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

Ukrainian investigators have cast a harsh spotlight on President Volodymyr Zelensky's influential former chief of staff, naming him as a suspect in a sweeping corruption case that threatens to intensify pressure on the president's office at a delicate stage of the war with Russia. Kyiv's political establishment was jolted last year by the sprawling inquiry, which stirred public outrage and ultimately drove the former senior adviser — once Mr Zelensky's closest aide — Andriy Yermak, from office. Ukraine's anti-corruption…

The final two evacuation flights carrying passengers and crew from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius have landed in the Netherlands, AFP reported. On board the two aircraft were 28 people evacuated from the vessel, the Dutch foreign ministry said, including passengers, crew members and medical personnel. The first flight brought in six former Hondius guests: four Australians, one New Zealander and one British national living in Australia. Those six are expected to remain at a quarantine facility near the airport before…

Monday May 11, 2026 FC Barcelona sealed the 2025-26 La Liga title in emphatic fashion on Sunday, beating Real Madrid 2-0 at home to claim the championship in front of their own fans. Marcus Rashford put Barcelona in command early with a thunderous free kick in the ninth minute, before Ferran Torres struck again in the 18th after a slick exchange involving Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo. Real Madrid never looked like getting back into the game, and Barcelona was able to control the match in the second half. Thibaut Courtois kept…

Mohamed Gabobe in MogadishuMonday May 11, 2026 So worn they are now being turned away by buses, Somalia’s banknotes have become a symbol of a cash crisis deepened by a dollarised economy and the growing reach of mobile payments, which are driving up the price of basic goods Muse Omar Jama, 49, sits in his Mogadishu office beside piles of banknotes. He says a government order requiring the Somali shilling to be accepted is being ignored. Photograph: Mohamed Gabobe When US troops pulled out of Somalia in the spring of 1994, a…

Israel’s military has jailed two soldiers after a widely circulated image showed one of them appearing to place a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon. The photograph, shared online last week, showed an Israeli soldier draping an arm around the statue of Christ’s mother while lifting a cigarette toward her mouth. The military said the episode happened several weeks ago in southern Lebanon and was later examined by commanders in the field. "At the conclusion of the investigation, the…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOMonday May 11, 2026 IDPs from floodwaters from Bula Punda in Garissa are camping at the Police Training Centre./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Families across Garissa County are facing a fresh wave of suffering after torrential rains and swelling waters along River Tana swept through villages, flattening homes, ruining farms and wiping out livelihoods in their path. The Garissa County Steering Group says at least 10,000 households in Garissa Township have already been displaced, while more than 60,000 others countywide…

Live Labour says it will place Britain back at the 'heart of Europe' Politics

By Dr. Ali Said FaqiMonday May 11, 2026 When President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud campaigned on the promise of “Somalis at peace with themselves and at peace with the rest of the world,” the line struck a nerve. After years of political turbulence and fragmentation, many Somalis saw in it the outline of a fresh start: reconciliation, rebuilt institutions and a stronger sense of national purpose. Four years on, that optimism has largely given way to frustration. Many Somalis now say the country is more divided than before, its…

A dramatic security scare at last month’s White House press gala has now moved into the courtroom, where a California man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea. Cole Allen, 31, of California, remained silent during the hearing as his lawyer, Tezira Abe, submitted the plea on his behalf. Mr Allen appeared before the court in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He is charged with four offences tied to the 25 April attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at a…

Monday May 11, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s dominant opposition alliance said Monday it will return to the streets of Mogadishu on May 16, pressing ahead with an anti-government protest after accusing federal authorities of blocking an earlier rally and using security forces to stifle dissent. The Somali Salvation Forum said it would carry on what it described as a “peaceful struggle” over forced displacement, land seizures and what it called the misuse of power by the federal government. In a statement, the forum said…