Axadle - Breaking news and analysis from Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and across Africa.

Early this morning, the Israeli military said it launched a barrage of strikes on Beirut aimed at the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, hours after urging residents in several districts to evacuate. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on 2 March, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the country's south. In a brief statement this morning, the Israeli…

Soaring oil and gas prices linked to the war in Iran are rippling through global markets, piling pressure on governments to shield households from the fallout. The Government says it is preparing an “appropriate intervention” to curb rising fuel costs, with measures due to be finalised at the next Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. How are other nations stepping in to support families and businesses? Here’s a snapshot from across Europe. On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a £53 million (€61m) package for…

Live Iran’s supreme leader declares the enemy 'defeated' Middle East Israel carried out additional strikes in Tehran today, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier not to repeat attacks on Iran’s natural gas infrastructure. Follow our live coverage for real-time…

Three men injured in Provisional IRA attacks in England will discontinue their civil claim against former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, the High Court was told by their lawyers. The trio had sought a nominal £1 in damages, citing injuries from bombings in the 1970s and 1990s. The claimants are John Clark, hurt in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London; Jonathan Ganesh, a survivor of the 1996 London Docklands blast; and Barry Laycock, injured in the 1996 attack on Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre. They alleged Mr Adams was…

In a dramatic turn of events, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is under scrutiny following its recent decision to revoke Senegal's hosting rights for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a mere 58 days after the tournament concluded. Leading the charge for accountability, the Guinean Football Federation (FGF) has formally requested that CAF apply uniform disciplinary measures, drawing attention to a pivotal moment in AFCON history: the contentious 1976 match between Morocco and Guinea. In that encounter,…

Friday March 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Confronting soaring prices and a deepening hunger crisis, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday urged business leaders, religious scholars and charitable organizations to rally support for drought-stricken families, with a special emphasis on orphans and other vulnerable groups. Delivering an Eid address to the nation, the president called for solidarity as nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are projected to face crisis-level or worse food insecurity by the end of March,…

A meningitis outbreak centered in Kent, England, has climbed to 29 cases—up from 27—according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which said the total includes both confirmed and suspected infections. In a statement, the agency said that as of 12.30pm yesterday it had been notified of 18 confirmed cases and 11 deemed probable, all linked to Kent. Thirteen of the 18 confirmed infections are meningitis B. Every patient has required hospital admission, the agency added. The surge follows the deaths of a school pupil and a…

Friday March 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A deepening rift between Mogadishu and Southwest State burst into public view on Friday as a group of federal cabinet members from the region resigned en masse. The departing officials are State Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan (Waliid); Deputy Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development Mohamed Aden Mohamed; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Isaak Mohamud Mursal; Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate…

Spain plans a sharp cut to its value-added tax on fuel, dropping it to 10% from 21% to soften the economic fallout of the Middle East conflict, SER radio reported, citing sources familiar with the plans. Madrid also intends to suspend the excise duty on hydrocarbons, a step that would immediately trim the price of diesel and petrol by between 0.30c and 0.40c per litre, the SER report said. The government will also scrap the 5% tax on electricity consumption, according to the report. A government spokesperson declined to…

Israel unleashed another barrage on Tehran this morning, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Iran was being "decimated," even as fresh attacks rattled Gulf states. The Iranian capital, pummeled on an almost daily basis since a joint U.S.-Israeli operation ignited the war on 28 February, was struck in raids the Israeli military said were "targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime". The strikes followed Mr Netanyahu’s assertion that the conflict, approaching its fourth week, had wiped out the…