A long-running dispute over peat extraction in Ireland has reached a new flashpoint, with the European Commission hauling the State before Europe’s highest court over what it says is a failure to properly police the industry. After years of tensions between Dublin and Brussels, the EU executive said today it is referring Ireland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), arguing the State has not met its obligations under EU rules governing environmental impact assessments. In a statement, the Commission said Ireland had…

Thursday June 4, 2026 Ismail Jama Ali by the shack where he and his family now live after diabetes forced him out of work and their rented home/Sabah Mohamed/Ergo A sudden collapse changed Ismail Jama Ali’s life in an instant — and with it, the future of the family of 12 he had been trying to hold together. Since being diagnosed with diabetes in February, he has been unable to work, leaving his household in Gabiley scrambling for food, rent and school fees. The illness was first uncovered after he fainted in shock following…

Colombia’s presidential race is headed for a high-stakes runoff, with right-wing outsider Abelardo De La Espriella poised to face leftist Ivan Cepeda after first-round results showed a razor-thin margin between the two men, while Mr Cepeda and his allies said they would hold off on accepting the outcome until the count is formally confirmed. Less than two percentage points separated the candidates, according to data from the country’s national registry office, in an election shaped by anxieties over security, a struggling…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOMonday May 18, 2026 Garissa governorship aspirant Abdulkadir Haji with Sultan Hamud Sheikh of the Awliyahan clan./STEPHEN ASTARIKO The contest for Garissa governor in 2027 is already gathering momentum, with Senator Abdul Haji making a direct appeal to the influential Awliyahan community in a development that could alter the county’s political arithmetic. At a symbolic ceremony held on Saturday at a Garissa hotel, the two-term senator, who comes from the Samawadhal community, officially presented his…

BAMAKO, May 5 — Mali’s junta leader, Assimi Goïta, has taken on the responsibilities of defence minister in an interim capacity after a sharp increase in attacks by armed groups, the government said. The move follows a series of strikes on military bases and critical facilities nationwide, a pattern that has deepened concern over security in the Sahel nation. Goïta, who came to power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is now expected to supervise military operations and shape national security policy more directly as the authorities…

Mali's military leader, Assimi Goïta, has stepped into the role of defense minister following the death of Sadio Camara, who was killed in a suspected suicide bombing amidst a spate of coordinated assaults. Goïta is poised to take over the defense portfolio in the wake of this tragic event. The nation is grappling with a severe security crisis, more than a week after a coalition of jihadists and separatist insurgents launched extensive attacks across the country. This operation, spearheaded by the Azawad Liberation Front…

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev's political formation has emerged in first place in the country's eighth parliamentary election in five years, exit polls showed, though the result fell short of an outright majority. Mr Radev, who stepped down from the presidency in January, entered the race promising to tackle corruption after an anti-graft movement helped plunge Bulgaria into a prolonged period of political turmoil. The European Union's poorest member has cycled through a string of governments since 2021, when mass…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Somalia has secured a place on the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) for the first time since the body was created in 2003, a diplomatic breakthrough that signals the country’s rising profile on the continent. Somalia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Abdullahi Warfaa, hoisted the Somali flag at the council’s headquarters on Tuesday, marking the start of Somalia’s responsibilities during the 2026–2028 term. Government officials described the moment as a…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Somalia has been stepping up its push for a larger role on the world stage in recent years. / Others Somalia has moved a significant notch closer to putting its flag on ships sailing abroad after signing an agreement to establish the Somali Ship Registry system. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Mogadishu on Sunday between Somalia’s Ministry of Ports and Marine Transport and Somali Ship Register Limited, a privately owned company. In a statement, the ministry said the partnership is…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Somalia’s national army seized control of Baidoa, the largest city in South West state, on Monday, setting off a political rupture that ended with the regional president stepping down two weeks after he said his administration was cutting ties with the federal government. Baidoa, the administrative hub of South West state, is a key strategic center in a region shadowed by drought, conflict and displacement. The city also hosts international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies, adding to its…