launch

Somalia’s space ambitions meet environmental realities Somalia’s coastline and equatorial latitude have thrust Bashaqle, in Middle Shabelle, into conversations about an African launch site. The prospect promises strategic access to orbit and a pathway into the global space economy. It also brings complex environmental, health, and governance questions that must be addressed before ignition. Equatorial launches reduce fuel needs and enable heavier payloads to orbit, making Bashaqle geographically attractive. Turkey’s…

Somalia says E-Visa has choked ISIS travel pipeline Somalia’s defense minister says a new national E-Visa system has sharply curtailed the movement of ISIS fighters into the country’s northeast, where the group has long maintained a foothold in the Calmiskaad mountains. Ahmed Moallin Fiqi said that since the digital visa rollout, no foreign ISIS members have entered Somalia to join militants in the remote range. The statement underscores Mogadishu’s bid to tighten border controls after years of porosity exploited by…

Healthcare Crisis Deepens in Nigeria Amid Ongoing Doctors' Strike As Nigeria grapples with a healthcare crisis, the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has entered its tenth day, leaving countless patients stranded and desperate for care. Over 11,000 resident doctors are participating in this industrial action, which has effectively paralyzed medical services across the country. The line between life and death has become uncomfortably thin as hospitals reduce their operations due to the…

Arab League’s classroom diplomacy lands in Mogadishu On a humid Saturday in Mogadishu, Somalia’s prime minister received a delegation from the Arab League with a familiar promise: help for the country’s classrooms, and a renewed push to strengthen the teaching of Arabic. The visit, led by Zayd Al-Sabbaan, who oversees the Horn of Africa and Sudan at the Arab League, came with warm words about deepening cooperation on politics, economics and development. It also arrived with few specifics—no dollar amounts, no timelines, no…

EU’s €2.95bn fine on Google exposes a new fault line: regulators vs. politicians The European Commission’s decision to fine Alphabet’s Google €2.95 billion over alleged anti‑competitive behaviour in its ad‑tech business has landed in the middle of a transatlantic tug-of-war — and now risks spilling into trade politics. The penalty, the fourth major sanction handed to the search giant by Brussels over the past decade, prompted an unusually blunt response from the United States: former President Donald Trump wrote on Truth…

Somali Woman Found Dead in Nairobi Guest House; Police Launch Manhunt for Companion Nairobi’s South B neighborhood woke to a grim discovery on Monday: the body of a 35-year-old Somali woman, identified by police as Farhiyo Ahmed, lying in a small guest room just off the busy Fuata Nyayo corridor. What began late the night before as a budget check-in for two has turned into a homicide investigation and a hunt for a man police say fled the scene. What We Know So Far According to a police report filed at Mariguini Police…

Strengthening Ties: Kenya and Germany Forge Pathways through Migration Partnership In a world increasingly defined by movement, migration stands at the crux of opportunity and challenge. As nations grapple with the dynamics of global migration, Kenya and Germany have taken a proactive step forward. Their inaugural Joint Implementation Committee meeting under the Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement marks a significant milestone in their bilateral relations. Nurturing Trust and Expanding Opportunities…

The Gold Coin Dilemma: Zimbabwe’s Currency Crisis Continues to Unfold In a bid to stabilize its struggling economy, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe made a bold announcement in April 2023: gold coins were to be reintroduced into the market. This move was intended as a countermeasure to the increasingly erratic global gold prices that were wreaking havoc on local currency values. Yet, as the months unfolded, the temporarily revived enthusiasm for these coins proved to be a fleeting beacon of hope against long-standing financial…

Next week, NATO and Ukraine will convene in Brussels to discuss Russia's recent launch of an experimental hypersonic missile, according to diplomatic sources. This assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council is scheduled for Tuesday and will take place at the ambassadorial level. The meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to the missile strike that struck the city of Dnipro, officials reported. A NATO spokeswoman stated, "The deployment of such a missile won't alter the conflict's trajectory or dissuade NATO allies from…

In a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, Russia has issued a stark warning following Ukraine's deployment of longer-range US missiles on its soil for the first time. This warning comes on the 1,000th day since the onset of the war, marked by President Vladimir Putin's chilling nuclear threats. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, "The attack signals that Western nations are intent on escalating the hostilities." Is it just posturing? Perhaps, but Lavrov insisted this…