The U.S State Department has said its Somalia Mission began work Tuesday without an ambassador or an embassy and based in Kenya, Daily Nation reported.

Daily Nation says U.S diplomats will not be based in Mogadishu, scene of the infamous "Black Hawk Down" battle in 1993 that left 18 US servicemen and many hundreds of Somalis dead. Instead, they will commute cautiously from Kenya's capital Nairobi as they gradually work to strengthen Somalia's internationally backed government.

Claiming that Somalia has recovered sufficiently from years of anarchy, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has invited Italians to take advantage of Somalia’s unique investment opportunities, Africa Review reported Saturday.

The Somali leader reportedly made the call while on an official visit to Italy where he met with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella in Rome on Friday and gave an update of Somalia’s “Somalia has vast untapped resources, which can be exploited and could turn Somalia into an economic leader in Africa,” President Mohamoud reportedly said.

A spokesman for Al-Shabab fighters has told Al Jazeera that the armed group  have killed "scores" of African Union troops (AMISOM) in an attack south of Somali capital, Mogadishu, Al Jazeera reported Tuesday adding that the assault  in Janaale, early on Tuesday was confirmed by residents, but an exact casualty figure was not immediately available.

The African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM)  apologized Friday for the "tragic" killing of seven civilians at a wedding last month, an attack it previously denied, saying three soldiers had been charged, Uganda’s New Vision reported Saturday citing AFP sources.

Four Somalis have been sentenced to 42 months in jail for piracy and hijacking a fishing vessel by a Mombasa court, Daily Nation reported Thursday.

According to reports, the Somalis; Hassan Adan, Ali Abdi Fita, Abdi Liban and Dahir Afran were found guilty of attacking and hijacking a fishing vessel, the F/V Tahiri,between January 6 and 7, 2012 in the Indian Ocean while armed with an AK-47 and a grenade.

According local media in Somalia, over one hundred Al Shabaab fighters have surrendered to Somali government forces and African Union peacekeepers in Bakol region of southwestern Somalia, Garowe online reported Wednesday quoting a security official.

Garowe online says the commander of Somali National Army (SNA)’s 8th division Abdirahman Mohamed Osman (Tima Adde) confirmed the surrender of 120 militants and accomplices to VOA Somali Service.

Chinese ambassador Wei Tianhong has said China will not withdraw embassy from Somalia after after a deadly terror attack hit Chinese embassy last week, wargeyska news quoted the official microblog of China’s national TV network.

The Chinese ambassador reportedly said that he and other staff members will overcome difficulties and adhere in Somalia to continue promoting bilateral relations.

On the afternoon of July 26, an attacker drove a car rigged with bombs into the gate of theJazeera Palace Hotel, where the suicide bombing took place, as it housed the embassy of China.

A  Somali military official said Friday that at least 11 people were killed and five others injured after forces loyal to self-proclaimed Westland state supported by Ethiopian troops under African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM)engaged in a gun battle with Al-Shabab fighters in some parts of Hiraan region, Goobjoog News reported.

Citing security challenges stemming from an Islamic insurgency, Somalia's president is ruling out the possibility of holding elections that are due next year, The New York Times reported Thursday saying opposition parties however charge that that his government is taking advantage of poor security to extend its mandate through postponement of elections.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud whose term expires in August reportedly said in a statement  that  National elections are impossible amid rampant violence orchestrated by the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.

According to local media in Somalia, the federal government of Somali claimed it has inflicted heavy casualties on Al-Shabaab fighters in a fierce fighting that erupted in parts of Bakol region on Wednesday, wargeyska reported on Thursday.