Hopes for a Middle East breakthrough surged after US President Donald Trump said negotiators had entered the “final throes” of efforts to secure a peace deal, following a pause in fresh fighting between Iran and Israel that had threatened to reignite the months-long war. Trump has repeatedly insisted an agreement with Tehran is close at hand. But diplomacy has repeatedly lost momentum, and the two sides have continued to exchange fire despite a ceasefire that has formally been in place since 8 April. Iran and Israel “were…

Monday June 8, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Sunday urged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somalia’s former heads of state to sit down together immediately, saying the country’s worsening political turmoil demands a Somali-led solution. At a news conference in Mogadishu, Farmaajo said he would extend a formal invitation to Mohamud to meet at his residence, where the two sides would discuss elections, security and the country’s broader political direction. He argued that…

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s federal government is moving to reopen dialogue with opposition leaders as the country heads toward political gatherings in the regional capitals of Dhusamareeb and Jowhar, according to sources familiar with the talks on Saturday. The latest push for mediation is being backed by Turkey, the sources said, as officials look for a way to lower political temperatures in Mogadishu, where tensions have recently contributed to security unrest. During discussions on Friday, the government reiterated…

Europe has thrown its weight behind Volodymyr Zelensky’s dramatic appeal to Vladimir Putin, with EU officials endorsing the Ukrainian president’s push for face-to-face talks as a possible way to halt a war now grinding through its fifth year. Mr Zelensky set out that offer in an open letter to the Russian leader, proposing a direct meeting to negotiate an end to the conflict while making clear that, failing that, Kyiv was prepared to continue the fight. "We welcome President Zelensky's call for direct negotiations and also…

Confusion deepened around US-Iran diplomacy after President Donald Trump insisted negotiations were still moving ahead, even as an Iranian state-linked report said Tehran had put indirect talks with Washington on hold. "Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post. Earlier, Iran's state news agency Tasnim reported that Tehran was suspending indirect negotiations with the US after Israel ordered its forces to advance further ‌into Lebanon. Speaking by…

Monday June 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s widening political standoff drew fresh international concern Monday, as key partners pressed the federal government and opposition leaders to return to talks and settle on an election roadmap without delay. In a joint statement released June 1, the United Kingdom, the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway said Somali leaders must place the national interest above partisan divisions at a sensitive moment for…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is set to head to Dhusamareeb, the seat of Galmudug state, as tensions intensify between regional President Ahmed Abdi Karie (Qoorqoor) and the federal government in Villa Somalia. People familiar with the plan said Barre’s trip is intended to help bridge the widening political divide and push both sides toward a settlement in Galmudug. Over the past several days, the prime minister has held a string of consultations in Mogadishu aimed at easing the standoff,…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political standoff has entered another waiting period, but mediators say the effort to bring the federal government and opposition back to the table is still alive. On Tuesday, traditional elders involved in the process met with leaders of the Somali Future Council, saying the talks have been slowed by logistical and procedural hurdles rather than derailed. Garaad Jamac Garaad Ali, who is part of the mediation team, said the main setback has been the incomplete formation of…

The United States will secure either a satisfactory agreement with Iran or confront Tehran “another way,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as Washington sought to temper expectations of any immediate breakthrough in the three-month-old war. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Rubio said the US would allow diplomacy every opportunity to work before turning to what he called “alternatives,” after President Donald Trump said yesterday that he had instructed his team not to hurry into an agreement with Iran. Rubio said…

Friday May 22, 2026 Ankara (AX) — Somalia and Turkey moved to deepen their partnership on rebuilding roads, expanding housing and strengthening urban development on Thursday, as Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing Minister Ayub Ismail Yusuf held talks in Ankara with Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. The meeting took place at Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and brought together senior officials, engineers and technical advisers from both countries. The…