Somalia's government continues to battle Al-Shabaab militants. The conflict has not shifted in favor of either side. Mogadishu needs to strengthen its military and reduce civilian suffering in insurgent-controlled areas. The Somali government’s battle with Al-Shabaab militants grinds on, with neither able to gain a decisive advantage. To improve its lot, Mogadishu needs to bolster its military and alleviate civilian suffering in areas under insurgent control, while looking for openings for dialogue with the group.
Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Elizabeth Dickinson discussed Colombia's turbulent election and president-elect Abelardo "El Tigre" de la Espriella's hardline promises to fight armed groups on the Hold Your Fire! podcast. This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Elizabeth Dickinson about Colombia’s turbulent election, president-elect Abelardo “El Tigre” de la Espriella’s hardline promises to fight armed groups and the legacy of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s signature policy of “Total Peace”.
Nigeria's President ordered an investigation into a fictitious federal agency allocated 1.3 billion naira. President ordered investigation after fictitious federal body allocated funding and office space, triggering renewed scrutiny of corruption A fictitious federal entity that was allocated 1.3 billion naira (£705,248) in Nigeria’s 2026 budget has precipitated a political storm in Africa’s largest democracy in the run-up to January’s general election. The fake agency came to light last October when Fe.
The US-Iran war brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, stranding 6,000 seafarers. Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran reportedly brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, leaving around 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels and Gulf countries on high alert for further attacks.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo's armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 group to cease hostilities following recent civilian deaths. He deplored the violence in eastern DR Congo. The conflict has resulted in numerous casualties. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group to cease hostilities as he deplored recent civilian deaths on Thursday.
Representatives from 12 countries conducted a "virtual diplomatic field visit" to a Gaza displacement site. They heard from residents about their pressing needs. The UN facilitated the virtual tour. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday.
The US struck 80 targets in Iran after Iranian forces fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. For the second time since the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed, Washington and Tehran have slipped back into direct military confrontation. The United States struck “80 targets in Iran with precision munitions” after Iranian forces fired on several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz without prior coordination with Tehran.
Analyst Noam Raydan says the Iran deal's collapse exposes disputes over control of a strategic waterway. The 60-day memorandum of understanding's unraveling was always likely to reveal underlying issues. The Washington Institute's Raydan made the comments in an interview with RFE/RL. The unraveling of the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) was always likely to expose unresolved disputes over who controls one of the world's most strategic waterways, Noam Raydan, the William Sudhaus Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, tells RFE/RL.
US President Donald Trump agreed to grant Ukraine a Patriot missile license in Ankara. US President Donald Trump said the Iran deal was "over" and said he'd agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles during a busty day -- our correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko reports from Ankara.
Zineb Riboua believes Iran's growing repression reflects weakness, not confidence. RFE/RL spoke with Zineb Riboua, a research fellow with the Hudson Institute, about Iran's post-Khamenei power structure, the expanding influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Core (IRGC), and why she believes growing repression reflects weakness rather than confidence.
UN investigators visited Syria and urged the government to locate thousands of missing detainees and hold perpetrators accountable. The team witnessed bomb attacks in Damascus, visited prisons in the northeast, and documented vigilante violence in Homs. They are seeking answers on the detainees' whereabouts. UN investigators have urged Syria’s Government to trace thousands of missing detainees and hold perpetrators to account after a week-long visit that took in bomb attacks in Damascus, prison visits in the northeast and reports of vigilante violence in Homs.
UN investigators warned that El Obeid must not become a crime scene after atrocities in El Fasher bore markers of genocide. Atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia against Sudanese civilians in El Fasher in October – including mass killings, abductions and gang rapes – bear the markers of genocide, independent UN human rights investigators reported on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump stated that the Iran deal is "over" at a NATO summit, as he met with leaders on the second day of the alliance's gathering, with the Iran conflict being a major topic, and later planned to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. US President Donald Trump has gone into key meetings with NATO and other leaders on Day 2 of the alliance's summit, with the Iran conflict looming large.
NATO leaders gather in Ankara to discuss the alliance's future direction and unity. As NATO leaders gather in Ankara for a summit expected to shape the alliance's future direction, European capitals are looking to what many see as the meeting's defining challenge: whether the alliance can demonstrate political unity at a moment of profound geopolitical change.
US President Trump said the deal with Iran is "over" after launching new military strikes and revoking a sanctions waiver on Iranian oil sales. The US accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, jeopardizing a fragile cease-fire between the two nations. Tensions escalated. The United States launched a new round of military strikes against Iran and revoked a key sanctions waiver covering Iranian oil sales after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, putting a fragile cease-fire into peril.
India and Australia agreed on civil nuclear energy to supply uranium for India's nuclear power projects. The agreement on civil nuclear energy to facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi's nuclear power projects came nearly 12 years after the two countries inked a historic civil nuclear cooperation pact. India and Australia deepen ties across nuclear, maritime and mineral sectors.
The US indicted Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh for directing the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The US decision to indict jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged North American associate, Satinderjeet Singh (“Goldy Brar”), for allegedly directing the 2023 assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada is more than another organized crime prosecution.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. They agreed on artificial intelligence, batteries, and defense manufacturing. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on July 2 produced a long list of agreements spanning artificial intelligence, batteries, critical minerals, defense manufacturing, energy resilience and financial cooperation.
South Korea's market is flashing warning signs about the risks of artificial intelligence. Its $1.9 trillion economy is open and sensitive to shifts in trade and finance. TOKYO. South Korea has long been one of the world’s best early-warning systems. Its US$1.9 trillion economy is open, large, and sits at the intersection of every major shift in trade, finance and technology.
Omsk residents are in shock after a surprise Ukrainian attack on the Siberian city. For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar. This week they got a close-up view that has left many in shock.
Poland and Ukraine's ties are strained over World War II-era killings at a crucial time in Ukraine's defense against Russia. Poland, steeped in bad memories of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet invasion and decades of dominance from Moscow after World War II, is a firm backer of Ukraine’s defense against Russia. But a flare-up over their own bloody history is threatening ties at a crucial time -- and could have wide repercussions.
The UN Security Council called for urgent de-escalation amid a spike in civilian deaths from Russian drone attacks. The Security Council must use every tool and diplomatic channel to reach an urgent de-escalation, Rosemary DiCarlo, chief of UN political and peacebuilding affairs, told an emergency meeting on Thursday amid escalating deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Stay tuned for live updates.
The United Nations paused to remember the over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in Srebrenica in July 1995. The town's women and survivors were left to rebuild their lives after the genocide. The UN marked the event to honor the victims and their families. The United Nations paused on Wednesday to remember the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995, and the women and survivors left to rebuild their lives in the aftermath.
The International Red List has identified new endangered species, including desert frogs and deep-ocean snails, threatened by human activities like mining. These species had evolved unique survival strategies, but are being overwhelmed by destructive human actions. Their adaptations are no match for human impact. Newly endangered animals include desert frogs and snails in extreme ocean depths, both threatened by miningLife has colonised every corner of the planet by evolving ingenious survival strategies but these are increasingly being overwhelmed by destructive human activities, this year’s red list of endangered species has revealed. Many snails, limpets and clams have adapted to life at crushing depths.
The World Health Organization warned that cancer cases could nearly double by 2050. The number of new cancer cases worldwide may rise to almost 35 million a year by 2050. The WHO says urgent action is needed to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment to prevent this increase. The number of new cancer cases worldwide could rise to almost 35 million a year by 2050 unless countries take urgent action to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
