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Barcelona beats Elche 3-1 to stay four points clear in La Liga as Torres and Rashford score Barcelona retained its lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-1 win away to Elche on Saturday night, a result built on early incision from Lamine Yamal and finished off by Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford. The victory lifts Barcelona to 55 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, which plays Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Yamal opened the scoring early, settling Barcelona into a rhythm that soon produced a flurry of chances.…

Somalia blocks planes carrying Jubaland, Puntland State security teams from landing in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government on Monday blocked two planes carrying security personnel for the presidents of Jubaland and Puntland State from landing at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, citing national security concerns ahead of planned political talks in the capital. Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said the arrival of a heavily armed contingent tied to the two regional leaders posed an…

Uganda to withdraw troops from Somalia after 19 years, reshaping AU mission and security calculus Monday January 26, 2026 MOGADISHU — Uganda has announced plans to pull its troops out of Somalia after nearly two decades of continuous peacekeeping, a move that could alter the balance of security in a country still battling Al-Shabab and test the resilience of the African Union mission. In a brief statement posted on X on Sunday, Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the country’s…

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan security forces have rescued more than 200 migrants from a clandestine underground prison in the southeastern town of Kufra, exposing what authorities described as brutal and degrading detention conditions along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Officials said the detainees — including women and children from sub-Saharan Africa, primarily Somalia and Eritrea — were found in multiple cells nearly three meters below ground. Some had been held for up to two years. The suspected trafficker…

Libya rescues more than 200 migrants from underground prison in Kufra as abuse allegations mount TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan security forces have rescued more than 200 migrants from a clandestine underground detention site in the southeastern town of Kufra, where authorities say victims were held in brutal, degrading conditions for months and, in some cases, years. Security officials said the migrants were discovered in an improvised prison nearly three meters (about 10 feet) below ground, allegedly run by a Libyan trafficker.…

U.S. pulls some personnel from Middle East bases as Iran warns of strikes if attacked The United States is withdrawing some personnel from key military bases in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran, a U.S. official said Wednesday, as Tehran warned regional neighbors it would target American facilities if Washington launches strikes. The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Iran on Thursday at the request of the United States. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the drawdowns are…

UAE airlifts equipment from Mogadishu after Somalia cancels security, defense pacts MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United Arab Emirates has begun flying out equipment and supplies from Somalia, with three cargo planes carrying UAE government materials departing Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Thursday, according to people familiar with the operation. Government and aviation sources said the departures marked the opening phase of a broader withdrawal following Somalia’s decision this week to annul security and…

MINNEAPOLIS — Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center near Minneapolis on Saturday morning, escalating tensions in the Twin Cities after the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent earlier in the week. The lawmakers — Omar, Rep. Angie Craig and Rep. Kelly Morrison — said they were briefly admitted to the facility inside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building before officials rescinded access and…

MOGADISHU — Federal ministers and lawmakers from North Western State of Somalia’s regions of Sool, Sanaag and Awdal on Saturday condemned Israel’s decision to recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, pledging full support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity. Speaking at a news conference in Mogadishu, the officials called the move unacceptable and an attempt to divide Somalia, aligning themselves with the federal government’s position rejecting any action they said undermines the country’s…

Two moments, six decades apart, tell a single story about Somalia’s unbending idea of itself. In 1964, a young Somali soldier bled to keep the national flag from touching the ground. On Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, a diplomat stood at the United Nations Security Council to insist that no one can redraw Somalia’s map. Both acts — one on a battlefield near Togwajaale, the other in the world’s most formal chamber of diplomacy — were rooted in the same doctrine: sovereignty as a lived creed, not a slogan. Hero Mohamed Abdulle Xalane…