NAIROBI - Somali money transfer companies moved more than $3.7 million in cash between suspected weapons traffickers in recent years, including to a Yemeni under U.S. sanctions for alleged militant links, according to a report seen by Reuters.

As the COVID-19 pandemic landed in Somalia in mid-March, there was rampant anxiety about how the country with one of the most fragile health systems could handle a pandemic that was wreaking havoc in wealthy nations.

The Lake Street Target store that was heavily damaged in riots following the death of George Floyd will reopen in mid-November.

TEHRAN – Visa-free travel for group tours between Iran and Russia could proffer equal conditions for both nations, Mohammad Qasemi, the director for marketing and advertising at the ministry of tourism has said. 

Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo has appointed Mohamed Hussein Roble as the new prime minister, replacing Hassan Khaire who was ousted in a no- confidence vote on July 25.

The Kenyan candidate in the race for World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General post, qualified on Friday for the next round of test after convincing member states of her capabilities.

Kenya on Friday announced the phased resumption of all outdoor and non-contact sporting activities, six months after these were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sports Minister Amina Mohamed gave the green light for non-contact sports such as athletics, cricket and golf. High contact sports such as football, boxing, judo, karate and water sports remain suspended.

One Seychelles will have 20 candidates running for the National Assembly while Lalyans Seselwa will have only four after the parties submitted nomination documents for their candidates to the Electoral Commission on Friday. «We have not been able to fill up candidates for all districts. We have done this with the intention to focus on the districts that we would win,» the leader of One Seychelles, Alain St Ange, told the press.  He said that One Seychelles is also giving support to an independent candidate standing for the St Louis district, located on the outskirts of Victoria. «We feel that he is a good person for the job and when we find someone with potential we support regardless of his political belief,» said St Ange.   Lalayans Seselwa has submitted nomination documents for four candidates. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)  Photo License: CC-BY  Lalyans Seselwa submitted nomination documents for four candidates, and the party's leader, Patrick Pillay, told the press initially he had announced the participation of 10 candidates but «today we came with only four. This is because when they heard that I was disqualified in the race, the candidates became discouraged to stand.»  Pillay's nomination for the presidential election on Wednesday was disqualified for not having a complete list of 500 supporters who are registered voters as a form of endorsement to the candidate standing.    On the question of why he is not presenting himself as a candidate for the National Assembly, Pillay said that he has other roles to play within the party and will focus on that. He said his proposed running mate, Weston Wirtz, has submitted his nomination for the central English River district. Upon submission of the nomination documents, the proposed candidates, if certified, will be issued with a document by the Electoral Commission certifying that they are a candidate for the 2020 National Assembly election. Among the documents that the candidates submitted were a certificate from the Electoral Commission certifying that they have deposited the sum of SCR1,500, a list of 50 supporters who are registered voters of the electoral area of which the candidate wishes to contest with copies of ID cards of all supporters who have signed. Both the presidential and legislative elections of Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, will take place October 22-24.

The 2020 French Open tennis tournament is scheduled to run between September 27 and October 11

If the situation develops in line with the baseline forecast, the regulator will consider the necessity of further key rate reduction at its upcoming meetings, the Central Bank stated

According to reports, the man shouted no slogans, and his true motives remain unknown

According to the report, Germany’s Euler Hermes may invest up to 300 million euro in the construction, while Linde chemical company may assist with natural gas liquefaction technologies

Three medics from North Ossetian State Medical Academy arrived to assess the situation together with South Ossetian colleagues and offer assistance in organizing preemptive measures and medical assistance amid the spread of COVID-19

September 17 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The designated Sudanese ambassador to the United States Noureldin Satti formally presented his credentials to President Trump on Thursday. The veteran diplomat who was picked last May, made history by becoming the first Sudanese ambassador in 23 years since the diplomatic relations were upgraded late last year. The two countries had for more than 25 years appointed only charges d'affaires to run their missions in Washington and Khartoum. However, the US has (...) - News / United States (US), FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

September 17, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council in Sudan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, «Hemedti», reiterated pledges on Thursday to exert the needed efforts for a permanent settlement t contributes to peaceful coexistence, security and stability. Hemetti received a Ngok Dinka delegation of the disputed Abyei area headed by South Sudan's Minister of East African Affairs Deng Alor who tasked with the Abyei file, in the presence of the head of South Sudan's (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Abyei

September 17, 2020 (JUBA) - South Sudan is always one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers, said United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock in a briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday. Lowcock in his briefing to the 15-member body spoke about the humanitarian situation in South Sudan and outlook in the coming months and the protection of civilians and aid workers. He said that about 7.5 million South Sudanese are in need of humanitarian assistance as the country is (...) - News

Central London will be quiet on New Year’s Eve, Mayor Sadiq Khan has decreed, claiming fireworks and other merrymaking would be too dangerous to public health amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read Full Article at RT.com

As Myanmar prepares for November’s general election, the 32nd anniversary of the bloody coup that brought the SLORC to power reminds us of what is at stake.

