A bomber fleeing police blew himself up at a busy cafe in central Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring seven others, police and witnesses confirmed.
“I heard a huge explosion and saw flying body parts followed by a huge smoke and pandemonium as we ran for our lives,” witness Ali Abdallah told The National, speaking moments after the explosion during mid-morning rush hour.
The explosion burnt a car nearby and damaged buildings in the city's old district, which hosts the mayor of Mogadishu’s office as well as other government offices.
Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group is fighting to overthrow the internationally recognised Somalia government.
Police confirmed a man had blown himself up at the cafe in Mogadishu.
“A suicide bomber who was being pursued by police officers blew himself up at the entrance of Al-Hindi Hotel while running away from the law enforcement officers,” police spokesman Maj Sadiq Adan Ali told The National.
The coastal capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, enjoyed a long peaceful spell before Tuesday’s explosion, which was heard many kilometres from the scene.
Al Shabab has lost territory to the government in its heartlands of central and southern Somalia.
However, the group reportedly signed a deal recently with pirates that could increase its funds.
The latest attack also comes at a time when relations between Somalia and Ethiopia, two old rivals in the Horn of Africa, are at their lowest point following a recent agreement between Ethiopia and the northern breakaway enclave of Somaliland to give Addis Ababa a 20km-long naval base in northern Somalia.
Somalia challenged the agreement, claiming Ethiopia interfered with its sovereignty and territorial boundary and kick-started a diplomatic campaign to expose what it calls Ethiopia’s fragrant abuse of international diplomatic norms.
Ethiopia and Somalia share a long land border and Ethiopian forces are in Somalia as part of African Union peacekeeping.
Addis Ababa has just announced it will not attend a regional mediation meeting scheduled for Thursday in Kampala, Uganda. Somalia had called the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, of which both countries are members.
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Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
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Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
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UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
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Specs
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Power: 134bhp
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Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action
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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
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However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
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“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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Company name: Letstango.com
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Six large-scale objects on show
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Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
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Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
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Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
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Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
