Matthew Perry’s assistant sentenced to 41-month prison term

The man who served as Matthew Perry’s personal assistant — and who prosecutors said injected the actor with the ketamine dose that proved fatal — was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in federal prison, marking the end of the criminal case against five people who admitted roles in the Friends star’s death. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence to Kenneth Iwamasa, who discovered Perry unresponsive, floating face down in a hot tub at the actor’s Los Angeles home in October 2023. Prosecutors said Iwamasa…

North Western State of Somalia president accuses Somalia and Djibouti of interference after Israel dispute

Thursday May 28, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro has accused Somalia and Djibouti of meddling in North Western State of Somalia’s internal affairs, saying Hargeisa will stand firm in defending its security and political choices as tensions mount over its ties with Israel. In Eid al-Adha remarks on Wednesday, Irro said North Western State of Somalia’s foreign policy is rooted in peaceful coexistence, cooperation and mutual respect. He added that some neighboring states had taken a hostile…

Somalia’s Political Situation Enters Period of Uncertainty and Disorder

Onkod Radio (Mogadishu) Somalia has slipped into a tense and uncertain political phase after both the Somali Parliament and the Presidency extended their mandates by one year, a move that has inflamed divisions across the capital and the regions. The strain has been building for days, but yesterday’s sharp exchanges among Federal Government officials, opposition leaders, and the presidents of Galmudug and Jubbaland made one thing clear: heated rhetoric is widening the breach rather than creating a durable, mutually…

Israel strikes Tyre after declaring south Lebanon areas combat zones

With residents of Tyre waking to fresh evacuation orders, the Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city, opening another volatile chapter in a conflict that is again widening. A day earlier, Israel had designated all territory south of Lebanon's Zahrani River — an area about 40km from the border that includes Tyre — as "combat zones" and urged civilians to leave before attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The broad warning, the first of…

Somali lawmaker warns President Mohamud over Galmudug election tensions

Thursday May 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Saadiq Omar Hassan Joon, a Somali lawmaker and former Banadir police chief, has cautioned President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against meddling in the coming election in Galmudug, as political tensions sharpen in Dhusamareb. Writing on Facebook on Wednesday, Saadiq Joon linked peace in Dhusamareb, the Galmudug capital, with calm in Mogadishu’s Wardhigley district, home to the presidential palace. “Oday Hassan, the peace in Dhusamareb and the peace in Wardhigley are interconnected, you…

Somalia expects positive drilling results with Türkiye by year-end, seeks mining deals

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Somali minister says partnership with Türkiye could support economic growth and energy security Somalia is anticipating encouraging developments before the end of this year from offshore oil and gas drilling with Türkiye, while also seeking to broaden cooperation with Ankara in mining, Somali Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed said. Speaking to Anadolu, Mohamed said Somalia and Türkiye have entered a new stage in their energy partnership after completing seismic…

Uganda Closes Border With DR Congo Amid Ebola Outbreak Concerns

Uganda has shut its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo as officials race to contain an Ebola outbreak attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, a move that has triggered stepped-up regional surveillance and emergency health measures. The closure, effective "with immediate effect," was ordered by the national Ebola task force chaired by Vice President Jesca Alupo after a rise in infections among Ugandan health workers who had treated patients from DR Congo. All authorised entrants will be screened, and travellers from…

Australia sues 3M over PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals,’ contamination

Australia has launched what it describes as a landmark AU$2 billion (€1.2 billion) lawsuit against US consumer products giant 3M, alleging contamination at military bases where firefighting foam containing so-called "forever chemicals" was used. The case against the Minnesota-based chemicals company and its Australian subsidiary is the biggest legal claim the country has ever filed, according to the government, underscoring the environmental, economic and cultural damage already caused — and the costs still expected to come.…

WHO Tackles Ebola Amid Eastern DRC Conflict Challenges

The Ebola crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is rapidly escalating into a humanitarian catastrophe. Health officials warn that ongoing violence, mass displacement, and public distrust are severely hampering efforts to control the virus. As conflict spreads throughout Ituri province, medical teams are stretched thin, grappling with a swift outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola—a variant with no approved vaccine or treatment and a fatality rate up to 50%. The World Health Organization reports that the…