Weak government offers US details of its pirates for aid

Somalia's prime minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has offered to identify pirate leaders in exchange for aid, claiming they threaten his government, Associated Press reports.

"We have information on who is behind this, who is involved," Sharmarke said in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. "There is a lot of money flowing in ... we are following very closely how money is distributed here."

Sharmarke said the Somali government was presenting a plan to envoys from the European Union, the United States and a regional authority to fight pirates by building up military forces and establishing intelligence-gathering posts along its coastline.

"The best way to actually deal with this is to prevent (the pirates) from going into the waters," Sharmarke said. "We are planning to establish at least ten or more observation posts on the coastline."

AP said donors have been reluctant to fund a government with little accountability but the recent spike in piracy attacks may change that.

Somali pirates are holding more than 280 foreign crewmen captive on 15 ships - at least 76 of those sailors captured in recent days.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.

Topics