Wednesday April 8, 2026 Kylian Mbappe (bottom) scored in the second half to give Real Madrid a lifeline in the Champions League battle with Bayern Munich © Thomas COEX / AFP Bayern Munich left the Santiago Bernabeu with a precious 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday, a result that moves the German giants a big step closer to the Champions League semifinals. Luis Diaz and Harry Kane struck for Bayern, while Kylian Mbappe answered for Madrid in a match that produced chances at both ends — though Bayern, the record…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set April 28 as the date for elections to the Southwest State House of Representatives and 11 district local councils, opening the way for the region to choose a president and lawmakers through a one-person, one-vote system within 45 days. Commission chairman Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan announced the schedule Monday in Baidoa, framing the ballot as a major milestone in widening public participation and strengthening…

By Edna Mohamed, Reuters and The Associated PressMonday April 6, 2026 Migrants deported last year by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025 The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says it is set to take in “third-country” nationals deported from the United States under a new arrangement with the administration of US President Donald Trump. According to a statement released Sunday by the…

Monday April 6, 2026 Türkiye's Çağrı Bey drillship is seen at a port, Mersin, southern Türkiye, Feb. 14, 2026. (AA Photo) Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the cusp of a historic first in its offshore energy sector, with Türkiye’s drillship Çağrı Bey due to arrive on April 10 to begin the country’s first deep-sea drilling campaign, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. Bayraktar, speaking at a gathering in Trabzon on April 4, said he plans to travel to Somalia before the vessel docks. “With the…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Sunday with traditional elders in Baidoa, stepping into the center of a delicate push to calm tensions and reinforce governance in Southwest State after recent political unrest. According to Villa Somalia, the talks centered on community reconciliation, support for Somalia’s democratization drive, the worsening drought and wider state-building efforts. The meeting comes days after federal authorities assumed control of Baidoa and installed an…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and Sudan have reached an agreement to waive visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, a development both governments say will help deepen ties and make official travel easier. The accord was signed on April 2 at the second meeting of the Somalia-Sudan Political Consultation Committee. The session was jointly led by Hamza Adan Haadow, permanent secretary at Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ambassador Muawiya Osman Khalid,…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal takeover of Baidoa and the swift naming of an interim administration in Southwest State have ignited a bitter constitutional showdown, with supporters of the move pointing to newly amended provisions and critics insisting the action breaches both federal and regional law. Federal government forces, working alongside fighters aligned with Southwest opposition groups, seized Baidoa after intense clashes with regional troops. Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Fuel shortages and soaring prices have turned a familiar Mogadishu street scene into a snapshot of economic strain: three-wheelers sitting idle by the roadside, drivers stranded, and livelihoods slipping out of reach. On April 2, 2026, a staff member refueled a three-wheeler at a petrol station in Somalia’s capital as the ripple effects of war in the Middle East continued to push fuel costs sharply higher across the country.(Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua) Abdulkadir Sharif eased his tuk-tuk to the side…

Friday April 3, 2026 The African Union (AU) on Friday praised the China-Pakistan five-point initiative aimed at easing the current peace and stability crisis in the Gulf and Middle East. In a statement, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the plan “constitutes a timely and constructive contribution to ongoing international efforts to de-escalate tensions and advance a political and diplomatic pathway.” He said the initiative’s “emphasis on an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians,…

Friday April 3, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia has rolled out a new digital platform aimed at tracking and curbing carbon emissions, marking a notable move in its effort to confront climate change and strengthen environmental protection. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said Thursday that the system, called “Green-Gate,” will monitor and regulate emissions produced by industrial operations, transportation and development projects across the territory. According to the ministry, the…