#President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

[saxafimedianetwork]

A Riot Of Color: Somaliland's Chameleon Election Campaign

#Somaliland's vibrant election campaign showcases a 'riot of color' as voters prepare to choose their next president. With a strong democratic tradition, #Somalilanders are eager to demonstrate their model to the world in hopes of gaining int'l recognition.

Continue reading A Riot Of Color: Somaliland’s Chameleon Election Campaign

[zvaigzdelasas]

Somalia and the UAE have signed an agreement to bolster military and security ties, along with cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts, as the two countries work to improve strained relations, Anadolu News Agency [Turkish State Media] reports.

The deal was inked on Wednesday evening in Abu Dhabi by Somali Defence Minister, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur and his counterpart, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Bowardi.

The agreement will enhance "institutional capacity-building of Somalia's security forces and support ongoing efforts to eradicate Al-Shabaab from Somalia," Nur said in a statement.[...]

Bilateral ties between the countries have been lukewarm for several years, particularly over Somali allegations of UAE's interference in its internal politics.

Relations plummeted during ex-President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed [ ("Farmaajo")]'s tenure, with the Somali Parliament going as far as banning Emirati state-owned ports operator, DP World, declaring it a threat to Somalia's sovereignty.

UAE, in response, closed a military facility and a hospital in Mogadishu, while also disbanding its military training mission.

President [Hassan Sheikh] Mohamud, who led Somalia from 2012 to 2017 and started his second tenure last May, has made mending diplomatic relations with UAE a top foreign policy priority.

5 Jan 23

[mouthpiecengr]

Ndume: Akpabio Has Reduced Senate To FG Parastatal — Salihu Lukman

Former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio of reducing the Nigerian Senate to a parastatal under the President Bola Tinubu APC-led administration. Lukman’s position is against the backdrop of the sack of the Senate Whip, Mohammed Ndume by the Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working…

[tracknews1]

Ndume Sacked as Senate Chief Whip

The Senator representing Borno North, Sen. Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno) has replaced Sen. Ali Ndume representing Borno South (APC-Borno) as the Chief Whip of the Senate. This was contained in a letter by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje to the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio. The letter titled “Complaints Against the Unbecoming Utterances…

[gidd-blog1]

Miyetti Allah president backtracks, says Nasarawa gov not behind creation of militia

The embattled president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo has denied media reports linking Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State to his current legal battle with security agencies. Bodejo, speaking through his lawyer, Mohammed Sherif on Monday, said he was yet to make any valid statement in his custody at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). Sheriff said this in a press statement…

[hardynwa]

Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Tuesday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers: 1. The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Monday, approved the adoption of the Oronsaye Report aimed at the reduction of cost of governance, for implementation. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to journalists during a media briefing after the FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu. 2. The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has suspended the sale of seized food items after a stampede claimed lives at NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State last Friday. Spokesperson for the Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, announced this in a statement on Monday. 3. A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed March 19 for ruling on a fresh bail application filed by the detained leader of the prescribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Binta Nyako chose the date on Monday, February 26, after taking arguments from lawyers to parties at the resumed hearing in the terrorism case brought against Kanu by the federal government. 4. The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on Monday urged the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to shelve its planned industrial action and embrace dialogue with the federal government. A statement by NANS Senate president, Akinteye Afeez said the impact of the strike on academic activities would be particularly devastating for students, who are already grappling with various challenges within the educational system. 5. The Southwest conference of speakers has advocated the immediate creation of state police and devolution of powers to address the hydra-headed insecurity and other socio-economic challenges facing the country. The speakers, in a communique signed and made available to journalists after their meeting held in Ikogosi-Ekiti, said more power should be given to the sub-nationals to further enable them to deliver dividends of democracy to the people. 6. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says registration for its 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, ended on Monday, Feb. 26. The board made this known in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar in Abuja. The 2024 exercise began on Monday, Jan.15, in over 700 Computer Based Test, CBT, centres nationwide. 7. No fewer than seven people were reportedly killed in a rival cult clash that rocked North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi, Benue State. The severity of the clash, according to an eyewitness, forced the market located around the area to close for business. According to a source, the clash was between Black Axe and Red Axe cult groups. 8. The Federal Government on Monday said it would extend its social security payment net to graduates with qualifications from NCE and upwards. Addressing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Monday, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, disclosed that the programme would see unemployed Nigerian youths being paid stipends. 9. Scores of youths, on Monday, hit the streets of Lagos State to protest against the soaring prices of foodstuff and the high cost of living in the country. The protesters voiced their displeasure over what they described as hardship and suffering under President Bola Tinubu, threatening to go on a nationwide action if the suffering persists. 10. No fewer than 51 illegal miners and three suspected telecom mast vandals have been arrested by operatives of the FCT Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. The NSCDC FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu disclosed this at the Command’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday. Read the full article

