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‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast
In Kenya's rural northeast, roadside bombs and beheadings that killed two dozen people last month appear to be part of a troubling escalation of violence by Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, analysts say. A regional economic powerhouse and a popular tourist draw, Kenya has not suffered a high-profile jihadist attack since 2019, when 21 people lost their lives at a hotel and surrounding offices in Nairobi. The recent attacks have been small-scale and focused on minor targets, but have raised fears that Al-Shabaab jihadists, who have been blamed for the assaults, are turning their attention to Kenya as they suffer losses in their native Somalia. Estimated to have between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters, Al-Shabaab has in recent months faced a multi-pronged counterterrorism offensive by the Somali National Army and US-trained "lightning" commandos supported by clan militias known as "macawisley". The militants, who have waged war against the fragile government in Mogadishu for over 15 years, have recently carried out several attacks along Kenya's long and porous frontier with Somalia. Twenty-four people, including 15 security officers, were killed in six separate attacks last month alone. In one of the most grisly assaults claimed by the group, about 30 militants descended on two sparsely-populated villages in Kenya's coastal Lamu county on June 24 and killed five civilians, beheading some of them. One resident, Hassan Abdul, said that "women were locked in the houses and the men ordered out, where they were tied with ropes and butchered". The remote forested mainland is not normally a stopover for tourists visiting the nearby popular Indian Ocean island of Lamu, but the gruesome killings are a signal to Kenya, analysts say. The attacks are a way for "Al-Shabaab to say that despite being under pressure, they still have the firepower and are a force to be reckoned with," said Nicolas Delaunay, International Crisis Group director for East and Southern Africa. "It could also be a way of warning Kenya who has pledged to participate in the Somali government's offensive against the Al-Shabaab," he told AFP. Risk of regional spillover Kenya is no stranger to the long-running Islamist insurgency in Somalia and has been repeatedly targeted by Al-Shabaab since it sent troops into the country in 2011 as part of an African Union force. The militants appear to have been emboldened by the changes in Kenya's security leadership following the election of President William Ruto last August, said Roland Marchal, an Africa specialist at Sciences Po university in Paris. "There is relative disorganisation at the border," Marchal said, adding that Al-Shabaab was seizing the chance to take "revenge" against Kenya for deploying troops in rural central and southern Somalia where the militants remain entrenched. The violence has also threatened to spill into Ethiopia, as the militants try to make their presence felt in Africa's second most populous country. Addis Ababa said last month that it had foiled an attack by the jihadists in the border town of Dollo. Al-Shabaab fighters were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union mission which has been in Somalia since 2007. The militants have also lost some ground in the countryside after Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year launched an "all-out war" against the group, describing the jihadists as "bedbugs". But while the gains of the Somali offensive have been significant, the "situation still remains very fragile," African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat warned last weekend. Hassan Khannenje, director of The Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, told AFP that Al-Shabaab was "on the back foot in Somalia". "There is a desire on their part to demonstrate continued relevance and resilience." 'Manifestation of desperation' A US official last month told AFP the recent cross-border attacks by Al-Shabaab were a "manifestation of desperation". But Kenya is taking no chances. A string of major attacks on the Westgate shopping centre in 2013, Garissa University two years later, and the Dusit hotel complex in 2019 left hundreds of Kenyans and foreigners dead. The East African nation earlier this month said it was delaying the planned reopening of its long-closed border with Somalia over the deadly attacks. The phased reopening would not go ahead as announced "until we conclusively deal with the recent spate of terror attacks and cross-border crime," Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said. Analyst Khannenje said the wave of attacks "should serve as a warning" to Kenya. The post ‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Thai reformist Pita’s PM bid crashes on establishment opposition
Thai reformist leader Pita Limjaroenrat's bid to become prime minister ended Wednesday, despite his party winning the most votes in May elections, after the military and pro-royalist establishment blocked his bid for power. Pita's Move Forward Party (MFP) has ridden high on the support of young and urban Thais frustrated by nearly a decade of army-backed rule, but its efforts to form a government have stumbled. The 42-year-old was dramatically suspended from parliament while seated in the chamber for discussions on his candidacy, which came to an end when lawmakers voted to refuse considering him for a second ballot. "I would like to say goodbye until we meet again," he said, raising his fist as he left the assembly floor to the cheers of party allies. Pita's suspension came when Thailand's Constitutional Court said it would proceed with a case that could see