Kasmaal  Independent Somali news and analysis website .

More than half a dozen current and former White House officials or people close to the president said that Donald Trump will continue to stand behind his Supreme Court pick. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump was counting on being able to deliver on one core promise to his supporters ahead of November’s crucial […]

A gun battle lasted several hours before reinforcements arrived and repulsed the attack [EPA] At least 37 people have been killed in night-time attacks across four provinces of Afghanistan, officials said. Twenty-nine police officers and members of the Afghan national army were killed in Taliban attacks in the western province of Farah, the head of the provincial council, […]

  Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence © YouTube The Russian Defense Ministry has released breathtaking footage of S-300 anti-aircraft systems launching missiles during Vostok 2018 exercise. Other stunning highlights from the drills were also caught on camera. The spectacular video shows S-300s preparing to fire missiles at an undisclosed location during the Russian military’s Vostok […]

Stephen Biegun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, arrives at Incheon International Airport on Monday. Korea Times file A U.S. top nuclear envoy visited South Korea on Saturday, days before the leaders of the two Koreas are set to hold a summit next week. Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul, following his trips to Beijing and […]

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the eye of Ompong was expected to slam into Cagayan and Isabela between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. today. MANILA, Philippines — Powerful Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) pounded eastern Luzon yesterday with strong winds and heavy rains hours before its forecast landfall over the Cagayan-Isabela area […]

China, Russia and Mongolia conclude this week’s “Vostok-2018” strategic drills with a military parade on Thursday at the Tsugol training range in Russia’s Trans-Baikal region. PAN MENGQI/CHINA DAILY China and Russia vowed to further deepen military ties and improve their troops’ combat abilities to respond to various security threats, as they formally concluded the “Vostok-2018” strategic […]

Somalia outpaces most African countries in the market, despite its fragility and underdeveloped financial institutions. NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 14 – Approximately 155 million mobile money transactions worth US$2.7 billion are conducted in Somalia every month, making it one of the most active mobile money markets in the world. According to a World Bank finding, mobile money […]

FILE PHOTO: The government-controlled area of Aleppo, Syria © Omar Sanadiki / Reuters Washington is seeking to obstruct moves towards peace to “artificially prolong” the conflict in Syria by saving Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists from imminent defeat, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said. The US is obviously struggling to justify its military presence on Syrian […]

President Trump is “counting down the days” until the departure of his current lead White House lawyer, Don McGahn, with whom he has clashed, according to a former White House official. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Sources say the president is likely to tap lawyer Emmet Flood to replace White House counsel Don McGahn, but some […]

Seen above is the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine manufactured by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. Core parts for the 3,000-ton underwater fleet were designed and manufactured by domestic technologies. / Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyung GEOJE, South Gyeongsang Province ― The nation’s first 3,000-ton submarine was launched Friday on this southeastern island city, featuring […]