Monday 20, Jan ,2025 {HMC} Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud inspected the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Mogadishu on Sunday as part of efforts to increase the country’s security strategy.

During his visit, President Hassan Sheikh held discussions with key defense and security officials, including the Minister of State for Defense, the commanders of the Somali Armed Forces, and National Security and Intelligence Agency Director Abdullahi Sanbaloolshe.

The meeting focused on strategies to expedite ongoing military operations against the Al-Shabaab group in various regions. The President received updates from the Federal Government’s military leadership and commended the national security forces for their dedication to combating the extremist group.

The visit comes amid the Federal Government’s recent initiatives to enhance the capacity of its forces through increased training and advanced equipment. However, military operations have been on pause for the past several months, raising the urgency to resume efforts against Al-Shabaab.

Source Hiiraan online.

Monday 20, Jan ,2025 {HMC} Palestinian families waited anxiously for hours for Israeli authorities to free 90 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons after Hamas released three Israeli captives held in Gaza on the first day of a ceasefire deal.

Alarabiya:

Two buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released in the Gaza ceasefire deal had to inch through a thick crowd when they at last arrived in the West Bank at 2 am Monday.

After the doors opened, women hugged their relatives and cried tears of joy while throngs of people chanted, waved flags and climbed atop the vehicles. Others lit fireworks in the normally quiet suburb of Beitunia.

Palestinians in Gaza are returning to their homes and awaiting the delivery of much-needed food and medical assistance after Israeli forces finally ended their 15-month-long bombardment of the besieged enclave.

The first of a promised 600 aid trucks that will enter Gaza each day has arrived, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 46,913 Palestinians and wounded 110,750 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

Source: Agencies

Monday 20, Jan ,2025 {HMC} TikTok said it was restoring service to users in the United States after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban that US President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office.

Trump said earlier on Sunday that he planned to issue the order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing platform is subject to a permanent US ban.

Trump announced the decision in a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday as millions of TikTok users in the US awoke to discover they could no longer access the TikTok app or platform.

Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with a federal law that required them to do so if TikTok’s parent company ByteDance did not sell its US operation by Sunday.

The law, which passed with wide bipartisan support in April due to national security concerns posed by the app’s Chinese roots, allowed for steep fines for noncompliance.

Trump said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order”.

The company that runs TikTok said in a post on X that Trump’s post had provided “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans”.

Some users reported soon after TikTok’s statement that the app was working again, and TikTok’s website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. Even as TikTok was flickering back on, it remained unavailable for download in Apple and Google’s app stores.

The law gives the sitting US president authority to grant a 90-day extension if a viable sale is under way. Although investors made a few offers, ByteDance previously said it would not sell.

In his post on Sunday, Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture”, but it was not immediately clear if he was referring to the government or a US company.

“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up,” Trump wrote. “Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.”

Trump’s incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz told CNN on Sunday that the president-elect doesn’t rule out continued Chinese ownership coupled with “firewalls to make sure that the data is protected” in the US.

“We can have an app that Americans can enjoy, but at the same time that protects their data, protects them from outside influence,” he said.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a law mandating the app’s ban unless parent company ByteDance divests TikTok’s US operations.

In court, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden defended the law by citing concerns that TikTok collects extensive amounts of US user data, which could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government through coercion.

Officials have also cautioned that the app’s algorithm, which determines what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to influence the platform in subtle and hard-to-detect ways.

However, the US has yet to present public evidence showing that TikTok has shared user data with Chinese authorities or altered its algorithm to serve Chinese interests.

ByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and resisted calls to sell its US operations, leaving the platform in limbo.

The US law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. The companies could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user who can access the app.

Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.

Meanwhile, US-based competitors such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts stand to benefit from TikTok’s forced absence.

Another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu, meaning Little Red Book, has gained traction among American users, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple’s US store this week.

Several investors have proposed last-minute solutions to keep TikTok operational.

According to media reports, Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, submitted a plan to merge with TikTok’s US business to create a new entity, potentially allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership.

Other offers, including a $20bn bid from a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt, remain under consideration.

Experts warn that even if Trump issues an executive order to delay the ban, it may face legal challenges.

“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.

Source: News Agencies

Monday 20, Jan ,2025 {HMC} Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro has pledged to strengthen ties with Ethiopia and Djibouti to improve Somaliland’s economic development, security, and regional cooperation.

President Irro praised Ethiopia as a vital neighbor and long-time ally at a Sunday Hargeisa event. “Ethiopia is a long-standing friend and an indispensable partner in economic development, security, and fostering our relationships within Africa,” Irro said. “It is crucial for us to enhance this relationship and its mutual benefits.”

President Irro also addressed the strained relations between Somaliland and Djibouti, which have been embroiled in a year-long dispute. He emphasized his administration’s commitment to rebuilding ties with Djibouti and advancing cooperation with the United States.

“We will strengthen our relations with Djibouti and the United States, two nations that have demonstrated significant interest in Somaliland,” he added.

A year ago, Somaliland and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) granting Ethiopia a military base in the Gulf of Aden in exchange for Ethiopia’s formal recognition of Somaliland. However, the agreement was abandoned after Somalia and its international partners applied diplomatic pressure on Ethiopia. Subsequent negotiations in Ankara, Turkey, successfully resolved the year-long dispute, leading to the agreement’s cancellation.

Source Hiiraan online

Monday 20, Jan ,2025 {HMC} Somali government has denied reports claiming it summoned its ambassador to Kenya, Jibril Ibrahim Abdulle after a Kenya-registered aircraft entered Somali airspace without authorization on January 18 and transported Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madobe” to Nairobi.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Communications Department of the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the reports as false.

“The news circulating on social media alleging that our ambassador to Kenya has been recalled to Mogadishu is completely baseless and should be dismissed as fake news,” the post reads.

However, VOA Somali reported that Somalia had issued a formal complaint to Kenya, expressing its disapproval of the visit by the Jubbaland leader.

The Kenya-registered aircraft reportedly transported Ahmed Madobe to Nairobi, where he is said to be meeting with Kenyan officials. The Somali government has protested the incident, highlighting ongoing tensions between the two nations.

In November 2024, Somalia’s federal government escalated its political standoff with Jubbaland by issuing an Interpol Red Notice request for the arrest of Ahmed Madobe. The Banadir Regional Court in Mogadishu authorized the notice, accusing Madobe of treason, collusion with foreign governments, and undermining Somalia’s sovereignty.

Jubbaland, a semi-autonomous region bordering Kenya and Ethiopia, re-elected Madobe for a third term as its regional president in elections held in November 2024. The federal government rejected his re-election.

Source Hiiraan online