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Monday April 13, 2026 A ship at the Strait of Hormuz Oil markets surged back above $100 a barrel on Monday as trading resumed in Asia, after US-Iran talks collapsed without a fresh agreement and President Donald Trump said he would blockade Iranian ports. Brent crude, the global benchmark, climbed 7.3% to $102.30 (£76.32), while US West Texas Intermediate rose 8.7% to $104.94. The breakdown in weekend negotiations has deepened fears that the worldwide energy crunch could worsen. Crude had fallen sharply below $100 last…

Monday April 13, 2026 The United States military said on Sunday it would start blocking all Iranian ports on Monday, escalating its campaign against Tehran after marathon peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement. In a late-evening statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the blockade would cover “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” beginning at 10am Eastern Time (14:00 GMT) on April 13. The order, it said, applies to “vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal…

Analysis by Nic Robertson Sunday April 12, 2026 As the sun dipped below the horizon in Islamabad and rose again over the city, the talks stretched on through the night and into another day. Their collapse without an agreement deals a serious blow to the fragile hopes that a diplomatic escape route might still be found in this crisis. The stakes could hardly have been higher. These were the most senior US-Iranian negotiations since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, and the complexity of the discussions was…

Sunday April 12, 2026 China is preparing to send Iran new air defense systems in the coming weeks, according to U.S. intelligence cited by CNN late Friday, which quoted three people familiar with recent assessments. The network reported that intelligence also suggests Beijing may try to move the weapons through third countries to obscure their true origin. U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on Saturday afternoon as he left the White House for Miami, warned that "if China does that, China can have big…

Sunday April 12, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the verge of its first offshore deep-water drilling campaign, with Petroleum and Minerals Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed saying Saturday that the Curad-1 exploratory well will be drilled in Galmudug State, far out at sea between Mareeg and Harardheere and roughly 275 kilometers (171 miles) from land. Shire stressed that the site sits in deep waters well beyond the coast, describing the operation as taking place “very far from land.” “Curad-1 will be drilled offshore in…

Sunday April 12, 2026 Pakistan has made its first public military gesture under a newly signed defence pact with Saudi Arabia, sending fighter jets to the kingdom while it simultaneously helps broker ceasefire talks meant to halt weeks of regional conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. The aircraft, a mix of fighter and support jets, arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Saturday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence. The deployment took place under a collective defence agreement…

Sunday April 12, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and Libya have moved to bring home roughly 400 Somali nationals held in Libyan prisons after senior officials met in Tripoli over the weekend, according to authorities. The deal emerged from a consultative session between Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, and Libya’s acting Foreign Minister, Taher Al-Baour. Their discussions centered on deepening diplomatic relations while widening cooperation on migration and security.…

Saturday April 11, 2026 Türkiye is preparing to launch its first deep-sea drilling project abroad, a milestone that Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Friday in Mogadishu will usher in a new era for the country’s energy ambitions. The Curad-1 well, located offshore Somalia, is the centerpiece of the effort. Situated about 372 kilometers from Mogadishu, the well will probe a geological formation flagged as promising after months of seismic work carried out by Türkiye's Oruc Reis vessel.…

Saturday April 11, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — More than 500 young athletes crowded into Mogadishu on Friday for Somalia’s annual short-distance marathon, a race officials are using to scout the next generation of competitors for the international arena. The capital-hosted event drew open participation from aspiring runners across the country, with no restrictions based on age or competitive experience. Organizers said the broader goal is to widen Somalia’s athletics pipeline and give the country a stronger foothold in global…

Friday April 10, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia marked a major energy breakthrough on Friday as Turkey’s deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey arrived off Mogadishu’s coast, setting the stage for the country’s first offshore deep-water oil exploration project. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, senior government officials and other dignitaries gathered at Mogadishu port to استقبال the vessel, which will anchor the opening drilling campaign under a bilateral energy agreement between Somalia…