NAIROBI: The US carried out a new airstrike on Christmas Eve against Al-Shabab militant group in southern Somalia that left 13 dead, the US military said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The statement from the US Africa Command said the strike was carried out on Sunday morning. A spokeswoman said it occurred about 50 km northwest of Kismayo and that no civilians were killed.
“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US forces conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabab militants on the morning of Dec. 24, 2017, in southern Somalia, killing 13 terrorists,” read the statement from the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The US has carried out 34 drone strikes in Somalia this year after the Trump administration expanded military efforts against Africa’s deadliest extremist group.
In recent weeks, the US stepped up its operations in Somalia, with frequent strikes against Al-Shabab and a separate self-proclaimed branch of Daesh in the Horn of Africa nation.
Three weeks ago the US said it had killed eight Al-Shabab militants, while an airstrike in November reportedly left more than 100 militants dead.
Al-Shabab was blamed for the October truck bombing in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, that killed 512 people. Only a few attacks since 9/11 have left a higher death toll.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.
Al-Shabab lost its foothold in Mogadishu in 2011, but has continued its fight and still controls vast rural areas.
US forces kill 13 Al-Shabab militants in airstrike in Somalia
US forces kill 13 Al-Shabab militants in airstrike in Somalia
UN says over 200 children killed in Lebanon in under two months
“Despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon in less than two months, a disconcerting pattern has emerged: their deaths are met with inertia from those able to stop this violence,” James Elder, spokesman for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, told reporters in Geneva.
“Over the last two months in Lebanon, an average of three children have been killed every single day,” he said.
TAQA-led consortium signs 25-year PPAs for 3.6 GW power plants in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: Saudi Power Procurement Co. has inked two 25-year power purchase agreements with a consortium comprising Abu Dhabi National Energy Co., or TAQA, Japan’s JERA Co., and the Kingdom’s Al Bawani Capital.
The deals follow the consortium’s successful bid earlier this month to develop two gas-fired power plants, Rumah 2 and Al Nairyah 2, with a combined capacity of over 3.6 gigawatts on a build, own, and operate basis in Saudi Arabia, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Both plants, each with a 1.8 GW capacity, will feature advanced combined cycle gas turbine technology and support the integration of carbon capture systems, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s energy transition goals under Vision 2030.
The projects support the Kingdom's energy mix goals, which aim to meet power demand with a balanced split of 50 percent renewable energy and 50 percent gas technology by the end of this decade.
Farid Al-Awlaqi, CEO of TAQA’s Generation business, said: "TAQA has ambitious growth targets of 150 GW by 2030, and today's announcement marks a major milestone for 2024 with the addition of a further 3.6 GW of low-carbon gas-fired power capacity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, making it five greenfield projects in the Kingdom under development in TAQA’s portfolio.”
He added: “In addition to signing the PPAs, we are taking on the role as the lead developer and will oversee the operations and maintenance of these two world-class plants, demonstrating our expanded operational capabilities.”
The CEO said the announcement of these two greenfield power projects reinforces TAQA's role as a sustainable developer and operator in key markets.
The two plants will be developed by special purpose entities jointly owned by TAQA with 49 percent, JERA with 31 percent, and Al Bawani with 20 percent.
Operation and maintenance of the facilities will also be managed by these entities.
"In line with JERA’s goal to achieve net zero by 2050, the award of these two high-efficiency independent power projects, featuring state-of-the-art HL class gas turbines, reinforces JERA’s commitment to decarbonizing thermal power generation,” said Steven Winn, chief global strategist, JERA.
Fakher Al-Shawaf, group CEO of Al Bawani Holding, emphasized that the partnership with TAQA and JERA on these “state-of-the-art" power plants marks a transformative milestone for Al Bawani, reinforcing its commitment to advancing the Kingdom’s energy diversification initiatives.
“This project represents our dedication to sustainable practices and our commitment to advancing the goals of Vision 2030,” he added.
The plants align with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060 through the circular carbon economy, with the timeline potentially accelerating as technology advances.
Saudi Arabia set for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Qatar
- Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year
Qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka, is in full swing. From Nov. 19-28, Doha takes center stage for Asia Sub-Regional Qualifier Group B.
With seven nations taking part it looks set to be an exciting competition, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and the UAE joining hosts Qatar. The teams are competing for the last two places in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final, to be held in Malaysia in August 2025.
Malaysia and Kuwait emerged successfully from the Asia Group A qualifier, while Samoa and Japan won the East Asia-Pacific A and East Asia-Pacific B qualifiers, respectively. Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea have already qualified by virtue of taking part in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
The seven teams competing for these last two places will play in a round robin league, with the top two teams in the table progressing to the next qualifier.
Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year. These matches were in either the Asia Cricket Council T20 Challenger Cup in Thailand or the ACC Premier Cup that followed in Nepal. In the Challenger Cup, Saudi Arabia convincingly beat Bhutan, Thailand, Japan and Cambodia in Bangkok, the latter in the final. This maintained their excellent record in Thailand, where they won the ACC 50-over version in 2023.
Saudi Arabia’s convincing qualification in February for the ACC T20 Premier Cup provided an opportunity for the team to test itself against strong opposition in Nepal. The bridge proved too large to gap, however, as only one match out of four played was won.
This ought not to be the case in the current Asia Group B qualifier in Qatar. The UAE are arguably favorite to win, sitting 16th in the ICC T20I men’s rankings. Closest to them are Bahrain (26), Qatar (28) and Saudi Arabia (33). Behind them come Cambodia, ranked 42nd, Thailand in 59th and Bhutan in 77th. Saudi Arabia have comfortably beaten each of them in the ACC T20 Challenger Cup so it is the matches against the three higher-ranking teams that are likely to prove crucial.
Three matches will be played each day for 10 days at either the West End Park International Cricket Stadium or the University Stadium in Doha from Nov. 19. Saudi Arabia’s first match is against Bahrain, who are just ahead in the T20I rankings.
If the Saudi team can start their campaign with a victory, they will have a good chance of challenging for one of the top two spots in the table — and a place in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final. From there, the dream is the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Saudi-Djibouti committee holds 6th session in Riyadh to boost trade ties
RIYADH: Logistics, trade, and investment ties between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti will further prosper after the countries held the sixth session of their joint committee in Riyadh.
The meeting, which took place on Nov. 18, was chaired by the Kingdom’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser, and the African nation’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
According to Al-Jasser’s opening speech, the meeting embodied the deep relationship between the two countries, specifically since the efforts made are just the starting point toward enhancing trade and investment in various vital sectors, including logistics.
It also aligned well with the significant progress in the volume of trade between the Kingdom and Djibouti, which reached around SR7 billion ($1.86 billion) in 2023, thereby contributing to expanding prospects for sustainable growth as well as bolstering trade relations between both nations, the minister highlighted.
During his speech, Al-Jasser also highlighted that these figures represent an additional pillar of close and growing trade cooperation between the two sides.
He underscored that the previous session of the Saudi-Djiboutian joint committee witnessed many efforts to enhance bilateral relations and expand cooperation between both countries.
Spain royals to visit flood epicenter after chaotic trip: media
CHIVA, Spain: Spain’s royals will make a highly anticipated return to the epicenter of catastrophic floods on Tuesday after a chaotic trip where survivors hurled mud and insults at them, local media said.
The European country is reeling from the October 29 disaster that has killed 227 people and sparked widespread fury at the governing class for their perceived mishandling of the crisis.
That outrage boiled over in the ground-zero town of Paiporta in the eastern Valencia region when King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited on November 3, in extraordinary scenes that stunned the world.
Furious residents chanting “murderers” pelted them with mud and projectiles as they struggled to wade through the crowds, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was hastily evacuated.
The monarchs have since pledged to return to the Valencia region after another trip to the devastated town of Chiva was canceled that day.
The royal palace told AFP it would give details later Tuesday for the visit.
Felipe and Letizia are returning to keep their promise and console survivors in Chiva where the floods ripped away lives and homes, said Vicente Garrido, professor of constitutional law at the University of Valencia.
Residents will be more welcoming on this occasion because “minds are calmer” despite “the enormous pain,” and royal visits are “an honor” for any town, he told AFP.
Public anger
Whereas Sanchez and the Valencia region’s leader Carlos Mazon left early last time, the mud-spattered royal couple braved the popular anger to speak with victims.
That gesture was “viewed very positively by everyone” and will afford them “a reception befitting who they are” this week, said Garrido.
Their willingness to travel and risk personal harm earlier this month “strengthens the image” of the monarchy, Garrido said.
Popular ire has instead targeted elected politicians, particularly Mazon because the regions manage the response to natural disasters in Spain’s decentralized state.
Local authorities in many cases warned residents of the impending catastrophe too late and stricken towns depended on volunteers for essential supplies for days in the absence of the state.
The conservative Mazon admitted “mistakes” and apologized in the regional parliament on Friday but refused to resign and vowed to lead Valencia’s gigantic reconstruction effort.
Sanchez is due to appear in parliament this month to explain the left-wing central government’s handling of the floods.