the leader disqualified from parliament altogether for owning shares in a media company. Lawmakers are forbidden from doing so under Thailand's constitution, though the television station in question has not broadcast since 2007. Pita, Harvard-educated and wealthy from a family-run agrifood business, has said the shares were inherited from his father. He has 15 days to respond to the case. After he left the parliament, lawmakers voted by a large margin to rule that he could not be considered for the post a second time. "Pita can't be nominated twice in this parliamentary session," speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said, over howls of protest from within the chamber, immediately before the day's proceedings were called to an end. Dozens of supporters cried and shouted abuse at a large riot police cordon guarding the gates of parliament after news of Pita's suspension broke. "Why even ask people to go to the polls?" one protester, who did not give his name, told AFP. Protesters began gathering in the evening for a public rally near Bangkok's Democracy Monument and police said they were prepared for any unrest. "No matter what their opinions are, they need to follow rules and orders set by the police," said Archayon Kraithong, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Police. Roadblocks Pita's first tilt at the premiership failed when he fell dozens of votes short of the required support in a joint parliamentary sitting. Thailand's senate is stacked with military appointees, with only 13 of 249 serving senators voting for Pita last week. Other roadblocks have been thrown in front of his Pita's candidacy. The court has also agreed to hear a case alleging that MFP's campaign promise to amend Thailand's royal defamation law is tantamount to a plan to "overthrow" the constitutional monarchy. Pita's party has refused to compromise on its pledge to revise the law, which can allow convicted critics of the monarchy to be jailed for up to 15 years. The MFP's reformist platform also poses a threat to family-owned business monopolies that play an outsized role in the kingdom's economy. The Constitutional Court has intervened in Thai politics before. The billionaire leader of MFP's predecessor party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, was disqualified as an MP in 2019 after falling afoul of the same shareholding rule. Compromise candidate Pita has vowed to step aside to make way for another party to form a government if his second attempt fails. The coalition backing him is expected to fall in line behind property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, potentially relegating MFP to serve in opposition. Srettha's Pheu Thai party is seen as a vehicle for the Shinawatra political clan, whose members include two former prime ministers ousted by military coups in 2006 and 2014. But as a successful entrepreneur liked by fellow business leaders, the 60-year-old is seen as a potential compromise acceptable to the Thai elite. Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, a former Thai army chief who served as number two in the junta that took power in 2014, has also been floated as a candidate by parliament's military bloc. Thai voters roundly rejected army-backed parties in May's election. Political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak told AFP the prospect of a military presence in the next government could spark a backlash in a country that is no stranger to political unrest. The post Thai reformist Pita’s PM bid crashes on establishment opposition appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Two Lanao Norte clans agree to settle rido
TUBOD, Lanao del Norte — The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte facilitated the settlement of the dispute between the Mangondawis and Manamparan family from the Municipality of Nunungan. RIDO SETTLEMENT — Members of the clans of Manamparan and Mangondawis pledge over Qur’an to end their disputes. The two clans agreed to put an end to their misunderstanding by signing the Covenant of Peace and Reconciliation on August 19 at the Mindanao Civic Center Gymnasium in the town of Tubod. Their rido (clan war) started four years ago. Nunungan Mayor Marcos Mamay said his town is known to be the capital of rido in Lanao del Norte and cited how he exerted efforts to settle the family feud by closely coordinating with the police, military, and provincial leaders. “It has been part of our advocacy in promoting peace in believing that development is the new language of peace,” he said. Mamay said he already settled more than 30 family feuds while the Manamparan and Mangondawis settlement is the second on the provincial level. “It’s not just a responsibility but obligation on my part to make a move to settle the differences”, Mamay said. The settlement was witnessed by Brig. Gen. Facundo O. Palafox IV, Commander of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, and Police Provincial Director Col. Rolindo Suguilon. Palafox said the Philippine Army continues to be very active in helping the LGUs in settling ridos in the province. He added that when family feuds are not settled, criminality will be the main problem that the province will face. Lanao del Norte Gov. Imelda “Angging” Quibranza-Dimaporo hopes the rido settlement will bring development to Nunungan town. She also shared that an international company is interested in doing business in the town which can bring employment opportunities to the residents......»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»
Property prices slow in Q4
The growth in property prices has been sustained for 10 straight quarters, albeit at a slower pace in the fourth quarter last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas......»»
