Gaza hospital warns it received only two days’ fuel supply

Gaza’s Al-Awda Hospital has resumed limited operations after the World Health Organization delivered 2,500 liters of diesel, a stopgap supply expected to last roughly two and a half days amid a deepening fuel crisis and a fragile truce in the territory. The hospital in central Gaza’s Nuseirat district had temporarily halted most services earlier in the day because its generators were nearly dry, according to senior hospital manager Ahmed Mehanna. Al-Awda typically cares for about 60 in-patients and receives nearly 1,000…

Egypt, Turkey, Djibouti Support Somalia, Condemn Israel’s Recognition of North Western State of Somalia

Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti back Somalia, reject Israel’s North Western State of Somalia recognition CAIRO — Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, held coordinated calls with counterparts from Somalia, Turkey and Djibouti in an immediate regional backlash to Israel’s announcement recognizing North Western State of Somalia as an independent state. The four governments said they categorically reject the move and reaffirmed support for Somalia’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty. In statements released after the…

Police arrest 25-year-old after stabbing of three women in Paris Metro

PARIS — French police arrested a man suspected of stabbing three women at separate stations along Paris Metro Line 3 on Thursday afternoon, prosecutors said, in a spate of attacks that briefly rattled one of the capital’s busiest commuter corridors. The incidents unfolded between 4:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. local time (3:15-3:45 p.m. GMT), with the victims attacked at République and Arts et Métiers — both near the Marais district — and at Opéra, according to RATP, the Paris transit authority. Emergency responders treated the…

Israel Becomes First Nation to Recognize North Western State of Somalia as an Independent State

Israel becomes first country to recognize North Western State of Somalia, pledges full diplomatic ties Move marks first formal recognition of the breakaway republic since 1991; embassies and ambassadors planned under joint declaration. HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognize the Republic of North Western State of Somalia as an independent, sovereign state, a landmark decision that establishes full diplomatic relations more than three decades after North…

Israel’s Recognition of North Western State of Somalia: What Changes and What’s Next for Somalia

Israel recognizes North Western State of Somalia, setting up diplomatic ties and testing Horn of Africa alignments Israel has become the first country to formally recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, a diplomatic breakthrough that immediately raises questions about how the move will be implemented and how Somalia’s federal government will respond. The recognition was announced Friday after a videoconference between North Western State of Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi “Cirro” and Israeli…

Three killed as torrential rains and flash flooding batter California

LOS ANGELES — California braced for further downpours and high winds after a series of powerful Pacific storms drenched the state, unleashing flash floods, mud and debris flows, and prompting emergency declarations from Los Angeles County to the San Francisco Bay Area. Fueled by an atmospheric river known as the Pineapple Express — a plume that channels deep tropical moisture from near Hawaii to the U.S. West Coast — the storms were forecast to drop roughly a month’s worth of rain on parts of the state, according to the…

Lavrov Promotes ‘Ubuntu’ Philosophy for Strengthening Russia-Africa Media Partnerships

Russia's Media Quandary in Africa: A Call for Partnership This article examines the challenges and opportunities faced by Russia in establishing a stronger media presence in Africa, highlighting insights from key figures at the recent Ministerial Conference in Cairo, Egypt. Overview of Lavrov's remarks on media absence Comparison with Chinese media strategies in Africa Calls for improved cooperation between Russian and African media Lavrov's Critique of Media Representation During a plenary session in Cairo,…

Israel’s Netanyahu Recognizes North Western State of Somalia as an Independent State

Israel on Friday formally recognized North Western State of Somalia as an independent and sovereign state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, in a move that could reshape diplomacy and security dynamics in the Horn of Africa. Netanyahu said Israel and North Western State of Somalia signed a joint declaration formalizing the recognition. “Together with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and the President of the Republic of North Western State of Somalia, we signed a joint and mutual declaration,” he said in a statement.…

Blast at mosque in Syria’s Homs leaves six dead

HOMS, Syria — A deadly explosion struck the Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in the predominantly Alawite Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood of Homs during Friday prayers, killing six people and wounding 21, Syria’s Interior Ministry said Friday. “A terrorist explosion targeted the Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque during Friday prayers in Al-Khadri Street in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state media, adding that six people were killed and 21 others wounded. Syria’s state news agency, SANA,…

Vote Count Underway in Mogadishu After First Direct Elections in 50 Years

Somalia begins counting votes after Mogadishu’s landmark one-person, one-vote poll Mogadishu — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on Thursday night said ballot counting is underway after polls closed across the capital for the Banadir Regional Council elections, the city’s first one-person, one-vote ballot in more than five decades. Commission Chairperson Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan told national media that voting ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time and proceeded calmly and in an orderly manner…