meeting

Saudi, Somali foreign ministers reaffirm support for Somalia’s sovereignty in Riyadh talks Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia and Saudi Arabia reaffirmed support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity during high-level talks in Riyadh on Sunday, underscoring a shared commitment to the Horn of Africa nation’s unity and stability amid rising regional tensions. Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdisalam Abdi Ali met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah…

Trump warns Iran of fresh strikes, says Hamas faces ‘hell to pay’ if it fails to disarm after meeting Netanyahu U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of potential new military strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, escalating rhetoric after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. Speaking alongside Netanyahu at a news conference, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any effort by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program or ballistic missile arsenal following what…

MAR-A-LAGO, Florida — President Donald Trump warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear and missile programs as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at his Florida estate, signaling support for further Israeli action if Tehran presses ahead. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters shortly after Netanyahu arrived at Mar-a-Lago. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.” The meeting came amid a fragile Israel-Hamas…

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a massive pre-dawn missile barrage at Kyiv early this morning, triggering explosions across the capital as air defenses engaged cruise and ballistic threats, Ukrainian officials and witnesses said. The strike came two days before a planned meeting in the United States between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump to refine a proposed security accord aimed at ending nearly four years of full-scale war. Reuters eyewitnesses reported air defense activity over the city,…

Somalia hosts EASF defense chiefs in Mogadishu, underscoring rising regional security role MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia on Tuesday hosted the 35th regular session of the Committee of Defence and Security Chiefs of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), a high-level gathering that officials said reflects the country’s expanding role in regional security cooperation. The meeting in Mogadishu, opened by State Minister for Defense Omar Ali Abdi, marked the second time this year that Somalia has convened a major EASF forum.…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Friday that an opposition coalition conference planned in Kismayo will focus on forging a unified political vision and a credible path to national elections, rejecting claims the gathering is meant to form a parallel government. “The objective of the Kismayo conference is to agree on a common vision, particularly on elections, not to form a new government,” Sharif said in remarks to reporters, framing the meeting as a push for a viable, fair and inclusive electoral…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development on Thursday convened a high-level session of the National Development Council (NDC), bringing together federal and state planning leaders to align priorities behind the country’s new National Transformation Plan (NTP 2025–2029). The Mogadishu meeting advanced a unified national planning agenda by focusing on accelerated NTP implementation, tighter federal–state coordination, strengthened drought-response mechanisms and the rollout of a single…

KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubaland President Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe pressed the United States to increase investment in Somalia’s federal member states during talks in Kismayo with a U.S. delegation led by Ambassador Richard H. Riley, as the region seeks to consolidate security gains against al-Shabab. In the engagement with the ambassador and senior diplomats, Madobe outlined a slate of priorities centered on security, governance and economic development, highlighting what his administration described as steady progress in…

President Donald Trump said Thursday he had a "very productive meeting" with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after the two met in the Oval Office to discuss cost-of-living pressures and public safety in the nation’s largest city. The session, requested by Mamdani, came amid earlier public sparring between the two leaders. Trump had threatened to withhold federal funding for New York and used inflammatory language to describe the 34-year-old former state lawmaker — calling him a "radical left lunatic," a communist…

Somalia and Turkey move to seal a labor pact — and raise bigger questions about jobs, skills, and dignity In a quiet room in Doha on Friday, Somali Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Yusuf Mohamed sat down with Turkey’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan, to push forward a bilateral labor cooperation agreement. On paper, it is a technical accord: training programs, civil service capacity-building, and a plan to spur job creation. In practice, it is also a test of whether two close partners…