Friday May 15, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency has announced a major shift in passport rules, saying applicants will soon need a national identity card or proof of registration before they can apply. Starting July 1, 2026, Somali citizens who do not hold a National Identification and Registration Authority card, known as a NIRA ID, or a certificate confirming registration will no longer be eligible to submit a passport application, the agency said Thursday. “Anyone who does not have a…

Somalia’s livestock sector has reached a defining moment. But if the country wants this hard-won success to translate into lasting wealth, it must stop letting its “gold” go to market at “silver” prices. The way forward, the article argues, is clear: Somalia must take control of the supply chain — from pasture to plate — and turn livestock from a raw export into a premium global brand. The Gap: Why Our Hard Work Earns Less At present, there is a deep mismatch between what the Somali bush produces and what international…

Tuesday May 12, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia has named Greek national Dimitrios Tourikis as its special representative to Greece, a move that signals a fresh push to expand its diplomatic footprint in Europe. Tourikis said Monday in a post on X that he had accepted the appointment and was honored by the role, adding that he would work to strengthen ties between North Western State of Somalia and the Hellenic Republic. North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not released…

South Africa has escalated its response to the extreme weather battering the country, declaring the ongoing severe storms a national disaster. The crisis spans six provinces — the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State, and Mpumalanga — where communities are contending with widespread disruption. The South African Weather Service cautioned that heavy downpours and powerful winds will persist in parts of the Western Cape. In a precautionary move, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED)…

Friday May 8, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Wednesday said Somalia’s federal government is ready to hear opposition concerns, but drew a firm line against any rhetoric or actions he said could threaten the country’s security and hard-won stability. At a press briefing in Mogadishu, Hamza took aim at recent comments by some former national leaders who have aligned themselves with the opposition, cautioning that political language should not be allowed to deepen national tensions. “I hope those…

In a decisive intervention, the national government has taken full control of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela placing the entity under administration amid mounting governance turmoil. Manamela said the move follows a protracted spell of governance failures, legal disputes and operational fragilities that have eroded NSFAS’s stability and credibility. The board has been rocked by multiple resignations, including that of its chairperson, while…

Zimbabwe will overhaul its assessment regime in 2027, compelling every school to use a single national examinations framework. Under the plan, all learners will be required to sit tests set by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerayi Moyo said the reform targets the country’s entrenched dual track. For years, many of Zimbabwe’s elite private institutions have focused almost exclusively on Cambridge Assessment International Education, sidelining ZIMSEC. The new…

Thursday April 30, 2026 What began as a routine day in Golders Green quickly turned into a major counterterrorism response after social media images circulated showing a suspect apparently carrying a knife through the north London neighbourhood. London (AX) — Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, in an incident police are treating as a terrorist attack. The men, identified as 34-year-old Shilome Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, who was known locally as Moshe Shine, were targeted on Wednesday in…

By Margaret KalekyeTuesday April 28, 2026 A Somali national has been convicted and jailed for belonging to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. Abdikarim Hassanow Hassan, also known as Ali, was sentenced on Monday by the Kahawa magistrates’ court after the Director of Public Prosecutions called four witnesses. The court handed Hassanow 10 years’ imprisonment for membership in Al-Shabaab, and a further 10 years for organising a meeting in support of a terrorist group. He was also given 10 years for radicalisation, another 10…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia’s National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) on Monday met with the National Independent Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), led by Chairperson Dr Maryan Qasim, to formally hand over its 2025 State of the Media Report. The document records 72 verified violations of media freedom between January and December 2025, painting a stark picture of a press corps operating under constant strain and official pressure. The report details a wide pattern of abuses, ranging from arbitrary arrests and…