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Somalia Bombings: Casualties cross 500 mark in worst terror attacks

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]US, Somalia continue targeting Al-Shabab terror group

President of Somalia has declared three days of national mourning and urged citizens to help those affected in the Saturday’s bombings in the capital Mogadishu killing at least 276 people and injuring over 300 others.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed,  posted a twitter message early Sunday, “We will observe three days of mourning for innocent victims, flags will be flown at half-mast. Time to unite and pray together. Terror won’t win.”

He also made appeal to the residents to help those affected by the attack. “I call on our citizens to come out, extend help, donate blood and comfort the bereaved. Let’s get through this together,” Mohamed said.

President Mohamed, a Somali-American, considered to be very close to US administration, had declared new offensive against the extremist group Al-Shabab earlier in April this year.

Meanwhile Abdirahman Osman, the Information Minister said on his twitter post that around 300 others were also wounded in the powerful explosion at a busy road junction. Destroying nearby homes and businesses and turned vehicles into burned wrecks.

Osman called the attack “barbaric” and said that number of countries including Turkey, Ethiopia and Kenya had already offered to provide medical assistance.

This was the deadliest blast in modern history of the country. The number of the casualties may rise as the rescuers continue to pull more bodies from the rubble, the information ministry said.

The first truck explosion destroyed dozens of stalls and the popular Safari Hotel in the heart of the city. The truck was reportedly packed with several hundred kilograms of military-grade and homemade explosives.

Sources close to Somalia government claimed that the truck had been stopped at a checkpoint and was about to be searched when the driver suddenly accelerated. It crashed into a barrier, and then exploded. This ignited a fuel tanker which was stationary nearby, multiplying the damages. It was considered to be aimed at Somalia’s foreign ministry.

According to Colonel Ahmed Hassan of Mogadishu police, the security forces had been tipped off about the vehicle carrying explosives and were pursuing it in the busy K5 district of the city when the explosion took place. The K5 district hosts several government buildings, restaurants and hotels.

Within two hours of the truck explosion, a suicide car explosion occurred in Madina district of the capital.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attacks so far. However, earlier this year Al-Shabab terror group had vowed to escalate attacks after both the Trump administration and Somalia’s recently elected president announced new military effort against the group.

The Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda linked terror group since 2011, follows Saudi propounded Wahabi ideology. It has carried out several deadly car bomb attacks in the city. In recent months, Al-Shabab has escalated its attacks in an effort to destabilise the new government of Mohamed.

The terror group had caused alarm in February 2016 when it claimed responsibility for the bombing of an airliner that made emergency landing with a gaping hole in the fuselage shortly after taking off from Mogadishu.

Mogadishu Mayor Thabit Abdi Mohammed went to the hospital for donating blood and appealed to all Somali people to come forward to donate blood. “I call on the Somali people to visit the city’s hospitals and donate blood. Please, come to the rescue of your brothers,” he said.

Several foreign missions in the vicinity were affected. Qatar Embassy was partly damaged, while its charg d’affairs suffered minor injuries. British ambassador to Somalia David Concar tweeted that the blast was audible from inside British Embassy.

Meanwhile Micheal Keating, special representative of the UN secretary general for Somalia, said he was appalled by the death toll and the scope of destruction. “The perpetrators struck a densely populated neighborhood of Mogadishu. They have killed an unprecedented number of civilians. It is a revolting attack both in terms of its intent and impact,” he said.

The attack came 48 hours after the resignations of the defence minister and country’s army chief without offering any explanation. Moreover US Africa command was in Mogadishu to meet Somalia’s president just two days before the bombings.

President Donald Trump has recently approved an expanded military role in Somalia which includes carrying out more aggressive airstrikes against Al-Shabab and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities.

US military has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against Al-Shabab. A US special force operative was killed in skirmish with the group earlier this year.

In April this year, The US military sent dozens of regular troops to Somalia, being the largest deployment in the country in two decades. It was reported that 40 troops were engaged to impart training to Somalia’s army.

In 1993, US had pulled out of Somalia, when two helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu. The bodies of the slain US soldiers were dragged through the streets.

Mogadishu, the Somalian capital which happens to be a large city on the east African coast, has witnessed high level of violence for years.

According to recent UN report, more than 3.1 million people in Somalia are threatened by famine because of the food shortages and violence.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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