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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Calls for Revision of Citizenship Clause in Liberia Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has revived a long-standing debate on the need to revise the constitutional clause that restricts Liberian citizenship exclusively to people of "Negro descent." In a rare address to members of the Liberian Legislature, Sirleaf highlighted broader national issues and argued that the law is no longer relevant, undermining the country's commitment to equality and international norms. The controversial clause,…

Biden, Obama and Clinton are expected to join thousands of mourners in Chicago for a public memorial honoring the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil-rights leader and Democratic power broker who died last month at 84. The gathering at the House of Hope, a 10,000-seat venue on the city’s South Side, is poised to be the largest service celebrating Jackson’s life and legacy. Organizers said former first ladies Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, who also served as U.S. secretary of state, plan to attend. Singers Jennifer Hudson, BeBe…

East Africa’s new drought surge pushes millions toward hunger as water prices soar and livestock die Friday March 6, 2026 MOGADISHU — A failed rainy season has deepened drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, thrusting nearly 26 million people into extreme hunger, accelerating livestock deaths and sending water prices soaring, Oxfam warned in a report released this week. The crisis arrives less than three years after the Horn of Africa’s longest and most severe drought on record, when five consecutive rainy seasons…

The Pentagon has formally designated Anthropic and its Claude artificial intelligence models a supply-chain risk, a first-of-its-kind move against a U.S. tech company that escalates a high-stakes clash over military AI safeguards, according to multiple U.S. media reports. A senior defense official told Bloomberg News and CNBC that “DOW officially informed Anthropic leadership the company and its products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately,” using the acronym for the Department of War — the name the White…

Somalia fuel prices jump 77% in 72 hours as Middle East conflict disrupts supply MOGADISHU, Somalia — Fuel prices in Somalia’s capital have surged about 77% within three days, an abrupt spike tied to the escalating Middle East conflict that is rattling energy markets and shipping lanes through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Market observers in Mogadishu said the retail price of petrol jumped to about $1.15 per liter from roughly $0.65 earlier this week, with the steepest increases posted by Friday evening. The surge…

South Africa’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) — billed by the government as the country’s most sweeping health overhaul since the end of apartheid in 1994 — is effectively frozen amid court challenges and constitutional clashes. Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism spoke with health economist Susan Cleary to explore whether the NHI is a wise way forward. The debate now centers on capacity, cost, equity and the political will required to remake a deeply unequal health system. The case for NHI is straightforward…

New York — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appointed U.S. diplomat James Swan as his new Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, placing an experienced Africa hand at the helm of one of the U.N.’s most challenging peace operations. Swan succeeds Bintou Keita of Guinea, whom Guterres thanked for her leadership and service during a difficult period for the mission. The appointment lands at a pivotal moment for MONUSCO,…

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. — Britney Spears was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Wednesday night after California Highway Patrol officers received reports of a black BMW 430i traveling erratically at high speed on U.S. 101, authorities said. The 44-year-old singer was taken into custody after she “showed signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests” during a traffic stop near the Borchard Road exit in Newbury Park at about 8:48 p.m., a CHP spokesperson said. Chemical test results are…

Australia orders porn sites to block minors as sweeping child-safety rules take effect Australia’s online regulator has ordered pornography websites to block people under 18 starting Monday, enforcing age verification under sweeping new restrictions aimed at shielding children from harmful content across the internet. Some adult sites in Australia had already barred non-members and halted new registrations in recent days ahead of the deadline, as platforms prepare to deploy age checks that go beyond simple self-declaration.…

Somalia adopts revised constitution; President Mohamud hails ‘historic achievement’ amid opposition boycott MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday hosted an iftar dinner for members of both houses of parliament, praising lawmakers for approving Somalia’s revised constitution after months of heated debate and years of stalled review. The gathering at a Mogadishu hotel came a day after a joint sitting of the House of the People and the Upper House voted to adopt amendments that complete a…