In a warning that cut through the usual techno-utopian rhetoric, Pope Leo XIV used his encyclical on the dangers of artificial intelligence last month to argue that AI must be "disarmed". "To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity," he said. Addressing AI developers directly, the Pope said they carried an "ethical and spiritual responsibility" and urged them to ensure what they are building serves a "genuine good". Then on Thursday, Anthropic published an essay urging that…

Houston is counting down to the FIFA World Cup, with seven matches on the schedule and a landmark fixture between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal set to draw global attention to Texas. DR Congo booked its place at the tournament by surviving a play-off against Jamaica in Mexico in March. Yet as the city prepares to welcome the team, the buildup has been overshadowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a "public health emergency of international concern" after an Ebola outbreak in the central…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday cast doubt on the opposition’s decision to organize a planned protest in Mogadishu on the same day direct local elections were underway in SouthWest state and talks were scheduled in the capital. Speaking on the country’s political and security climate, Hassan Sheikh congratulated South West State residents for what he described as their calm participation in Sunday morning’s “one person, one vote” polls across several districts. He described the vote as…

Fresh tension in the Gulf has cast new doubt over US-Iran diplomacy, with Tehran openly questioning Washington’s credibility even as the White House awaits an answer to its latest proposal. US President Donald Trump said yesterday he expected Iran to respond to Washington’s most recent offer for an agreement aimed at prolonging a fragile truce and opening the door to peace talks — “supposedly tonight”. Yet if Pakistani mediators did receive an Iranian reply, no public indication of it emerged. In a call with his Turkish…

By Abdi Ismail SamatarSaturday April 25, 2026 Turkey has cast Somalia as a gateway to the Horn of Africa and, potentially, far beyond. But that ambition can only take root if Somalia first regains political stability. Trying to rebuild the Somali Defence Force without a clear national political framework is like setting out on a long trip with no map. In 2011, the West bluntly blamed al-Shabaab for Somalia’s famine. Yet the deeper cause was American policy under the Obama Administration, which blocked food deliveries to…

By Abdulkarim AbdulleSaturday April 18, 2026 A recent article from Ethiopia’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) on Baidoa has drawn a sharp rebuttal, with critics saying it distorts events on the ground and misreads Somalia’s constitutional security structure. Although the original piece attempted to place developments in South West State within a wider regional security debate, its argument leaned on conjecture, selective history, and a flawed reading of the Federal Government of Somalia’s responsibilities. The central…

Washington’s trust with Tehran collapsed last February, when talks over Iran’s nuclear programme fell apart after the United States, alongside Israel, launched their joint operation known as Epic Fury. Now, as Washington and Tehran work with Pakistan to broker an end to the violence, rebuilding confidence has become central to the diplomatic push. The Vice President’s entry into the US negotiating team may be a sign that the White House wants to accelerate progress, especially given JD Vance’s long-held doubts about foreign…

As U.S. strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury entered a new day, the White House appeared determined to project clarity and resolve. Instead, a flurry of public remarks from senior officials — led by President Donald Trump himself — yielded shifting timelines and evolving justifications that sharpened questions about the mission’s scope, strategy and endgame. The president moved aggressively to frame the narrative, calling news outlets throughout the weekend from Florida and returning to Washington to blanket morning TV.…

Kinshasa — The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed a five-year, $1.2 billion health financing agreement with the United States, officials announced, joining neighboring Uganda in adopting Washington’s new government-to-government aid framework. Under the pact, the DRC will receive $900 million in U.S. assistance while committing to boost domestic health spending by $300 million. The arrangement targets a slate of priority interventions intended to strengthen disease control and maternal-child health services. Program…

Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia is not mere diplomatic theater. Announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the move inserts the Middle East’s most combustible politics into the Horn of Africa and raises the stakes along the Red Sea—one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors. For Somalia, which maintains a One Somalia policy with near-universal international backing, the gambit threatens national unity. For North Western State of Somalia, it offers symbolism without sovereignty at a…