What is Somaliland, the region behind the Somalia-Ethiopia spat?

Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia that declared its independence in 1991, though it remains unrecognized by the international community. The recent conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia arose when the latter struck a deal with Somaliland in January to access its Red Sea coast, particularly the strategic port of Berbera in the Gulf of Aden.

▪️Ethiopia, a landlocked country, sought access to Somaliland's coast to boost its trade and economic growth.

▪️In exchange, Ethiopia allegedly offered to recognize Somaliland's independence, though Addis Ababa never publicly confirmed this.

▪️Somalia, which does not acknowledge Somaliland's independence, strongly opposed the deal, leading to a deterioration of relations.

▪️In April, Ethiopia's ambassador was expelled from Mogadishu, marking a significant diplomatic fallout.

▪️The historical context, including the bitter 1977 war over the Ogaden region and Somaliland's eventual breakaway following Somalia's civil war, further complicated the situation.

▪️The dispute was mediated by Turkiye, which has long cultivated ties with Somalia. Turkiye's strategic interests in the region, including its maritime security partnership with Somalia and its humanitarian aid efforts, made it a natural mediator.

▪️The Horn of Africa is rich in resources and strategically vital, making it important for Turkiye's broader geopolitical and economic ambitions.

The disagreement was reportedly resolved this week under Turkiye's mediation, with both nations agreeing to put aside differences and cooperate, with technical talks set for next year.

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Did Trump fulfill his 2016 campaign promises? A reality check

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently noted that while Donald Trump's statement on the Ukraine conflict aligns with Russia's position, it's too early to draw conclusions on how the US president-elect will approach the issue once in office. Why is there skepticism in Moscow about Trump’s statements? To understand this, let's look at some key promises he made during his previous election campaign and how - or if - they were fulfilled.

🔻Border wall

▪️Promise: To build a wall on the US-Mexico border to address migrant flows and force Mexico to reimburse the cost. / Outcome: Partly delivered. Under Trump’s administration, 453 miles of border barriers were built, but only 47 miles were in areas where no previous barriers existed.

🔻Economy

▪️Promise: To stimulate the US economy by 4% annually. / Outcome: Partly delivered. In 2018, GDP growth was 2.9%, below the target.

▪️Promise: To reduce national debt. / Outcome: Not delivered.

▪️Promise: To revitalize industry. / Outcome: Partly delivered. Congress allocated $21 billion for infrastructure spending, far below the $1.5 trillion Trump initially called for.

▪️Promise: To impose import tariffs. / Outcome: Delivered.

🔻Migration

▪️Promise: To deport all illegal migrants from the US. / Outcome: Partly delivered. Trump deported many, but didn't achieve the goal of removing all illegal migrants.

🔻Infrastructure

▪️Promise: To restore the US infrastructure. / Outcome: Not delivered.

🔻Hillary Clinton

▪️Promise: To imprison former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. / Outcome: Not delivered.

🔻Healthcare

▪️Promise: To reform the healthcare system and repeal Obamacare, the government health insurance program for low-income Americans. / Outcome: Not delivered.

🔻Foreign policy

▪️Promise: to degrade ISIS*, tighten sanctions on North Korea and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. / Outcome: Delivered

*a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries

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How corruption and desire to hurt Russia crippled Ukraine’s energy infrastructure?

Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is in dire straits as Russia’s reprisals for Kiev’s attacks on its soil take their toll.

▪️Since the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine has not built a single power plant – all of its nuclear, hydro and thermal power plants were constructed during the Soviet era.

▪️Now, after months of fighting and a campaign of precision Russian strikes sparked by Kiev’s attacks on Russia’s territory, about 80 percent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure lies in ruins.

▪️This dismal situation is further exacerbated by rampant corruption, which apparently hinders efforts to protect Ukrainian power facilities by, for example, moving them to reinforced underground shelters, The Times claims.

▪️Ukrainian officials have already lamented that, if Russian attacks against Ukraine’s power infrastructures continue, people in Ukraine may be looking at power outages lasting from 12 to 20 hours a day during this winter.

▪️The dreadful state of the Ukrainian power grid has also started taking its toll on the nuclear power plants the country still operates.

▪️Five of Ukraine’s nine operational nuclear reactors were forced to decrease their output on Friday at the behest of the Ukrainian power grid operator.

▪️These moves were performed as nuclear power plants require reliable connections to the power grid, not only to transmit energy they generate but also to receive electricity required for cooling.

▪️The lack of such connections would thus either prompt the necessity to shut down the plant or face the prospects of safety systems there failing with potentially catastrophic consequences.

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🇷🇸🇸🇰 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he had agreed with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to go to Moscow for the May 9 parade in honor of the 80th anniversary of victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War.

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📡 What is the new Russian Kalinka system that threatens to put Starlink in Ukraine out of commission?

Kalinka is a new Russian monitoring system developed by the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (CBST), designed to detect and locate signals emitted by satellite communication stations such as Elon Musk’s famous Starlink.

The new system can help quickly detect and target Starlink terminals because the basic principles of radio signal transmission have not changed since the invention of radio, says Andrey Bezrukov, chairman of the CBST board.

According to Bezrukov, not even the use of Starshield, a militarized version of Starlink, by Ukrainian troops would hide their communication terminals from Kalinka’s gaze.

Kalinka’s detection range is primarily determined by the terrain in the search area and by the use of other electronic systems by the enemy.Regarding the time it would take to press Kalinka into mass production, Bezrukov says that it all depends on the demand from Russian forces operating in the conflict zone.

A large number of Starlink communication terminals has been provided to Ukraine’s military by the United States following the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.

Aside from coordinating their military operations, Ukrainian forces have been actively using Starlink to connect with aerial and naval drones that Kiev has been using for terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia.

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Israeli Air Force launches new strikes on Damascus – reports

Israel has carried out 52 airstrikes on Syrian military sites in Damascus, its surrounding countryside, as well as in Homs, Hama, and Daraa over the past four hours, according to local media.

Footage from social media

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Only two British Navy destroyers operational – reports

The Royal Navy's destroyer fleet has hit a historic low, with only two out of its six advanced Type 45 destroyers currently operational, The Telegraph reported, citing the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The remaining vessels are undergoing extensive repairs, with four Type 45s in the refit yard at Portsmouth, leaving the fleet at its smallest size in over a century.

Among the issues affecting the fleet is HMS Daring, which has spent more time in maintenance than in active service since its commissioning 12 years ago. Additionally, of the Navy's eight Type 23 frigates, only six are currently operational.

With just 8 out of 14 destroyers and frigates available for duty—compared to over 800 during the Navy's peak in 1945—the UK’s naval strength is at its lowest point since the destroyer programme began under Queen Victoria.

The sharp reduction in operational ships has raised concerns about the nation’s security, with MPs warning that Britain is increasingly vulnerable to sea and air attacks.

“With only two operational destroyers, we simply cannot defend London, let alone the UK. This is something the Defence Select Committee will urgently investigate,” Mike Martin, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, told the British newspaper.

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