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

CAIRO — Egypt on Tuesday denied reports that it was prepared to grant Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in return for flexibility from Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), calling the claims “entirely baseless,” according to the state-run Middle East News Agency. An official source, quoted by MENA, “categorically rejected” the circulating reports, stressing that “such reports are entirely baseless and unfounded.” The source added that “Egypt’s stance on water security and the GERD remains firm and…

Hillary Clinton is set to testify behind closed doors before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Her appearance will be followed the next day by a deposition of former President Bill Clinton, according to people familiar with the schedule. The Clintons initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify, but agreed after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. The…

Hormuud Salaam Foundation ramps up Ramadan food aid for families, hospital and people with disabilities MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Hormuud Salaam Foundation has launched an expanded round of Ramadan relief across Mogadishu, delivering food assistance to low-income families, mental health patients and people with disabilities as part of its 14th annual Iftar and Support Project. The foundation says this year’s campaign aims to reach more than 67,000 vulnerable people nationwide. The latest distributions spanned multiple sites…

France’s minority government survived twin no-confidence votes after pushing a new energy law through by decree, but the more consequential shift may be outside the chamber: a new poll indicates voters are now more inclined to block the hard left than the far right in runoffs, signaling a potential realignment of the country’s political guardrails. The motions were filed by the far-right National Rally (RN) and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), underscoring how both fringes sought to capitalize on the government’s reliance…

Geneva — The United States and Iran are set to open a new round of indirect talks in Switzerland aimed at averting a fresh spiral of conflict and ending weeks of threats, according to officials on both sides. The Geneva negotiations follow a U.S. military buildup across the region and repeated warnings from President Donald Trump that he is prepared to strike Iran if diplomacy fails. The agenda remains contested. Washington wants the talks to cover Iran’s nuclear activities, its ballistic missile program and its support for…

Record 129 journalists killed in 2025, CPJ says, with two-thirds linked to Israel A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said, marking a second straight annual high and the deadliest year since the watchdog began tracking deaths more than three decades ago. “Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are all at risk when journalists are…

Iran on Tuesday dismissed as “big lies” U.S. claims that Tehran is advancing a missile program capable of striking the United States, pushing back hours after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing “sinister nuclear ambitions.” The volley of accusations and denials comes on the eve of a new round of diplomacy. After two Oman-mediated sessions, U.S. and Iranian officials are due to meet for a third round of talks Wednesday in Geneva aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear…

Cuban authorities said Monday that four people were killed and six wounded aboard a Florida-registered speedboat after it entered Cuban waters and opened fire on a Cuban patrol vessel, an incident likely to sharpen already-fraught U.S.-Cuba tensions. Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the wounded from the speedboat were evacuated for medical care, and the commander of the Cuban patrol was also injured. The ministry said the clash remained under investigation to determine precisely what happened. None of the dead or wounded on the…

Republic of Ireland will play their UEFA Nations League games against Israel as scheduled, with the Football Association of Ireland confirming the 4 October home tie will go ahead in Dublin despite mounting calls for a boycott and pressure to move the match to a neutral venue. FAI chief executive David Courell said the governing body had “no choice” but to fulfil the fixtures after consulting with government officials and An Garda Síochána, who advised they can deliver a safe event in the capital. “While our Federation and…

‘Yemen’s Mogadishu’: In Aden’s al-Basateen, Somali refugees face dwindling aid and a future on hold At first light on the fringes of Aden, the paved roads of Yemen’s interim capital give way to narrow ribbons of sand. Here, in al-Basateen, men gather at the mouths of alleyways, watching for a pickup truck or a wave from a foreman—any sign of a day’s work. The district is known by many names, including “Yemen’s Mogadishu,” a nod to the Somali families who began arriving in the 1990s when war pushed them across the Gulf of…