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Saturday March 14, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. state of West Virginia to develop the country’s critical mineral resources, officials said. The agreement, signed by Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed and West Virginia Senate Secretary Kris Warner, sets a framework for cooperation in the exploration, extraction and processing of minerals. Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama led Somalia’s delegation.…

Hargeisa, North Western State of Somalia — A cargo vessel carrying hundreds of livestock from North Western State of Somalia sank Friday off Yemen’s southern coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising urgent questions over the fate of its seven crew members and renewed concerns about the safety of the regional maritime livestock trade. The wooden vessel, which departed the Port of Berbera, went down near Ras al-Ara in Yemen’s Lahj province, according to local sources. It was reportedly transporting about 400 sheep and 150…

Gulf flight disruption is rippling across global travel, forcing families to reroute long-haul journeys and pushing up fares as airlines cut capacity and fuel costs surge. The uncertainty is especially acute for Irish passengers trying to reach Australia and New Zealand, routes that have long relied on the Middle East’s mega-hubs and are now being squeezed by war-related constraints and shifting safety perceptions. Dublin native Brian Sullivan was due to fly home with his wife and three children from Melbourne via Abu Dhabi…

President Donald Trump threatened new strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub unless Tehran halts attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that raised the stakes for global shipping and oil prices amid a war already disrupting energy supplies. Trump coupled the ultimatum with a social media post saying the United States had “totally obliterated” military targets on Kharg, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports and sits about 483 kilometers northwest of the strait. He said U.S. strikes did not hit oil…

To produce a publish-ready article at AP standards, please provide the raw source material for “As it happened: Strikes hit Tehran as war continues.” You can paste transcripts, wire copy, official statements, field notes, or bullet-pointed updates. Include time stamps and attribution for each key fact so I can verify chronology and sources. Essential details needed: • Exact date and local time of the strikes in Tehran; specify time zone. • Locations/neighborhoods or strategic sites affected; any satellite or on-the-ground…

Somalia warned Thursday that its territory cannot be used for foreign military operations, pushing back against reports that Israel is exploring an installation in North Western State of Somalia, the self-governing region across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. “Somalia does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilise an already sensitive region,” Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. The statement followed reports by…

U.S. strikes hit military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, President Donald Trump said, warning he will consider targeting the country’s oil infrastructure if Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s crude. Trump said in a social media post the U.S. military “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on Kharg Island while leaving oil facilities intact. He added that if Iran, or “anyone else,” interferes with the “Free and Safe Passage of Ships” in the strait,…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan authorities have arrested a Chinese national at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country, in a case underscoring the growing global trade in exotic insects. Airport security intercepted the traveler, identified in court as Zhang Kequn, during screening as he prepared to fly to China. Prosecutors said Zhang is linked to an ant-trafficking network that was disrupted in Kenya last year; he has not responded…

Friday March 13, 2026 Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11, 2026 The U.S. military is “not ready” to escort oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday, as Iran keeps the strategic waterway largely shut and global oil prices whipsaw. Wright told CNBC that the market shock is a “short-term disruption,” predicting the war would last “weeks, not months.” He cast the current squeeze as “short-term…

WASHINGTON — The United States is dispatching additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran enters its third week, amid escalating attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz and a renewed surge in global oil prices, according to multiple U.S. media reports. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and attached Marines are en route to the region. The New York Times said as many as three ships carrying roughly 2,500 Marines were…