A burst of interest in the phrase “Thucydides Trap” followed Xi Jinping’s closely watched meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday, after China’s leader invoked the concept during talks that also touched on issues as contemporary as artificial intelligence and advanced computer chips. For many readers, the immediate question was obvious: why was an ancient Greek historian suddenly at the center of a summit about 21st-century rivalry? The term was popularized in 2011 by US political scientist Graham…

Alarmed by a fresh Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says it is tracking the situation closely and mobilizing support. The agency is coordinating with national authorities and partners to mount a rapid, unified response as officials race to contain the spread. Early testing by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) detected Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples, with preliminary findings pointing to a…

JERUSALEM, May 13 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates and met Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during the war with Iran, Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday, confirming for the first time that the two leaders had met. The Prime Minister's Office said the encounter produced a "historic breakthrough" in ties between Israel and the UAE. A source familiar with the matter said Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, widely known as MBZ, met in Al-Ain,…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s proposed consultation meeting, saying it has not yet decided whether to take part. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the council is still weighing the invitation and has not settled on a final response. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on a consultation meeting proposed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying it has not yet settled on whether to attend. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the group is still weighing the invitation and has yet to arrive at a final stance. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…

Saturday April 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s push to tighten its digital defenses took a step forward as the National Communications Authority (NCA) brought together government agencies, private-sector representatives, educators, civil society actors, and technical specialists for a national consultation on a Cybersecurity Risk Management and Compliance Framework. The gathering was designed to collect feedback and deepen coordination around a framework intended to bolster the country’s cybersecurity posture, protect…

Tuesday April 14, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday brought together senior government institutions for the latest quarterly meeting of the Maritime Security Coordination Mechanism, as officials moved to sharpen defenses against mounting risks along the country’s coastline. Held in Hargeisa, the meeting examined the changing security picture in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where developments in regional and international affairs continue to shape some of the…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Britain says it will bring dozens of countries together for urgent talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after the US-Israeli war on Iran effectively shut down one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday. At a news conference, Starmer said Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper would chair a virtual meeting on Thursday involving 35 countries. The aim, he said, is to examine steps that could be taken to restore the strait “after the fighting has…

Invoking one of the most consequential ambushes in modern history, US President Donald Trump defended the war he launched against Tehran by comparing American strikes on Iran to Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during talks in Washington with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" Mr Trump replied when a journalist asked why he had not told allies about his war plans. "You believe in surprise, I think much more so…

First lady Melania Trump on Monday chaired a United Nations Security Council session on children and education in conflict, a first for a spouse of a sitting world leader and a striking display of the Trump administration’s hands-on approach to global diplomacy by family members. The meeting in New York came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched attacks on Iran, drawing warnings from the United Nations about the safety of children amid a broader military escalation. UNICEF said the flare-up “marks a…