approves

Zanzibar backs cryptocurrency ‘cyber city’ to lure digital nomads under new Digital Free Zone Wednesday January 14, 2026 ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania (AX) — Zanzibar has approved plans for a cryptocurrency-focused “cyber city” on its western coast, endorsing a private-sector project that aims to attract digital nomads and pilot blockchain-based administration under special economic rules. The proposed city, slated for a 71-hectare site near the Fumba Peninsula, would blend residential housing with a digital residency program that…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Monday overwhelmingly approved a national tobacco control framework, a landmark move aimed at curbing tobacco use and tackling what lawmakers and health officials describe as a growing public health threat. The House of the People backed the measure with 139 votes in favor, three abstentions and none against, signaling rare cross-party consensus on the need to rein in tobacco consumption and marketing across the country. Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, widely known…

Somalia’s Upper House passes National Payment System Bill, clearing path for payments oversight law MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Upper House of Parliament on Monday overwhelmingly approved the National Payment System Bill, a keystone measure designed to regulate the country’s fast-growing digital payments industry and strengthen consumer protection in a mobile-money-driven economy. Parliamentary officials said the bill passed during the 14th session of the Upper House’s seventh sitting with 28 senators voting in favor and none…

Somalia Cabinet reviews security, lauds Mogadishu vote, approves Uganda, Saudi pacts MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting Monday to review the national security situation, assess recent operations against extremist groups and mark the completion of one-person, one-vote local council elections in the Banadir region, government officials said. Chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and attended by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, the session signaled the political weight the…

Somalia’s Parliament Passes Medicine Bill to Tackle Counterfeit Drugs; Lawmakers Weigh Tobacco Control Pact MOGADISHU — Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Saturday approved the Medicine Bill, a landmark piece of health legislation aimed at tightening oversight of pharmaceuticals after years of weak regulation and widespread concerns over counterfeit and substandard drugs. The House of the People passed the bill during the 25th meeting of its seventh session, with 141 lawmakers voting in favor, one abstention and no…

Somalia’s Parliament approves $1.39 billion 2026 national budget in joint session MOGADISHU — Somalia’s bicameral Federal Parliament on Tuesday approved the National Budget for the 2026 fiscal year, endorsing a $1,386,807,242 spending plan during a joint session held in Mogadishu. The budget’s passage, by an overwhelming majority, sets the federal government’s financial framework for the coming year. According to parliamentary results, 174 lawmakers voted in favor, four opposed, and one abstained, signaling broad…

EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine a €90 billion loan to cover looming budget shortfalls after more than a day of talks in Brussels, but they failed to unite behind a plan to tap frozen Russian assets to finance the support. The deal offers Kyiv a financial lifeline as the government braces for a cash crunch expected to hit by April and as U.S. President Donald Trump urges a quick settlement to end Russia’s war. EU chief Antonio Costa announced the outcome on X, saying, “We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros…

Brazil’s Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that could dramatically reduce the prison term of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, setting up an expected presidential veto and a fresh clash with Congress. The measure, which changes how sentences are calculated for certain crimes, passed the upper chamber 48-25 after clearing the lower house last week. It now goes to President Lula, who has vowed to reject it, saying Bolsonaro “must…

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…

EU finance ministers have agreed to impose a €3 duty on every small parcel imported into the 27-nation bloc starting 1 July next year, a measure aimed at stemming a flood of ultra-cheap e-commerce shipments from platforms such as Shein and Temu. The flat levy follows the bloc’s move last month to scrap a duty exemption for direct-to-consumer packages valued at less than €150. An EU spokesperson said the €3 charge will be temporary and will remain in place until member states settle on a permanent approach to taxing the…