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Premier League title race tilts Arsenal’s way as Manchester City, Liverpool held in goalless draws Arsenal moved four points clear at the halfway mark of the Premier League after Manchester City and Liverpool were both blunted in 0-0 draws on a low-scoring Thursday night that underscored the league’s depth and defensive resilience. City were frustrated at Sunderland and Liverpool couldn’t break down promoted Leeds at Anfield, results that — coupled with Tottenham’s stalemate at Brentford and a late equalizer in Crystal…

Several killed as Iran’s economic protests turn deadly; clashes reported across multiple provinces At least several people were killed in Iran as protests over a plunging currency and soaring prices escalated into violent confrontations with security forces in multiple cities, according to Iranian media, activist groups and local authorities. The semi-official Fars news agency said three protesters were killed and 17 were injured Thursday after demonstrators stormed a police station in Lorestan province around 6 p.m. local…

Trump administration freezes $185 million in Minnesota childcare funds, orders audits of Somali American immigration cases MINNEAPOLIS — The administration of President Donald Trump has suspended federal childcare funding to Minnesota and ordered audits of immigration cases involving Somali Americans, escalating a fraud crackdown that critics say disproportionately targets immigrant communities in the state with the nation’s largest Somali population. The Department of Health and Human Services froze $185 million in…

Thursday, January 1, 2026 Somalia takes helm of UN Security Council for January 2026, signaling diplomatic resurgence MOGADISHU — Somalia has officially assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for January 2026, a milestone that underscores the country’s diplomatic recovery and growing international standing. The presidency places Mogadishu at the forefront of the UN’s most powerful body, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. Diplomatic observers view the moment as…

Trump administration freezes Minnesota childcare funds, orders Somali citizenship audits MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration has frozen $185 million in federal childcare funding to Minnesota and ordered audits of immigration cases involving Somali Americans, escalating a fraud crackdown that state leaders and advocates say risks unfairly targeting a single immigrant community. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the funding freeze Tuesday, citing viral allegations by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley…

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…

Türkiye begins building Somalia spaceport after completing feasibility, design work Türkiye has completed feasibility and design studies for a new spaceport in Somalia and begun the first phase of construction, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said Tuesday, marking a strategic push to secure independent access to space and a foothold in the global launch market. The announcement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Somali President Hassan Sheikh…

South Africa warned that Israel’s move to recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state poses a “direct threat” to peace in the Horn of Africa, calling the decision a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a statement Monday, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said Israel’s recognition undermines continental norms designed to prevent state fragmentation. The ministry said it distinguishes “unequivocally” between decolonization and secession, adding: “The former restores sovereignty;…

WASHINGTON — The FBI has surged agents and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle “large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs,” director Kash Patel said Sunday, citing a pandemic-era case that authorities now view as only “the tip of a very large iceberg.” Patel said the bureau’s expanded deployment follows a multiyear probe that uncovered a $250 million scheme that siphoned federal food aid intended for children during the Covid-19 emergency. That investigation, which focused on operations in…

Somalia’s child-protection reckoning after a teenager’s killing — and a rare death sentence The killing of 14-year-old orphan Saabirin Saylaan in Galkayo has jolted Somalia into a painful examination of how the state, communities and families protect — and fail — their children. A court in Puntland State convicted caregiver Hodan Mohamud Diiriye, 34, of murder and sentenced her to death, an exceptional punishment in a child-abuse case that underscores both the scale of public outrage and the fragility of Somalia’s protective…