[screenwritinggym]

Hey, Farmaajo, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022, need a trustworthy Jewish friend? Don’t hesitate to call SHYNE, Belize Leader of the Opposition, his IG link: https://www.instagram.com/shyne_bz/

[somalilandcurrentnews]

Former Somaliland Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Appointed Ambassador for “Grain from Ukraine”

Former Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Abdullahi Omar has been appointed an Ambassador for ‘Grain from Ukraine’ Programme. Following the appointment, Dr. Omar will be unveiled by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a food security summit in Kyiv on Saturday, November 25. The summit will commemorate the first anniversary of the Grain from Ukraine initiative. Global leaders,…

[crimechannels]

By • Olalekan Fagbade Presidential election: Vice President Shettima, Ribadu, Ganduje,Governors others storm PEPC Presidential election: VP Shettima, Ribadu, governors storm PEPC by Sunday Ejike September 6, 2023 Reading Time: 2 mins read A A Presidential election: VP Shettima, Ribadu, governors storm PEPC Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Governor Biodun Oyebanji Ekiti and the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje are among those that have arrived the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja for the judgement in the three petitions challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election. Others who arrived at the court before the commencement of the judgement by Justice Haruna Tsammani’s three-member panel are, Imo State governor, Hope Uzodima; his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello; Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawale; the Labour Party chairman, Julius Abure; lawyers and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). Already, television stations had, on Monday, set up their outside broadcast equipment in preparation for the live broadcast of the judgement The Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Mohammed Bangari had, on Monday confirmed the judgement day and added that the judgement will be televised live by interested television stations for the public to follow to promote transparency and openness. Access to the courtroom was tough as security officials had to identify people with accreditation tags before accessing the courtroom. The Labour Party, PDP and their presidential candidates as well as the APM, in their petitions, are seeking the nullification of Tinubu’s election on the grounds of substantial noncompliance with the law. The five-member panel of Justices will soon commence sitting. #Ganduje #Governorsstormtribunalvenue #Ribadu #Shettima

[saxafimedianetwork]

Presidential Candidates Obtain Candidacy Certificates, Promising to a Fair and Transparent Process

#Somaliland #Presidential #candidates receive candidacy certificates, pledging a fair & transparent process ahead of the Nov 13 elections. Let's work together towards a peaceful democratic process. #SomalilandElections2024 @SLNECHQ

Continue reading Presidential Candidates Obtain Candidacy Certificates, Promising to a Fair and Transparent Process

[sageglobalresponse]

NASENI empowers 100 Nasarawa youths in POP production, others

Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Mohammed Haruna (right); District Head of Gora, Alhaji Jafaru Adamu and a beneficiary of NASENI skill acquisition training, Usman Rija with other dignitaries during the Youth Empowerment on Modern Methods of Casting Plaster of Paris (POP) and its Application at CSS Global Integrated Farms, Gora, Nasarawa State…yesterday.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has moved to Nasarawa State to train 100 youths in the production of Plaster of Paris (POP) and installation.

