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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Somalia and broader Horn of Africa security in a phone call Thursday, with Cairo reiterating its firm opposition to any recognition of North Western State of Somalia and signaling plans to deploy troops to Somalia as part of a reconfigured African Union mission, according to statements from both governments. Both sides said the conversation focused on preserving stability in the Horn at a moment of rising regional volatility. Abdelatty…

Stocks in the U.K. and U.S. rose while Asian indexes tumbled Wednesday as oil and gas prices whipsawed on fears the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran will drag on and keep choking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy artery. The FTSE 100 and major U.S. and European benchmarks rebounded after two days of declines; several Asian markets fell sharply for a third straight session. Brent crude is up about 12 percent since Saturday, when U.S. and Israeli forces began bombing Iran and Tehran retaliated with strikes on…

East Africa’s new drought surge pushes millions toward hunger as water prices soar and livestock die Friday March 6, 2026 MOGADISHU — A failed rainy season has deepened drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, thrusting nearly 26 million people into extreme hunger, accelerating livestock deaths and sending water prices soaring, Oxfam warned in a report released this week. The crisis arrives less than three years after the Horn of Africa’s longest and most severe drought on record, when five consecutive rainy seasons…

Somalia, U.S. open high-level trade talks in Mogadishu, eye energy and critical minerals amid rising offshore interest Wednesday March 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and the United States held high-level talks in the capital on Tuesday to expand bilateral trade and investment, with a sharp focus on energy and critical minerals, officials said. The meeting — formally convened inside Somalia for the first time — was cast by both sides as a marker of growing confidence in the country’s security and economic trajectory. The…

Oil and gas prices jumped Monday as escalating Iranian strikes across the Middle East snarled shipping lanes, hit energy infrastructure and stoked fresh inflation fears in global markets. European natural gas futures spiked as much as 50% intraday before closing 39% higher after QatarEnergy halted liquefied natural gas production following drone attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, according to the country’s defense ministry. Brent crude briefly touched $82 a barrel after at least three ships were attacked…

Three U.S. soldiers killed, five wounded as Iran retaliates; Trump warns of more losses Three American service members were killed and five others seriously wounded during U.S. attacks on Iran, the military said Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump warned could bring further losses in the coming weeks. U.S. Central Command announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when or where they occurred as Iran strikes back after joint U.S.-Israeli attacks. The command…

Somalia says NISA raids kill more than 40 Al-Shabaab militants in Hiiraan, Lower Shabelle MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), working with international partners, said Saturday it killed more than 40 Al-Shabaab militants in coordinated counterterrorism operations in the central Hiiraan region and the southern Lower Shabelle region. NISA said the first raid unfolded in the Waab-Weyn and Isgoyska Madashyo-Weyn areas under Mahaas district in Hiiraan, targeting fighters the agency…

Saturday February 28, 2026 Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran on Saturday 28 February (AP) The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes inside Iran early Saturday, with multiple explosions reported across Tehran as regional tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and proxy forces escalated sharply. Iran’s Fars News Agency said missiles struck areas along University Street and in the Jomhouri district of the capital after Israel announced it had carried out a missile attack. The Associated…

U.S., Israel launch major strikes on Iran as Trump urges uprising; Tehran fires missiles at Israel, U.S. bases The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran on Saturday, opening a new chapter of military confrontation as President Donald Trump urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic Republic’s leadership. Within hours, Iran said it fired a “first wave” of missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted U.S. military sites across the Gulf. Strikes reported near…

Somalia’s Yeheb tree is vanishing. Turning Cordeauxia edulis into a domesticated crop could secure food, fodder and fragile drylands. In the sun-scored rangelands of Hiiraan, Galmudug, Mudug and the Somali-Ethiopian borderlands, a native lifeline grows almost nowhere else on Earth: the Yeheb tree (Cordeauxia edulis), known locally as Jicib. Long relied upon for its edible nuts, livestock fodder and soil-restoring roots, this wild leguminous shrub is quietly slipping away—its populations down as much as 70% under pressure…