Sunday May 24, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that Banadir district commissioner elections will be held after the Eid al-Adha holiday, with newly chosen local council members set to vote for district leaders and their deputies. Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh unveiled the plan in Mogadishu during a training session for newly elected local council members. He described the vote as part of a broader effort to complete a democratic and accountable…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Hormuud Telecom, Somalia’s largest telecommunications company, on Tuesday unveiled a partnership with Get-Phone to introduce the country’s first structured smartphone financing plan. The program is designed to help millions of low-income Somalis obtain internet-enabled phones for the first time, targeting what officials described as the affordability gap that continues to keep many people out of the digital economy, even as 4G service now reaches more than 70% of the population. Under…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a move that could reshape access to mobile technology in Somalia, Hormuud Telecom on Tuesday unveiled a new partnership with Get-Phone to introduce the country’s first structured smartphone financing plan. The program is designed to reach millions of low-income Somalis who have long been priced out of internet-enabled handsets, tackling what company officials described as the “affordability gap” that remains the biggest obstacle to digital inclusion. That challenge persists even…

Somalia: Hormuud Telecom, Get-Phone Launch Somalia’s Largest Smartphone Financing Program to Bridge Digital Divide MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s biggest telecom operator has teamed up with Get-Phone in a bid to put smartphones within reach of millions who have so far been priced out of the country’s digital economy. Hormuud Telecom said Tuesday that the partnership will introduce Somalia’s first formal smartphone financing program, a move designed to narrow the affordability gap that still keeps many low-income Somalis…

Thursday April 23, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and China on Wednesday opened a new research center dedicated to Chinese modernization, a move officials say will broaden cooperation between the two countries and deepen the exchange of ideas. The Center for Research on Chinese Modernization was inaugurated at the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during a ceremony that brought together senior government officials and diplomats. Permanent Secretary Hamza Haadow and China’s…

Saturday April 11, 2026 Türkiye is preparing to launch its first deep-sea drilling project abroad, a milestone that Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Friday in Mogadishu will usher in a new era for the country’s energy ambitions. The Curad-1 well, located offshore Somalia, is the centerpiece of the effort. Situated about 372 kilometers from Mogadishu, the well will probe a geological formation flagged as promising after months of seismic work carried out by Türkiye's Oruc Reis vessel.…

Friday April 10, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia marked a major energy breakthrough on Friday as Turkey’s deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey arrived off Mogadishu’s coast, setting the stage for the country’s first offshore deep-water oil exploration project. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, senior government officials and other dignitaries gathered at Mogadishu port to استقبال the vessel, which will anchor the opening drilling campaign under a bilateral energy agreement between Somalia…

What began as a family vacation from northeastern Maine quickly turned into something far rarer for Jason Heath: a front-row seat to history as NASA prepares to send Artemis II into space. "It's definitely cool to know that humans are going further than ever before," said the 40-year-old shipbuilder, speaking from Cocoa Beach, the bustling Florida resort near the NASA launch site where the towering orange-and-white rocket is due to thunder into the sky. "It's definitely pretty cool to know that I'll be around," he said.…

Airstrikes flew between Israel and Iran as Tehran’s unified military command dismissed President Donald Trump’s assertion that Washington was negotiating an end to the conflict, bluntly saying the United States was “negotiating with itself.” The rebuke — issued by the joint command dominated by the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — came amid reports that the US had transmitted a 15-point proposal to Tehran for discussion. “Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you (Trump) negotiating with…

Museveni joins Salaam Bank to launch Uganda’s first Islamic insurance company KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday inaugurated Tamini General Insurance alongside Salaam Bank, unveiling Uganda’s first Shari’ah-compliant insurer and marking a new chapter for Islamic finance in the country. The launch at Millennium Park in Kampala coincided with an iftar dinner attended by senior government officials and leaders of the Muslim community. Tamini General Insurance, a subsidiary of Salaam Group, will operate on…