The training programme was the first phase of NASENI’s North Central regional skill development, as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to ensure that youths are trained in various trades.

Declaring the training open, yesterday, in Nasarawa, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Haruna, said: “The skill development training and youth empowerment programme by the agency across the country are aimed at introducing modern and technological ways of carrying out existing trades by the people at the grassroots. It was also targeted at developing the needed critical competent workforce for industrialisation of the country, a charge that had been given to NASENI by President Buhari.”

Haruna added that the training and re-training were to make practitioners more efficient and to enhance the prospects of earning a living from their chosen vocation.

The agency, he explained, always carried out its feasibility studies on vocations in all the geo-political zones of the country to know what the youth in each zone were already making a living from and to re-train them on using modern equipment to strengthen their skills and make room for job creation and self-reliance.

Haruna said: “We are in the nation’s home of solid minerals, Nasarawa, the North Central zone, to train 100 selected youths from the zone on the Modern Method of Casting POP and application. The POP is basically dehydrated gypsum, or calcium sulphate, available in powdered form.”

When the dry powder is mixed with water, it rehydrates and sets in the shape of the mould into hard gypsum again.” Haruna thanked Buhari for empowering NASENI to lead Nigeria to a manufacturing economy and undoubtedly skill development, which is key pre-requisite in the development of a competent workforce for Nigeria.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, who was a special guest at the occasion, said if the use of POP were in high demand in the state and beyond, then the prospect of wealth creation and bringing job satisfaction to those involved in this area of vocation are also high.

Prof. Umar Gurku represented him at the event. Chairman of occasion, Sen. Solomon Ewuga, who was FCT Minister, commended Buhari for the programme of empowering the people at the grassroots.

He said: “It was only a caring government that could come down to empower the people at the grassroots, traders and people with vocations.”He urged the trainees to take the new knowledge very seriously and to resume their determination to succeed, especially as they received high-level attention by the Federal Government.

[timesofocean]

Somali parliament elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president

New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/somali-parliament-elects-hassan-sheikh-mohamud-as-president/

Somali parliament elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president

Mogadishu (The Times Groupe)- Somali lawmakers from both houses of parliament gathered in a hangar inside heavily fortified Mogadishu International Airport Sunday to elect Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president, defeating incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmajo.

214 out of 327 votes were cast for Mohamed’s immediate predecessor, Mohamud.

Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, who announced the results, said the incumbent president received 110 votes, while three votes were disqualified.

Three rounds and 36 candidates took part in the election, which was very tense.

In his concession speech, Mohammed said, “I thank all of the members of parliament who voted for me and those who did not vote for me.”

In the minutes following the announcement of the results, Mohamud was sworn in and thanked his predecessor for the peaceful transfer of power.

[zvaigzdelasas]

Mohamed, 66, who governed Somalia from 2012 to 2017, beat incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known locally as Farmajo, in a final round of voting to reclaim the post on May 15. While Farmajo forged close relations with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Mohamud has long-standing ties with the rulers of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, who fought a war with Abiy’s forces and its Eritrean allies from late 2020 until a truce was agreed in March.

The power shift has emboldened the Tigrayans, who are [allegedly] considering attacking the Eritrean capital of Asmara, according to three diplomats in the region who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to comment. That would open a new chapter in the Ethiopian conflict, which has already claimed thousands of lives.

Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael wrote to Mohamud on Monday congratulating him on his victory and expressing his “readiness to cooperate in the overall stability of the region, building upon excellent pre-existing relations.” And Getachew Reda, a senior Tigrayan leader, said in a Twitter posting on the Somali elections that Isaias’s “pharaonic ambition in the Horn of Africa is decidedly unraveling.” [...]

Farmajo’s defeat has been welcomed in Kenya, which clashed with his administration over the rights to oil blocks and its approach toward tackling al-Shabaab. [...]

