ALEX BLOG

It's the latest sign of revival in the once-thriving Indian Ocean port shaped by 35 years of civil war and militant bombings. Millions of people were forced to flee what became one of the world's most dangerous cities. Those who remained avoided public spaces as the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab waged an insurgency against the Somali state.

In recent years, improved security measures against al-Shabab, an expanded government presence and growing private investment have allowed daily life to re-emerge. Cafes line newly reopened streets, beaches draw evening crowds and traffic congestion, once unimaginable, now clogs key intersections.

The Feynuus Bowling Center opened last year and draws many locals and Somalis returning from the diaspora, who bring investment and business ideas after years of sending billions of dollars in remittances from abroad.

On a recent evening, young Somalis gathered in groups, laughing and filming each other on their phones while music played. Many from the diaspora are visiting Mogadishu for the first time in years, or the first time ever.

"I couldn't believe Mogadishu has this place," said Hudoon Abdi, a Somali-Canadian on holiday, as she prepared to take her turn to bowl.

"I'm enjoying it. Mogadishu is actually safe," she said, urging others to visit.

Mogadishu remains vulnerable to militant attacks, however, with security measures like checkpoints and heavily guarded zones part of daily life. Non-Somalis remain largely confined to a compound at the international airport.

But residents say the ability to gather for recreation signals an important psychological shift. Such venues provide a welcoming environment for a younger generation eager for safe spaces to socialize.

Abukar Hajji returned from the United Kingdom on holiday after many years away and found the difference between what he imagined and what he experienced eye-opening.

"When I was flying from the U.K., I believed it was a scary place, like a war-torn country," he said. "Everyone told me, 'Good luck,' but when I came and saw it with my own eyes, I didn't want to leave."

Sadaq Abdurahman, the manager of the bowling center, said the idea for the business emerged from a growing demand among young people for recreational facilities.

"It has created employment opportunities for at least 40 youths," he said.

According to the Somali National Bureau of Statistics, Somalia's unemployment rate stands at 21.4%.

The bowling alley has private security guards, bag checks and surveillance cameras, reflecting the precautions common at public venues in Mogadishu.

Urban planners and economists say businesses like the bowling alley signal a broader shift in Mogadishu's recovery, as private sector growth increasingly complements international aid and government-led rebuilding efforts.

Ahmed Khadar Abdi Jama, a lecturer in economics at the University of Somalia, said innovative businesses are responding to the needs of diaspora returnees and the growing middle class, "which in turn adds to the expected increase in Somalia's GDP."

Outside the bowling alley, traffic hummed and neon signs flickered, other reminders of Mogadishu's fragile transformation.

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A group of Jeffrey Epstein's victims released an advert on Super Bowl Sunday demanding the release of millions ofremaining documentsrelated to the late paedophile.

In the clip, which aired just ahead of America's most-watched TV event of the year, eight women called on the public to help press the Trump administration for full transparency.

"After years of being kept apart we're standing together," the women said, while holding photos of their younger selves at the ages they were abused by Epstein. In unison, they added: "Because we all deserve the truth."

Earlier this week, Mr Trump – whose second term has been marred by his one-time friendship with Epstein – told Americans it was time to"move on" from the sex offender.

The video's timing may cause a stir, as it was released right before Mr Trump, along with millions of others, tuned-in towatch the Seattle Seahawks battle the New England Patriotsin the championship of the National Football League (NFL).

On January 30, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released three million pages related to theirinvestigation into Epstein,including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

However, the DoJ's decision to hold back the other half of the approximate six million files has renewed concerns that some of Epstein's accomplices will not be held accountable and sparked further allegations over a cover-up.

Epstein's victims are leading the calls for the release of the remaining records. Their video ended with a call for the public to "stand with us" and "tell Attorney General Pam Bondi it's time for the truth".

The DoJ insists that the withheld files either reveal victims' identities, contain child pornography or interfere with ongoing federal investigations.

"We didn't protect or not protect anybody," Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said as he announced that the department had "completed" its release of the files.

