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

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 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.…

Video: Garissa religious leaders sound alarm over surging crime and human trafficking - Hiiraan Online…

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…

Just hours before Eid al-Adha, a buffalo in Bangladesh known as "Donald Trump" for its sweeping blond hair was pulled back from sacrifice and granted an unlikely new future at the national zoo. In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, the South Asian country of 170 million people, Eid al-Adha — the "feast of the sacrifice" — will be observed tomorrow. The 700kg bull, a rare albino buffalo crowned with a pale, flowing mane that recalls the trademark hairstyle of the US president, had been set to be slaughtered for the occasion.…

NASA has laid out an ambitious blueprint for its first Moon base, sketching a path that could put people living and working on the lunar surface within six years. The outpost would rise at the Moon’s south pole and, over time, could grow into a network of sites stretching across hundreds of square miles. Under the plan, the base would be built in phases, gradually adding the systems and infrastructure needed to support a lasting human foothold. Agency officials say the effort is aimed at opening the door to fresh scientific…

After decades spent out of sight, Daniela Klette has been handed a 13-year prison sentence by a German court for a string of armed robberies carried out between 1999 and 2016, in a case that revives one of the country’s darkest chapters of political violence. Klette, 67, was arrested in 2024 after evading authorities for more than 30 years. Investigators found her living in Berlin under an assumed name after an investigative journalist tracked her down with the help of facial recognition software. The Red Army Faction, born…

With a sweeping new warning, Israel’s military has told residents across a broad stretch of southern Lebanon to head north, declaring the area a combat zone and signaling that the confrontation with Hezbollah is entering a more dangerous phase. The announcement pointed to a fresh escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon yesterday, even though a ceasefire was announced on 16 April. "We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a…

Baidoa, Somalia (Horn Observer) — A local reporter was detained in Baidoa on Thursday after posting about an alleged robbery of women who sell khat by security personnel, an arrest that has alarmed press freedom advocates. The journalist, identified as Abdirahman Jakataa and known to work with multiple outlets, shared the account on Facebook on May 25. Authorities summoned him to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters yesterday in connection with the report he published on Gacal Media detailing the…

MOGADISHU — A widening political feud is taking shape inside Somalia’s federal leadership, with a struggle over Galmudug’s next president exposing fault lines around President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s inner circle. Sources familiar with the talks told Axadle that shortly after returning from Djibouti, where he attended the inauguration ceremony of President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President Hassan Sheikh privately urged one of his close political allies — a businessman described as holding substantial influence over revenues…