Mohamud’s fight against al-Shabaab will be bolstered by a decision by US President Joe Biden to send Special Operations troops back to Somalia to revive a counterterrorism mission that was ended by Donald Trump’s administration.

17 May 22

[hardynwa]

Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Tuesday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers: 1. The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Monday, approved the adoption of the Oronsaye Report aimed at the reduction of cost of governance, for implementation. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to journalists during a media briefing after the FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu. 2. The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has suspended the sale of seized food items after a stampede claimed lives at NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State last Friday. Spokesperson for the Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, announced this in a statement on Monday. 3. A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed March 19 for ruling on a fresh bail application filed by the detained leader of the prescribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Binta Nyako chose the date on Monday, February 26, after taking arguments from lawyers to parties at the resumed hearing in the terrorism case brought against Kanu by the federal government. 4. The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on Monday urged the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to shelve its planned industrial action and embrace dialogue with the federal government. A statement by NANS Senate president, Akinteye Afeez said the impact of the strike on academic activities would be particularly devastating for students, who are already grappling with various challenges within the educational system. 5. The Southwest conference of speakers has advocated the immediate creation of state police and devolution of powers to address the hydra-headed insecurity and other socio-economic challenges facing the country. The speakers, in a communique signed and made available to journalists after their meeting held in Ikogosi-Ekiti, said more power should be given to the sub-nationals to further enable them to deliver dividends of democracy to the people. 6. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says registration for its 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, ended on Monday, Feb. 26. The board made this known in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar in Abuja. The 2024 exercise began on Monday, Jan.15, in over 700 Computer Based Test, CBT, centres nationwide. 7. No fewer than seven people were reportedly killed in a rival cult clash that rocked North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi, Benue State. The severity of the clash, according to an eyewitness, forced the market located around the area to close for business. According to a source, the clash was between Black Axe and Red Axe cult groups. 8. The Federal Government on Monday said it would extend its social security payment net to graduates with qualifications from NCE and upwards. Addressing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Monday, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, disclosed that the programme would see unemployed Nigerian youths being paid stipends. 9. Scores of youths, on Monday, hit the streets of Lagos State to protest against the soaring prices of foodstuff and the high cost of living in the country. The protesters voiced their displeasure over what they described as hardship and suffering under President Bola Tinubu, threatening to go on a nationwide action if the suffering persists. 10. No fewer than 51 illegal miners and three suspected telecom mast vandals have been arrested by operatives of the FCT Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. The NSCDC FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu disclosed this at the Command’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday. Read the full article

[newstfionline]

Sunday, May 2, 2021

US to restrict travel from India over COVID starting Tuesday (AP) The U.S. will restrict travel from India starting May 4, the White House said Friday, citing a devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. With 386,452 new cases, India now has reported more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the United States. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208,330. Experts believe both figures are an undercount, but it’s unclear by how much. The White House waited on the CDC recommendation before moving to restrict travel, noting that the U.S. already requires negative tests and quarantines for all international travelers. Other restrictions are in place on travel from China, Iran, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil and South Africa, which are or have been hotspots for the coronavirus.

Biden administration forges new path on North Korea crisis (Washington Post) The Biden administration is charting a new course in an attempt to end North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, striking a balance between President Donald Trump’s grand-bargain, leader-to-leader diplomacy and President Barack Obama’s arm’s-length approach to the crisis, said U.S. officials familiar with the plan. The decision to pursue a phased agreement that leads to full denuclearization follows a months-long review that was briefed to President Biden last week. “We are not seeking a grand bargain or an all-or-nothing approach,” a senior administration official said in an interview Thursday. “What we’ve settled on is what we think is a calibrated, practical approach to diplomacy with the North with the goal of eliminating the threat to the United States.” The specifics of the proposal Washington will put forward remain unclear, and U.S. officials are not using familiar terms that previous U.S. administrations have used, such as a “step by step” agreement. U.S. officials said they planned to convey the new strategy to North Korean officials but acknowledged that it was not likely to change the regime’s near-term calculus regarding nuclear provocations. “We do not think what we are contemplating is likely to forestall provocation from the North,” said the senior official. “We fully intend to maintain sanctions pressure while this plays out.”

