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Somalia’s leaders pledge unity, faster local elections and intensified security after National Consultative Council meeting Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s top political leaders reaffirmed national unity, accelerated election timelines and stepped up security operations against extremist groups during a virtual session of the National Consultative Council chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday. In a statement after the meeting, the council endorsed the Federal Government’s…

12-year-old boy dies after Sydney Harbour shark attack, family says SYDNEY — A 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour has died of his injuries, his family said, following an attack that has intensified concern over a spate of shark incidents around Australia’s largest city. Nico Antic suffered critical injuries last week when a large shark attacked him as he and friends were jumping from a six-meter rock in Vaucluse, an eastern Sydney suburb on the harbor. He was pulled into a police boat while heavily…

Somalia, Pakistan sign visa-waiver pact for diplomatic passport holders MOGADISHU — Somalia and Pakistan have signed an agreement abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports, marking a bid to accelerate high-level engagement and deepen political cooperation between the two countries. The agreement was concluded during a meeting in Pakistan attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Somalia’s Minister of Interior, Ali Yousuf, underscoring renewed momentum in bilateral ties. Pakistan’s Special Secretary at…

Arctic blast and sprawling winter storm set to sweep U.S., threatening crippling ice, travel chaos and power outages Snow has begun falling across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas in a frosty prelude to a major winter storm expected to merge with bitter Arctic air and engulf much of the United States this weekend from the Rockies to the Eastern Seaboard. Forecasts warn of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain coupled with dangerously low temperatures that could upend travel and trigger widespread power failures. At least 14…

Starmer says Trump should apologize for ‘insulting’ claim NATO allies stayed off Afghanistan front lines LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday said President Donald Trump should apologize for claiming European allies stayed “a little off the front lines” in the war in Afghanistan, a rare public rebuke that underscored fresh strain across the Atlantic. Calling the remarks “insulting and frankly appalling,” Starmer said that if he had “misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise.” He…

Thousands of demonstrators braved dangerous cold to march through Minneapolis and demand an end to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city, part of a wider “ICE OUT!” action that organizers billed as a general strike. Organizers estimated as many as 50,000 people took to the streets despite temperatures that plunged to minus 29 Celsius. Minneapolis police did not provide a crowd estimate. Many protesters later moved indoors to the Target Center, the downtown arena that was more than half full. The…

Labour MPs will meet Saturday amid mounting speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek a return to Westminster in the Gorton and Denton by-election, a move that would test the prime minister’s authority and the party’s internal discipline. The gathering of Labour MPs from north-west England comes as senior figures weigh whether Burnham should be allowed to enter the race to succeed Andrew Gwynne, who formally resigned his Greater Manchester seat on Friday, triggering a by-election. Burnham has long…

Labour MPs from northwest England will gather amid rising speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek to stand in a forthcoming Westminster by-election in Gorton and Denton — a move that would test the Prime Minister’s authority and reshape Labour’s internal dynamics. The meeting comes as party figures weigh whether Burnham, long viewed as a potential rival for the party leadership, will enter the race triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, the former MP for the Greater Manchester seat. Burnham…

Somalia foils suspected al-Shabab plot in Mogadishu: Five arrested, explosives seized MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali security forces arrested five suspected militants and seized explosives, weapons and vehicles in a Friday operation aimed at disrupting planned attacks on the capital, Mogadishu, the National Intelligence and Security Agency said. NISA said the group was preparing to enter the city to carry out attacks “threatening the security and stability of the capital,” and credited months of surveillance and close…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s main opposition alliance, the Somali Future Council, says it will attend a federal government–led consultative conference in Mogadishu, a move the bloc casts as essential to averting a constitutional vacuum and breaking the country’s escalating political and electoral impasse. In a statement issued Saturday, the alliance framed its participation as a bid to secure an inclusive political settlement that preserves the unity and statehood of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The Somali Future…