launches

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia moved on Wednesday to tighten the reins on its agriculture efforts, unveiling a national coordination platform in Mogadishu designed to bring greater order to the sector and bolster food security nationwide. The new initiative is intended to align agricultural programs, improve cooperation among government bodies, international partners and development agencies, and help Somali farmers raise output as drought and climate pressures continue to bite. The launch ceremony drew…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has unveiled a broad shake-up of his cabinet, regional governors and senior officials, carrying out his first major government overhaul in more than two years. The decree, released Tuesday by the Puntland State Presidency, names a 43-member cabinet covering major ministries including justice, interior, health, planning, information and fisheries. The reshuffle appears aimed at tightening governance and adjusting the administration’s political…

Israel has carried out a “wide-scale” wave of strikes on Iran, according to a live update stating the action. The notice did not immediately provide further specifics. The initial line contained no details on the locations, timing or targets of the strikes, and did not include information on casualties or damage. It also did not cite sources, identify the nature of the assets involved, or describe whether the reported action was ongoing. Because the alert offered only the headline descriptor “wide-scale,” it was not possible…

Kharg Island sits at the fulcrum of Middle East energy and security. Any clash that reaches its shores is not just a military episode; it is a shock to the arteries of global trade. Amid reports of U.S. strikes near Kharg and signals of Iranian retaliation, the stakes are worth laying out clearly: this is where geopolitics meets the lifeblood of the world economy, and miscalculation can travel far beyond the Persian Gulf. Kharg Island, roughly 25 miles off Iran’s coast in the northern Persian Gulf, is the hub through which…

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced an investigation into the March 6 missile attack on a Ghanaian peacekeeping base in Lebanon. This move comes in response to a formal complaint lodged by the Ghanaian government, which is demanding a thorough inquiry into the strike that injured four soldiers amidst the escalating conflict involving Israel, Iran, and the United States. The wounded peacekeepers received immediate medical treatment at a facility within the base before being evacuated to the UN Mission's…

DOHA, Qatar — Iran launched missiles and drones across the Gulf on Wednesday, claiming strikes on U.S. forces in Kuwait, as several Gulf states reported intercepts and casualties and maritime authorities said two commercial ships were hit near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation comes hours before a United Nations Security Council vote on a Gulf Cooperation Council-backed resolution demanding Tehran halt attacks on its Arab neighbors. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired four missiles at the headquarters of…

AFRICOM targets ISIS-Somalia hideouts in Puntland State airstrike near Bosaso MOGADISHU — U.S. Africa Command said Tuesday it carried out an airstrike against ISIS-Somalia fighters in northeastern Somalia, striking mountain hideouts in Puntland State’s Bari region as joint counterterrorism operations continue. In a statement, AFRICOM said the strike took place about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of the port city of Bosaso, in areas identified as Togga Baallade and along the Al-Miskaad mountain range. The command said…

Thursday, March 5, 2026 KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Thursday launched Tamini General Insurance, billed as Uganda’s first Islamic insurance firm, at Millennium Park–Lugogo in Kampala during an iftar dinner hosted by Senior Presidential Advisor for Political Affairs Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo. Tamini General Insurance, part of Salaam Group, will offer Sharia-compliant insurance services built on mutual risk-sharing and oversight. Company executives said the model is designed to broaden financial inclusion…

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has granted an amnesty that will free 4,305 inmates in a move the government says is designed to relieve severe prison overcrowding and promote rehabilitation. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the clemency order on Wednesday, saying the beneficiaries include women convicted of lesser offences, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates and people with disabilities. The order also covers inmates housed in Open Prisons and prisoners who have served at least 20…

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and multiple areas across Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones at a military base near Haifa in northern Israel, calling the operation retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a statement, the Iran-aligned Lebanese group said the attack was “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions.” “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the…