China has conducted tests on missile interception equipment, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The statement said Chinese forces conducted a “land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory” on Thursday. “[It] achieved the desired test objective,” the statement said, without further details. “The test is defensive in nature and not targeted against

President Joe Biden speaks about foreign policy, at the State Department, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) By ELLEN KNICKMEYER President Joe Biden announced Thursday the United States was ending support for a grinding five-year Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen that has deepened suffering in the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country, calling the

Antony Blinken urges ‘full and unhindered humanitarian access to prevent further loss of life,’ says State Dept. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the US’ concern Thursday about the situation in the Tigray region during a telephone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the two officials emphasized

Photo/Somali Times Former Al-Shabaab commander and a current presidential candidate Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the chairman of the Union of Opposition Candidates, today spoke strongly about the political situation in the country and the consultative meeting between government officials and authorities in Dhusamareb. Former Al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Sharif said that at this

Photo/Somali Times By Jonathan Doernhofer On February 8, Somalia is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections following three decades of war, fragmentation and the painstaking reconstruction of a permanent government. In a country where democracy has long seemed an improbable dream, a successful election would mark a momentous step forward – but challenges stand

Photo/Somali Times Somali President Mohamed Abdullahu Farmajo missed out five opportunities during his four years in office. The five opportunities were for the benefit of the outgoing president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, but that they were over. Among the opportunities that he believes Farmajo has lost are his inability to unite the divided nation and his

Filled oil drums are seen at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s lubricants blending plant in the town of Torzhok, north-west of Tver, November 7, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin By Ron Bousso, Shadia Nasralla LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s profit last year dropped to its lowest in at least two decades as the coronavirus pandemic hit energy

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are pictured in a vaccination center as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign in Geneva, Switzerland February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday launched a trial to assess the immune responses generated if doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) speaks to the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 13, 2021. (Leah Millis/Reuters) By Thomas Barrabi Republicans argue that Omar has made anti-Semitic comments that are grounds for dismissal House GOP lawmakers are seeking this week to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from her committee

Photo/Somali Times President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo intended to speak about the elections, and resolve the major obstacles to do with the choice allowed. Director of Information and Media Relations at the Presidential Palace Abdirashid Mohamed Hashi told Somali Times the conference was open to all invited guests and chaired by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. He