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Kevin Warsh, Donald Trump's pick to run the US Federal Reserve, used his confirmation hearing to draw a firm line: if confirmed, he said, the White House would not dictate his decisions. Facing pointed questions about his personal wealth and the Fed's autonomy, Mr Warsh said he would safeguard the central bank's freedom to set monetary policy without political interference. A former Fed governor, Mr Warsh moved quickly to underscore what he called his commitment to "ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has wrapped up a several-day visit to Baidoa, a trip aimed at solidifying his political base and steering a tense leadership transition after federal forces seized the capital of South West State. Mohamud’s visit came after the March 29 resignation of regional leader Abdiasis Laftagareen, who fled to Kenya following the takeover of the city by heavily armed Somali National Army (SNA) troops backed by allied clan militias. The power shift has set off a fierce scramble…

Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Air traffic to Somalia’s Southwest State resumed on Tuesday, ending a suspension that had lasted nearly two weeks, just one day after federal forces took complete control of Baidoa, the region’s administrative hub. The return of commercial flights offers a tentative sign of calm after days of heavy fighting that forced Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen to step down and set off a fresh political transition in the region. Somalia’s Speaker of the House of the…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Somalia’s national army seized control of Baidoa, the largest city in South West state, on Monday, setting off a political rupture that ended with the regional president stepping down two weeks after he said his administration was cutting ties with the federal government. Baidoa, the administrative hub of South West state, is a key strategic center in a region shadowed by drought, conflict and displacement. The city also hosts international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies, adding to its…

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Federal government forces, reinforced by armed groups linked to opposition factions in Southwest State, moved into Baidoa on Monday after intense clashes with the Southwest regional administration. Witnesses said gunfire broke out heavily on the town’s outskirts earlier in the day as the rival sides fought for control of strategic points in the interim administrative capital. The death toll was not immediately known, and neither side had issued official casualty figures. Footage…

Somalia: Heavy fighting erupts in Qansahdhere as opposition claims control QANSAHDHERE, Somalia — Heavy fighting broke out early Saturday in and around the Bay region district of Qansahdhere, as fighters styling themselves the South West Liberation Front clashed with regional security forces loyal to President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Residents reported several hours of intense combat, with both heavy and light weapons rattling the town before dawn and through the morning. While casualty figures remain…

Somali army seizes Hawaadley hideout in Middle Shabelle as new offensive targets Al Shabab Somalia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday the national army has taken control of Hawaadley in the Middle Shabelle region, describing the area as a long-used hideout for the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabab. The advance is part of a newly launched push under Operation Badr to dismantle the group’s “safe havens.” The ministry said troops are conducting clearance operations to secure recently captured zones, pursuing remaining fighters and…

Arab states condemn U.S. envoy Mike Huckabee for ‘take it all’ remark on Israel’s biblical borders Arab governments on Saturday condemned as “absurd,” “reckless” and contrary to international law remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee endorsing Israeli control from the Nile to the Euphrates — a span that would encompass swaths of multiple sovereign states, including the occupied West Bank. Huckabee made the comments in a podcast interview released Friday with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson. Citing “divine…

Russia refuses to drop its demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the eastern Donbas, hardening a core territorial red line hours before three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States in the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said territory remains the decisive issue and will be on the table in Abu Dhabi, where the delegations are expected to hold the first direct public negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow over a plan pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war.…