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Somalia hunger crisis deepens as 6.5 million face severe food insecurity, UN and government warn Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are facing severe hunger as intensifying drought, conflict and global aid cuts accelerate a mounting humanitarian crisis, the federal government and U.N. agencies said Tuesday, citing new food security data. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis projects that 6.5 million people will face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by the end of March.…

MOGADISHU — Hunger is surging across Somalia as four consecutive failed rainy seasons collide with steep reductions in humanitarian funding, pushing millions toward acute food insecurity, according to a new analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The report estimates 4.8 million people faced Crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity in January, with that figure projected to jump to 6.5 million between February and March — nearly double the number recorded a year ago. Aid groups say the trend…

Egypt warns Israeli Red Sea access, North Western State of Somalia recognition pose major security threat CAIRO — Egypt has warned that any move by Israel to gain access to the Red Sea or to recognize North Western State of Somalia would constitute a grave threat to regional stability and to Egyptian national security, according to officials familiar with recent high-level discussions. The position was set during talks a day earlier between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,…

US plan to expand social media screening for foreign visitors could strip as much as $15.7 billion from tourism spending this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council warned, as prospective travelers say the policy would make the country less welcoming. In a survey of people in visa-exempt countries considering trips to the United States, 34% said they would be somewhat or much less likely to visit in the next two to three years if the measures take effect, according to the council. Based on that sentiment, the group…

About 300 jobs at Amazon’s Irish operation are under threat as the tech giant confirmed 16,000 corporate layoffs worldwide, completing a plan for roughly 30,000 reductions since October while signaling more cuts could follow. Amazon employs nearly 6,500 people in Ireland and said it would not comment on how many local roles are affected. RTÉ News reported that approximately 300 Ireland-based positions are at risk, following around 150 losses in the country during a global round of redundancies last October. The latest…

Current evidence does not link paracetamol use in pregnancy to autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disabilities, according to a wide-ranging review published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health. The findings, from an international team of researchers, support existing guidance that paracetamol — known as Tylenol in the United States — remains safe to use during pregnancy when taken as directed. The review comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said in September there…

EU warns of sabotage risk as Finland seizes ship suspected in Baltic cable damage Europe “remains vigilant” as its critical infrastructure faces a high risk of sabotage, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said, after Finnish authorities seized a cargo vessel suspected of damaging a subsea telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn. Finnish police detained the Fitburg, a 132-meter cargo ship, and its 14 crew members as part of an investigation into damage to a telecoms cable in the Gulf of Finland. Authorities…

SINGAPORE — Scammers convicted in Singapore now face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes in the most serious cases, as a new law authorizing the punishment came into effect amid record financial losses linked to fraud and online syndicates. The Ministry of Home Affairs framed the move as a hard reset in the city-state’s fight against a wave of cyber-enabled crime that has swept Southeast Asia, saying “fighting scams is a top national priority.” Authorities have cast the penalties as aimed squarely at organized networks and…

U.N. experts warn al-Shabab remains top threat in Somalia and Kenya as Security Council extends AU mission to 2026 Al-Shabab remains the greatest immediate threat to peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region, especially Kenya, U.N. experts said in a report released Wednesday, warning that the group’s operational capacity and influence remain largely undiminished. Despite ongoing operations by Somali and international forces, the al-Qaida-linked group continues to execute complex, asymmetric attacks across Somalia,…

Somalia’s relaunched e-visa website contains a fresh security flaw that could let malicious actors download large numbers of e-visas containing passport numbers, full names and dates of birth, Al Jazeera confirmed this week after receiving a tip from a web developer. The vulnerability, which Al Jazeera was able to replicate, allowed the downloading of e-visas for dozens of applicants in a short period, exposing sensitive data on people from Somalia, Portugal, Sweden, the United States and Switzerland. Al Jazeera alerted…