Live Pressure mounts on Starmer as Labour unrest shows no sign of easing UK

Keir Starmer moved quickly to steady his premiership, holding talks with Health Secretary Wes Streeting after a bruising stretch in which four ministers quit and at least 80 Labour MPs urged the British prime minister to resign. Despite the turmoil, Mr Starmer remained in office at 10 Downing Street and fended off the immediate danger to his leadership, with reports indicating that the leading figures tipped to replace him do not yet have the support required to force a contest. Mr Streeting is widely regarded as one of the…

Live Streeting, seen as a possible challenger, will meet Starmer tomorrow UK

TEHRAN, April 22 — Iran’s political center is shrouded in uncertainty after more than six weeks without a public appearance or recorded message from Mojtaba Khamenei, the man named as the country’s supreme leader amid a tense ceasefire countdown with the United States. The 56-year-old cleric was presented as the successor to his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the elder leader died in late February. Yet since the announcement, he has remained out of sight, while state media have filled the vacuum with written remarks…

Former President of Senegal, Macky Sall, has asserted that achieving lasting global peace hinges on addressing the persistent issues of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. As he positions himself as a contender to replace UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Sall's insights come just ahead of a public inquiry at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week. Introduced in 2016, the public Q&A format aims to foster transparency during the selection process. Nonetheless, the final authority to appoint the…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Garowe (AX) — In a sweeping move aimed at tightening security and revitalizing state institutions, Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Saturday appointed new police commanders and military court officials. The changes affect several key branches of the Puntland State Police Force, while also bringing in judges and prosecutors for the armed forces courts, which were dissolved nearly a year ago. Deni named Abdulqadir Jama Dirir as second deputy commander of the Puntland State Police Force. He…

Somalia: Ex-President Warns of Leadership Vacuum as Parliament Mandate Expires MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Tuesday said the Federal Parliament’s constitutional mandate expired on April 14, 2026, warning that Somalia is sliding into a period of "rising political uncertainty." Farmaajo said parliamentary business "can only resume after new elections are held," pushing back against a one-year extension announced by the leadership of the House of the People. His intervention gives…

Jubaland, one of Somalia’s federal member states in the south, has become a key political player in national debates over elections, security, and the balance of power between Mogadishu and regional administrations. At the center of this influence is Jubaland’s president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam—known as Ahmed Madobe—and his government in Kismayo.In recent years, Jubaland’s leadership has shaped how Somalia’s federal system operates in practice, especially as the country moves toward election reforms and faces ongoing militant…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has wrapped up a several-day visit to Baidoa, a trip aimed at solidifying his political base and steering a tense leadership transition after federal forces seized the capital of South West State. Mohamud’s visit came after the March 29 resignation of regional leader Abdiasis Laftagareen, who fled to Kenya following the takeover of the city by heavily armed Somali National Army (SNA) troops backed by allied clan militias. The power shift has set off a fierce scramble…

In 2026, Somalia's political debate is increasingly focused on how President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is managing three linked challenges: a major constitutional transition, preparations for elections in the run-up to 2026, and the pressure of fighting al-Shabaab while maintaining governance in Mogadishu. Much of the year's attention has turned to talks between the presidency, opposition figures, and the National Consultative Council, as well as disputes in parliament over proposed constitutional amendments and the timing of…