The rebel group has warned that it will treat any Israeli presence in the breakaway region of Somaliland as a legitimate military target
Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared any Israeli presence in the breakaway region of Somaliland a legitimate military target. The warning comes days after Israel became the first country to recognize the independence of the Somalian territory.
In a statement on Sunday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi stated that Israel’s move constitutes “aggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” stressing that the militant group will “consider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target for our armed forces.”
The group, which has halted attacks on Israel since a Gaza truce in October, framed the threat as an act of solidarity, while accusing Israel of seeking to conduct “hostile activities.”
The warning follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s signing of a declaration on Friday recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state, making West Jerusalem the first government to officially do so.
Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden in East Africa, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has remained internationally isolated. Netanyahu stated that the move was made “in the spirit” of the Abraham Accords and invited Somaliland’s president for an official visit.
Somalia’s government denounced the move as a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty. Israel’s actions have also triggered a wave of international condemnation as a broad coalition of nations and organizations have rejected the move.
Critics include Egypt, Türkiye, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the European Union, all of which have reaffirmed support for Somalia’s territorial integrity. US President Donald Trump has also indicated that he does not currently intend to follow Israel’s lead.
The African Union warned it “risks setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent,” affirming that Somaliland remains part of Somalia.
Experts note the strategic motive behind Israel’s recognition could be to gain access to Somaliland’s port of Berbera, which could provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enhancing its ability to monitor or strike Houthi positions in Yemen.
The war games simulate a blockade of major ports following US approval of its largest-ever package of advanced weapons to Taipei
China launched large-scale live-fire military drills around Taiwan on Monday, deploying warships, fighter jets, and artillery in a multi-day operation soon after Washington approved its largest-ever arms sale to the island.
The ‘Joint Sword – 2025A’ war games conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) simulate a blockade of key ports, precision strikes on maritime targets, and scenarios to counter external interference, according to China’s media and defense ministry.
“The exercises focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes on key targets,” a military spokesman said, framing the operations as “necessary for defending national sovereignty.”
Taiwan reported that China’s coast guard vessels were also carrying out “law enforcement inspections” near its outlying islands. Taipei has condemned the exercises and released footage flaunting its arsenal, including US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems capable of reaching China’s Fujian province. Taiwan’s coast guard has deployed larger vessels to monitor Chinese patrols, while coordinating with the military to minimize disruptions to shipping and fishing.
The drills commenced just 11 days after Washington announced an $11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan – the largest ever for the island – covering eight separate purchases, including 82 HIMARS rocket systems and 420 ATACMS missiles valued at over $4 billion, along with anti-tank missiles, loitering munitions, howitzers, military software, and spare parts.
Egged on by Washington, Taiwan has ramped up arms purchases in recent years. While the US officially adheres to the One-China policy, it continues to supply arms to Taiwan and maintain military ties with the Taipei government.
Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949, when nationalist forces retreated there after losing the Chinese Civil War. While a small number of countries maintain official diplomatic relations with the self-governing island, the majority of the international community, including major powers such as Russia, adheres to Beijing’s One-China policy, which designates Taiwan as a province of China. The United Nations also considers Taiwan part of Chinese territory.
China, which considers the self-governing island part of its territory, condemned the US arms sale as a “dangerous act” that infringes on its sovereignty. Beijing has urged Washington to abide by the One-China principle and “immediately stop arming Taiwan.” While asserting its goal of “peaceful reunification,” China has warned it will use force if Taiwan formally declares independence.
The US president hopes he can secure a peace deal without a Kiev visit but could go there to push it through
US President Donald Trump says he has no desire to travel to Ukraine but may agree to do so if it helps end Kiev’s conflict with Russia.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has been urging the US president to visit for months, suggesting that Trump’s sympathies could be swayed if he personally witnessed the conflict’s toll. Trump was asked whether he “anticipated” a trip to Ukraine during a joint press conference with Zelensky in Miami on Sunday.
“I don’t anticipate it. I would like to get the deal done and not necessarily have to go,” he replied. Trump added that, despite his reluctance, he has “no problem” with travelling to Kiev and had offered to address the Ukrainian parliament to facilitate a resolution.
“I’m not sure that it would be really necessary. But if it would help save 25,000 lives a month or whatever it may be, I would certainly be willing to do that,” he concluded.
Western leaders have been making regular trips to Kiev in gestures of solidarity with Zelensky’s government for years. Some visits have been interrupted by air raid sirens, though skeptics have noted there was no evidence of actual Russian attacks on those occasions.
Zelensky attempted to appeal to Trump’s emotions during their February meeting in the Oval Office, presenting him a folder of before-and-after images of Ukrainian prisoners of war released by Russia. The selection featured emaciated and disabled individuals, implying their condition resulted from captivity.
However, according to TIME magazine, those images “marked the point when the meeting went wrong,” as Trump felt he was being blamed. Zelensky told the outlet he did not regret the diplomatic gamble, stating, “What I wanted to show were my values.”
