April 2026 underscored the planet’s persistent warmth, delivering the second-highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded for oceans outside the polar regions. Across broad stretches of the tropical Pacific, sea temperatures hit record highs, driven by intense marine heatwaves. The global average surface air temperature reached 14.89°C. That placed the month 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels for April. According to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service, that made April the joint third-warmest April recorded worldwide.…

U.S. Moves to Lift Eritrea Sanctions Amid Red Sea Security Concerns WASHINGTON — The United States is preparing to lift sanctions on Eritrea, according to an internal government document obtained by Reuters, in a notable policy shift shaped by the East African nation’s growing strategic value as conflict ripples across the Middle East. The move to revoke the penalties, which analysts say reflects Eritrea’s control over a key Red Sea shipping corridor, would mark a major change in Washington’s approach to one of the world’s…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 The United States is preparing to lift sanctions on Eritrea, according to an internal US government document reviewed by Reuters, in a move that analysts say reflects the country's strategic value along the Red Sea corridor. The US has reportedly declared plans to lift sanctions imposed on Eritrea, led by President Isaias Afwerki, in 2021. / Public domain The United States is set to remove sanctions against Eritrea, according to an internal US government document seen by Reuters, a step that analysts…

By: OMAR M ELMI, EconomistSaturday May 2, 2026 North Western State of Somalia sits on one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors, along Somalia’s Gulf of Aden coast where the Bab el-Mandeb strait opens into the Red Sea. | Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images As tensions mount across the Red Sea, North Western State of Somalia is nearing a turning point that could reshape not only its diplomatic ambitions but also its security outlook. For more than 30 years, the self-declared republic has pressed for international…

A desperate rescue effort that many had written off has ended with a humpback whale back in open water, after the animal was ferried by barge from near the German coast and released into the North Sea off Denmark. The whale, nicknamed "Timmy" in Germany as its struggle gripped the public and triggered intense media attention, slipped out of the barge, blasted air through its blowhole and swam away, according to Karin Walter-Mommert, one of the wealthy entrepreneurs who bankrolled the operation. She said the whale was moving…

Olamilekan OkebiorunSunday April 26, 2026 Turkey and Israel are racing to deepen their footprint in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia and North Western State of Somalia emerging as prized territory in a wider contest over energy, military leverage and the sea lanes that feed global trade through the Red Sea. For Ankara, the push has already taken shape in concrete terms: signed deals with Somalia’s federal government covering offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration, plus an expanding military presence anchored by its…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday made clear that Ethiopia’s push for access to the sea remains central to his government’s vision for the country’s future, saying the nation’s landlocked position is a major brake on economic growth and regional stability. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Abiy argued that the Horn of Africa cannot enjoy durable peace while Ethiopia remains cut off from the coast. He cast the absence of a sovereign port as a…

Ukraine widened its campaign against Russia’s energy infrastructure overnight, hitting several oil sites including two refineries in the Samara region and a Baltic Sea port used to ship petroleum products, according to Russian regional governors and a Ukrainian military official. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have intensified strikes on Russian oil depots and refineries, targets seen as vital contributors to Moscow’s war financing. Some of those attacks have reached facilities located thousands of kilometres from the…

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…

Thursday April 16, 2026 A tense standoff at one of the world’s most vital shipping corridors escalated sharply after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the United States and Iran ended without an agreement, prompting Washington to announce a blockade. A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province on April 12, 2026. / Reuters Tehran quickly responded with its own threat, warning that if the US naval blockade persists, Iran could move to choke trade routes through the Red Sea as well as the…