By: Alex Seabrook Local democracy reporterThursday May 14, 2026 A refugee who escaped conflict in Somalia is now set to spend the coming year as Bristol’s lord mayor, taking on the city’s ceremonial top job and serving as one of its most visible public figures. Cllr Yassin Mohamud outside of Bristol City Hall (Image: Bristol Green Party) Green councillor Yassin Mohamud was installed as lord mayor for the new civic year at a full council meeting on Tuesday, May 12. The role is largely ceremonial, but it carries symbolic…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s opposition has raised the political temperature in the capital, with the Somali Future Council announcing a mass protest in Mogadishu on May 16 and accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his government of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and broader political repression. In a statement released in Mogadishu, the coalition said authorities were trying to stop a peaceful rally planned by forum members a day earlier in the city. “The Somali Salvation Forum strongly condemns the actions taken…

Defying mounting pressure, President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will stay in office after the Constitutional Court’s judgment on the Section 89 impeachment process connected to the 2020 theft of cash at his Phala Phala farm, where thieves reportedly made off with thousands of dollars stashed in furniture at the game property. Ramaphosa says he will launch a legal challenge to the report that cleared the way for parliament to weigh impeachment proceedings. He denies any wrongdoing and maintains the funds were the lawful…

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…

Under the shadow of possible Ukrainian strikes, Russia staged its most stripped-down Victory Day parade in years, a stark departure from the grand military spectacles that once defined 9 May as Moscow still struggles to secure the triumph it promised in the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. The parade on Red Square marks Russia’s most important national holiday, commemorating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany and honoring the 27 million Soviet citizens who died in the war, including many from Ukraine. Long…

Saturday May 9, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has urged the country’s leaders to use the final days of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term to build an inclusive electoral process that all political stakeholders can accept, warning that failure to do so could deepen instability. In remarks on Friday, Farmaajo said Friday, May 15, 2026, will mark the end of President Hassan Sheikh’s constitutional term, and he emphasized that Somalia now needs broad agreement on the path ahead for…

Thursday May 7, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia authorities on Thursday appealed for calm in the Carmale area of Erigavo district in Sanaag, where fierce inter-clan fighting has left dozens dead, according to local reports. Interior Minister Abdalle Mohamed Arab “Sandheere” said the clashes have inflicted heavy losses and pushed the government to hold an emergency meeting focused on stopping the violence. He said security forces and local administrations in the area had been instructed to take part in…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s already fraught political climate sharpened further this week as an opposition alliance urged mass street protests in Mogadishu, even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud prepared to convene a national dialogue conference on May 10. Former Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, along with other figures in the opposition-backed Council for Somalia’s Future, said they would take part in demonstrations scheduled for next Sunday. They called on residents uprooted by recent evictions to join the…

As Vienna readies for the Eurovision Song Contest's provocative songs and glittering spectacle next week, the festival's 70th edition is unfolding under heavy security and an intensifying row over Israel's participation. The world's biggest live televised music event will feature contestants from 35 countries — the lowest total since participation widened in 2004 — after several countries, including Ireland, withdrew over Israel's war in Gaza. The semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will narrow the field before Saturday's…

With tensions still simmering in the Middle East, China's top diplomat Wang Yi urged an immediate halt to the fighting on Tuesday and pressed the United States and Iran to restore access through the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible" during talks in Beijing with his Iranian counterpart. "China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay, that it is even more unacceptable to restart hostilities, and that continuing to negotiate remains essential," he said, according to a statement from…