Wednesday May 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia will administer its national secondary school examinations for the 2025-26 academic year from June 20 to June 25, the Ministry of Education announced Wednesday. Officials said close to 40,000 students from the federal member states and the Banadir region are set to take part in this year’s tests. Education officials said the national exams are a key part of efforts to strengthen Somalia’s education system and create a unified standard for assessing student performance across…

Monday May 11, 2026 Jigjiga (AX) — A long-awaited solution to Qabridaharre’s water problems took a major step forward on Sunday, when Ethiopia’s Somali Regional Government broke ground on a 407 million birr water purification plant aimed at easing chronic shortages and improving water quality in the town. Somali Regional State President Mustafa Muhumed Omar and Water Affairs Minister Ahmed Miraad Layli led the foundation-laying ceremony, joined by local and district officials. The plant is slated to supply clean, treated…

Friday May 8, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia's federal government says it plans to construct 12,000 homes to help resettle nearly 80,000 people living in informal settlements and other locations deemed unsafe or unsuitable across the country. Announcing the initiative in Mogadishu on Friday, Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing Ayuub Ismail said the program is designed to assist families residing in high-risk areas, including flood-prone zones, government-owned land and land close to public facilities such as…

Thursday April 9, 2026 Türkiye’s deep-sea drillship Çağrı Bey is due to dock in Mogadishu on Friday, launching a nearly 10-month drilling campaign that will mark the country’s first deepwater exploration project beyond its own shores. The vessel set sail from southern Türkiye in mid-February and is expected to wrap up its 53-day voyage with a ceremony in the Somali capital, where Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar is scheduled to attend. Once in port, the ship will head to a drilling site roughly 372…

Iran and the United States stood at a stubborn impasse Thursday, each digging in over ceasefire terms as diplomacy stalled and fears of further escalation grew with more U.S. forces nearing the Middle East. At the same time, President Donald Trump extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, pushing it to April 6. Tehran also tightened its control over the waterway, while Israel increased troop levels in southern Lebanon as it continued fighting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. In Israel, sirens…

NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from torrential rains and flash floods that ripped through Nairobi and other parts of Kenya has nearly doubled to 42, the government said late Sunday, as military-led teams combed submerged neighborhoods and riverbanks for the missing. Intense downpours on Friday swamped roads, swept away vehicles and inundated homes and workshops in low-lying districts, including the Grogan area of downtown Nairobi, a hub for auto garages and spare parts traders. Floodwaters also disrupted traffic at the…

GAROWE, Somalia — Puntland State authorities on Saturday released the names and photographs of nearly 50 foreign Islamic State fighters captured during military operations in the Calmiskaat mountains of the Bari region, days after declaring the yearlong campaign against the group largely complete. Security officials said the detainees hail from at least seven countries, underscoring the transnational reach of Islamic State’s Somalia branch. The largest contingents presented were from Ethiopia and Morocco. Ethiopia: 18…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali security agencies say nearly 10,000 police officers have been mobilized to secure Mogadishu’s local council elections on Dec. 25, a vote billed as the capital’s first direct, one-person, one-vote poll in more than 50 years. Speaking to reporters Sunday, Internal Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Farataag) said the Somali Police Force has finalized a citywide security plan to safeguard voters, polling stations, election workers and critical infrastructure throughout the Banadir region.…

Mogadishu races to deliver voter cards as Dec. 25 Banadir local elections near MOGADISHU — Nearly 200,000 registered voters in Banadir have received official voting cards ahead of the Dec. 25 local council elections, Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) said Saturday, easing fears that delays could keep many Mogadishu residents from the polls. The vote will be the first time Mogadishu residents directly elect their local council and mayor — a milestone the commission has called historic.…