Mali

Annual State of the UK Climate analysis finds last four years in UK are in top five hottest on recordThe UK’s climatic extremes are becoming increasingly normal, a report has found, with last year the hottest on record and further “unprecedented changes” likely to break the record again soon.Data stretching back to 1884 shows the UK has never experienced a year as hot as 2025, according to the annual State of the UK Climate report, with temperatures pushed to dizzying heights by carbon pollution clogging the atmosphere. Continue reading...

• The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released proposed rules in May to modify the US Code of Federal Regulations regarding federal financial assistance and grants. • These changes would undermine the long-standing scientific peer review process by codifying the ability of political appointees to oversee and influence award decisions. • The shift is viewed as a strategic effort to obstruct scientific work through administrative burdens, described as "death by a thousand cuts" for researchers.

• An analysis criticizes Al Jazeera for amplifying a spontaneous video clip of schoolchildren in Somaliland to create a manufactured political crisis. • The report argues that the network's editorial decision to broadcast the footage to millions transformed a minor incident into a significant international event. • This case highlights concerns regarding media manipulation and the power of global networks to shape political narratives through selective amplification.

• G Kamalini has been selected for India's women's cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games, while Yastika Bhatia was notably left out of the roster. • Shreyanka Patil has also been named to the squad, though her final participation remains subject to receiving necessary fitness clearance. • India enters the competition as the defending champions after securing the gold medal at the previous Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.

• South Korea has unveiled a massive AI and semiconductor strategy involving investments exceeding $1 trillion. • The plan focuses on developing advanced AI capabilities through significant funding for semiconductor production and the construction of new data centers. • To promote balanced economic growth, the government intends to establish major chip clusters in the southwest region, reducing the concentration of industry in the Seoul metropolitan area.

• Chevron CFO Eimear Bonner addressed U.S. gasoline price concerns during a discussion on June 27, 2026. • Bonner noted that while the stabilization of oil exports from the Middle East could eventually lead to lower gasoline prices, there is no immediate correlation with crude oil prices. • The statement highlights the complex relationship between global crude supply and the retail cost of fuel for consumers.

Sentencing of 27-year-old Sadia Moalim Ali condemned by former president and prime ministers as well as rights groupsA rickshaw driver in Somalia has been sentenced to three years in prison for comments she made on social media, in a case that has caught the public’s attention and provoked outrage in the country.Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old nursing graduate, was originally charged with insulting government institutions and incitement to commit a crime, but convicted only of the former. Her sentence, immediately condemned as “fundamentally unjust”, was handed down on 25 June. Continue reading...

• The Taliban's autocracy is being sustained through economic and political lifelines provided by international bodies, including the United Nations, which have compromised human rights standards. • Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented a humanitarian catastrophe characterized by gender apartheid and systemic rights violations. • This crisis persists not merely due to a lack of political will, but because of active geopolitical mechanisms and fragmented international interests that normalize the regime's actions.

Vulnerable adults suffered broken bones and severe neglect in Northern Irish hospital at centre of major police investigationA major inquiry into the abuse of vulnerable adults at Muckamore Abbey hospital, in Northern Ireland, has found “mistreatment became a normality” and patients suffered black eyes, broken bones and severe neglect.The hospital is at the centre of the UK’s largest police investigation into the alleged abuse of vulnerable adults, with 124 people having been referred by police for prosecution. Continue reading...

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing of World Cup tickets, stating the average cost is below USD 500. • He argued that these prices are consistent with broader trends in U.S. sports, citing high ticket fluctuations seen in NBA Finals matchups. • The comments address growing public frustration over ticket accessibility and costs ahead of the 2026 tournament.

Artan deemed a threat to national security by US officials‘I promise you that I will attend the next one’The World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the US arrived on Wednesday in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, where he was received by a crowd of supporters and officials.Omar Artan was due to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making Fifa’s final list for the tournament. He is one of Africa’s top referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025. Continue reading...

• A geopolitical crisis in the Middle East that began on February 28 has evolved into a global food security emergency, causing rising hunger in Africa and medical shortages in Afghanistan. • Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which previously handled roughly 20% of global oil shipments, have spiked crude oil prices and increased transport and supply chain costs. • The crisis has left hundreds of vessels and tens of thousands of seafarers stranded, creating a broad economic shock.

Violence flares before protests on Thursday over president’s decision to remain in office after his term expiredGovernment troops and militias allied with the opposition have exchanged fire in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, damaging property and forcing some civilians to flee.The violence flared up ahead of planned protests on Thursday over president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to remain in office after his term expired in May. In March, parliament backed constitutional changes that could allow Mohamud to extend his term by a year and push back an election. Continue reading...

• The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect issued Atrocity Alert No. 485, highlighting populations at risk of mass atrocity crimes in Lebanon and Mali. • In Lebanon, reports indicate that Israel expanded its control and increased population displacement on June 1, occurring just one day before the fourth round of direct talks between the two nations. • These developments are critical as they suggest a disregard for ceasefire efforts and increase the risk of further humanitarian crises and atrocities.

Sobering reality for president after three-month odyssey that threatens to take him back to where he startedAfter the hubristic beginnings came the reality.The road travelled since the most momentous foreign policy decision of his presidency seems to have delivered Donald Trump to a sobering destination: that Iran has been the nemesis of several US presidents before him for a reason and is an adversary not to be taken lightly. Continue reading...

• Somalia has entered a period of political uncertainty and disorder following the decision to extend the terms of the Presidency and the Somali Parliament. • Both the executive and legislative branches have extended their mandates by one year, delaying the scheduled transition of power. • This move is significant as it disrupts the established political timeline and creates a state of transition that may lead to further instability.

