Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Oil prices pulled back on Tuesday as traders weighed signs that shipping could resume through the Strait of Hormuz, even as fresh clashes between the United States and Iran kept a floor under the market and underscored the risk of wider disruption. Brent crude futures were down $4.18, or 3.6%, at $110.26 a barrel this evening, after closing 5.8% higher yesterday. US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped $4.34, or 4.1%, to $102.08, following a 4.4% rise in the previous session. Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged…

As celebrities swept up the Met Gala’s red carpet in New York in towering looks and high drama last night, an Irish woman was quietly reshaping the evening from behind the scenes, helping make the event accessible for the first time. Sinéad Burke, chief executive and founder of the strategic accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, attended the invitation-only gala as an adviser to The Met's Costume Institute. Burke is already a familiar figure in fashion, having appeared among five disabled people featured across a…

Two foreign activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces will remain in custody until Sunday, according to the rights group representing them, as Israeli authorities press ahead with questioning. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Thiago Avila, from Brazil, appeared in court in Ashkelon today for a second hearing after being taken to Israel for questioning last week. The pair are being held in the southern Israeli city and were among dozens of activists on a flotilla headed for Gaza…

By Mahad CamalTuesday May 5, 2026 Jurist and DirectorBackground in Conflict Studies Somalia’s political reality can be read most clearly when one looks not at slogans, but at how power is actually exercised. That is the lens used here, drawing on remarks made by four Somali traditional leaders during their April 27 meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at Villa Somalia. Rather than treating those comments as routine expressions of support or criticism, they offer a useful window into the country’s institutional…

Romania was plunged deeper into political uncertainty on Monday after the country’s pro-EU government fell in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who leads the National Liberal Party (PNL), was defeated in the afternoon ballot, ending a four-party coalition that had been in office for 10 months. Mr Bolojan had been heading a minority government since 21 April, when the Social Democrats (PSD) — parliament’s biggest party — withdrew from the coalition and demanded his resignation. The centre-left…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a move that could reshape access to mobile technology in Somalia, Hormuud Telecom on Tuesday unveiled a new partnership with Get-Phone to introduce the country’s first structured smartphone financing plan. The program is designed to reach millions of low-income Somalis who have long been priced out of internet-enabled handsets, tackling what company officials described as the “affordability gap” that remains the biggest obstacle to digital inclusion. That challenge persists even…

Health officials are tracing dozens of travelers after a cruise passenger infected with hantavirus died following a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, deepening concern over an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius. There were 82 passengers and six crew on the 25 April flight, according to South African carrier Airlink. Among them was a Dutch woman whose husband had died from the virus on the ship and whose condition "deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg", the WHO said in a statement. She had disembarked in Saint…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati spoke by phone with Somali Foreign Minister Abdelsalam Abdi Ali on Tuesday to assess developments in Somalia and discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries. During the call, Abdel-Aati welcomed the steady progress in Egypt-Somalia ties and reiterated Cairo’s backing for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also firmly rejected any unilateral actions that would encroach on Somali sovereignty, condemning Israel’s recognition…

Somalia: Hormuud Telecom, Get-Phone Launch Somalia’s Largest Smartphone Financing Program to Bridge Digital Divide MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s biggest telecom operator has teamed up with Get-Phone in a bid to put smartphones within reach of millions who have so far been priced out of the country’s digital economy. Hormuud Telecom said Tuesday that the partnership will introduce Somalia’s first formal smartphone financing program, a move designed to narrow the affordability gap that still keeps many low-income Somalis…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Pilgrims beginning Hajj 2025 (Saudi Press Agency). RIYADH — With the Hajj season approaching, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health has announced that vaccinations must be received no later than 10 days before the pilgrimage begins. The ministry said immunization remains the first line of protection for pilgrims, helping them carry out the rites in safety and good health while supporting the body’s immune response and lowering the chance of illness. The recommended vaccines include meningococcal (meningitis),…