Thursday June 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Heavy gunfire that erupted in Mogadishu on Thursday drew sharp concern from the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which urged Somalia’s political leaders to step back from confrontation and settle their disputes through dialogue. In a warning that underscored the stakes for the country’s fragile security, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu said the violence could have far-reaching consequences for Somalia’s stability. “The violence unfolding in Mogadishu is reckless,” the…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Tuesday that opposition leaders will not accept any government attempt to confine planned anti-government protests to a single site in Mogadishu. Addressing a gathering of opposition politicians, Sharif argued that peaceful demonstration is protected by the constitution and that residents should be able to take to the streets throughout the capital. “The protest should take place wherever it can. The whole city should come out,” Sharif…

An independent watchdog is expected to report within three months on why British police handcuffed murder victim Henry Nowak as he lay fatally wounded, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said, as pressure mounted for answers in a case that has shocked the country. Nowak, an 18-year-old student, was restrained by officers after he was stabbed by a Sikh man wielding a ceremonial knife. When police arrived at the scene in Southampton on 3 December 2025, his attacker, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, claimed he had been targeted in a…

Even before he arrived in Washington, Peter Mandelson was making a personal pledge: appoint him as Britain’s ambassador to the US, he wrote, and the government would “never regret” it. That assurance has now surfaced in a fresh cache of official papers released alongside thousands of documents about the controversial posting. The government published the second batch of records this afternoon, shedding more light on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to hand the high-profile Washington role to Mr Mandelson…

Somalia’s federal government has floated a plan to channel an expected opposition protest into designated parts of Mogadishu, according to security sources, as tensions mount ahead of a major anti-government rally scheduled for next week. MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has proposed assigning specific locations in Mogadishu for opposition groups to hold demonstrations, according to security sources, as political tensions rise ahead of a planned anti-government rally next week. The proposal was recently…

Garowe, Somalia, May 30, 2026 – Puntland State’s education minister has accused Somalia’s federal government of standing in the way of efforts to deepen cooperation in the education sector and win backing from international partners, underscoring fresh friction between the semi-autonomous region and Mogadishu. Addressing the launch of Puntland State’s 2025-2026 national certificate examinations, Education Minister Fuad Abshir Ahmed said the regional government had spent more than a year seeking dialogue with Somalia’s…

A fresh row over Brexit has flared as Keir Starmer’s government prepares to return to Westminster, exposing divisions among the contenders positioning themselves to replace him. Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last week, indicated he wants Britain to rejoin the EU as he declared he would enter any Labour leadership race. Allies of Andy Burnham are said to be enraged by Mr Streeting’s move, with the Times reporting they see it as a calculated effort to thrust Brexit back to the forefront in the…

Saturday May 16, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government on Friday said it will press ahead with one-person, one-vote elections, insisting the country has entered a new democratic chapter after three days of talks with opposition leaders collapsed without a deal. The Ministry of Information said the government was carrying out its constitutional obligation to organize free and fair elections that give citizens the right to vote and stand for office. The announcement followed negotiations in Mogadishu between the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s relations with some of its neighbors are fraying, with several regional governments now scaling back their diplomatic engagement and increasingly viewing the federal authorities in Mogadishu as an administration whose mandate has lapsed and whose political legitimacy remains in dispute, according to regional officials and diplomatic sources. The tension is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting political deadlock in Somalia, where delayed elections and a failure by the federal government and…

What began as a solemn tribute to Malawi’s founding leader, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, quickly unraveled on Kamuzu Day when police deployed tear gas to break up Malawi Congress Party supporters escorting former president Lazarus Chakwera to the Kamuzu Mausoleum in Lilongwe. The confrontation underscored sharpening political frictions around the holiday. The MCP had shunned the official State ceremony, arguing Chakwera was sidelined from the national event due to what authorities labeled “protocol complications.” Government…