ANZ raises Philippine inflation forecast to 3.8% this year
ANZ Research hiked its inflation forecast for the Philippines to 3.8 percent this year, from 3.5 percent previously, as risks may drive inflation up to above the central bank’s two to four percent target in the coming months......»»
Vehicle sales rev up by 23% in February
Vehicle sales accelerated by more than a fifth in February from a year ago, supported by automotive firms’ marketing efforts as well as stable interest rates......»»
S& P: Philippines may miss growth goal this year
S&P Global Ratings sees the Philippines again missing its growth targets this year as it kept its gross domestic product growth forecast at 5.9 percent. While the projection is better compared to other economies in the region, it is again below the government’s 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target......»»
Cebu topnotcher shares secret to success: Strong support system of family, friends
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A good support system of family and friends is Elijah Cabase’s secret to his placing 5th in the March 2024 Medical Technologists Licensure Examinations (MTLE). This 23-year-old University of Cebu-Banilad alumnus said that he was not even expecting to pass because he described himself as a confessed procrastinator — or one.....»»
Pertussis or whooping cough: 40 child deaths so far this year – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo reported on Wednesday that as of March 16 this year, some 40 children had died of whooping cough — a respiratory infection also called pertussis. An increase in new pertussis cases nationwide had been observed nationwide, with 28 cases reported from March 10 to 16. READ: What.....»»
88% of Pinoys oppose Cha-cha – Pulse Asia
Public opinion on Charter change, which last year was roughly divided among Filipinos, is now largely skewed toward those opposed to changing the country’s Constitution, a survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed......»»
Security Council warns of foreign interference in 2025 polls
There may be foreign interference in next year’s midterm elections and the Department of Information and Communications Technology should prepare to counter cyberattacks, the National Security Councilwarned yesterday......»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times higher since January
The number of pertussis cases nationwide has increased 20-fold this year from 2023, according to the Department of Hea.....»»
Girl, 4, dies after being hit by SUV
A four-year-old girl died after she was hit by a sport utility vehicle in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon......»»
Companies State it Takes More Than 6 Months to Fill Cybersecurity Positions
The latest Kaspersky survey found that 48% of companies require over half a year to find a qualified cybersecurity professional. A lack of proven experience was cited as one of the biggest challenges, along with the high cost of hiring and global competition in talent acquisition. With global labor markets continuing to clamor for InfoSec […].....»»
Tenorio aims to keep imparting basketball knowledge
At this point of his career, 39-year-old LA Tenorio said it is all about giving back......»»
Pacatiw tries to buck cage rust in ONE Championship return
More than a year since his last ONE Championship bout, Jeremy Pacatiw acknowledged that he has a lot to work on before his comeback fight......»»
Cebu bus terminals: 100,000 passengers expected on March 27
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 100,000 passengers are expected to flock to two of the biggest bus terminals here in Cebu for the Holy Week this year. As early as 7 a.m. on Holy Wednesday, dozens already queued for buses at the Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT) in the North Reclamation Area. READ MORE:.....»»
Cebuano Larz Dawson first runner-up for Mister Tourism Universe 2024
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Another Cebuano is putting Cebu on the centerstage of pageants. Larz Kent Dawson, 22, from Tisa, Cebu City recently bagged the first runner-up title for this year’s Mister Universe Tourism. Dawson, who was crowned Ginoong Pilipinas 2023, added another title in his bag, this time on the international stage. “Joining Mister Universe.....»»
Danao City ‘gun maker’ nabbed in raid
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A 39-year-old man, who was accused of the illegal manufacture of guns, was arrested in a raid in his residence in Sitio Sapangdako, Barangay Matija, Danao City in northern Cebu, Tuesday dawn, March 26. In a report, the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) said that the raid was based on a.....»»