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Climate finance training for Somali banks signals shift toward private-sector climate action in Mogadishu MOGADISHU — Somalia’s banking sector took its first coordinated step into climate finance on Sunday, as the National Climate Fund (NCF) and the Somali Bankers Association (SBA) convened the country’s inaugural training on how lenders can access, structure, and deploy climate capital. Held in Mogadishu, the workshop introduced senior banking professionals to the global climate finance architecture — the funds, rules and…

Europe is bringing back the citizen-soldier. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a growing number of European governments have moved to reintroduce conscription or expand voluntary national service, reversing three decades of reliance on smaller, professional armies. Germany and France are the latest to join the shift, betting that wider training for young adults is the fastest way to rebuild reserves, harden deterrence and prepare for a long era of insecurity. The trend marks a significant recalibration.…

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MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s push to unlock climate finance moved a step forward Sunday as the National Climate Fund (NCF), in partnership with the Somali Bankers Association (SBA), held the country’s first climate finance training for Somali banks in Mogadishu. The session introduced bank executives and risk, credit, and product teams to the global climate finance architecture — how major international climate funds operate and where opportunities exist for Somalia’s private sector. It also served as a peer forum for…

AfDB approves $76.37 million in additional financing to boost Somalia’s road corridors, cross-border trade Sunday December 14, 2025 The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved $76.37 million in additional financing for Somalia’s Road Infrastructure Program, strengthening a key segment of the Horn of Africa corridor linking Somalia with Ethiopia and Djibouti and aimed at accelerating regional trade and integration. In a statement issued Thursday, the bank said the program is designed to “stimulate cross-border…

North Korea has acknowledged deploying troops to Russia’s Kursk region to clear land mines, with leader Kim Jong Un praising an engineering regiment for “mass heroism” during a ceremony in Pyongyang, according to state media. The remarks, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), mark a rare public admission by Pyongyang about the dangerous frontline duties assigned to its soldiers in Russia as the war in Ukraine nears its fourth year. KCNA said Kim hailed the unit’s return and awarded state honors to fallen soldiers…

SYDNEY — Two people were taken into custody after reports of gunfire and injuries at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, New South Wales Police said Saturday, as officers urged the public to avoid the area during an ongoing operation. Emergency services said eight people were transported to hospitals following the incident at the popular beachfront in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Authorities did not immediately provide details on the nature of their injuries or whether there were any fatalities. “The police operation is ongoing and we…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged Mogadishu residents to turn out for the Banadir local council elections later this month, calling the vote a historic step toward one-person, one-vote democracy and the first time in nearly 57 years that citizens will directly choose their local leaders. Speaking Saturday after collecting his own voter card, Mohamud framed the December ballot as both a civic right and a personal responsibility with tangible consequences for daily life in the capital. “You choose who…

MOGADISHU — The U.N. Security Council has unanimously renewed sanctions targeting Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab, extending maritime interdictions and expert monitoring while resisting Somali pressure for faster loosening of arms controls. All 15 members on Friday adopted Resolution 2806, keeping in place an arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans focused on the insurgent group that has fought the Somali government for more than 16 years. The measure extends authorization for naval inspections to enforce the…

Trump dismisses newly released Jeffrey Epstein photos as ‘no big deal’ WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off the release of new photos showing him with Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters the images were “no big deal” and insisting the late financier appeared in countless pictures with prominent people long before his 2019 death. “Everybody knew this man,” Trump said at the White House. “He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost — there are hundreds and hundreds of people…