U.S

US plan to expand social media screening for foreign visitors could strip as much as $15.7 billion from tourism spending this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council warned, as prospective travelers say the policy would make the country less welcoming. In a survey of people in visa-exempt countries considering trips to the United States, 34% said they would be somewhat or much less likely to visit in the next two to three years if the measures take effect, according to the council. Based on that sentiment, the group…

U.S. to resume food aid after Somalia acknowledges disruptions to WFP operations MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States said it will resume World Food Program (WFP) food distribution in Somalia after the federal government acknowledged its role in disrupting aid operations and confirmed that commodities affected by port expansion in the capital have been returned. In a statement, U.S. Foreign Assistance said: “The United States acknowledges the Federal Government of Somalia for taking responsibility for its actions affecting…

MOGADISHU — The United States will resume World Food Programme food distributions in Somalia after the federal government accepted responsibility for actions that disrupted humanitarian operations at the Port of Mogadishu earlier this month, clearing the way for life-saving aid to reach millions facing acute food insecurity. U.S. officials said Somalia’s acknowledgment of accountability satisfied conditions set after Washington halted certain assistance on Jan. 7, when it accused Somali officials of demolishing a U.S.-funded…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — U.S. Africa Command says it has carried out 23 airstrikes in Somalia so far this year targeting Al-Shabaab and ISIS, underscoring a stepped-up counterterrorism tempo that U.S. officials say is coordinated with partners across the continent. AFRICOM spokesperson Maj. Mahalia Frost said Wednesday the increase is part of a broader U.S. effort against ISIS in Africa, noting recent American strikes in Nigeria. She said instability in Somalia and Nigeria is intertwined, arguing that regional cooperation and…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Jessica Buchanan remembers the voice before she saw the faces. After 93 days as a hostage in Somalia, wrapped in a blanket and bracing for the worst, she felt a stranger’s hands at her shoulders and heard a young American say her name: “Jessica, it’s okay. You are safe now.” The American aid worker’s account of abduction and rescue traces a grim arc through one of the world’s most dangerous kidnapping economies — from her capture on Oct. 25, 2011, near Galkacyo, to a pre-dawn U.S. Navy SEAL raid on Jan.…

Tehran, Iran — Iranian authorities warned of severe consequences if the United States launches strikes, unveiling a defiant billboard in central Tehran as security forces announced fresh arrests tied to deadly protests and a near-total internet blackout stretched into a third week. Tehran showcased a billboard depicting a wrecked U.S. aircraft carrier and the message, “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.” Iran vowed a “comprehensive and regret-inducing response” to any attack and warned of wider insecurity…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia is bracing for tighter finances after the United States reduced foreign aid, a move officials say is already disrupting assistance and development services across the country. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Ali, known as Ali Balcad, said the government has “recognized this change and is trying to adapt,” framing the shift as part of a broader recalibration of U.S. foreign assistance rather than a Somalia-specific decision. He added that Washington still maintains strategic interests…

Minneapolis officials and residents demanded answers after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot Alex Pretti during a weekend protest, as videos verified by Reuters appeared to contradict the Trump administration’s self-defense account and a federal judge ordered evidence preserved. Pretti, 37, became the second U.S. citizen this month to be killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis amid a sweeping surge of thousands of armed, masked agents deployed by President Donald Trump. Minnesota Gov.…

Winter storm shuts airports, knocks out power as Arctic cold grips eastern U.S. A powerful winter storm swept from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, colliding with a deep Arctic blast that has locked in dangerous cold across much of the United States east of the Rockies. Winter storm warnings stretched across most of the eastern third of the country, covering about 118 million people, as the National Weather Service warned of widespread, prolonged travel disruptions and…

More than 4,000 U.S. flights were canceled and power outages stretched from Texas to Tennessee as a sprawling winter storm barreled across the eastern two-thirds of the country, threatening crippling ice, heavy snow and life-threatening cold through the weekend and into next week. Forecasters warned of snow, sleet and freezing rain across a vast area from the Southern Plains to New England, with the National Weather Service urging residents to “take this storm seriously” and prepare for an “astonishingly long swath” of snow…