize the self-declared republic would not serve…

Somalia Cleared to Issue East African Community Passports, Boosting Regional Integration

Somalia cleared to issue East African Community passports, boosting regional mobility Wednesday February 18, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia has received formal approval to issue East African Community (EAC) passports, a key step in the country’s regional integration and a move officials say will ease cross-border travel for Somali citizens across the bloc. The authorization was conveyed in an official letter presented by Somalia’s ambassador to Tanzania and permanent representative to the EAC, Ilyas Ali Hassan. He handed…

Young Ukrainian men weigh moving abroad as war drags on

‘Not now and not anytime soon’: Ukraine’s 18–22 exit rule sends a wave of young men to Poland and beyond On a gray December morning in Warsaw, Vadym, a 22-year-old from Chernihiv, stepped off a bus, opened his phone and started calling. Within days, he had a job with a Ukrainian logistics firm operating in Poland. Within weeks, he had a plan. “As for returning to Ukraine, in my view, not now and not anytime soon after the war ends,” he said. “Now I can only think about what lies beyond its borders.” Vadym is part of a new,…

Africa Unites in Grief Over Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson

Tributes Pour in for Jesse Jackson, Renowned Civil Rights Leader and Anti-Apartheid Advocate Civil rights leader and anti-apartheid struggle flagbearer Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. Leaders across the continent expressed their condolences and paid tribute to his decades-long fight for equality and justice. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the Jackson family, highlighting that Jackson's campaign against apartheid and support for the liberation movement significantly contributed…

Turkish President Says Israel’s North Western State of Somalia Recognition Serves No One’s Interests

Erdogan says Israel’s North Western State of Somalia recognition would not benefit region as Türkiye, Ethiopia expand ties ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that Israel’s move to recognize North Western State of Somalia would not benefit North Western State of Somalia or the wider Horn of Africa, urging regional governments to resolve disputes without opening the door to foreign power rivalries. “I would like to reiterate that Israel’s recognition of North Western State of…

California avalanche leaves 10 skiers missing as search intensifies

Search crews in California’s Sierra Nevada were racing against fading light and relentless snowfall to find 10 missing skiers after an avalanche swept a guided group on Castle Peak in the Tahoe area, officials said. The slide struck late yesterday morning as a powerful storm pummeled the mountains with heavy snow and high winds. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said 16 people — four guides and 12 clients — were caught up in the avalanche near the summit west of Truckee. Six have been accounted for, but mountain rescue…

California avalanche leaves ten skiers missing amid urgent search

Rescuers launched a frantic search for 10 missing backcountry skiers after an avalanche swept a guided group on California’s Castle Peak in the Tahoe area, as a powerful Sierra Nevada storm continued dumping heavy snow and driving winds. Authorities said 16 people — four guides and 12 clients — were caught up in the slide late yesterday morning. Six have been accounted for, and mountain rescue teams were attempting to reach them while also combing the area for the others amid whiteout conditions and fresh snowfall. “Highly…

Ukraine, Russia push forward with peace negotiations as Trump applies pressure

GENEVA — Ukraine and Russia wrapped the first of two days of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Geneva after a night of Russian airstrikes that battered Ukraine’s energy grid, with President Donald Trump publicly pressing Kyiv to move quickly toward a deal to end the four-year war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attacks severely damaged the power network in the southern port city of Odesa, leaving tens of thousands without heat and water. “We are ready to move quickly toward a worthy agreement to end the…

Culleton Wins Temporary Stay in U.S. Deportation Case

Deportation of Irish man Seamus Culleton stayed for at least 10 working days as U.S. government response due A court order has paused the deportation of Irish national Seamus Culleton for at least the next 10 working days, his attorneys said, marking the latest turn in a case that has kept him in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in El Paso, Texas, for nearly five months. In a statement, BOS Legal Group said the court also directed the government to file its response in the case “in the coming days.” The firm…

Gisele Pelicot Details Rape Ordeal and Survival in New Memoir

Gisele Pelicot has spent two years learning to live inside a story the world could scarcely fathom. Now, in a memoir released this week, the 73-year-old French woman who became a galvanizing figure in the fight against sexual violence lays out, in spare and searing detail, how she survived a crime orchestrated within her own home — and why she chose to attach her name and her face to a case that forced France to look hard at itself. In “A Hymn to Life,” Pelicot retraces the 2024 mass-rape trial in which her former husband,…