Saturday May 9, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has urged the country’s leaders to use the final days of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term to build an inclusive electoral process that all political stakeholders can accept, warning that failure to do so could deepen instability. In remarks on Friday, Farmaajo said Friday, May 15, 2026, will mark the end of President Hassan Sheikh’s constitutional term, and he emphasized that Somalia now needs broad agreement on the path ahead for…

Fresh violence in the Strait of Hormuz has thrown a fragile US-Iran ceasefire into doubt, with Tehran accusing واشنگتن of violating the truce and both sides trading blame for an overnight confrontation in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways. "The action carried out last night was both a blatant violation of international law and a breach of the ceasefire," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to the ISNA news agency. "At the same time, the country's defenders delivered a 'major…

President Donald Trump has set a Fourth of July deadline for the European Union to ratify its trade agreement with the United States, warning that failure to do so will trigger "much higher" tariffs after European officials stopped short of finalising the pact. Mr Trump said he had spoken with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and "agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels." This year's Fourth of July marks 250 years since the American…

A fragile opening is taking shape in the conflict between the United States and Iran, with sources and officials saying the two sides are moving toward a limited, temporary accord that would halt the war while postponing the hardest disputes. Rather than a full peace settlement, the plan now taking shape is built around a short-term memorandum, highlighting how far apart Tehran and Washington remain and suggesting that any deal reached for now would serve only as a stopgap. Even the prospect of a partial breakthrough has…

A fragile diplomatic opening emerged on Wednesday as Iran said it was reviewing a fresh US proposal, after sources indicated Washington and Tehran were nearing a one-page memorandum that could halt the war in the Gulf while postponing the hardest disputes, including Iran's nuclear programme. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency, said Tehran would soon send its response through Pakistan, the host of the war's only peace talks and, since then, the main channel for messages between the two…

A fragile truce in the Middle East was given more time on Thursday after Israel and Lebanon agreed at the White House to extend their ceasefire by three weeks, while US President Donald Trump signalled he was willing to hold out for what he called “the best deal” to ⁠end his conflict with Iran. Mr Trump brought together Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, Nada Moawad, in the Oval Office for a second round of talks mediated by the United States. “The Meeting went very well!…

Tuesday April 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has entered into a cooperation agreement with China aimed at broadening the use of satellite technology in national development, a move that signals the country’s growing ambitions in the fields of space and data systems. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the NewSpace Africa Conference 2026 in Libreville by Somalia’s Department of Space and Satellite, which operates under the Ministry of Communications and Technology, and China’s Land Satellite Remote Sensing…

Fresh uncertainty gripped the Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remained shut in the escalating standoff between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful parliament speaker making clear that, despite signs of progress, any final peace agreement was still a long way off. With mediation efforts continuing after high-level talks in Pakistan ended without a breakthrough, Tehran said the vital maritime chokepoint would stay closed unless Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the…

A ten-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has taken effect, while President Donald Trump said the next round of US-Iran talks could happen as soon as this weekend, fueling hopes that the war with Iran may be approaching its end. Mr Trump said Iran had proposed not possessing nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran's nuclear ambitions remained a central obstacle during talks in Islamabad last weekend. "We're going to see what happens. But I think we're very close to making a deal with Iran," he told reporters…

Friday April 17, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State’s Cabinet has called on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to work toward a broad political settlement on Somalia’s elections, warning that a prolonged standoff could deepen the country’s instability. The appeal came after a Cabinet session chaired by Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni, during which ministers examined the national political climate following the official expiration of the federal parliament’s four-year mandate on April 14, 2026. “The Council calls on…