MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s already fraught political climate sharpened further this week as an opposition alliance urged mass street protests in Mogadishu, even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud prepared to convene a national dialogue conference on May 10. Former Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, along with other figures in the opposition-backed Council for Somalia’s Future, said they would take part in demonstrations scheduled for next Sunday. They called on residents uprooted by recent evictions to join the…

Saturday May 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s labour movement marked International Labour Day in Mogadishu on Saturday with a gathering of more than 1,000 people, turning the occasion into a public display of worker solidarity and shared purpose. The commemoration was hosted by the Federation of Somali Trade Unions, with backing from the International Labour Organization, and formed part of the National Conference on Employment-Intensive Investment and Decent Work. Senior government officials, labour representatives, and…

In a sweeping test of El Salvador’s hardline anti-gang campaign, a Salvadoran court has opened a collective trial for 486 alleged gang members, marking one of the largest mass proceedings yet under President Nayib Bukele’s controversial use of emergency powers. According to prosecutors, the case against the alleged Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, members covers more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend of bloodshed that became El Salvador’s deadliest since the end of its civil war. Those…

El Salvador has opened one of the largest mass prosecutions of President Nayib Bukele’s anti-gang campaign, putting 486 alleged gang members on collective trial as his government continues to wield contentious emergency powers in its fight against violence. According to prosecutors, the case against the alleged Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, members covers more than 47,000 crimes carried out between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that became the country’s deadliest since the end of its civil war. Those allegations include…

The Nigerian government has officially launched the prosecution of over 500 individuals connected to militant attacks, marking one of the largest terrorism trials in the nation’s history. These defendants are charged with aiding and abetting terrorism, primarily in the northeast region, where the Boko Haram insurgency has persisted for 17 years. The high-profile trial commenced at a court in the capital, Abuja, with 227 suspects appearing before a panel of 10 judges. This year alone, bombings and various assaults have…

A standoff at one of Christianity’s holiest sites upended Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, with the Latin Patriarchate saying Israeli police barred the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — an unprecedented interruption to ceremonies it said had not occurred in centuries. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo as they walked toward the church, which stands on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and…

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has granted an amnesty that will free 4,305 inmates in a move the government says is designed to relieve severe prison overcrowding and promote rehabilitation. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the clemency order on Wednesday, saying the beneficiaries include women convicted of lesser offences, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates and people with disabilities. The order also covers inmates housed in Open Prisons and prisoners who have served at least 20…

SANTIAGO, Chile — President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of Chile as fast-moving wildfires killed at least 16 people and forced nearly 20,000 residents to evacuate, authorities said. Chile’s national forestry agency, CONAF, reported 24 active fires burning across the country, with the largest and most dangerous blazes in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío, about 500 kilometers south of the capital. The emergency designation aims to speed the government’s response as crews contend with…

Human Rights Watch Urges Guinean President to Pursue Justice for 2009 Massacre Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya to advance accountability for the September 28, 2009, massacre and "lay the groundwork for credible and fair justice" regarding ongoing rights abuses in the country. This appeal follows the death in custody of Claude Pivi, a former minister for presidential security, on January 6, 2026. Pivi was among several officials convicted in a landmark trial for the killings and…

Storm Goretti battered northern Europe with heavy snow and gale-force winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, closing schools and suspending rail services across France, Britain and Germany as the region endured a week of freezing weather. Emergency crews from the Atlantic coast to the North Sea scrambled to clear downed trees, restore power and keep key corridors open after Goretti slammed into Britain yesterday and moved eastward overnight. France absorbed some of the worst of the impacts as the storm…