DUBAI // Government ministers and business leaders have pledged to re-double efforts to secure the release of 64 sailors being held by Somali pirates.
A strong message was released on the final day of the Third Counter-Piracy conference in Dubai by more than 750 government and industry heads urging help from the Somali government and asking the international community to focus on releasing the men in captivity.
"About the sailors and fishermen who are still being held hostage, we would like to send a message that they must be released unconditionally," said Faris Al Mazrouei, the UAE's assistant foreign minister for security and military affairs.
"The men are being held on land and we believe they should be freed without paying any ransom money. Building the capabilities of the Somali forces on the ground, we can achieve this purpose."
There are 64 sailors being held in Somalia, of whom 53 have been prisoners for more than two years, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
At least 50 of these sailors are from commercial ships, the rest are fishermen on small dhows captured by the pirates. The ships of these seamen have sunk, the most recent being the Malaysian-flag MV Albedo in July, and shipping companies have said they have no money to pay for their release.
The final communication released at the end of the two-day Dubai conference said it was vital to "draw the international community's attention to the ongoing grave humanitarian situation of seafarers still held in captivity in Somalia and the plight of their families and call on the international community, with the help of the federal government of Somalia and regional authorities, to do everything in their power to release these captives and return them to their families".
Fauzia Yusuf Adan, Somalia's foreign minister and deputy prime minister, extended condolences to those who had lost their lives and property and those detained during the past years.
Reiterating the need for long-term international support to rebuild security, coastguard and legal institutions, Ms Adan said Somali forces would be the best tool to eliminate piracy.
"The Somali navy was established in 1960 and it disappeared during the civil war and one of our primary goals is a Somali maritime force to establish the jurisdiction of our territorial waters and provide effective law enforcement," she said.
Delegates from Somaliland, a self-declared autonomous region of Somalia, said working with local communities and building security and law enforcement forces had helped tackle piracy.
"With limited resources, we have created an effective coastguard that is keeping our shores free of pirates bases," said Mohammed Bihi Yonis, foreign minister of Somaliland, a country which declared independence in 1991 and has been campaigning for recognition from the international community.
"Close to 100 suspected pirates have been apprehended off the coast of Somaliland and 10 of these suspected pirates are currently awaiting trial in Berbera, Somaliland."
Despite the decline in piracy with the last successful seizure of a commercial ship in May last year, delegates warned the spotlight should remain on security at sea and investments in development work on land to tackle the causes of piracy.
The conference also focused on building partnerships with non-government organisations and the private sector for investments in schools, roads, ports and infrastructure.
"There are still challenges ahead as we have been successful in suppressing piracy, we have not eradicated piracy," said Donna Hopkins, the US chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which includes 61 countries and 21 organisations that collaborate on development and security issues.
"If the international community were to withdraw we would see a re-emergence of piracy and we don't want to see that happen. So we have to keep our focus on changing the fundamental conditions in Somalia that will allow the Somali government themselves to effectively eliminate piracy."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
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The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
----
Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
----
Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The%20specs
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
THE%20SPECS
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
