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Morgan McSweeney quits as Starmer’s chief of staff over Mandelson appointment, plunging Labour into deepest crisis of premiership Morgan McSweeney resigned as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff on Sunday, taking responsibility for advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to the United States despite Mandelson’s known links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The departure of McSweeney — a Cork-born strategist instrumental in Labour’s 2024 landslide — comes amid newly released files…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he will seek a third term, asserting Somalia’s provisional constitution permits him to run again because his two previous mandates were not consecutive, a move that deepens political tensions over contentious constitutional changes. Mohamud, first elected in 2012 and returned to office in 2022 after five years out of power, framed his bid as consistent with the law’s limit on back-to-back presidencies. “The constitution does not prohibit me from running again,” he…

ALGIERS — Algeria has begun the process of terminating its air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, a bilateral aviation pact signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013 and ratified the following year, state media said Saturday. Algeria’s state-owned radio said authorities had “initiated procedures to terminate the air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, signed in Abu Dhabi on 13 May 2013 and ratified by a presidential decree dated 30 December 2014.” The broadcaster cited Article 22 of the accord, which…

Dubai detainee extradited to Moscow over shooting of top GRU general; Kyiv denies role A Ukrainian-born Russian citizen has been extradited to Moscow from Dubai on suspicion of shooting Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, the deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, Russian security officials and investigators said. Alexeyev, 64, was shot three times on Friday with a Makarov pistol fitted with a silencer inside an apartment block on the Volokolamsk Highway in northern Moscow, about 12 kilometers from the Kremlin,…

Ethiopia demands immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops as border tensions spike ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has formally ordered Eritrea to “immediately withdraw its troops” from Ethiopian territory, issuing a sharp diplomatic rebuke that underscores the most perilous turn in relations between the Horn of Africa neighbors since their 2018 peace deal. In a letter dated Feb. 7, 2026, addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Asmara of “outright aggression,” detailing…

Somalia unveils revised labour code to strengthen worker protections, modernize employment rules MOGADISHU — Somalia on Sunday launched a revised Somali Labour Code (Law No. 36), a sweeping update that officials say will reshape employment relations, reinforce protections for workers and help underpin long-term economic development. Unveiled at a national ceremony in Mogadishu, the reform was presented as a cornerstone of efforts to modernize the country’s labour system and align it with international standards and…

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is on course for a sweeping victory in snap elections, with her ruling bloc securing a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house, according to media estimates Sunday, a result likely to buoy her agenda while unnerving Beijing and financial markets. Early projections show the Liberal Democratic Party winning about 300 of the 465 seats contested — up from 198 in the last vote — positioning Takaichi’s party to regain a stand-alone majority and possibly a supermajority without…

Egypt, Somalia condemn Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, vow tighter security ties in Cairo Presidents el-Sissi and Hassan Sheikh reaffirm Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, explore African Union mission support CAIRO — Egypt and Somalia on Sunday reaffirmed their partnership on security and regional stability, condemning Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia and pledging deeper cooperation after talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Somali…

Milano-Cortina’s breathtaking vistas come with brutal distances. Thomas Maloney Westgard’s ears must have been burning. As the Irish cross-country veteran settled into the athlete village in Predazzo—lunch finished, a small Italian coffee warming his hands—an Irish broadcast crew meant to interview him was learning, the hard way, why these Winter Olympics have been billed among the most geographically challenging in history. What looks like 540 kilometers on a map between Milan and Cortina can feel much longer when it climbs…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned anti-Olympics protesters as “enemies of Italy” after clashes in Milan and sabotage on the national rail network disrupted travel on the first full day of competition at the Winter Games co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Police used water cannon to disperse crowds after parts of a demonstration in Italy’s financial capital turned violent last night. An estimated 10,000 people took to the streets over housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Games,…