A prime example of what not to do when driving someone else's car — a woman allegedly lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a playground and abandoned the wreck, leaving her passenger at the scene. The 24-year-old woman was arrested for driving the car without the consent of the owner, police said. The accident happened near Block 25 Jalan Berseh at 11.42am on Sept 17. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, an eyewitness said he had heard the sound of the car engine before he saw it travel towards the playground at a high speed. The vehicle only came to a stop when it hit a stone bench, he said. «After the female driver opened the door, she quickly ran upstairs [to the HDB block], leaving the female passenger behind. »She only came back about half an hour later and even changed her clothes." The driver and her passenger had apparently been in a motorcycle accident just two days ago, said the eyewitness, who overheard their family members berating them for getting involved in another crash.

Like oil and water, a pair of neighbours just can't seem to see eye to eye over their differences in smoking habits. Annoyed that the neighbour living in the unit below below her refused to stop smoking by his window every day, a 68-year-old lady lost her patience and poured water out her window and onto him four times in the past two months, Lianhe Wanbao reported.  The woman lives on the third floor of an HDB flat along Bedok Reservoir Road. In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao, the neighbour, a 64-year-old man, said that he initially thought the lady was washing her windows. It was only after the fourth instance where she yelled at him did he realise she had poured water on him on purpose. «She's so unreasonable, my hands were all wet!» he exclaimed. «I smoke in my own home, it's none of her business.» According to the elderly lady, the smell of secondhand smoke would regularly waft into the house, especially if the wind was blowing in. She revealed that the man was a chain smoker to begin with, but had started smoking more frequently this year.

Ce mardi 15 septembre 2020 à Libreville, le Directeur Général de la Concurrence et de la Consommation (DGCC) s'est entretenu avec son homologue de l'Agence Gabonaise de Sécurité Alimentaire (AGASA). Il était question pour ces responsables de, non seulement consolider la collaboration entre leurs institutions, mais aussi de poursuivre ensemble la mission qui est la leur. À savoir, œuvrer pour la sécurité alimentaire des populations. Le carnet de rencontres du Directeur Général de la Concurrence et de (...) - SOCIETE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, monitoring and reporting by Myanmar citizens will be remotely overseen by international specialists.

The public’s cooperation has kept coronavirus cases to a manageable level, says one of Yangon’s medical chiefs.

Сообщается, что общемировое число инфицированных сейчас составляет 30 193 188, умерли 946 346 человека, выздоровели 20 398 381. Больше всего случаев заражения (6 675 564) зафиксировано в США. Далее следуют Индия (5 214 677) и Бразилия (4 455 386). Россия по-прежнему находится на четвертом месте.

Все осенние еврейские праздники в этом году будут проходить в условиях карантина, вступившего в силу сегодня. Разрешено передвигаться на расстояние не более 1 км от места проживания до места молитв и нельзя собираться группами более 20 человек. После Рош а-Шана ограничения могут быть ужесточены.

Израиль стал первой страной, которая повторно объявила общенациональный карантин. Ограничения отменили в мае, когда заболеваемость сократилась до единичных случаев в сутки, но с июня заболеваемость вновь начала расти. Ограничения вводят на три недели с возможностью продления.

