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Cyprus takes helm of EU presidency with Zelensky in attendance as Nicosia seeks bridge role to Middle East Cyprus assumed the European Union’s rotating six-month presidency with a high-profile launch that included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, signaling continuity in EU support for Kyiv and an ambitious regional agenda from Nicosia. Zelensky was welcomed at the presidential palace by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides…

Opinion | Sovereignty Snafu: Israel’s Recognition of North Western State of Somalia Tests Somalia — and the Rules-Based Order Israel’s formal recognition of North Western State of Somalia in late December 2025 did more than tweak a diplomatic fault line in the Horn of Africa; it jolted a foundational principle that underpins Africa’s postcolonial settlement. In Mogadishu, the move was read as a direct challenge to Somalia’s sovereignty and an unsettling precedent for how borders — and the norms that protect them — can be…

Burkina Faso says it has thwarted an assassination plot against military leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, alleging the operation was orchestrated by Lt. Col. Paul Henri Damiba — the officer Traoré ousted in a 2022 coup — and financed in part from neighboring Ivory Coast. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana announced the discovery late Wednesday, saying intelligence services “intercepted this operation in the final hours.” He said the plan aimed to kill the head of state and strike “other key institutions, including civilian…

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, is due to appear in a Los Angeles court later today and could enter a plea to two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents. Prosecutors say 79-year-old Rob Reiner — the filmmaker behind hits including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men” — and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead at their home in the upmarket Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The case has sent shockwaves through Hollywood just days…

Australia’s south sweltered through a brutal heatwave that pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in multiple cities on Thursday, triggering health warnings, straining power grids and igniting bushfires across already parched landscapes. Meteorologists said the conditions were the worst in six years, invoking comparisons to the 2019–2020 “Black Summer,” when catastrophic bushfires ravaged southeastern Australia and killed 33 people. Authorities warned the current burst of extreme heat could intensify fire risk in…

Egypt warns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia threatens regional peace, urges AU condemnation Egypt warned Tuesday that Israel’s decision to recognize the breakaway North Western State of Somalia region poses “a serious threat” to regional and international peace and security, pressing the African Union to take a unified stand against the move. Egypt called Israel’s recognition a “flagrant violation” of Somalia’s sovereignty and a “dangerous precedent.” Cairo rejected any attempt to link the move to…

Snowfall from Storm Goretti forced hundreds of flight cancellations in Paris and Amsterdam and snarled ground transport across parts of Western Europe, stranding passengers and disrupting supply chains as authorities warned residents to stay home and avoid icy roads. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, said at least 700 flights were canceled because of snow and high winds after days of weather-related disruption. More than 1,000 people spent the night at the airport, which set up camp beds and…

China’s top diplomat heads to key strategic points in Africa BEIJING — China’s top diplomat began his annual New Year tour of Africa on Wednesday with a focus on the strategically vital east, as the world’s No. 2 economy moves to reinforce its influence along key trade corridors and showcase its market access offers to poorer nations. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho, a circuit that touches the Red Sea gateway, mineral supply lines and countries targeted by Beijing’s recent…

Arab League condemns Israeli foreign minister’s Hargeisa visit as violation of Somalia’s sovereignty MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Arab League on Tuesday condemned the visit by Israel’s foreign minister to Hargeisa, calling it an illegitimate attempt to advance recognition of North Western State of Somalia and a breach of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Jan. 6 trip to Hargeisa — North Western State of Somalia’s capital — formed part of what…

Rob Reiner’s son due in Los Angeles court in parents’ stabbing deaths The son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner is due to appear in a Los Angeles court later today, where he could enter a plea in the stabbing deaths of his parents, a case that has sent shockwaves through the film industry just days before Christmas. Nick Reiner, 32, faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of his father, the 79-year-old filmmaker behind hits including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men,” and his mother,…