calls

Somalia urges U.N. to block any forced changes to Palestinian territories, condemns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia UNITED NATIONS — Somalia on Thursday called on the international community to prevent any attempt to forcibly alter the geographic status of the Palestinian territories, while condemning Israel’s December move to recognize North Western State of Somalia and denouncing reported plans to relocate Palestinians to Somali soil. Somalia warns the U.N. Security Council against unilateral…

Rubio seeks reset with Europe in Munich, vows renewed friendship but offers few specifics MUNICH — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to “revitalise” Washington’s friendship with Europe in a keynote at the Munich Security Conference, drawing a standing ovation after a year of turbulence in transatlantic relations. The speech, however, offered scant concrete commitments, made no mention of Russia and faulted Europe’s approach to migration and climate policy. “In a time of headlines heralding the end of the…

Somalia calls for direct sea route with Türkiye as trade outgrows current logistics, minister says ISTANBUL — Somalia’s ports minister said Thursday that establishing direct maritime shipping routes with Türkiye has become a strategic necessity as trade between the two countries expands beyond the limits of existing logistics. “The current level of trade between Somalia and Türkiye has moved beyond the present logistics structure,” Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, minister of Ports and Maritime Transport, told Anadolu on the…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday renewed his demand for maritime access, telling regional leaders at the ongoing African Union Summit that Ethiopia’s future depends on securing a direct route to the sea. Calling the issue “existential” for the continent’s second-most populous nation, Abiy linked Ethiopia’s economic ambitions and stability in the wider Horn of Africa to a resolution of its landlocked status. “The security and stability of the Horn of Africa depend on Ethiopia gaining sea access,”…

Saturday, February 14, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused unnamed neighboring states of trying to leverage Israel’s December recognition of North Western State of Somalia for “short-term interests,” warning that Somalia’s territorial integrity is a nonnegotiable red line. In an interview with the London-based Arabic daily Asharq al-Awsat, Hassan Sheikh said the fallout from Israel’s move had tempted some regional actors to test Somalia’s unity and the wider region’s stability. “Some countries in…

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday denied having a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as calls for his resignation intensified and newly released Justice Department files appeared to undercut his earlier account of severing contact more than two decades ago. “Over a 14 year period, I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person,” Lutnick told a Senate committee, adding that while in New York he met Epstein and later had lunch with him during a family vacation around 2012.…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will chair a cabinet meeting after weathering fresh calls from within Labour to resign, as his top ministers moved quickly to close ranks and project stability at the heart of government. The routine session follows a day of turbulence set off when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar urged Starmer to step down over the fallout from the Peter Mandelson controversy. Sarwar is the most senior Labour figure to demand the prime minister’s resignation, warning the “distraction” from Downing…

Human Rights Watch Urges Investigation into Deadly Drone Attack in Niger Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pressing Nigerien authorities to undertake an independent investigation into a drone strike conducted by the army in January, which the organization claims resulted in the deaths of approximately 17 civilians, including four children. In a recent statement, HRW emphasized that, while the attack may have also claimed the lives of several militants, it breaches international law. The incident occurred on January 6, when…

Ethiopia demands immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops as border tensions spike ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has formally ordered Eritrea to “immediately withdraw its troops” from Ethiopian territory, issuing a sharp diplomatic rebuke that underscores the most perilous turn in relations between the Horn of Africa neighbors since their 2018 peace deal. In a letter dated Feb. 7, 2026, addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Asmara of “outright aggression,” detailing…

London — Prince Harry told the High Court it was “disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked” so the publisher of the Daily Mail could “make money out of it,” as a high-profile privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited opened in London. The Duke of Sussex is one of seven claimants — alongside Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, politician Simon Hughes, and actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley — alleging what they describe as a “clear systematic and…