The pop singer said that suggestions that a recent outfit was ‘childlike’ were rooted in sexist attitudes toward womenOlivia Rodrigo has responded to controversy over a recent babydoll dress she wore while performing on stage in Spain.The singer faced backlash online after she wore a short puffy dress with a floral pattern while performing her recent single Drop Dead at Barcelona’s Teatre Grec on 8 May. She also wears a similar style dress on the cover of her upcoming album. Continue reading...

Prewar US gas prices averaged about $3 a gallon nationally – kiss that number goodbye for 2026Sorry, US drivers, but don’t expect pump prices to return to prewar levels any time soon, even if the US and Iran agree to a lasting peace deal tomorrow.As the war with Iran enters its third month, drivers have become infuriated by rising gas prices – and inflation – and Donald Trump is facing a historic backlash in the polls. The president promised recently that relief will be swift once the war ends. “I see it going down very substantially when this is over, I think very rapidly too, at levels that you’ve never seen,” he said. Continue reading...

Figures disclosed by nursing union show big rise on reported incidents which may only be ‘tip of the iceberg’Racist abuse of NHS nurses has jumped by 86% in the last few years, which their union’s boss has blamed on the normalisation of extreme views in politics and the media.One nurse was called a monkey by a colleague, a patient threw a hot drink at a nurse and followed up with racial abuse, and in several cases others were called the N-word, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) disclosed. Continue reading...

Army supported by Russian mercenaries launches airstrikes after offensive by coalition of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatistsMali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, have launched airstrikes targeting a rebel alliance of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists as the ruling junta struggles to maintain its hold on power in the unstable west African country.Earlier this week warplanes targeted the key northern town of Kidal, which was lost when the rebels launched a surprise offensive across much of Mali in late April. Continue reading...

Mohamed Bulbul arrested in Mogadishu after covering case of woman allegedly being tortured in prisonA journalist who covered the case of a woman who said she was being tortured in prison was detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities, along with two others, for his reporting for the Guardian.Mohamed Bulbul was arrested with the journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday evening while in a restaurant in the centre of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. They said they were assaulted by members of Somalia’s US-trained counter-terrorism police unit and taken to be questioned by police. All three were released in the early hours of Saturday morning. Continue reading...

In an exclusive interview from prison, Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old rickshaw driver, tells of her treatment after being arrested for demonstrating against the governmentA woman being held in prison in Somalia for taking part in peaceful protests has described how she was tortured by her guards.Sadia Moalim Ali, 27, told the Guardian she was stripped naked by two male guards in a room monitored by CCTV, kicked, beaten with a baton and left for two days in a small cell without food. Continue reading...

From economic woes to concerns that war could break out again at any moment, underlying worries run deepIn the weeks since the fragile ceasefire with the US and Israel took hold, life in Tehran has – on the surface at least – largely returned to something like pre-war normality. Many security checkpoints have been taken down, coffee shops are bustling, parks are full of people gathering for picnics, musicians are playing again in the streets, highways are jammed with traffic and the metro - free to use since the war - runs packed.But underlying worries run deep, and many Iranians fear the war could return at any moment. The uncertainty was underlined on Monday when the US and Iran launched fresh attacks in the Gulf as the two sides continue to blockade of the strait of Hormuz. The war’s economic toll has been severe too. Many people have lost their jobs and inflation is surging. The International Monetary Fund estimates it could reach 70% this year. Continue reading...

• New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in Singapore to formalize a fuel-for-food arrangement aimed at protecting NZ during crises. • The deal emphasizes trade resilience as security issues overshadow economic interdependence, per Luxon's statements. • It underscores bilateral efforts to navigate global volatility through resource swaps and stronger ties.

Former One Direction member cancelled US shows after recent hospitalization for an unspecified illnessZayn Malik, the musician formerly in One Direction, has cancelled all US dates for his upcoming tour following hospitalization for an unspecified illness.Malik wrote in an Instagram story: “To my fans: Thank you so much for all the support and love you’ve shown me on the album release and more importantly your love, prayers, and well wishes for my health. I’ve felt it, and it’s meant the world. I’ve been at home recovering and I’m doing well and will be better and stronger than before.” Continue reading...

Kremlin-controlled paramilitaries also alleged it inflicted ‘irreplaceable losses’ on insurgents avoiding civilian casualtiesRussia’s defence ministry has claimed its Africa Corps – the successor to the former Wagner mercenary group – had prevented a coup in Mali over the weekend, avoiding mass civilian casualties and inflicting “irreplaceable losses” on rebel insurgents.It said in a statement that its troops in the desert town of Kidal near the Algerian border had fought for more than 24 hours while completely surrounded and vastly outnumbered. It also alleged without providing evidence, that the militants had been trained by European mercenary instructors including Ukrainians. The casualty toll was not specified. Continue reading...

Pirates appear to be taking advantage of international naval strength being diverted elsewhere in regionThree vessels have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa – and adding to the woes of the global shipping industry.The merchant vessel Sward was taken over on 26 April, a day after a dhow was seized. These followed the 21 April hijacking of Honour 25, a motor tanker carrying 18,000 barrels of oil, according to the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), the tracking service of the EU’s naval force. Continue reading...

Coordinated attack by JNIM and the Tuareg minority inflicted significant casualties on government forces and Russian auxiliariesWhen al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic militants launched a series of attacks on military bases and raids into major towns in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso last summer, observers suggested they had been inspired by their counterparts in Syria, who had overthrown the regime of Bashar al-Assad and taken power six months or so earlier.Despite the tactical successes that earned them the fearful title of the “Ghost Army”, seizing swathes of territory and denying cities and the military of fuel and other essentials, the chances of Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) definitively defeating Mali’s military regime and the thousand or so Russian mercenaries hired to defend it looked poor. Continue reading...