There are more than 38,000 references to Mr Trump, his wife and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida across 5,300 of the newly released files.

Epstein died in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in a death ruled a suicide.

His longtime associateGhislaine Maxwellwas jailed in 2022 and is serving a 20-year prison for her role in helping him recruit underage victims.

Members of Congress will be able to review the un-redacted files on computers at the justice department starting on Monday, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.

Trump: Half-time show 'absolutely terrible'

The sporting spectacle's half-time show was performed by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny completely in Spanish, despite fury from inside Maga at both his selection and refusal to bow to their demands to sing in English.

Despite the furore, the rapper wrapped his performance without controversy.

The Latino artist, who has been vocal in his opposition to the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, instead emphasised unity in a dance-filled spectacle that featured Lady Gaga as a surprise guest.

He finished the show by holding up a football that said: "Together we are America".

As fireworks exploded around the stadium, a Jumbotron message read: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

The show also featured a young boy hugging Bad Bunny's Grammy Award, which he won three of last week.

The child's involvement is believed to bea reference to five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos,whose detainment by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota sparked a national outcry.

After the show, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to criticise the performance, calling it "absolutely terrible".

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The child, identified in the lawsuit as "Amalia," was released by immigration authorities underPresident Donald Trump's administrationafter her parents sued on Friday, Feb. 6. The parents, who also had been detained, were released as well. The suit had sought the release of all three of them.

The family was detained during a check-in with immigration authorities on Dec. 11 and held at a facility in Dilley, Texas, according to the lawsuit. Amalia was hospitalized from Jan. 18 to 28, and returned to the Dilley facility in the midst of ameasles outbreak, the lawsuit said.

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

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'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

"Baby Amalia should never have been detained. She nearly died at Dilley," said Elora Mukherjee, an attorney for the family.

Mukherjee said hundreds of children and families detained at Dilley lack sufficient drinking water, healthy food, educational opportunities or proper medical care, and should be released.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on Saturday, Feb. 7. USA TODAY has reached out to the DHS for comment.

NBC Newsfirst reported on the lawsuit.

Sick children, no doctors:Life for immigrant families in detention

Lawsuit says child was hospitalized with respiratory issues

Amalia's parents, originally from Venezuela, have lived in the United States since 2024 with their daughter, who is a Mexican citizen, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says all three intend to file asylum applications in the United States.

Amalia developed a fever on Jan. 1 that reached 104 degrees, started vomiting frequently and struggled to breathe, the lawsuit states.

She was taken to the hospital on Jan. 18 with extremely low oxygen saturation levels and diagnosed with COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, viral bronchitis and pneumonia, according to the lawsuit. She was placed on supplemental oxygen.

Amalia was given a nebulizer and a respiratory medication upon her discharge from the hospital, but these were taken away by detention center staff upon her return, the lawsuit states. The girl has lost 10% of her body weight and was given nutritional drinks to help her regain it, but these were also confiscated by authorities, according to the lawsuit.

ICE says it provides 'proper meals.'Detainees see crystalized jelly, rancid beans and iced bologna

Trump administration faces scrutiny over immigration tactics

Trump's administration has been accused ofheavy-handed and inhumane tacticsas well asviolating court orderswhile carrying out hismass deportation program.

A federal judge in Michigan criticized the administration in a Jan. 31 ruling ordering the release of a 5-year-old boy − seen in a viral photo wearing a blue bunny hat outside his house as federal agents stood nearby − who was detained by immigration agents in Minnesota. The administration is nowseeking to deportthe boy.

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Sergio Non and Will Dunham)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Toddler returned to ICE custody and denied medication, lawsuit says

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell intends to refuse to answer ​questions at a Monday deposition before the House's ‌Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to a Sunday letter ‌from U.S. Representative Ro Khanna.

Maxwell, who was found guilty in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls and is currently serving a ⁠20-year prison sentence, plans ‌to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer all substantive ‍questions, according to Khanna's letter to Representative James Comer, the committee chair.

