Saturday June 6, 2026 Somalia’s foreign minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, welcomed Egypt’s continued political, development and security backing for his country during a phone call on Friday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said Abdelatty reiterated Cairo’s full support for the Federal Republic of Somalia and its national institutions, and said Egypt was closely following developments on the ground, particularly in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. He stressed the need to…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali security minister Abdullahi Mohamed Nur on Saturday accused federal forces of raiding and seizing his Elite Hotel in Mogadishu, describing the operation as a politically driven move against him. Abdullahi said troops arrived at the hotel around 11:30 a.m. with heavy weapons and explosives, then gathered the staff and guards inside before taking complete control of the property. He rejected the government’s account that the operation was a standard security inspection,…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Wajir, Kenya (AX) — Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Tuesday said the Somali community in Kenya has secured political freedoms and openings that, he argued, were previously out of reach under President William Ruto’s administration. Addressing a gathering in Wajir County, Duale mounted a strong defense of Ruto’s approach to northern Kenya and to the Somali community, saying generations had faced discrimination in schooling, public sector jobs, access to identity documents and…

Tuesday June 2, 2026 Seoul, South Korea (AX) — Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali was among African diplomats who met South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday at Cheong Wa Dae, as Seoul pressed ahead with efforts to widen its reach across the African continent. The engagement took place alongside the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which drew delegates from 50 African countries and four regional bodies, among them the African Union and the African Development Bank. South Korea organized the forum under the…

Lebanon’s prime minister has sharply accused Israel of waging a “scorched-earth policy” in the country’s south, pressing for an end to the fighting as Israeli warplanes launched new strikes and the military ordered evacuations across more than a dozen areas. His warning came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had pushed further into Lebanon. Responding in a televised address, Nawaf Salam described the intensifying campaign as a “dangerous” escalation and appealed for “a swift and real…

France has barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he posted a video ridiculing bound activists detained by Israeli soldiers during a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. "From today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory" because of "his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" involved in the humanitarian flotilla, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. Barrot said he was also joining Italy in pushing for European Union sanctions…

Péter Magyar used his first trip abroad as Hungary’s new prime minister to send an unmistakable signal: Budapest wants a fresh start with Warsaw. Mr Magyar met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on the opening day of a two-day visit, a trip that underscores a broader effort to repair ties between the two capitals after years of friction under former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán. Relations worsened sharply in the final stretch of Mr Orbán’s rule, especially after Hungary granted asylum to a former Polish…

Wednesday May 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh has sharply rebuked a cultural delegation from Puntland State after its members appeared at North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 commemoration in Hargeisa. Hosh said it was inappropriate for representatives from Puntland State to take part in an event that celebrates North Western State of Somalia’s 1991 breakaway from Somalia, a move the federal government still views as a direct threat to the country’s unity and territorial…

Tuesday May 19, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro took a congratulatory call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as the self-declared republic marked 35 years since it broke away from Somalia. According to the North Western State of Somalia presidency, Netanyahu called to mark the May 18 anniversary and the two leaders reiterated their intention to deepen ties between North Western State of Somalia and Israel. The conversation came less than…

Keir Starmer has declared he is not ready to quit, insisting he still intends to lead Labour into the next general election despite a deepening rebellion inside his party. The prime minister faces mounting calls from Labour ranks to step aside after a bruising set of local election results. Labour’s heavy losses in the 7 May contests prompted almost a quarter of the party’s MPs to urge him to go, while two would-be successors are now openly manoeuvring for position — a bout of instability that has unnerved investors and…