Prime

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon on Thursday in his long-running corruption trial, saying criminal proceedings were hampering his ability to govern and that a pardon would be in Israel’s national interest. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has denied charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and said in a video released by his Likud party that he still expects a full acquittal. “My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country…

David Cameron reveals prostate cancer diagnosis and urges targeted screening Former British prime minister David Cameron said he was successfully treated for prostate cancer and used his platform this week to press for a targeted screening programme for the disease, the most common cancer in men in the U.K. Cameron told The Times he was prompted by his wife, Samantha, to get tested after the couple heard Soho House founder Nick Jones speak about his own cancer experience on the radio. Cameron said the sequence of…

Somali prime minister heads to Morocco for Medays International Forum MOGADISHU — Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre departed Tuesday morning for Morocco to attend the 17th Medays International Forum, where he is expected to outline Somalia’s priorities and the government’s agenda on security and governance as the annual gathering convenes leaders and experts from more than 120 countries. Hosted under the patronage of the King of Morocco, Medays will run Nov. 26–29 under the theme “Fractures and Polarization: Reinventing…

Mogadishu — Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been named the CAF Best Male Referee for 2025, a landmark honor announced Wednesday evening at a ceremony at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco. The award marks a historic breakthrough for Somali football and its match officials, drawing swift congratulations from the nation’s top leadership. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called the accolade “historic” and said Artan’s rise reflects the talent and professionalism of a new generation of Somali officials…

Raila Odinga, Kenya’s towering opposition figure, dies in India NAIROBI — Kenyans woke to shock and grief on Wednesday after reports that Raila Odinga, the country’s most prominent opposition leader and a defining figure in modern Kenyan politics, died during a morning walk at a hospital in India. Odinga, 80, was reported to have collapsed at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Kochi, Kerala, after experiencing breathing difficulties at about 7:45 a.m., a hospital spokesman told news agencies.…

Raila Odinga, Kenya’s tenacious opposition leader and former prime minister, dies at 80 NAIROBI — Raila Odinga, the combative and charismatic politician who embodied Kenya’s long, bruising fight for multiparty democracy and remained the country’s most formidable opposition voice for decades, has died at the age of 80, a person in his office told Reuters on Wednesday. Immediate details were scarce. Indian daily Mathrubhumi reported that Odinga had been receiving treatment in the southern city of Kochi and suffered a cardiac…

French prime minister resigns hours after naming new cabinet, deepening political turmoil What happened France's newly appointed prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, abruptly resigned on Thursday morning just hours after unveiling his cabinet, throwing President Emmanuel Macron's government into fresh and immediate uncertainty. The Élysée confirmed the move in a brief statement: "Mr Sébastien Lecornu has submitted the resignation of his Government to the President of the Republic, who has accepted it." Lecornu, a close ally…

Japan’s choice of a conservative woman to lead the ruling party reframes familiar dilemmas The Liberal Democratic Party’s selection of Sanae Takaichi as its leader — a 64‑year‑old conservative who could become Japan’s first female prime minister — is less a break with the past than a new turn in an old playbook. Her victory, against younger and more moderate rivals, signals the LDP’s attempt to recapture voters unsettled by inflation, stagnating wages and a rising appetite for parties that promise real change on immigration…

Somalia Courts German Investment as Mogadishu Seeks to Turn Stability Gains into Jobs On a sweltering Monday in Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre sat down with Germany’s ambassador, Sebastian Groth, for a conversation that was part pitch, part signal. Somalia, he said, has “vast investment potential” in fisheries, industry and livestock. Germany, Groth responded, is preparing to send senior officials to explore those opportunities on the ground. It wasn’t a flashy announcement—no ribbon cuttings, no signed…

Somalia’s push for direct vote exposes fault lines between Mogadishu and the regions When Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre insists Somalia is moving away from "lawmakers appointed by clan elders or regional administrations" toward a system in which "representatives elected directly by the Somali people," he is sketching a future that is both aspirational and deeply contested. The proposal — to replace a decades-old, clan-based indirect model with universal suffrage and to shift governance toward a presidential system — has…