Maxwell's attorney did not immediately respond to a ​request for comment on Sunday.

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Instead of answering individual ‌questions, Maxwell plans to read a prepared statement at the beginning of her deposition, Khanna, who serves on the committee, said without detailing the source of his information.

"This position appears inconsistent with Ms. Maxwell's prior ⁠conduct, as she did not ​invoke the Fifth Amendment when ​she previously met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter," ‍Khana, a California ⁠Democrat, wrote in his letter seeking clarification on her testimony.

Maxwell's deposition comes as the U.S. Department ⁠of Justice has released of millions of internal documents related ‌to Epstein.

(Reporting by Karen Sloan; Editing by ‌Sergio Non and Lincoln Feast.)

Ahead of Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, DC, this week, Israel has taken a series of sweeping steps to tighten its grip on the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday, Israel's security cabinet approved measures that expand the country's enforcement powers and allow the state to buy land for the expansion of settlements in a way that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said would "fundamentally change the legal and civil reality" in the West Bank. The territory is held by the United Nations and the international community for a future Palestinian state.

The Israeli steps include expanding Israeli enforcement in Areas A and B of theWest Bank, which were designated under the Oslo Accords as areas that fall under Palestinian security control. The two areas together make up approximately 40% of the territory.

Israel will also restart its Land Acquisition Committee, which allows the state to proactively purchase lands in the West Bank for the expansion of settlements. Another measure grants the civil administration and the tiny Jewish settler minority in the city of Hebron building and municipal powers, allowing the settlement to expand without a need to consult with the Palestinian municipality of Hebron.

The security cabinet also approved measures that will make it easier for settlers to purchase land in the occupied West Bank, a move designed to expand settlement activity and entrench the Jewish population.

Smotrich, who has openly boasted of his efforts to kill the idea of a Palestinian state, said in a statement, "We are normalizing life in the territories, removing bureaucratic barriers, fighting for the land, and deepening our presence throughout the Land of Israel." Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, has pushed for a rapid expansion of settlements, particularly under US President Donald Trump.

"We will continue to extinguish the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich said.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the latest measures, calling them "a continuation of the comprehensive war waged by the occupation government against the Palestinian people and an unprecedented escalation targeting the Palestinian presence and its national and historical rights across all Palestinian land."

In a statement, the presidency of the PA said it amounts to "the practical implementation of annexation and displacement plans."

Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement the decisions taken by Israel "confirm its colonial program aimed at swallowing all Palestinian land and displacing its indigenous people."

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and subsequently began establishing Jewish settlements there, which are considered illegal under international law, the United Nations and by much of the international community. The UN also regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territory, which the Palestinians seek for a future state.

In an interview with Time Magazine in October, Trumpsaid he would notallow Israel to annex the West Bank. "It won't happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries," he said. "Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened." The Trump administration's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan also speaks of a pathway to "Palestinian self-determination and statehood."

But Israel has pursued a policy that critics equate to de facto annexation, expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied territory and deepening the country's grip on the West Bank with the declared intent of making a Palestinian state impossible. Last May, Israel authorized the largest expansion of settlements in the West Bank in decades, approving the establishment of 22 new settlements.

In response to the latest measures, the anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now said, "Netanyahu promised to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, but in practice he chose to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, annul agreements Israel itself signed, and impose de facto annexation – in complete contradiction to the will of the people, Israel's national interest, and the clear position of President Trump."

Gershon Baskin, a peace activist who has played a crucial role in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the years, said in a blunt statement on social media, "The Israeli occupation is illegal and now the government of Israel is taking more steps against international law."

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FILE PHOTO: Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, arrives the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's most prominent media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday to a total of 20 years in jail on national security charges comprising two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of ​publishing seditious materials.

The sentence ends a legal saga spanning almost five years, and Hong Kong's most high-profile national security hearing. Lai, founder of the now-shuttered ‌Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and convicted last year.

Lai's sentence of 20 years was within the most severe penalty "band" of 10 years to life imprisonment for offences of a "grave nature".

