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Taiwan reports return of large-scale Chinese air force activity after two-week lull TAIPEI — Taiwan on Sunday said Chinese military flights around the island have resumed at scale after an unexplained pause of more than two weeks, with 26 People’s Liberation Army aircraft detected in the previous 24 hours, the defense ministry reported. The sorties — concentrated in the Taiwan Strait — mark the largest single-day tally since Feb. 25, when Taipei tracked 30 aircraft as Beijing carried out what it called a “joint combat…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government has rejected claims that Chinese fishing vessels are operating illegally in its waters, insisting the ships hold valid licenses and comply with Somali law and international maritime rules. The Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy framed the arrangement as part of a longstanding partnership with Beijing and said licensed activity falls within Somalia’s maritime governance framework. “All licensed vessels operate legally under official permits issued by the Federal Government of…

Fujairah resumes oil loading after drone interception and fire at key UAE export hub FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates — Oil loading operations at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah emirate have resumed after a drone attack and fire on Saturday, an industry source based in Fujairah said, restoring activity at one of the world’s most important energy logistics hubs. Fujairah’s media office said smoke seen rising over the oil industry zone was caused by debris after air defenses intercepted a drone. The incident unfolded amid…

Mogadishu — Somalia’s intelligence agency says at least 22 al-Shabab militants killed in coordinated strikes in Mudug and Hiiraan Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Saturday it killed at least 22 al-Shabab fighters, including several senior figures, in coordinated operations in the country’s central Mudug and Hiiraan regions. In a statement, the agency, known as NISA, said the operations were conducted with international partners and targeted militants allegedly planning attacks against civilians and…

Friday March 13, 2026 Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11, 2026 The U.S. military is “not ready” to escort oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday, as Iran keeps the strategic waterway largely shut and global oil prices whipsaw. Wright told CNBC that the market shock is a “short-term disruption,” predicting the war would last “weeks, not months.” He cast the current squeeze as “short-term…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz within minutes of his warning that Tehran would face unprecedented military consequences if it did not remove mines from the strategic waterway. “We have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. Central Command had been eliminating the vessels “with ruthless…

NATO intercepts suspected Iranian ballistic missile over southern Turkiye, no casualties NATO air defenses intercepted what Turkish authorities said was a ballistic missile launched from Iran toward Turkiye, shooting it down over the Sahinbey district of Gaziantep on Monday as regional tensions intensified amid the United States and Israel’s war against Iran. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence said no casualties or damage were reported and described the operation as a demonstration of Ankara’s readiness to defend its…

NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from torrential rains and flash floods that ripped through Nairobi and other parts of Kenya has nearly doubled to 42, the government said late Sunday, as military-led teams combed submerged neighborhoods and riverbanks for the missing. Intense downpours on Friday swamped roads, swept away vehicles and inundated homes and workshops in low-lying districts, including the Grogan area of downtown Nairobi, a hub for auto garages and spare parts traders. Floodwaters also disrupted traffic at the…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has extended the mandates of its federal institutions to five years under a newly adopted constitution, effectively adding one year to current terms, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe announced Thursday. The move, unveiled at an iftar gathering in the capital, immediately deepened political fault lines in a country already grappling with drought and humanitarian strain. Madoobe said parliament and other constitutional bodies would now operate under the revised charter, which…

CANBERRA, Australia — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he cannot rule out Canada’s military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East, even as he reiterated that the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran launched last weekend appeared “inconsistent with international law.” Asked in a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese whether there was any scenario in which Canada would get involved, Carney called the question hypothetical but left the door open. “One can never…