Largest city of Somalia’s South West State; former capital (2002–2014).
Somalia faces a deepening hunger emergency as drought, conflict and displacement collide with severe funding cuts. The World Food Programme and UNICEF warn millions of people, including nearly 1.9 million children at risk of malnutrition, will feel the impact unless funding improves. Health facilities are closing, and aid delivery is increasingly constrained as prices rise and households reduce meals.
Kent County Council has awarded an honorary civic honour to the Grenadier Gurkha units for 216 years of service in the UK. The award is ceremonial and does not confer privileges. The decision, proposed by the council leader, is celebrated by campaigners and local officials who emphasise the troops’ sacrifice and ties to Kent communities.