- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by A_yusuf

Somali pirates go unstoppable, hijack UK tanker in Gulf of Aden

Yusuf — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:16:41 +0000

Somali pirates have hijacked a UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden, officials say.

The St James Park was captured on Monday while on its way to Thailand from Spain, said the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Programme.

Its 26 crew hail from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Georgia, India, Turkey and the Philippines.

Pirate attacks have been common off the Somali coast and international navies have been deployed to counter them.

The St James Park had issued a distress call on Monday night saying it had been attacked by pirates, said the International Maritime Bureau.

Somali bomb blast kills 3 Cabinet ministers, 11 others

Yusuf — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:54:04 +0000

An explosion ripped through an upscale hotel in Somalia’s capital Thursday during a university graduation ceremony, killing three government Cabinet ministers and six others, officials said. Two journalists were among the dead.

More than three dozen medical, computer science and engineering students had gathered to receive their diplomas at the ceremony at the Shamow Hotel, which sits in the small patch of Mogadishu that is held by Somalia’s weak central government.

The ministers for education, higher education and health were killed in the blast, said Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle. The ministers for sports and tourism were wounded.

Two reporters were killed in the blast and two other journalists were seriously wounded, said Bashir Khalif, a reporter for the Somali government’s radio service.

In total, nine people were killed, said Col. Abdilahi Hassan Barise, a police spokesman.

Somali pirates struck again, captures supertanker taking oil to US

Yusuf — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:07:38 +0000

Somali pirates have captured a tanker carrying oil to the US, officials say.

The Greek-owned Maran Centaurus was about 1,300km (800 miles) off Somalia when it was hijacked on Sunday, said the EU Naval task force (Navfor).

The ship weighs some 300,000 tonnes and is believed to be one of the largest yet seized by Somali pirates. There are 28 crew members on board.

Pirate attacks have been common off the Somali coast and international navies have been deployed to counter them.

A spokesman for the Greek coastguard told Reuters news agency that about nine armed pirates attacked the ship close to the Seychelles.

Somali Money From Abroad Is a Lifeline at Home

Yusuf — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:18:34 +0000

As Somalis struggle to survive the chaos that has overtaken their country, a network of companies that distribute money from the nation’s large diaspora has quietly expanded, providing a crucial safety...

Somalian Rebels Loot U.N. Posts and Ban 3 Agencies

Yusuf — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:26:45 +0000

The Shabab rebels looted two United Nations compounds in southern Somalia on Monday, and said they would ban three United Nations agencies from operating in areas the militants control.

The United Nations confirmed that the rebels had stolen emergency communications equipment from its compound in Baidoa, and two cars and some furniture from its compound in Wajid.

The United Nations said it was suspending its operations in Baidoa and continuing them in Wajid, which serves as its hub for humanitarian aid in the region.

The Shabab is an Islamist militia that controls large areas of Mogadishu, the capital, and southern Somalia. The United States State Department says the group has links with Al Qaeda, but the rebels deny that.

Privatising Africa’s development

Yusuf — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:29:24 +0000

here has been considerable progress on achieving the Millennium Development Goals since their inception in 2000. But, despite the best efforts of governments, reaching those goals by the 2015 target date still remains a distant prospect for many countries, not the least of in Africa.

Many of us in Africa’s private sector are keen to make a difference in meeting these goals. At the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), reducing poverty on the African continent through private-sector initiative is our mission. For, in the end, the private sector is and will be the engine of growth in Africa, and its increasingly active involvement in the development process bodes well for the continent.

Africa’s development challenges are well known. More than 40 percent of its population lives on less than a dollar a day. Over half a billion people live without modern forms of energy, and the continent’s share of global trade remains a paltry 3 percent.