Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

The European Union is preparing a novel way to finance Ukraine’s war and budget needs in 2026 and 2027 by mobilizing frozen Russian central bank assets—without crossing the legal red line of outright confiscation. The plan, centered on Euroclear in Belgium and a European Commission-issued “Reparations Loan,” aims to turn immobilized Russian funds into immediate support for Kyiv while preserving Moscow’s legal claim to its principal. At stake is up to €165 billion of the roughly €210 billion in Russian sovereign assets frozen…

Clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers protested the European Union’s planned trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, lighting fires and hurling potatoes at riot police who answered with teargas and water cannons outside EU institutions. At least 7,000 farmers converged on the Belgian capital with about 1,000 tractors to pressure EU leaders meeting nearby, where the fate of the EU-Mercosur agreement hung in the balance. A largely peaceful march through the European quarter gave way to tense scenes at the…

Israel carried out a series of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting what it called Hezbollah infrastructure less than a day before an international committee overseeing a fragile ceasefire is due to convene. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple strikes in the south and east. The Israeli military said it hit “terror infrastructure sites in multiple areas across Lebanon,” including “a military compound used by Hezbollah to conduct training and courses” for members of the…

Trial of Capitol Fire Accused Questions U.S. Experts' Findings A team of U.S. fire experts may return to the stand as the trial intensifies over the blaze that severely damaged parts of the Capitol Building, the heart of the Liberian Legislature, on December 18, 2024. During Tuesday's hearing, sharp divisions emerged between the prosecution and defense regarding the interpretation of the investigation findings. This discord prompted the judge to approve the request for the three retired U.S. fire chiefs to testify. The…

Trump touts ‘economic boom’ and blames Biden for prices in prime-time address WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised Americans “an economic boom” and said prices are “falling rapidly” in a nationally televised address from the White House, casting blame for high costs on his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, even as new polls show persistent voter anxiety over affordability. “Good evening America. Eleven months ago I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump, 79, said in the live speech at the end of his first year…

South Africa arrests, orders deportation of 7 Kenyans linked to U.S. Afrikaner refugee program JOHANNESBURG — South African authorities have arrested and ordered the deportation of seven Kenyan nationals accused of working illegally at a Johannesburg center that processes refugee applications for a controversial U.S. resettlement program prioritizing white Afrikaners. The arrests on Tuesday followed intelligence reports that the Kenyans entered the country on tourist visas and took up employment after South Africa’s Home…

Albanese vows sweeping hate-speech crackdown after Bondi Beach mass shooting kills 15 Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised a sweeping crackdown on hate, division and radicalisation after a mass shooting killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” Mr Albanese told a news conference, outlining a suite of measures aimed at extremist preachers, hate speech and those who spread…

Cambodia accuses Thailand of bombing border casino town as pressure mounts to halt clashes Cambodia has accused Thailand’s military of bombing the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two countries, as regional and global powers pressed both sides to halt reignited border clashes. Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at about 11 a.m. local time, the Cambodian defense ministry said in a statement. Thailand has not confirmed any strike on Poipet, a…

Puntland State minister says ISIS raised $10 million from illicit gold, charcoal as foreign fighter push falters AXADLE, Somalia — Foreign fighters from Syria, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya have infiltrated Somalia’s Puntland State in recent years, but their efforts to recruit local Somalis have largely fallen flat, the region’s environment minister said, as authorities tout battlefield gains and a clampdown on the militants’ financing. Mohamed Abdirahman Farole, Puntland State’s Minister of Environment…

Somalia to roll out new passport in 2026 as immigration agency touts security, digital reforms Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Authority will issue a new national passport in 2026, replacing the current document as part of a wider modernization drive aimed at securing borders, improving service delivery and restoring global confidence in Somali travel documents, officials said Wednesday. Announcing the plan at an event in Mogadishu, ICA Director Mustafa Dhuhulow presented the…