Minnesota faces renewed scrutiny after a YouTuber alleged a childcare and healthcare scam linked to the local Somali community
FBI Director Kash Patel has warned that fraudsters in Minnesota could face deportation after a YouTuber exposed an alleged multimillion-dollar scam in the state, fueling a broader scandal over large-scale social services fraud linked to the local Somali community.
Independent reporter Nick Shirley last week posted a video showing him visiting several Minnesota childcare and healthcare centers allegedly run by locals of Somali background that appeared to be non-operational fronts. He later estimated that the sites had collectively received more than $110 million in state funds. The footage went viral over the weekend, prompting lawmakers and high-profile figures to condemn the state authorities and Governor Tim Walz for inaction.
In a post on X on Sunday, Patel said the FBI was “aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota” and stressed that the agency had already “surged personnel and investigative resources” to the state to dismantle large-scale fraud targeting federal programs, even before the video gained traction.
CASE UPDATE: MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME
The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes…
He pointed to the Feeding Our Future case, in which investigators uncovered a $250 million scheme in Minnesota that siphoned federal food-aid funds meant for low-income children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The probe exposed widespread money laundering rooted in the state’s Somali community – its largest immigrant group – and led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions so far. The case was later followed by reports of additional schemes targeting Minnesota’s safety-net programs, with claimed losses running into the billions. Some reports say the funds were routed overseas through informal networks, with some potentially ending up with al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based, al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group.
Patel said the fraud suspects are now being referred to immigration authorities for possible denaturalization and deportation. He admitted that the FBI considers the Feeding Our Future case “just the tip of a very large iceberg.”
“We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing,” he wrote. Earlier this month, unverified videos circulated online purporting to show FBI raids on allegedly fraudulent Somali-run healthcare businesses in the state.
🚨 BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel announced he has SURGED agents to Minnesota to combat the widespread fraud unearthed by journalists like Nick Shirley
Agents have recently been seen raiding Somali “healthcare” businesses
Walz earlier pledged to jail fraudsters and roll out a statewide scam prevention program using forensic auditors. President Donald Trump, however, accused the governor of incompetence, branding Minnesota under his leadership “a hub of fraudulent money laundering” taken over by “gangs” of Somali refugees.
Hungary will not accept illegal immigrants or pay fines for refusing them, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said
Hungary has vowed a “revolt” against the EU in 2026, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said, declaring that Budapest will lead a rebellion against the bloc’s new Migration Pact.
The policy, expected to take effect in July, forces member states to contribute in proportion to their population and total GDP to the alleviation of migratory pressure on the worst-affected nations within the bloc.
Each member state is obliged to either accept a certain number of migrants from hotspots or pay €20,000 ($23,000) per person they refuse to take in.
”Just as in 2025, we will not allow a single migrant into Hungary in 2026 and we will not pay a single forint from Hungarians’ money,” Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on Sunday, blasting the requirement as “absurd.”
The EU mandate clashes with Hungary’s own tough national measures, which include border fences and a rejection of mandatory quotas. The stance has already led Brussels to penalize Budapest, with the European Court of Justice forcing it to pay a daily penalty of €1 million since June 2024 for non-compliance.
Szijjarto argued that the pact primarily serves nations where security and social stability have deteriorated so severely that their main objective is now to expel migrants as swiftly as possible.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban previously warned that Hungary will not comply with the new EU requirements, condemning the policy as “outrageous.” Orban is known for his staunch criticism of EU policies, including those related to migration and the Ukraine conflict.
Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have also opposed the EU migration pact. Warsaw and Bratislava have demanded an exemption, and the new government in Prague wants the policy renegotiated.
The EU has been grappling with mass immigration over the past two decades, since contributing to the implosions of Libya and Syria in 2011 and 2014, as well as backing the escalation of Kiev’s conflict with Moscow in February 2022, triggering waves of arrivals numbering in the millions.
The Trump administration has repeatedly condemned curbs targeting online speech
US Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers has defended Washington’s decision to sanction several Europeans, saying that “extraterritorial censorship of Americans” undermines free speech and innovation.
Last week, the US State Department imposed sanctions on five individuals, including British nationals Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, German citizens Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, and former EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said those targeted had “led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose.”
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Rogers said the measures were aimed at protecting free expression and the competitiveness of the US technology sector. “These are people who, in many cases, took government money to destroy American businesses for the purpose of suppressing American speech,” she said.
“These are, ultimately, serious decisions that rest with the Secretary of State and take into account all of our foreign policy priorities. But free speech is one of those priorities, and so is the continued ability of the American tech sector to lead and innovate,” she added.
The sanctions come amid a widening dispute between the US and the EU over online speech regulation, digital platform governance, and the reach of national laws beyond their borders. Elon Musk, whose platform X was fined about €120 million ($140 million) by EU regulators for what they described as violations of transparency rules set out in the bloc’s Digital Services Act, welcomed the move, calling it “so great.”
Earlier, Musk blasted the penalty, calling the EU a “bureaucratic monster” that should be abolished, while accusing Brussels of trying to pressure X into censoring speech.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who appointed Breton himself, accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation.” UK Labour MP Chi Onwurah said banning individuals over speech disputes undermines the free speech the US administration claims to defend.
