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A high-stakes push by European Union leaders at a Brussels summit fell short, leaving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s veto on a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine firmly in place, officials said. "They tried. They failed," one European official said of the efforts by other EU leaders to convince Mr Orban at a summit in Brussels. The loan was signed off by EU leaders in December, but Mr Orban — who keeps cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — has stalled its rollout, citing…

Mogadishu Bajaj drivers block key corridor as fuel prices more than double MOGADISHU — Auto rickshaw drivers blocked sections of a major artery in Somalia’s capital on Wednesday, parking their Bajaj three-wheelers between the Taleh and KM4 junctions to protest a sharp jump in fuel prices they say is crushing their earnings and pushing up transport fares. The roadside demonstration, which drew dozens of operators, disrupted traffic along one of Mogadishu’s busiest corridors as drivers demanded swift government action to…

Australia orders porn sites to block minors as sweeping child-safety rules take effect Australia’s online regulator has ordered pornography websites to block people under 18 starting Monday, enforcing age verification under sweeping new restrictions aimed at shielding children from harmful content across the internet. Some adult sites in Australia had already barred non-members and halted new registrations in recent days ahead of the deadline, as platforms prepare to deploy age checks that go beyond simple self-declaration.…

ANKARA, Türkiye — Türkiye vowed Wednesday to stand firmly with Somalia and denounced Israel’s recognition of breakaway North Western State of Somalia, with Ankara’s communications chief warning that regional aggression would not be allowed to spill into the Horn of Africa. “Any attempt targeting Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and actions to legitimize them are unacceptable. Türkiye stands with Somalia as it did in the past,” said Burhanettin Duran, head of the Presidency’s Directorate of…

Opinion: Somalia should lead a Horn of Africa economic bloc built on connectivity corridors The Horn of Africa is at a hinge moment. After decades marked by fragmentation and instability, the region faces a practical imperative: build a regional economic bloc anchored in modern connectivity corridors or cede another generation to missed potential. For Somalia, whose Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden coastline sits astride one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, the choice is stark. With recent macroeconomic stabilization,…

UNICEF has delivered school kits into Gaza for the first time in two and a half years, a breakthrough the U.N. children’s agency says could restart learning for hundreds of thousands of students after Israeli authorities previously blocked the supplies. The move comes as Gaza’s education system remains shattered by war and severe restrictions on basic classroom materials. “We have now, in the last days, got in thousands of recreational kits, hundreds of school-in-a-carton kits,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said. “We’re…

Reddit sues Australia in High Court to overturn child social media ban, citing free political communication Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court seeking to strike down the country’s new nationwide ban on social media access for people under 16, calling the measure an unconstitutional intrusion on political discourse and a threat to online privacy. The San Francisco-based platform, which counts Australia among its major markets, asked the court to declare the law invalid on grounds that it interferes with the…

Somalia contended that the embassy's accounts at Premier Bank Limited should be shielded by diplomatic immunity. Yet, Justice Mabeya pointed out that Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) doesn't cover commercial dealings. He decreed that sovereign immunity is inapplicable to states partaking in business activities like contractual engagements. The Somali embassy's envoy, Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, declared in an affidavit that the contested funds comprised fees from those applying for passports…

The decision is poised to further strain relations between Ethiopia and Somalia, which have already become tense following a controversial accord between the Ethiopian government and North Western of Somaliaa uthorities for Red Sea access. Adding more fuel to the fire, Somalia signed a defense pact with Egypt, leading to the imminent deployment of five Egyptian soldiers as part of the African Union Stabilization and Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). This new mission will replace the older African Union Transition Mission…

Protesters block Ethiopia-Djibouti rail link as conflict escalates NAIROBI, Kenya - The vital rail and road link to Djibouti was destroyed on Wednesday, which could now cut essential supplies to Addis Ababa, which depends on the port of Djibouti for imports and exports, essential to the Ethiopian economy. A senior government official said the railway had been partly uprooted and some sections…