tensions

Thanks for the assignment. To produce a publish-ready article to AP standards, I’ll need the raw source material. Please provide: - Full source text (wire copy, field notes, transcripts, official statements, social posts, ministry releases, satellite/flight data snippets, etc.) - Key facts: time of strikes, locations hit (terminals/runways/air defenses), casualties/damage, flight disruptions, claimed perpetrators, weapons used - Attribution: on-the-record quotes, anonymous sourcing (with agreed descriptors), agencies or…

Oil prices steady as U.S., Israeli strikes on Iran snarl Hormuz shipping and force Iraq output cuts Oil prices were steady after sharp swings Wednesday as U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran escalated the conflict and left shipping through the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut for a fifth day, disrupting vital Middle East oil and gas production and trade. Brent crude fell 0.3% to $81.13 a barrel around 4 p.m. GMT, while West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.4% to $74.30. Both benchmarks had closed Tuesday at recent highs—Brent…

When Donald Trump threatens Iran with “force never been seen before,” the words do more than light up headlines. They signal a strategy of coercive diplomacy that has defined the most fraught chapters of U.S.-Iran relations this century, raising the stakes across a Middle East already primed for miscalculation. Rhetoric at that volume can deter, but it can also lock leaders into escalatory paths, unsettle markets and embolden hard-liners on both sides who thrive on grievance and spectacle. The central question is not whether…

Puntland State accuses Somali president of fueling tensions over election plan AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State on Tuesday accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of stoking political tensions after the federal government rejected a proposed timetable for local council elections as “illegal,” escalating a long-running rift over power-sharing and control of the electoral process. In a sharply worded statement, Puntland State’s interior ministry said the schedule issued by Somalia’s federal electoral and boundaries…

Amid Rising Stakes, Somali Leaders Open a Channel for Dialogue MOGADISHU, Somalia — A flurry of high-level meetings in Mogadishu this week has opened a tentative channel for dialogue between Somalia’s federal leadership and key regional and opposition figures, signaling cautious movement amid mounting political tensions over constitutional reforms and the 2026 elections. Late Tuesday, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre conferred behind closed doors with the presidents of Jubaland and Puntland State, two federal member states…

Somalia’s Future Council meets in Mogadishu as electoral clock ticks and tensions flare MOGADISHU, Somalia — Opposition leaders and officials from the federal member states of Puntland State and Jubaland convened in Mogadishu on Saturday under the banner of the Somali Future Council, underscoring rising national unease as Somalia nears key electoral deadlines. The consultations were held at the Airport Hotel inside the fortified Halane compound, where the visiting presidents of Puntland State and Jubaland are based during…

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s emir spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss de-escalation and regional security as tensions between Washington and Tehran sharpen, the royal court said Wednesday. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump reviewed “the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace,” according to a statement from the emir’s office. The two leaders also discussed “supporting diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving crises…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he will seek a third term, asserting Somalia’s provisional constitution permits him to run again because his two previous mandates were not consecutive, a move that deepens political tensions over contentious constitutional changes. Mohamud, first elected in 2012 and returned to office in 2022 after five years out of power, framed his bid as consistent with the law’s limit on back-to-back presidencies. “The constitution does not prohibit me from running again,” he…

Ethiopia demands immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops as border tensions spike ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has formally ordered Eritrea to “immediately withdraw its troops” from Ethiopian territory, issuing a sharp diplomatic rebuke that underscores the most perilous turn in relations between the Horn of Africa neighbors since their 2018 peace deal. In a letter dated Feb. 7, 2026, addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Asmara of “outright aggression,” detailing…

Somalia pledges inclusive dialogue as Jubaland, Puntland State allege flight blocks ahead of election talks MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to preserving national unity and advancing an inclusive political dialogue, even as tensions rise with the Jubaland and Puntland State regional administrations over security arrangements before planned election talks. In a statement, the government said it remains fully committed to an open, broad and constructive consultative…