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Hargeisa, North Western State of Somalia — A cargo vessel carrying hundreds of livestock from North Western State of Somalia sank Friday off Yemen’s southern coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising urgent questions over the fate of its seven crew members and renewed concerns about the safety of the regional maritime livestock trade. The wooden vessel, which departed the Port of Berbera, went down near Ras al-Ara in Yemen’s Lahj province, according to local sources. It was reportedly transporting about 400 sheep and 150…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan authorities have arrested a Chinese national at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country, in a case underscoring the growing global trade in exotic insects. Airport security intercepted the traveler, identified in court as Zhang Kequn, during screening as he prepared to fly to China. Prosecutors said Zhang is linked to an ant-trafficking network that was disrupted in Kenya last year; he has not responded…

NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from torrential rains and flash floods that ripped through Nairobi and other parts of Kenya has nearly doubled to 42, the government said late Sunday, as military-led teams combed submerged neighborhoods and riverbanks for the missing. Intense downpours on Friday swamped roads, swept away vehicles and inundated homes and workshops in low-lying districts, including the Grogan area of downtown Nairobi, a hub for auto garages and spare parts traders. Floodwaters also disrupted traffic at the…

China’s next five-year plan could rewrite African agriculture — if the continent seizes the moment China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) is more than a domestic blueprint. It is a signal of how the world’s second-largest economy intends to buy, process and secure the food that will feed a warming planet. For Africa — home to the largest share of the world’s uncultivated arable land and an emerging network of agribusinesses — the plan reads like an invitation. The opportunity is to move from being a supplier of raw crops to…

Trump says Omar, Tlaib should be sent ‘back’ after State of the Union protests WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib should be sent “back from where they came from,” escalating a clash with two Muslim Democratic lawmakers who loudly protested his immigration remarks during his State of the Union address. In a late-Wednesday post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused the congresswomen of behaving like “crooked and corrupt politicians” and used demeaning language to describe them.…

Somalia hunger crisis deepens as 6.5 million face severe food insecurity, UN and government warn Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are facing severe hunger as intensifying drought, conflict and global aid cuts accelerate a mounting humanitarian crisis, the federal government and U.N. agencies said Tuesday, citing new food security data. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis projects that 6.5 million people will face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by the end of March.…

Liberal Party roiled by leaked plan to ban migration from parts of 13 countries Australia’s Liberal Party is scrambling to contain internal fallout after a hardline migration proposal, developed in former leader Sussan Ley’s office after the Bondi terror attack and never taken to shadow cabinet, was leaked to media. New opposition leader Angus Taylor moved quickly to distance himself from the plan on Monday night, as senior figures said they were blindsided by its contents and the way it was crafted. Guardian Australia…

Leaked Liberal immigration plan aimed to ban migrants from conflict-held regions across 13 countries and sharply tighten visa rules, but the party’s former shadow immigration minister says he never proposed or agreed to the measures and has “serious concerns.” The draft was prepared under ousted Liberal leader Sussan Ley and slated for release on Feb. 16 after an earlier delay following the Bondi terror attack. It was not taken to shadow cabinet before last week’s leadership change, and new Opposition Leader Angus Taylor had…

DUBAI — DP World said Friday that longtime chairman and chief executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem has resigned, a move that follows mounting pressure over his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein and days after key investors froze new commitments to the Dubai-based ports and logistics group. The company named Essa Kazim as chairman of the board and elevated Yuvraj Narayan to group chief executive officer, Dubai Media Office said. Dubai’s ruler also issued a decree appointing a new chairman to the emirate’s Ports, Customs and Free…

Somali opposition says ex-president, ex-PM blocked from Mogadishu airport meeting; government cites security breach Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated talks with the federal government. In a…