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OSLO — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape and domestic violence but admitted to lesser offenses Monday as his closely watched trial opened in the capital, laying bare the most serious crisis to face the country’s royal family in peacetime. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, faces 38 counts in total and could receive multiple years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He does not hold a royal title and is outside the line…

MOGADISHU — Analysis U.S. Africa Command signaled a broader play in Somalia that reaches beyond counterterrorism. Lt. Gen. John Brennan, AFRICOM’s deputy commander, said Washington’s presence and operations could extend into trade and investment, citing untapped Somali resources on land and offshore. His framing underscores a shift: pairing security assistance with private capital to help stabilize a country long defined by conflict and commercial risk. Brennan argued that chronic insecurity has kept Somalis from benefiting…

Somalia arrests alleged son of ex–al-Shabab leader after street-robbery video in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency has arrested a man identified as the son of former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, accusing him of involvement in street crime and insecurity in the capital, officials said Tuesday. The suspect, named by authorities as Abdifitaah Ahmed Godane, was detained after security cameras captured him and another man robbing a mobile phone from a young girl in a…

OSLO — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape and domestic violence as his trial opened in Oslo, a case that has jolted an already embattled royal family and stirred debate over the future of the monarchy. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, faces 38 counts and could receive multiple years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He entered not-guilty pleas to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. Under Norwegian…

Russia launched its most powerful barrage of the year against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, Ukrainian officials said, knocking out heating for hundreds of thousands as temperatures plunged below minus 20 C and ahead of a new round of talks aimed at halting the four-year war. The strikes hit as an arctic cold snap gripped the country and damaged the base of Kyiv’s iconic Soviet-era Motherland monument, adding a symbolic wound to widespread utility outages. “Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to…

Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Tuesday, days after pausing service amid fresh clashes between regional and federal forces that stirred fears the country could slide back toward conflict. An airline official confirmed the restart, restoring a vital air link to a region still emerging from a two-year war that ended in late 2022. The carrier did not immediately provide additional operational details, but the move suggests authorities judge conditions stable enough to allow commercial…

Spain will move to ban social media for under-16s and force platforms to adopt robust age checks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced, positioning the country among a growing number of governments tightening rules to protect minors online from pornography, violence and manipulation. "Spain will ban access to social media for minors under the age of 16. Platforms will be required to implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work," Mr Sanchez told a summit in Dubai. Framing…

U.S. walks diplomatic tightrope on Somalia unity after Israel’s North Western State of Somalia move WASHINGTON — The United States reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity after Israel’s surprise decision on Dec. 26 to recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, a move that jolted regional diplomacy across the Horn of Africa. In comments to the BBC, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington maintains a “good working relationship” with North Western State of…

Peter Mandelson will step down from the House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive government information to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to threaten swift legislation to strip the former Cabinet minister of his title. The Cabinet Office said it handed material to police after an initial review of documents released as part of the Epstein files found they contained “likely market-sensitive information” and that official handling…

Somalia is often framed through conflict and crisis. But the country’s most consequential emergency lies in the quiet, daily erosion of women’s safety, dignity and power. Gender-based violence is not a subplot to Somalia’s turmoil; it is a central driver of its fragility—and the clearest test of whether recovery is real or rhetorical. Strip away the headlines and a pattern emerges. Historically, wealth flowed through livestock held by men; women’s labor—processing and selling milk and ghee—sustained families but rarely…