government

Trump orders U.S. to halt use of Anthropic tech as Pentagon clash over AI ‘red lines’ escalates President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to “immediately” stop using Anthropic’s technology after the San Francisco-based AI start-up rejected a Pentagon demand for unconditional military use of its Claude models, igniting a high-stakes confrontation over mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic accused the Pentagon of “intimidation” and vowed to sue, saying it would not allow its systems to be used for “mass…

France’s minority government survived twin no-confidence votes after pushing a new energy law through by decree, but the more consequential shift may be outside the chamber: a new poll indicates voters are now more inclined to block the hard left than the far right in runoffs, signaling a potential realignment of the country’s political guardrails. The motions were filed by the far-right National Rally (RN) and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), underscoring how both fringes sought to capitalize on the government’s reliance…

HARARE — A group of public health physicians urged Harare and Washington on Thursday to resume negotiations after the collapse of a proposed $367 million bilateral health agreement that health experts say would have strengthened Zimbabwe's fragile health system. The proposed package, officials and health specialists said, was aimed at bolstering priority programs including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis control, malaria response, maternal and child health services and disease outbreak preparedness. Its…

Mogadishu — Somalia’s federal government accused opposition figures on Tuesday of derailing high-stakes political talks in the capital by abandoning an agreed agenda, intensifying a standoff over elections and constitutional reforms as the United Nations urged both sides back to the table. In a statement, the government said the consultation process—launched in March 2025 to collect views from former leaders, politicians, academics and civil society—remains the vehicle to resolve what it called the country’s “fateful…

Somalia says 17 al-Shabab commanders killed in six months as financial squeeze intensifies MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali security forces have killed 17 al-Shabab commanders over the past six months amid escalating military and financial pressure on the extremist group, the government said Sunday. Information Minister Daud Aweis said in a statement on X that the operations reflect sustained counterterrorism efforts focused on the group’s leadership network. He reaffirmed the government’s objective of dismantling al-Shabab’s…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government says al-Shabab is facing mounting financial strain after a string of operations that killed senior operatives overseeing the group’s revenue networks and a sustained push to dismantle its funding channels. State news agency SONNA reported Saturday, citing intelligence sources, that the al-Qaida-linked group is struggling to reconstitute income streams amid a coordinated financial offensive aimed at its economic backbone. Independent verification of the internal figures was…

Sunday, February 22, 2026 MOGADISHU — High-level talks between Somalia’s federal government and the opposition-aligned Somali Future Council resumed Sunday at Villa Somalia, with both sides still divided over the country’s electoral direction as current mandates near expiration. The meeting is part of an ongoing consultative conference launched last week to resolve disputes over elections and constitutional reform. The stakes are rising as political actors face pressure to agree on a roadmap that averts a constitutional…

Somalia government-opposition talks stall over election agenda dispute MOGADISHU, Somalia — A high-level meeting between leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali Future Council was suspended on its second day after both sides failed to agree on which electoral issues should take priority, officials and participants said. The talks, convened to ease political tensions and set a clear path for Somalia’s next elections, broke down over the agenda itself. Government representatives pressed to advance their…

Where do talks between the Future Council and the Federal Government stand? MOGADISHU — Somalia’s election negotiations have entered a decisive phase as members of the Future Council agreed to attend a unified session at Villa Somalia on Sunday, moving the standoff with the Federal Government into direct, high-level talks over the country’s electoral path. The shift comes after weeks of committee-level engagements and separate consultative meetings failed to unlock compromises on how to conduct the next polls. With the…

Malawi has struck a landmark mineral marketing agreement with U.S.-based Traxys North America to sell graphite from the Kasiya rutile-graphite project in Lilongwe, officials said Friday, a deal that both countries view as strategically significant amid growing global demand for critical minerals. Malawian authorities hailed the arrangement as a potential boost to the country’s export earnings and industrial profile. The U.S. government classifies both rutile and graphite as essential minerals, and they are widely sought for…