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MOGADISHU — The man at the center of a viral deportation saga stepped into Mogadishu last month to cheers, ululations and a crush of cellphone cameras. For many Somalis online, Mahad Maxamud — a TikTok creator with a following now exceeding 450,000 — returned a folk hero. For others, he was the face of a bruising fight over truth, power and the politics of migration. In late October, the official White House account on X labeled Maxamud a “criminal illegal scumbag,” alleging he helped kidnap two French intelligence officers…

You are an elite, award-winning international journalist and a meticulous senior editor. Your job is to transform raw source material into a publish-ready article that meets the highest AP-standard editorial and technical requirements. PHASE 1 — ANALYSIS AND FORMAT DECISION Read the source text thoroughly. Identify the core themes, dominant purpose, crucial facts, data points, and human or structural angles. Based solely on this analysis, select exactly one article format from the list below. Always choose Football…

Djibouti music icon Fuaad Ahmed ‘Ilkacase’ dies after long illness; funeral draws officials, artists DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti — Fuaad Ahmed Gadhle, the towering Djiboutian singer and actor known on stage as Ilkacase and celebrated for a career that spanned more than four decades, died this week in Djibouti City after a prolonged illness. He was buried Monday night, with senior officials, artists and residents in attendance, according to family and colleagues. Ahmed’s health had been in decline for years and he recently…

DOHA, Qatar — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud used the Doha Forum to argue Somalia is moving from crisis response to an assertive phase of state-building, urging partners to align aid and security programs with the country’s plans as Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye signaled fresh commitments. Chairing a roundtable titled “State-Building in Somalia: Coordinated Strategies to Sustain Progress,” Mohamud said Somali institutions are increasingly capable of setting and executing priorities — from national security and…

Based on the content of the source text, the format that best matches it is Healthy Eating. The article focuses on nutrition, specifically on the sodium content in various everyday foods, providing practical insights about health and wellness trends. It also aligns well with the expected structure and tone for healthy eating content. Here's an outline of how the article could be formatted under the Healthy Eating category: Understanding Sodium: Six Surprising Culprits in Your Diet The increasing awareness around sodium…

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Tanzania’s prime minister urged citizens to remain at home Tuesday as activists called for Independence Day protests over the deadly suppression of demonstrations that followed October’s elections. Police warned any gathering would be illegal, and security forces mounted a visible show of force in major cities. The United Nations has said hundreds of people were likely killed in the unrest, which was fueled by the exclusion of leading opposition candidates from the ballot. President Samia Suluhu…

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed to “shake off Ethiopia’s enemies one by one, like hair lice” as he urged national unity and vigilance during the 20th Ethiopian Nationalities and People’s Day, framing the country’s struggles as tests of resolve that must be met with discipline, dialogue and reform. In a speech calling for resilience amid persistent political and regional strains, Abiy warned citizens against becoming conduits for “outsiders” he said are bent on derailing Ethiopia’s progress. He did…

MOGADISHU — The Somali Electoral Commission said Monday that a dozen political organizations have submitted candidate lists for the December 25 district elections in the Banadir region, marking a significant step toward the first such vote held in the capital in more than 50 years. Commission Chairman Abdikarin Ahmed Hassan told reporters in Mogadishu that the 12 organizations have collectively put forward hundreds of names toward the required slate of 390 candidates per party. Some groups have completed their submissions,…

Trump unveils $12 billion farm aid as he threatens new Mexico tariffs, presses China on soybeans WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday announced a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers hammered by low prices and trade disputes, pairing fresh relief with a new tariff threat against Mexico and fresh pressure on China to accelerate soybean purchases. The White House said $11 billion will flow as one-time direct payments to row-crop producers through the Agriculture Department’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program.…

Mogadishu — Somali and U.S. forces are intensifying a joint campaign in northeastern Somalia to capture Abdulqadir Mumin, whom U.S. officials say now leads the Islamic State group, as his estranged wife in Britain says he abandoned the family more than a decade ago and has not contacted them since. Security officials say Mumin is believed to be hiding in the Cal Miskaad mountains in Puntland State, where Islamic State fighters have fortified camps and used remote valleys to evade detection. U.S. Africa Command has said the…