Somalia's Al Shabab militant group fired a mortar at the presidential palace in Mogadishu on Wednesday, showing its continued threat on land as it seeks to profit from a resurgence in piracy off the country's coast.
One woman was killed when the mortar shell went astray and hit a shanty home a few blocks away.
The attack shows that the militant group affiliated to Al Qaeda is far from defeated, despite Somalia's internationally backed government inflicting a string of recent defeats on it.
In central Somalia, government forces this week captured the key Al Shabab stronghold of Ceel Bur, which the militants had controlled for the past 15 years.
Other smaller towns in the area have also been cleared of militants, who moved north into the mountainous Sanaag region, near the country's north-eastern coastline and close to where the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen is being held by Somali pirates.
Other Al Shabab members reportedly fled to pockets of southern Somalia still controlled by the group.
On Thursday, in a joint co-ordinated attack in the south of the country, Somali and US forces killed a senior Al Shabab commander who had a $10 million bounty on his head.
Maalim Ayman was accused of masterminding an attack on a US military base in neighbouring Kenya in which three American soldiers were killed.
Alliance with pirates
Despite these setbacks, Al Shabab has expanded its ability to disrupt the international order through a new alliance with Somali pirates operating off the coast.
Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, extending for more than 3,000 kilometres, and is strategically located on the Horn of Africa, close to major shipping routes.
Al Shabab militants in Sanaag have reportedly reached a deal with the pirates to provide protection in exchange for a cut from ransom received.
The group is yet to officially confirm the agreement, but will reportedly receive 30 per cent of all ransom proceeds, which could provide vital funds after the government clamped down on its other illegal sources of funding and froze related bank accounts.
The deal has coincided with an increase in piracy in Somali waters, following a six-year lull.
Earlier this month pirates captured the MV Ruen, along with its 18 crew members.
Somali forces and a multinational antipiracy maritime mission in 2018 had clamped down on piracy off Somalia following 10 years in which pirates operated freely and hijacked ships.
The crew of the MV Ruen is still being held as the pirates reportedly negotiate a ransom with the owners.
“MV Ruen is currently in Xaabo near Qandala. Pirates and the ship owners are still discussing ransom,” Ahmed Mohamed, a close ally of the pirates, told The National by telephone.
“No figure has been confirmed yet but pirates are demanding that as part of the deal they promise not to harm the crew on condition that once they receive their ransom they be allowed to walk Scot-free and should not be attacked or arrested.”
He said the pirates are on the prowl for more ships to hijack.
“The second dhow that was recently hijacked near Eyl is currently being used by the pirates to hunt for other ships,” he added.
Red Sea shipping diverted
The threat from Somali pirates comes as Yemen's Houthis continue their campaign to disrupt international shipping in the nearby Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb.
The Iran-backed group, which controls Yemen's capital Sanaa and major ports on the Red Sea, has launched drone and missile attacks against shipping in an attempt to pressure the international community to bring Israel's war in Gaza to an end.
The attacks by the Houthis, who are allied with Hamas against Israel, caused the US to send additional warships to the region and establish a joint maritime task force.
Despite the presence of US warships, major shipping companies have redirected their cargo away from the Red Sea, which connects Europe and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal and Bab Al Mandeb.
Commercial vessels have been forced to take the longer route around South Africa, pushing up the cost of shipping and fuel worldwide.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
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Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Juventus 1 Ajax 2
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
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Lexus LX700h specs
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