vote

EU lawmakers will vote this morning on whether to ask the bloc’s top court to review the European Union’s newly signed free trade agreement with South America’s Mercosur, a move that could delay the pact by about two years and potentially derail it. The parliamentary vote is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The EU finalized its largest-ever trade pact last weekend with Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The agreement still requires approval before it can take effect, setting off a fresh political fight over…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Monday overwhelmingly approved a national tobacco control framework, a landmark move aimed at curbing tobacco use and tackling what lawmakers and health officials describe as a growing public health threat. The House of the People backed the measure with 139 votes in favor, three abstentions and none against, signaling rare cross-party consensus on the need to rein in tobacco consumption and marketing across the country. Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, widely known…

Senate advances bipartisan bid to curb Trump’s military actions in Venezuela after Maduro capture WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday cleared a key procedural hurdle on a resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela, a rare bipartisan rebuke that follows alarm over the secretive capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Democratic-led measure, which would bar further U.S. hostilities against Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization, advanced with the support of five…

Myanmar’s pro-military party claims landslide in first phase of junta-run election Myanmar’s dominant pro-military party said it secured an overwhelming win in the first phase of voting in a junta-organized election, a result that, if confirmed, would deepen the military’s hold on power after a 2021 coup. A senior official from the Union Solidarity and Development Party told AFP the party won 82 lower house seats in townships where counting was complete, out of 102 at stake in the first round. The tally implies the USDP…

Somalia begins counting votes after Mogadishu’s landmark one-person, one-vote poll Mogadishu — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on Thursday night said ballot counting is underway after polls closed across the capital for the Banadir Regional Council elections, the city’s first one-person, one-vote ballot in more than five decades. Commission Chairperson Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan told national media that voting ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time and proceeded calmly and in an orderly manner…

Somali president urges turnout as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote local polls in more than 50 years MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday night urged Mogadishu residents to fully participate in Thursday’s one-person, one-vote local council elections, calling the vote a milestone in the country’s state-building and democratic recovery as polls opened across the capital’s 16 districts. In a nationally televised address, Mohamud framed the elections as a defining moment in the restoration of…

France and Italy are pushing to delay a final European Union vote on the Mercosur trade agreement, a last-minute intervention that threatens to derail a pact 25 years in the making and billed as the EU’s largest deal by tariff relief. The move comes days before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due in Brazil to sign the agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and amid heightened pressure on the bloc to show unity. Supporters say the EU-Mercosur deal would diversify European trade away from…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged Mogadishu residents to turn out for the Banadir local council elections later this month, calling the vote a historic step toward one-person, one-vote democracy and the first time in nearly 57 years that citizens will directly choose their local leaders. Speaking Saturday after collecting his own voter card, Mohamud framed the December ballot as both a civic right and a personal responsibility with tangible consequences for daily life in the capital. “You choose who…

Somali lawmakers pass amendments to Accountants Bill to tighten financial oversight MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s House of the People on Monday approved amendments to the Somali Accountants Bill, a measure aimed at strengthening financial oversight across federal institutions and raising professional standards in the public accounting sector. The chamber voted 140-1 to adopt the revisions, with four lawmakers abstaining. Second Deputy Speaker Abdullahi Omar Abshirow announced the tally shortly after debate opened on the…

Trump urges House Republicans to release Epstein files President Donald Trump publicly called on House Republicans to vote to release Justice Department documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, reversing an earlier resistance and framing the move as a way to clear his name. The appeal, posted on his Truth Social platform, comes as Capitol Hill debates broader disclosure and as investigators and lawmakers sift through newly revealed material. Trump’s reversal is presented as an effort to rebut allegations linking him to…