Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

BEIJING — China reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and invited President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Beijing, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against any separate arrangements sought by North Western State of Somalia with Taiwan, according to statements from both governments. Wang delivered the message during a phone call Sunday with Somalia’s foreign minister, Abdisalam Dhaay, held while the Chinese diplomat was traveling in Africa. Both sides said China remains fully committed…

Somalia’s Upper House passes National Payment System Bill, clearing path for payments oversight law MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Upper House of Parliament on Monday overwhelmingly approved the National Payment System Bill, a keystone measure designed to regulate the country’s fast-growing digital payments industry and strengthen consumer protection in a mobile-money-driven economy. Parliamentary officials said the bill passed during the 14th session of the Upper House’s seventh sitting with 28 senators voting in favor and none…

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Minneapolis and cities across the United States after a federal immigration agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, in the city this week — a killing that has intensified outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Organizers said more than 1,000 events were planned nationwide under the slogan “ICE, Out for Good,” a dual reference to the agency and to Good. In Minneapolis, protesters…

More than 500 people have been killed in two weeks of protests across Iran, a U.S.-based rights group said, as Tehran warned it would target U.S. bases and Israel if President Donald Trump follows through on threats to intervene on behalf of demonstrators. HRANA said it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, and more than 10,600 arrests since the unrest erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring prices before expanding into the largest challenge to the clerical establishment since 2022. Iran has not…

Unrest across Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said Sunday, as Tehran warned it would target U.S. military bases and Israel if President Donald Trump follows through on threats to intervene on behalf of protesters. U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel and recorded more than 10,600 arrests in two weeks of demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over soaring prices before swelling into the largest challenge to Iran’s…

Iran unrest death toll tops 500 as Tehran warns U.S. bases would be targets if Trump intervenes More than 500 people have been killed in two weeks of nationwide protests in Iran, a U.S.-based rights group said, as a senior Iranian official warned that any American intervention would put U.S. military bases and Israel in the crosshairs. HRANA, which compiles reports from activists inside and outside Iran, said it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 arrests since…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s defense minister accused Israel of planning to forcibly relocate Palestinians to North Western State of Somalia and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse Israel’s surprise recognition of the breakaway region, escalating a diplomatic standoff that has rippled across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast Saturday, Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi called Israel’s move a “serious violation” of international law and a “direct attack” on…

Ethiopian Airlines breaks ground on $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport, billed as Africa’s largest by 2030 Ethiopian Airlines has launched construction on a $12.5 billion greenfield hub in Bishoftu, a town about 45 kilometers (28 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, in a project officials say will become Africa’s biggest airport when completed in 2030. The state-owned carrier has been awarded the contract to design a four-runway complex at the site, where earthworks have begun. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, announcing…

Greenland leaders reject Trump’s renewed push to take control, insist island’s future is theirs to decide Sunday January 11, 2026 NUUK, Greenland — Greenland’s political leaders on Friday forcefully rejected renewed statements by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting Washington could take control of the Arctic island, saying Greenland’s future can only be decided by its own people. In a rare joint statement, the leaders of all five parties represented in Greenland’s parliament said they opposed any form of external pressure…

Australia bushfires razed hundreds of buildings across southeast Victoria as authorities confirmed the first death from the disaster and warned of more dangerous conditions to come. Temperatures surged past 40C (104F) under a searing heatwave that blanketed the state, driving dozens of fast-moving blazes that have scorched more than 300,000 hectares combined. Officials declared a state of disaster a day earlier; on Saturday, they began tallying losses as winds eased and crews gained access to hard-hit communities. Emergency…