English News

Ethiopia Names 50% Female Cabinet in Government Overhaul

Abiy appointed Aisha Mohammed as defense minister and created the Ministry of Peace that will be headed by Mufuriat Kami, making them two of 10 women in his cabinet. Others include Adanech Abeebe to head the Ministry of Revenue and former deputy mayor of the capital, Dagmawit Moges, as transport minister.…

Ethiopia's PM names Ahmed Shide as finance minister

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday named Ahmed Shide as finance minister to replace Abraham Tekeste, the state broadcaster said. Shide was government spokesman before the appointment. Abiy, who took office in April after several years of unrest forced his predecessor to quit, moved…

Teen cousins found in Chaska pond accidentally drowned, authorities say

Their car veered off the road into the water. Family and friends who stood vigil prepared to gather again to bury the women. Two 19-year-old cousins whose bodies were pulled from a Chaska pond Sunday night accidentally drowned, authorities ruled Monday, while funeral plans were finalized in the wake…

Women poised to make history with 2018 midterm elections

This year, more congressional races feature two women as the leading candidates than ever before, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. Similarly, the U.S. is seeing the highest number of women of color being nominated for U.S. House seats, the CAWP said.…

Somalia's first ICT exhibition opens in Mogadishu

October 16, 2018) Somalia's first and largest ICT exhibition has today kicked off in Somalia`s capital, Mogadishu, showcasing the development Somalia is making in the field of communications and technology. ICT Expo Somalia is aimed at becoming a key event and essential part the country`s ICT sector…

Former Mogadishu mayor recalls deadliest attack

Can you relate what happened on October 14, 2017 and how you reacted as the Mayor of Mogadishu? I had just entered my office at the Mogadishu Municipality Headquarters when the blast went off and shook almost the entire city. I was horrified that I had just passed the Zoppe junction 10 minutes earlier.…

Eritrea: election to UN rights council is not a shield from scrutiny

The election of Eritrea as a member of the UN Human Rights Council (the Council) deals a blow to the Council's reputation given the government's abysmal human rights record. Nonetheless, the government's election will not insulate it from ongoing scrutiny of its domestic human rights…

Saudi Arabia's threat to hit the US economy would have been a lot scarier 15 years ago

A statement attributed only to an "official source," distributed by the Saudi government, said it rejects "any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures, or repeating false accusations." The government has denied…

Yemen could be 'worst famine in 100 years'

It's calling on the military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, to halt air strikes which are killing civilians, and contributing to what the UN says could become "the worst famine in the world in 100 years". Yemen's civil war began three years ago, when Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, seized…

2 bodies pulled from Chaska pond after frantic search for missing cousins

Family members and friends of Bushra Abdi and Zeynab "Hapsa" Abdalla held an agonizing vigil late into the freezing night at the site near Hwy. 41 and White Oak Drive after divers located a car that had been carrying the two women. After several hours of searching, police and firefighters announced…

Statement by the AU Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira, on the first anniversary of last October's heinous bomb attack on Mogadishu {PRESS RELEASE}

Today is a special day of remembrance and prayer, for the more than 587 fallen Somali brothers and sisters; and the 316 who sustained injuries. May the Almighty Allah rest the souls of our departed brothers and sisters in peace, and continue to comfort our injured ones. As we commemorate 12 months since…

Somalia executes perpetrator on anniversary of deadliest attack

Hundreds of Somalis gathered at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the attack in which a truck packed with explosives blew up at a busy intersection, destroying some 20 buildings in an apocalyptic scene in a city used to regular explosions at the hands of Islamist group Al-Shabaab. A year on, the…

Japanese passport now world's most powerful

According to the Henley Passport Index, compiled by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & PartnersCitizens, Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet. Having gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, Japanese citizens can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival…

Facebook now says data breach affected 29 million users, details impact

Cyber attackers stole data from 29 million Facebook accounts using an automated program that moved from one friend to the next, Facebook Inc (FB.O) announced on Friday, as the social media company said its largest-ever data theft hit fewer than the 50 million profiles it initially reported. The company…

Canada gives $50-million to UN Palestinian refugee agency that U.S. calls flawed

Canada is contributing $50-million to the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency – after the United States decided to stop funding what it called an "irredeemably flawed" organization. The new Canadian funds announced Friday will be allocated over two years to assist the health and education…

Update: At least 7 dead in suicide bombing in Somalia's Baidoa

At least nine people were wounded in a second blast when a grenade struck a Baidoa hotel, Col. Ahmed Muse told The Associated Press. Baidoa is a key economic center about 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of the capital, Mogadishu, and about the same distance east of the Ethiopian border. There was no…

UN highlights illegal Somali charcoal trafficking to Iran

Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab rebels are profiting from the illegal trafficking of charcoal exports produced in Somalia and transiting through Iran, United Nations experts said in a report recently shared with the UN Security Council. "The process involved using false Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory…

Somaliland govt challenged to source internal ways of generating income

Remittances were identified as one of the main sources of income to the people with the government tax collection way below its requirements. The government was also challenged not only to take pride in the peace and tranquility in the country but also to use the same to attract investors and tourists…

Khashoggi case: CCTV disappears from Saudi consulate in Turkey

Security footage removed and Turkish staff told to go home on day missing journalist visits Security camera footage was removed from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and Turkish staff were abruptly told to take a holiday on the day the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared while inside the…

SOMA concludes today a three – day Safety and Conflict Sensitivity Training Workshop for 12 journalists in Galkacyo City

Certificates of attendance were distributed to 12 journalists who have successfully completed a three-day Safety and Conflict Sensitivity Training Workshop for the journalists held in Galkacyo City, northern part of Puntland State of Somalia from 7th , 8th and 9th October 2018. Present at the ceremony…

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