Biden cancels border wall projects Trump paid for with diverted military funds (Washington Post) The Biden administration said Friday it has canceled border wall projects paid for with funds diverted from Defense Department accounts, a widely expected move that follows Biden’s decision to suspend construction activity on President Donald Trump’s signature project. Trump diverted about $10 billion from military construction accounts and counternarcotic programs to pay for hundreds of miles of steel barriers along the Mexico border, an effort that Biden has denounced as wasteful and ineffective. Trump built 450 miles of new barriers during his term, much of it across the deserts and mountains of southern Arizona where his administration built along national forest land, wildlife preserves and other federal property already under government control. It built far less in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the busiest area for border crossings and the epicenter to a major migration influx.

Bolsonaro has insulted much of the world. Now Brazil needs its help. (Washington Post) Two developing countries, enormous in population and geography, in the grip of devastating coronavirus outbreaks. Hospitals running out of supplies. Patients turned away. A new variant everywhere. Outside help desperately needed. For India, upended by record infection rates, the world has responded. The White House this week touted the delivery of more than $100 million in supplies. Singapore and Thailand sent oxygen. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom would do “all it can.” But for Brazil, which has buried some 140,000 coronavirus victims in the past two months, the international response has been more muted. President Jair Bolsonaro in March called on international organizations to help. A group of state governors asked the United Nations for “humanitarian aid.” The Brazilian ambassador to the European Union begged two weeks ago for help: “It’s a race against time to save many lives in Brazil.” But the response has largely been a shrug, criticism of Brazil’s missteps—and limited action, so far. The contrast between how the international community has addressed the crises in India and Brazil shows how Brasilia’s mounting diplomatic struggles have complicated the country’s coronavirus response. The international image it has spent decades cultivating—environmentally focused, amiable, multilateral—has been undercut by a president whose administration has insulted much of the world at the very time Brazil was in most need of its help. “The whole world is trying to help India,” said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “But Bolsonaro has become such an international problem that no one ... is talking about giving Brazil much help.”

EU aims to cut foreign reliance on chips, pharma materials (Reuters) The European Union aims to cut its dependency on Chinese and other foreign suppliers in six strategic areas including raw materials, pharmaceutical ingredients and semiconductors, under an industrial action plan to be announced next week. A draft seen by Reuters outlined the urgency of the task ahead, citing Europe’s reliance on China for about half of 137 products used in sensitive ecosystems, mainly raw materials and pharmaceuticals and other products key to the bloc’s green and digital goals.

Suicide truck bomber hits Afghan guest house, killing 21 (AP) The death toll in a powerful suicide truck bombing that struck a guest house in eastern Afghanistan rose to 21 with as many as 90 others wounded, officials said Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the late Friday night bombing in Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar province. There was no indication why the guest house was targeted. In Afghanistan, guest houses are lodgings often provided for free by the government, usually for the poor, travelers and students.

Extreme weather kills 11, injures 102 in eastern China (AP) An extreme thunderstorm hit an eastern Chinese city, leaving 11 dead and 102 injured, with strong winds causing buildings and trees to collapse. Nantong city, located in the eastern province of Jiangsu, was among the hardest-hit when the extreme weather swept the Yangtze Delta on Friday night, according to state-affiliated newspaper Global Times. Wind speeds of 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour overturned a fishing ship. Two sailors were rescued and search operations were underway for the nine remaining crew, the notice said.

