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

Gail Slater resigns as head of DOJ antitrust division, injecting uncertainty into Trump-era enforcement WASHINGTON — Gail Slater, the Trump administration’s head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, said she is stepping down less than a year after being appointed by President Donald Trump, leaving a major enforcement arm with few senior leaders as it pursues cases against some of the world’s largest companies. Slater, who was confirmed in March to lead the division that polices illegal monopolies and…

Heavy rain and gale-force winds battered Portugal and Spain on Thursday, toppling trees, disrupting transport and closing schools as authorities warned of more dangerous weather to come. A motorway viaduct partially collapsed near the Portuguese city of Coimbra, while Spain placed its northern coast under the highest red alert as seas built to 9 meters amid Storm Nils. Portugal’s infrastructure minister, Miguel Pinto Luz, who visited the fallen span between Lisbon and Porto, called the scene “an absolutely abnormal…

MILAN — Italian police arrested a Slovak fugitive who returned to Italy to support his country at the Winter Olympics, ending 16 years on the run, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported. The 44-year-old man was headed to the Santa Giulia arena in Milan for Slovakia’s ice hockey game but was taken into custody and transferred to San Vittore prison instead, according to ANSA. Police were alerted to his presence after he checked in at a guesthouse, the agency said. Officers moved in before he reached the venue. The man must now…

Trump administration repeals EPA endangerment finding, scraps federal vehicle greenhouse gas standards The Trump administration has revoked the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gases and eliminated federal greenhouse gas standards for cars and engines through model year 2027, a sweeping climate policy rollback that dismantles the legal foundation for nationwide emissions regulation. Announced alongside EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and White House budget director Russ Vought, President…

All 55 survive as plane overruns Mogadishu runway, comes to rest in knee-deep surf MOGADISHU, Somalia — All 55 people aboard a Starsky Aviation Fokker 50 escaped unharmed after the aircraft overran the runway at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport and came to a stop in shallow water along the capital’s seashore, Somali officials and passengers said. The plane reported a technical problem shortly after taking off on Tuesday and turned back toward the airport, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority said. During the…

James Van Der Beek, the actor who became a late-1990s television touchstone as earnest dreamer Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, has died at 48 after a battle with bowel cancer, his family said Wednesday. “He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, said in a statement. The series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003, launched him to stardom and helped define a TV era. Heartfelt tributes poured in from co-stars and friends. Katie Holmes, who starred opposite Van Der Beek,…

Trump border czar ends Minnesota immigration surge after protests, deadly shootings MINNEAPOLIS — President Donald Trump’s border czar said an aggressive federal immigration “surge” in Minnesota is ending after weeks of sweeping raids, mass arrests and mounting public outrage following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. Tom Homan, a top administration official overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, announced the drawdown at a briefing outside Minneapolis, saying he proposed the move and that Trump…

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…