Journalists face threats of intimidation and censorship for reporting Covid-19 in Mogadishu and Hargeisa

Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the recent threats of intimidation and censorship against journalists reporting Covid-19 in Mogadishu and Hargeisa. On 30 March, during a meeting with the local journalists in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s Vice President, Abdirahman Abdullahi Seylici described any journalist who reports any Coronavirus case before the government confirmation “as a national criminal” in

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Somalia: Critical juncture to curb spread of COVID-19 and save lives

Photo/Somali Times Somalia is at a critical juncture where immediate action can still curb the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about the impact that the virus could have on communities weakened by violence and conflict, where displacement, malnutrition, and outbreaks of disease are

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Face coverings recommended, but Trump says he won’t wear one

President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, April 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public to help fight the spread of the new

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Political marketplace in Somalia: Penetration of money in power

In Somalia, money is crucial for everything, and it has shaped the dynamics and nature of its politics and power. For example, it plays an important role in who comes to power or wins elections. It also plays a great role in what sort of policies should be adopted or implemented. Its penetration into politics

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Global stocks down with US jobs, oil rally in focus

A currency trader checks the temperature of his colleague at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2020. Asian stocks were mixed Friday after Wall Street gained for the first time in three days on stronger oil prices despite enduring uncertainty about how long

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Ex Al-Shabaab commander and current Somali spy chief Fahad Yasin, Farmajo accuses veteran journalist Harun Maruf being a threat to national security

Somali spy chief Fahad Yasin, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo accuses veteran journalist Harun Maruf damning allegations against a respected journalist who co-authored one of the key books on Al-Shabaab and Islamic militancy in Somalia. Harun Maruf a journalist with VOA and author of “Inside Al-Shabaab, the Secret History of Al-Qaeda’s Most Powerful Ally,” was labelled

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Virus deaths, unemployment accelerating across Europe, US

City workers fumigate a street to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, April 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) Coronavirus deaths mounted with alarming speed in Spain, Italy and New York, the most lethal hot spot in the United States, while the outbreak has thrown 10 million Americans out

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U.N. agency keeps Africa food aid flowing amid coronavirus

Photo: Credit Reuters The United Nations food agency has negotiated a humanitarian corridor to keep food aid flowing in southern Africa after many countries shut their borders to stop the spread of the coronavirus, an official said on Thursday. Up to 45 million people in southern Africa face hunger following a devastating drought and two

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COVID-19: US announces $7M aid for Somalia

The U.S. announced on Thursday it will provide $7 million to help Somalia deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. “The U.S. Government is providing $7 million in humanitarian and health assistance to #Somalia for #COVID19 response,” read a tweet by the Somalia chapter of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “This assistance will primarily

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Coronavirus: Somaliland confirms Ethiopian Airlines it will not stop flying to Hargeisa Airport

Photo/Somali Times The Ethiopian colony says it will not stop flying Ethiopian Airlines to Hargeisa airport after it faces two cases of Coronavirus. Somaliland continues and it will not stop flights from Ethiopian Airlines where the disease is prevalent, and it is believed that it has led to cases of Coronavirus-related cases in Somaliland. Somaliland’s

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