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EU, Mercosur set to sign long-sought free trade pact in Paraguay, creating one of the world’s largest markets The European Union and South America’s Mercosur are poised to sign a free trade agreement in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Jan. 17, capping more than 25 years of negotiations and creating one of the world’s largest free trade areas. The pact would eliminate tariffs on more than 90% of bilateral trade across a market representing about 30% of global GDP and more than 700 million consumers. The deal, agreed in Brussels last…

Somalia’s Digital Pivot: A Two-Day Workshop With Long-Term Stakes On a quiet Sunday in Mogadishu, in a hotel meeting room that could be anywhere in the world, Somalia’s tech regulators and telecom bosses sat down with United Nations experts to sketch out how the country will go digital—properly, and for good. The agenda was modest on paper: a two-day national consultation to validate Somalia’s Digital Transformation Strategy for 2025–2030. The stakes are anything but. Somalia’s new digital strategy is not just another…

Kenya and Ethiopia deepen military ties in bid to secure unstable borderlands ADDIS ABABA — In a gesture that underlines shifting patterns of regional security cooperation in the Horn of Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia on Monday signed a defence cooperation agreement aimed at tightening the two neighbours’ response to cross‑border threats, including the al‑Shabaab insurgency that has long bled into northeastern Kenya. Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Charles Kahariri, and Ethiopia’s commander, Field Marshal Birhanu…

Somaliland's Determined Pursuit of Red Sea Access Amid Neighborly Strains HARGEISA, Somalia - Somaliland, the self-declared independent region, has reiterated that their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia regarding access to the Red Sea is nearly finalized. Only the legal formalities await completion now. Essa Kayd, the Foreign Affairs and International Relations Minister, shared this update with diplomats in Hargeisa. He deemed the advancement as 'momentous and imminent.' Months back, Kayd indicated the…

The Kenyan president arrives in Paris for a five-day visit to France. A business-oriented move. The head of state, accompanied by five ministers, attends a conference for the public investment bank, meets with French employers and signs contracts. Uhuru Kenyatta is accompanied by a strong delegation of ministers and is expected to attend several economic events. A conference at the headquarters of BPI France, the institution responsible for promoting French companies abroad, but also a meeting in Medef, the French…