Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

A luxury cruise ship at the centre of a fatal hantavirus outbreak is heading for Tenerife, where Spanish authorities say passengers are expected to begin disembarking from 11 May. The vessel, which had been stranded off the coast of Cape Verde since Sunday, has now set course for Spain, according to a Reuters witness. Its departure came after three people were evacuated, including two who were seriously ill. The MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people, is due to reach Tenerife within three days, Spain's health minister said.…

Israel has carried out its first strike on Beirut since reaching a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, hitting the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital in what it said was an attack on a commander from the group's elite Radwan force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation in a joint statement. Israeli media said the commander was killed, though there was no immediate confirmation from either the Israeli military or Hezbollah. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity,…

As Vienna readies for the Eurovision Song Contest's provocative songs and glittering spectacle next week, the festival's 70th edition is unfolding under heavy security and an intensifying row over Israel's participation. The world's biggest live televised music event will feature contestants from 35 countries — the lowest total since participation widened in 2004 — after several countries, including Ireland, withdrew over Israel's war in Gaza. The semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will narrow the field before Saturday's…

With tensions still simmering in the Middle East, China's top diplomat Wang Yi urged an immediate halt to the fighting on Tuesday and pressed the United States and Iran to restore access through the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible" during talks in Beijing with his Iranian counterpart. "China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay, that it is even more unacceptable to restart hostilities, and that continuing to negotiate remains essential," he said, according to a statement from…

Mounting concern over disruptive travelers has prompted Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary to call for a curb on alcohol sales in airport bars before morning departures, arguing that the move is needed to reduce incidents involving drunken and aggressive passengers. Speaking to The Times in an interview published today, the airline chief said the issue had been intensifying. He said Ryanair, which operates primarily across Europe, was now forced to divert nearly one plane every day because of passenger misconduct linked…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Wednesday named Abdifitah Qasim Mohamud as the country’s new Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, replacing Daud Aweis Jama in a cabinet change announced in Mogadishu. According to a government press release, the appointment was made in line with constitutional provisions and came after consultations with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The statement did not disclose the reasons for the removal of the former minister. Prime…

Ted Turner, the brash media entrepreneur who remade television journalism by launching CNN in 1980, has died at 87, the network announced. The mustachioed Southerner, a passionate yachtsman and prominent philanthropist, had been living with Lewy Body Dementia, a degenerative disease. His business reach extended well beyond news and into sports clubs and other ventures. Cable News Network shattered the conventions of broadcast journalism with its commitment to round-the-clock coverage, then vaulted to worldwide prominence…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOWednesday May 6, 2026 Muslim Religious leaders drawn from SUPKEM during the meeting. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO Religious leaders in Northeastern are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a “silent epidemic” of HIV and AIDS, calling for immediate, coordinated action to confront a health challenge they say is spreading under the weight of stigma and denial. The warning came during a high-level meeting in Garissa convened by the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) in collaboration with the…

A fragile diplomatic opening emerged on Wednesday as Iran said it was reviewing a fresh US proposal, after sources indicated Washington and Tehran were nearing a one-page memorandum that could halt the war in the Gulf while postponing the hardest disputes, including Iran's nuclear programme. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency, said Tehran would soon send its response through Pakistan, the host of the war's only peace talks and, since then, the main channel for messages between the two…

Basillioh RukangaWednesday May 6, 2026 Officials say operations at the airport, pictured here in February, have been suspended following the drone strikes Sudan has levelled extraordinary accusations against neighbouring Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying the two countries were behind drone strikes on its main airport in what it called "direct aggression". The capital's international airport was struck on Monday, together with military sites across the Greater Khartoum area. The attacks have broken a spell…