All posts tagged: fighting

Somalia declares order restored after two days of fighting in Mogadishu | Conflict News

Somalia declares order restored after two days of fighting in Mogadishu | Conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Violence that paralysed two Mogadishu districts subsides, but opposition rejects president’s rule and vows to fight on. Mogadishu, Somalia – Fighting between government forces and opposition fighters that paralysed parts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, for more than two days has eased, with the federal government declaring that it has restored order. The violence erupted on Wednesday, and the government declared the districts of Abdiaziz and Hawlwadag calm on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Opposition group militias have been disarmed and removed, and civilians have returned ‌to their daily lives,” the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a statement. The violence stems from a dispute over whether President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the incumbent, will stay in power. He says parliament lawfully extended his term, while the opposition has called it a power grab. It was the deadliest unrest in the capital in years, with each side blaming the other for the initial outbreak of fighting. For almost two days, bursts of gunfire and loud explosions rang out across Mogadishu. Residential …

The House | The Tourist Tax Is Coming – But How Will It Work? And Who Is Fighting It?

The House | The Tourist Tax Is Coming – But How Will It Work? And Who Is Fighting It?

Published by Sam Flores

Illustration by Tracy Worrall 10 min read1 hr An overnight visitor levy is coming to England – but what will it look like? And will it be resisted? Noah Vickers reports Take a flight to Rome, Lisbon or Amsterdam, check into your hotel and you’ll see it: a charge at the bottom of your bill. It might be called a city tax, an overnight levy or a tourist charge, but it means the same thing – a few extra euros you’ll have to pay up. For a long time, the UK has been an outlier in Europe by not having tourist taxes, but that is starting to change. In July, Edinburgh will introduce a five per cent charge on overnight stays, followed by other Scottish cities setting their own rates in 2027. That same year, councils across Wales will be free to impose levies of £1.30 per person per night, reduced to 75p for hostels and campsites. Throughout its first year in office, the Labour government in Westminster was clear: England …

Android Is Fighting Phone Scams With a New Feature to Prove Who’s Calling

Android Is Fighting Phone Scams With a New Feature to Prove Who’s Calling

Published by skeptic

I’ve been covering spam calling for years, so when Google offered me details about a new Android feature built to detect and flag spoofed calls, I was ready to hear more. What I didn’t expect from the demo was to hear my own voice. “I’m so excited to be interviewing you today about this new fake-call detection feature!” I heard myself saying, while a headshot I’ve used publicly for years popped up on the demo device. The caller ID name said “Lily.” “Unfortunately, I lost my wallet and I’m stuck. Any chance you can Venmo me so I can take an Uber to the interview?” As my disembodied voice calmly made the ask, a pop-up appeared as an overlay on the regular call screen: “This may not be Lily. Someone may be pretending to call from your contact’s number.” For Android phones calling each other, the new feature does a digital validity check and flags with a pop-up warning if a call isn’t coming from your contact’s smartphone and may be a scam. When the …

Thirty years of fighting for a secular Britain

Thirty years of fighting for a secular Britain

Published by Sam Flores

Keith Porteous Wood joined the National Secular Society in 1996 as executive director. He became president in 2017. Helen Nicholls spoke with him about three decades of campaigning. You’ve been with the National Secular Society for thirty years now. What first brought you to the organisation? I heard about the National Secular Society through being an active member of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association. The NSS’s relevance seemed compelling. As a gay rights campaigner, I felt the main obstacle to equality was religious interests, and I soon became a volunteer. I had been in fairly high-flying finance posts, but I wanted to do something more consequential as a second career and was prepared to take a huge salary drop to do it. I should say that it was Terry Sanderson who persuaded me to apply for the job. Terry was my partner, and he later became NSS President himself, serving from 2006 to 2017. He died in 2022, after several years of illness, and his absence is still keenly felt. Marking thirty years of …

A ‘Promising Democracy’ That Can’t Stop Fighting Itself

A ‘Promising Democracy’ That Can’t Stop Fighting Itself

Published by Daniella Wilson

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here. In April 1948, after the assassination of the populist leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, crowds poured into the streets of Bogotá. Buildings burned. Churches were looted. Armed mobs seized parts of the capital. Gaitán—a labor lawyer turned political phenomenon who seemed poised to become Colombia’s next Liberal president—had built a mass following among working-class Colombians frustrated by inequality and elite rule. An enraged crowd beat the alleged gunman to death before his motives could be revealed. Gaitán’s killing triggered El Bogotazo, the explosion of unrest that marked the beginning of La Violencia, the brutal conflict between Liberals and Conservatives that would kill more than 200,000 Colombians over the following decade. In 1950, an article in The Atlantic warned that Colombia’s “promising democracy” was beginning to come apart. An unnamed writer noted that the country had functioned “more consistently and over a longer period than any other Latin American republic,” but that its government was faltering. Across …

Oil prices on the rise again as US-Iran fighting escalates – Business

Oil prices on the rise again as US-Iran fighting escalates – Business

Published by Sam Flores

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again BUSINESS © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 28/05/2026 – 11:31Modified: 28/05/2026 – 11:34 06:00 min From the show Reading time 1 min Benchmark prices for crude oil rose on Thursday as Iran said it targeted a US airbase in response to American air strikes. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which had slightly ticked up in previous days, dwindled down to almost nothing again. Also in this edition: Australia takes legal action against US consumer goods giant 3M over “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam. Plus Brazilian leader Lula endorses more oil and gas exploration in the Amazon. By: Source link

These states are fighting prediction markets. The Trump admin is furious

These states are fighting prediction markets. The Trump admin is furious

Published by Sam Flores

Many states are trying to crack down on the newest frontier in the financial wild west: prediction markets. Although best known as places for betting on sports, which the Supreme Court ruled is legal during President Donald Trump’s first term, these platforms have ballooned in usage in the past year with users betting on all manner of topics from presidential elections to warfare. The conflicts of interest and questionably moral options to bet on the misfortune of others has prompted many states to try and rein these platforms in. But the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an independent federal agency that regulates the United States derivatives markets, is not a fan. In 2026, the CFTC sued Illinois, New York, Arizona, Connecticut and, most recently, Minnesota for efforts to restrict or ban prediction markets. On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a total ban on futures trading platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Tuesday to prevent the ban from going into place on Aug. 1, with the CFTC arguing its authority supersedes …

Woman Working Construction Is Fighting The Blue-Collar Boys Club Environment

Woman Working Construction Is Fighting The Blue-Collar Boys Club Environment

Published by Jenni Sidey

There are still a lot of unfair stereotypes about women in the workforce, but it’s simply a fact that there are many more men than women working in blue-collar jobs. Seeing a woman working in a field like construction isn’t an everyday occurrence. But, for Abbi Donovan, it’s just a regular day on the job. The 27-year-old transitioned into working in a painting and decorating union several years ago, and is determined to fight the inherent sexism in the industry and show other women that there’s a place for them there too. Donovan admitted her job isn’t perfect, but she’s carved out a place for herself. For those interested in her unique role as a woman in a blue-collar job, she regularly posts TikToks with behind-the-scenes looks at her work. In one video, she said she chose to pursue a job in construction because of how bad the job market had gotten, but she was surprised to find a good salary and excellent benefits. Another video, posted in honor of Women in Apprenticeship Day, featured …