Kasmaal  Independent Somali news and analysis website .

Photo: AFP French president Emmanuel ignored controversy and criticism surrounding France’s new draconian anti-terror bill and urged police forces around the country to “fully utilise” their new powers. The French parliament on Wednesday adopted a controversial anti-terror bill that gives the authorities permanent new powers to search homes, shut places of worship and restrict freedom […]

© AFP | Hundreds of Ukrainian protesters have set up camp outside the parliament in Kiev demanding tough action on government graft  KIEV (AFP) – Ukrainian lawmakers on Thursday moved towards meeting one of the demands of anti-corruption protesters who have set up the first tent city in Kiev since the pro-EU revolt of 2014. The crisis-torn […]

Startup Northvolt has picked a town in northern Sweden to build Europe’s biggest factory for electric car batteries, rivalling Tesla’s American ‘Gigafactory’. Sweden’s Enterprise and Innovation Minister Mikael Damberg. Photo: Anders Wiklund/T The company said it had selected Skellefteå, a coastal town in the country’s industrial north-east, for the site which will employ up to […]

Turkey’s swift response to Somalia’s deadliest truck bombing drew praise from survivors and officials who called Ankara their “only genuine” international partner.It is an implicit challenge to Western backers who have not, in the view of many Somalis; jumped to help.”Whenever there is a problem, Turkey helps us. Where are the other countries?” runs a […]

Ever since North Korea lobbed two missiles far above this windswept fishing town on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, seaweed farmer Mitsuyo Kawamura says she’s been on edge. Local resident Seiya Takahashi walks along Cape Erimo in Hokkaido.  Photo: REUTERS/Malcolm Foster National “Now when I hear a loud sound, I look outside, I look out at the […]

Six Afghan soldiers remain missing after the overnight attack [File: AP Photo] The Taliban launched a major attack on an army base in southern Kandahar province, killing at least 43 Afghan soldiers. The brazen assault on Thursday began with two suicide car bombings, setting off several hours of fighting. Of 60 soldiers manning the base, 43 were […]

North Korea threatened to inflict an “unimaginable” blow on the US at the most unexpected moment. © EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL TASS, October 19. North Korea threatened to inflict an “unimaginable” blow on the US at the most unexpected moment. That is according to a statement the Korean Central News Agency issued on Thursday in connection with the […]

A copy of the letter sent by Carles Puigdemont to Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has told Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy that the region’s parliament could formally vote through its suspended independence declarion if Madrid “persists in impeding dialogue”. In his second letter to Rajoy in less than a […]

JEDDAH: According to Sabq e-newspaper, the Criminal Court in Jeddah cleared the Dog Beauty Contest organizers of a charge addressing moral and religious indecency. The contest, which had created controversy on social media, was canceled by Jeddah municipality on Eid Al-Fitr 2016. The Criminal Court had held several sessions to examine this case, in which […]

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party said on Wednesday it wants the top job in the interior ministry in exchange for entering a coalition with election winner Sebastian Kurz. Heinz-Christian Strache. Photo: AFP Kurz’s conservative ÖVP party won 31.5 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, near-complete results show, and the populist Freedom Party (FPÖ), came in third on 26.0 […]