Myanmar risks coming to standstill as violence worsens—U.N. envoy (Reuters) The U.N. special envoy on Myanmar told the Security Council on Friday that in the absence of a collective international response to the country’s coup, violence is worsening and the running of the state risks coming to a standstill, according to diplomats who attended the private meeting. “The general administration of the state could risk coming to a standstill as the pro-democracy movement continues in spite of the ongoing use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests and torture as part of the military’s repression,” Schraner Burgener said, according to diplomats. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group says more than 3,400 people have been detained for opposing the coup and security forces have killed at least 759 protesters. Schraner Burgener said there were concerning reports that civilians, mostly students from the urban areas, were being trained how to use weapons by ethnic armed organizations. “In the absence of a collective international response, there has been a rise in violence and reported use of improvised explosive devices. Calls for maximum restraint by all sides have been met with responses from some protesters asking who can blame them for their self-defense,” she said, according to diplomats.

The Bureaucrat From Buffalo Who Pushed Somalia to the Brink (NYT) During his years as an administrator at the Department of Transportation in upstate New York, the Somali refugee turned U.S. citizen earned a master’s degree in American Studies, imbibing democratic values he hoped to one day export back to his homeland. That dream came true for Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in 2017, when he returned to Somalia and was elected president in a surprise victory that evinced high hopes he might reform—even transform—his dysfunctional, war-weary country. But those aspirations have crumbled since Mr. Mohamed failed to hold elections when his four-year term ended in February, then moved to extend his rule by two years—a step many Somalis viewed as a naked power grab. A furious political dispute turned violent on Sunday when a series of gunfights broke out between rival military factions in the capital, Mogadishu, evoking fears that Somalia, after years of modest yet gradual progress, could descend into the kind of clan-based bloodshed that ripped it apart in the 1990s. Now Mr. Mohamed’s democratic credentials lie in tatters and he is in an open confrontation with his former ally, the United States, where he still has a family home. This week American officials reiterated calls for Somalia to hold elections immediately.

Factory owners around the world stand ready to manufacture covid-19 vaccines (The Intercept) The drug industry has strenuously argued that any legal proposal to allow the sharing of intellectual property and creation of generic coronavirus vaccines is pointless because there are no facilities around the world that can be tapped. Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist whose foundations help manage the United States and Europe’s primary Covid-19 outreach efforts to the developing world, known as Covax, was blunt. “It’s not like there’s some idle vaccine factory, with regulatory approval, that makes magically safe vaccines,” Gates said last weekend by way of explaining to Sky News why he thought the recipe for making coronavirus vaccine should not be shared. Except it is exactly like that. Factory owners around the globe, from Bangladesh to Canada, have said they stand ready to retrofit facilities and move forward with vaccine production if given the chance.      “We have this production capacity and it’s not being used,” said John Fulton, a spokesperson for Biolyse Pharma, a company based in St. Catharines, Ontario, that produces injectable cancer treatments. Fulton noted that Biolyse has spent years buying equipment to produce biologics and is uniquely prepared to start getting ready to produce vaccines. The company, which Fulton said is best suited for replicating the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, could produce as many as 20 million vaccines per year, he estimated. Abdul Muktadir, chair and managing director of Incepta, a pharmaceutical firm based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has told reporters that his firm has the capacity to fill vials for 600 million to 800 million doses of vaccine per year. He has reportedly reached out to Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax. Other firms in South Korea and Pakistan have also reportedly expressed an interest in producing vaccines or vaccine components. In the past few months, the danger of not transferring the knowledge more quickly has become painfully clear, with deaths climbing in India, Brazil, and other parts of the world that have been unable to procure adequate supplies of vaccines while richer countries stockpile them.

[somalilandcurrentnews]

Pitfalls of the Proposed Presidential System

By Dr. Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed This is an attempt to shed light on the complexities of the recent constitutional review proposal made on 27/05/2023 by the National Consultative Council (NCC) composed of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and three regional presidents namely, President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe), President Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Guudlawe) of Hirshabelle, President Ahmed Abdi…