landmark

EU, India seal landmark free trade deal after nearly two decades of talks Pact touted as “mother of all deals” creating a market of two billion people; formal signing to follow legal review The European Union and India have agreed on a sweeping free trade deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, declaring the pact the “mother of all deals” and a “free trade zone of two billion people.” “Europe and India are making history today,” von der Leyen said on X, adding that both sides are set to…

LAS ANOD, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre arrived in Las Anod on Friday, a highly symbolic visit to the administrative capital of the Northeastern Regional State that underscores Mogadishu’s expanding political and security engagement in Somalia’s contested northern regions. The federal leaders are in the city to attend the inauguration of Abdulqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, known as Firdhiye, who was elected president of the Northeastern Regional State last year. The ceremony has drawn…

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 month-long presidency of the UN Security Council, its first in 54 years, has arrived with an unexpected geopolitical twist: a fight to contain the fallout from Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and the wider regional implications it carries from the Horn of Africa to the Red Sea and Gaza. In its opening days, the council convened an emergency session on Venezuela. But Mogadishu has made clear it intends to use the gavel to rally opposition to Israel’s move and to defend Somalia’s internationally recognized…

Hassan Sheikh’s planned Las Anod visit would be first by a Somali president since 1969, signaling federal push in north MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to visit Las Anod this week, in what would be his first trip to the northeastern city and a highly symbolic bid to reinforce federal authority in northern Somalia, according to sources in the Northeastern Somalia presidency. If confirmed, the visit would be the first by a Somali head of state to Las Anod since President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke…

Somali president urges turnout as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote local polls in more than 50 years MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday night urged Mogadishu residents to fully participate in Thursday’s one-person, one-vote local council elections, calling the vote a milestone in the country’s state-building and democratic recovery as polls opened across the capital’s 16 districts. In a nationally televised address, Mohamud framed the elections as a defining moment in the restoration of…

Kenya signs $2.5 billion health pact with U.S., first under Trump-era overhaul; data privacy questions follow NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has signed a five-year, $2.5 billion health agreement with the United States, the first such government-to-government pact since President Donald Trump overhauled U.S. foreign aid, U.S. and Kenyan officials said Saturday. Washington cast the deal as a model for a series of agreements with developing countries, signaling a deeper pivot to direct funding of public sectors over traditional aid…

The Cost of Accountability: Kenya’s Landmark Legal Battle with Britain NAIROBI, Kenya — The vast expanses of Lolldaiga Hills, home to resilient communities and rich biodiversity, have stood as silent witnesses to a historical shift in Kenya's legal landscape. For the first time, Britain has agreed to compensate Kenyans following military misconduct, an event that marks a turning point in the accountability of foreign forces operating abroad. A Fire’s Far-reaching Consequences In 2021, a persistent blaze engulfed more than…

In a significant move, Somalia has announced the cancellation of over $1.1 billion in loans, roughly a quarter of their outstanding debt. Wow, isn't that a breath of fresh air? This declaration follows a string of similar commitments by lenders, freeing Somalia from financial shackles. The burden originated chiefly during Siad Barre's authoritarian rule, the aftermath of which led to civil chaos lasting three decades. The saga of heavy debt continued to loom large until now. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described the…

Somalia Scores Groundbreaking Climate Grant to Propel Eco-Friendly Farming Solutions MOGADISHU, Somalia – The narrative of Somalia's future took a turn during the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) Board meeting from October 21 to 24, 2024, in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea. Amid the discussions emerged a game-changer for Somalia's farming sector: an ambitious climate adaptation initiative known as "Climate Resilient Agriculture in Somalia (Ugbaad)." This project, set to revolutionize how Somalia tackles agricultural challenges,…