The rift was reflected in Washington’s latest National Security Strategy, which warned that the EU faces potential “civilizational erasure” due to curbs on free speech, suppression of political opposition, and regulatory pressure on innovation.
The country must do everything to maintain its national identity and independence, Karol Nawrocki has said
Poland must remain “ready to defend the western border” with Germany, President Karol Nawrocki has declared. The remarks drew pushback from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who insisted that as long as Germany is an EU and NATO member, it poses no threat.
Nawrocki delivered his warning on Saturday at an event marking the anniversary of a 1918 uprising against German rule, recalling that Poles had lived under “severe German imperialism” during historical partitions, when “aggressive” efforts were made to “take away our culture and national heritage.”
Poland, he said, is a “national community open to the west, but also a national community ready to defend the western border of the republic.”Nawrocki, who was elected this year with the support of the right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, stressed that “we must do everything we can to ensure that Poland remains Poland.”
The remarks drew an immediate response from Foreign Minister Sikorski. “As long as Germany is in NATO and the EU, and is governed by Christian or social democrats, there is no threat to our western border,” Sikorski said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoed the criticism, saying that the remarks reflected “the essence of the dispute between the anti-European bloc… and our coalition. A deadly serious dispute… over our values, security, sovereignty. East or West.” Nawrocki fired back by noting that “it’s hard to believe that we graduated from the same department – history.”
PiS, with which Nawrocki is aligned, has long presented Germany as a threat to Polish sovereignty. In 2023, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski warned that the EU is seeking to introduce a “German plan” that would result in the “annihilation of the Polish state.” He has accused Tusk – whom he compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler – of leading a “pacification operation” to destroy Poland’s independence and “turn us into farmhands for people from Western Europe, especially Germany.”
The distrust harks back to the brutal Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II, for which Warsaw has recently demanded up to $1.3 trillion in reparations. Berlin has rejected the claim, saying the legal matter has long been put to rest.
The Russian president is “very generous” when it comes to selling energy to Kiev at bargain prices, the US president has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to “succeed” and is ready to support the country economically, including by supplying low-cost energy, US President Donald Trump has said.
The two leaders discussed Ukraine during a phone call on Sunday, shortly before Trump met Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
The Kremlin said the friendly, businesslike conversation lasted more than an hour, with both sides expressing interest in reaching a lasting settlement.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Zelensky, Trump was asked whether Russia would play any role in Ukraine’s reconstruction once a peace agreement is reached.
“Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. It sounds a little strange, but President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity, and other things at very low prices.”
Before 2014, Russia and Ukraine were closely linked through gas supply and transit arrangements that formed a key part of their economic ties. Moscow supplied natural gas to Ukraine under preferential pricing frameworks, while Kiev served as a major transit route for Russian exports to European markets via its pipeline network.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that the conversation with the Russian leader had been “very productive.”
According to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, both sides agreed that a temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and its European backers would only prolong the conflict and risk renewed hostilities.
After meeting Zelensky, Trump said he understood Putin’s position of not agreeing to a ceasefire that could lead to fighting resuming later.
Ushakov said the Russian leader also agreed to Trump’s proposal to continue settlement efforts by forming two working groups focused on security and economic issues.
On Saturday, Putin told senior military commanders that some Western figures were offering Kiev peace terms that included security guarantees, economic recovery, and a roadmap for restoring relations with Russia.
He warned that if diplomatic options are rejected, Moscow would pursue its objectives by military means.
Only the pilots were inside the aircraft at the time of the crash, US officials have said
At least one person has died after two helicopters crashed in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, according to local news reports, citing US officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that Enstrom F-28A and Enstrom 280C helicopters collided in mid-air near the airport in the small town of Hammonton. The pilots were the only people aboard each chopper, it said.
One was killed, while the other was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Fox29 Philadelphia reported.
On a video circulating on social media purporting to show the incident, one helicopter spins out of control before crashing.
In other footage, a plume of smoke can be seen rising from one of the purported crash sites.
One person is dead and another is injured in midair helicopter crash in Hammonton New Jersey, officials say https://t.co/Nas2Xx0DxO
Acknowledging frontline realities in order to bring about a sustainable peace deal was expected to feature significantly
US President Donald Trump has held a face-to-face meeting and a press conference in Miami with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky over settling the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. The sit-down came after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone for over an hour.
Zelensky, who faces another corruption scandal implicating lawmakers that erupted over the weekend, is following up on days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US negotiators on a potential deal to end the Ukraine conflict.
Trump touted good progress in the talks but acknowledged that Ukraine’s potential territorial concessions remain one of the thorniest issues on the agenda. He added that both Moscow and Kiev are working to reopen Russia’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Shortly before Zelensky’s arrival, Trump announced on his Truth Social that he had had a “very productive” conversation with Putin, while Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that both “hold broadly similar views” and that a temporary ceasefire would only prolong the conflict.
A 20-point proposal revealed by Zelensky ahead of the meeting has been dismissed by Moscow, which called it “radically different” from what Russia and the US had discussed on the issue. Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Moscow was “fully” ready to move forward with the peace process while Kiev and its European backers seek to derail it.
Trump has invited media representatives to attend the meeting, and our updates will follow events and reactions.
