France has barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he posted a video ridiculing bound activists detained by Israeli soldiers during a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. "From today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory" because of "his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" involved in the humanitarian flotilla, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. Barrot said he was also joining Italy in pushing for European Union sanctions…

Chad is teetering at a perilous tipping point, its structural weaknesses now so stark that the country—and the region around it—risks sliding toward state collapse. For years, regional powers and international partners equated military effectiveness with domestic stability and looked the other way. That misreading has run its course. The debate is no longer about whether President Mahamat Deby Itno presides over an authoritarian system—he does—but whether his government can keep the nation intact at all, writes Cameron…

The United Arab Emirates has flatly rejected reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a covert trip to the Gulf state, dismissing suggestions of any unannounced visit as “baseless”. The denial came after the Israeli prime minister’s office said Mr Netanyahu had travelled to the UAE and held talks with the Emirati president during the war with Iran. Abu Dhabi said those claims were false, adding that no Israeli military delegation had been received in the country. "Any claims regarding unannounced visits or…

South Africa has escalated its response to the extreme weather battering the country, declaring the ongoing severe storms a national disaster. The crisis spans six provinces — the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State, and Mpumalanga — where communities are contending with widespread disruption. The South African Weather Service cautioned that heavy downpours and powerful winds will persist in parts of the Western Cape. In a precautionary move, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED)…

By Khadar AfrahSaturday May 9, 2026 In Mogadishu’s Warlaliska neighbourhood on the evening of 6 May 2026, gunfire from federal government forces cut down civilians in a clash that had nothing to do with Al-Shabaab. The violence erupted during the government’s own land clearance drive — a wave of forced removals from public and private property that has swept across the capital in recent weeks. Among the dead was three-year-old Musamil Yusuf Osman. Casualties were reported on both sides. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed…

A stark warning from the International Monetary Fund says sweeping global aid cutbacks have pushed Malawi onto a financial knife-edge, exposing deep-seated frailties in the country’s economic management. For years, the nation has leaned heavily on donor support to finance vital development programs and routine government operations. The IMF’s latest report on Sub-Saharan Africa notes that assistance to the region fell by 16 to 28 percent in 2025. This funding gap lands as Malawi contends with a debt-to-GDP ratio above 90…

Zimbabwe’s human rights watchdog has warned that public hearings on proposed constitutional changes are being undermined by intimidation and the exclusion of critics, with opponents of the bill reportedly singled out. The Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) noted strong turnout at the sessions and praised Parliament for widely promoting the hearings and inviting written submissions. However, it flagged serious risks to participants’ safety. Commission Chairperson Jessie Majome said that "whilst those in support...…

Monday March 23, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s next elections are now being pitched as a pivotal test of inclusion and public confidence, with the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation saying Sunday that the country is moving into an “inclusive electoral phase” and that the federal government intends to press ahead under national law. In a press statement, the ministry described voting as a constitutional right for every Somali citizen and cast the election process as central to bolstering trust in…

A blistering heatwave that swept the western half of the United States has pushed eastward into the country’s heartland, delivering unusually warm conditions to locations that were at or below freezing only a week earlier. According to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, dozens of cities from California to Colorado logged their highest March temperatures on record. New March highs recorded yesterday included 33.3C in both Kansas City, Missouri, and North Platte, Nebraska, the agency said. Beyond those…