Seychelles' two leading political parties -- Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) and United Seychelles (US) -- presented their National Assembly candidates on Friday for the upcoming legislative election from October 22-24. The legislative election will take place on the same dates as the presidential vote with an aim to reduce expenses as Seychelles faces an economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) presented the documents of their 26 opposition party candidates at 9.15 am at the Electoral Commission's headquarters at the ex-SACOS tower in Victoria. The party leader, Roger Mancienne, told the press that the processes are going well, «though it is quite a complicated one considering the different factors affecting this election.» «We all agree that with COVID, the situation is different and there are certain measures in place that we need to respect. Though there is so much excitement in the air, everyone needs to remind themselves that there are measures in place that need to be followed. Everyone has realised that this is a procedure that is really important in our political life, where we are participating in a democratic procedure that is the basis of our society,» said Mancienne. Following the 2015 parliamentary election, for the first time in the country, the opposing party had a majority in the assembly. «In the past four years we have worked really hard and we have used the position in politics to really push forward the agenda and the programme of LDS. We have done a lot of work in the districts hence we are really confident that we will win a majority in the Assembly as well as for the presidential election,» said Mancienne. The ruling party, United Seychelles, arrived at the headquarters at 10.30 am with 25 candidates for nomination. The party's candidate for Bel Ombre, Sheryl Louise, was unable to submit her nomination documents together with her fellow party members. United Seychelles was the second party to submit nomination documents for the National Assembly elections. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)  Photo License: CC-BY  The party leader, Vincent Meriton explained that Louise slipped and had an accident the previous night while campaigning, and had to go to the hospital and could not make it to the headquarters on time. Louise arrived in a wheelchair at 12.00 noon to submit her documents. Talking about the National Assembly nominees of his party, Meriton said that United Seychelles is presenting a mixed team. «We have the youth and the experienced, men and women, professionals and politicians with maturity. It is a team that will support and collaborate with the government. We are also presenting a team that will support president Faure deliver his mandate for the people of Seychelles, a mandate where the main role is to remove the country from the economic difficulty that we are in,» he said.

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has appointed a new prime minister hours after brokering an agreement with regional leaders for elections next year that abandons a promised one-person, one-vote model. Mohamed's office announced late Thursday the appointment of Mohamed Hussein Roble, a Swedish-trained civil engineer and political neophyte, and «wished him to take duties and tasks ahead with diligence». He fills a vacancy left when former premier Hassan Ali Khaire was removed by parliament in July for failing to pave the way for fully democratic elections due before February 2021. The foreign-backed government in Mogadishu has been in drawn-out negotiations with Somalia's federal states over how to proceed with parliamentary and presidential elections. However the process has been held-up by political infighting between the president -- better known by his nickname Farmajo -- and the country's regional leaders. Somalia had set itself the goal of holding its first fully democratic, one-man one-vote election since 1969 -- as opposed to a complex system in which special delegates pick lawmakers who then vote for the president. But an agreement reached between the president, five regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu has conceded that such a vote would be impossible within the timeframe remaining before Somalia's parliament expires in November, and Farmajo's term ends in February. In an official communique, the negotiators said delegates from Somalia's myriad clans would elect the 275 MPs of the lower house, which in turn chooses the president. While the process mirrors the last election held in 2017, it will go a bit further in terms of inclusivity, with 27,775 delegates voting -- almost twice as many as last time. No timeline was given, and it remains unclear what role the country's independent election commission will play, with the federal and state governments to appoint their own agencies to oversee their respective polls. The plan still needs to be approved by Somalia's parliament. The United Nations had described the pursuit of one-person, one-vote elections as a «historic milestone» on Somalia's path to full democratisation and peace after decades of war and violent instability in the Horn of Africa nation. But observers had warned that such a goal was looking increasingly unlikely due to tensions with the states, technical aspects such as voter registration, and security challenges posed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militant group. The fragile central government, chaired by Farmajo, controls only a part of Somali territory and relies on an international peacekeeping force to confront a violent insurgency from Al-Shabaab in the countryside. Mogadishu had been criticised by observers for engaging in political feuds with federal states to gain control in the election process, rather than focusing on the fight against the Islamist militants. © Agence France-Presse

Seoul city will seek $4 million in damages against the Sarang Jeil Church, after accusing it of disrupting the country’s tracing and testing efforts. Read Full Article at RT.com

People in the United States will be barred from downloading TikTok, a video sharing app, and WeChat, a popular messenger, starting on September 20, the commerce department said in a press release. Read Full Article at RT.com

Exiled Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has urged the “international community” to intervene in her country, claiming the actions of the Minsk authorities are in contradiction of “all international norms.” Read Full Article at RT.com

President Donald Trump attempted to cut a deal with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, offering the wanted journalist a pardon in exchange for the source of the 2016 DNC emails. Assange refused to betray the source. Read Full Article at RT.com