The ‌Hong Kong court said Lai's sentence was enhanced by the fact that he was "mastermind" and driving force behind foreign collusion conspiracies.

The 78-year-old, a British citizen, has denied all the charges against him, saying in court he is a "political prisoner" facing persecution from Beijing.

Lai's plight has been criticised by global leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, spotlighting a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled Asian financial hub, following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

"The rule of law has been completely shattered in Hong Kong. Today's ⁠egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for ‌freedom of the press in Hong Kong," said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalism.

"The international community must step up its pressure to free Jimmy Lai if we want press freedom to be respected anywhere in the world."

Lai arrived to court in ‍a white jacket, with hands held together in a praying gesture as he smiled and waved at supporters.

The case has drawn calls for the long-standing critic of the Chinese Communist Party, who friends and supporters say is in frail health, to be freed.

"The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence," said Elaine Pearson, Asia Director of Human Rghts ​Watch. "A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust."

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Dozens of Lai's supporters queued for several days to secure a spot in the courtroom, with scores ‌of police officers, sniffer dogs and police vehicles including an armoured truck and a bomb disposal van deployed around the area.

"I feel that Mr. Lai is the conscience of Hong Kong," said a man named Sum, 64, who was in the queue.

"He speaks up for Hong Kong people, and even for many wrongful cases in mainland China and for the development of democracy. So I feel that spending a few days of my own freedom sleeping out here is better than seeing him locked up inside."

Starmer raised the case of Lai, who holds British citizenship, in detail during a tête-à-tête with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, ⁠according to people briefed on the discussions. Britain's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, and China's foreign ​minister, Wang Yi, were also present.

"I raised the case of Jimmy Lai and called for his release," ​Starmer told the UK parliament after his trip.

Trump too, raised Lai's case with Xi during a meeting last October. Several Western diplomats told Reuters that negotiations to free Lai would likely begin in earnest after he is sentenced, and depending on whether Lai will appeal.

LIFE IN ‍PRISON?

Lai's family, lawyer, supporters and former colleagues ⁠have warned that he could die in prison as he suffers from health conditions including heart palpitations and high blood pressure.

Besides Lai, six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal will also be sentenced.

"Jimmy Lai's trial has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total ⁠contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom," said the Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi.

Beijing, however, says Lai has received a fair trial and all are ‌treated equally under the national security law that has restored order to the city.

(Reporting by James Pomfret, Jessie Pang; Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill ‌in London; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Michael Perry)

U.S. District Judge William Osteen rejected arguments by the College Democrats of North Carolina and some students that they were likely to win a recent lawsuit because decisions by GOP board members placed undue burdens on the right to vote.

The decision by Osteen — nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush — to deny a preliminary injunction or a temporary restraining order can be appealed.

Early in-person voting for the March 3 primary begins this coming Thursday. It features nomination races for U.S. Senate and House, the legislature and local elections.

Osteen also wrote that formally backing efforts to open the sites so close to voting could risk confusion.

Osteen's ruling marks a key decision on policy preferences by the State Board of Elections and elections boards in all 100 countiessince a state lawrecently shifted themfrom having Democratic majorities to Republican majorities.

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The College Democrats of North Carolina — an arm of the state party — and four voters sued in late January accusing the state board and boards in Jackson and Guilford counties of violating the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit involves votes by the state board and the two county boards to not include early voting sites at Western Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University, also in Greensboro. A&T is the largest historically Black university in the country.

An early voting site at Western Carolina has operated regularly since 2016. Sites at the Greensboro campuses have been offered in recent presidential-year elections but not in midterm elections.

Voting sites are offered at college campuses elsewhere in the state. Same-day registration is available at early voting sites.

Without the sites, the lawsuit says, students will be forced to travel off-campus to vote, imposing time and money upon those least familiar with voting.

Lawyers for the boards defended the panels' actions, writing in legal briefs that there is no requirement boards must retain voting sites used in previous election cycles, and that site decisions were based on reasonable circumstances like parking access and past turnout.