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China Donates Medical Equipment to Nigeria in Fight Against COVID -19

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Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhuo Pingjian, on Friday, donated medical equipment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in support of the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Pingjian, while delivering the medical items at the ministry in Abuja, said the outbreak of COVID-19 has posed threats to people’s health and security of lives globally.

According to him, it has become important for the international community to strengthen confidence, act in unity and work together in collective response against the disease spread.

Pingjian said: “At the most difficult moment in our fight against the outbreak, China received a strong political support and assistance in various means from Nigeria.

“Such expression of friendship will always be remembered and cherished by the Chinese people, as a Chinese saying goes: ‘Give a plum in return for a peach.

“China firmly supports Nigeria’s fight against the COVID-19 and stands ready to assist if needed, to the best of its capacity.

“China will try its best to provide medical supplies to Nigeria and do whatever it could to support the country, as well as continue to share information and experience with Nigeria.

“China will strengthen cooperation on containment, treatment and vaccines in response to COVID-19 challenge with a view to building community of shared health for mankind.”

He reiterated that just like Nigeria supported China by all means, the country would try its best to support Nigeria too to overcome difficulties in its fight against COVID-19.

Receiving the items, Mr Lot Egopija, Director of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics (PPRS) in the ministry, said that as of Friday March 27, 65 cases had recorded in Nigeria.

Egopija said the government was leaving no stone unturned to stem the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

“These items will be used by the ministry to further ensure COVID-19 does not spread.

“I assure you that the leadership of the ministry and everyone concerned will use the items judiciously.

“We want to thank you for your continuous support to our country and we will always remain grateful for your laudable initiative,” Egopija said.

In a separate interview, Mr Nura Rini, Director of Regions in the ministry, said that Coronavirus might have started from China, but it had spread to every part of the world.

He said that there was the need for collective struggle to be able to contain the global spread of the disease.

According to Rini, there is need for concerted efforts for every country to make sure the spread of the disease was contained.

“The support given to Nigeria by China is a demonstration of excellent relationship that exists between both countries and this gesture can only deepen the relationship.

“Nigeria on its part, assisted many countries in their time of need and will continue to do so; I urge Nigerians to support efforts by Federal and State Governments to contain COVID-19.

“We have to listen to instructions given to us by medical experts and various state governments to be able to contain the spread,” Rini said.

He described the fight against COVID-19 as serious business, because the disease had no respect for race, colour or gender.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the medical equipment include, thermometer, hand washing sanitizers and face masks.

Others are hand gloves, anti-bacteria wash, anti-septic wipes/soaps and automatic hand dryer. (NAN)

Foreign News

Russian Army Fires Ballistic Missiles at Kiev from Crimean Peninsula

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The Russian Army has hit the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with ballistic missiles, injuring four people and damaging an uninhabited three-storey building, according to officials.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said  that two of the injured  people were in a central neighbourhood and  had been taken to hospital.

Rocket debris also fell in two other neighbourhoods.

According to the Ukrainian air force, two ballistic missiles were fired at the city of millions, from the Russian-controlled Crimea Peninsula.

Both were shot down.

Half a dozen explosions from anti-aircraft missiles had previously been heard in the city centre.

The air raid warning was only triggered a few seconds beforehand, it said.

Ukraine has been facing  Russian invasion for over two years.

Since then, the Ukrainian air defence system has been massively reinforced with Western systems. (dpa/NAN)

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Cambodia Arrests 2 Foreigners for Smuggling 2.27 kg Narcotics

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Cambodian customs police at the Phnom Penh International Airport said they have arrested two South Korean nationals for an attempt to smuggle 2.27 kg narcotics to South Korea.

The duo, a man and woman, were caught Sunday night while they checked in for a ZA215 flight bound for Seoul.

The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia said in a news release on Monday.

In their body searches, our customs officials found many packs of drugs wrapped around their waists, the news release said.

“As a result, some 1.29 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 0.98 kg of ketamine were seized from the two suspects’ possession.’’

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker.

Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grammes of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.

According to the country’s Anti-Drug Department (ADP), Cambodia nabbed 3,899 drug-related suspects, including 106 foreigners, in 1,659 cases from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2024.

According to the report they confiscated a total of 2.79 tonnes of narcotics.

Most of the seized drugs were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. (Xinhua/NAN)

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February Ends with Extreme Heat – WMO

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The UN weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), says February saw more extreme heat and unusually high temperatures in both hemispheres.

Summarising the state of the climate, it said the month ended with extreme heat in the southern hemisphere where it is summer, while high temperatures atypical of the northern hemisphere winter prevailed.

Parts of North and South America, northwest and southeast Africa, southeast and far eastern Asia, western Australia and Europe all saw record-breaking temperatures, either on a daily basis or for all of February.

“The anomalous heat is consistent with the persisting warming observed since June 2023, with seven consecutive new global monthly temperature records, including January 2024,” Alvaro Silva, a climatologist working with the WMO, said in a statement.

Global sea surface temperatures were record high. While the El Niño weather pattern “has stoked temperatures in some parts of the world, human induced climate change is the long-term major contributing factor,” he added.

Conversely, a large part of northwestern Canada, central Asia – and from southern central Siberia to southeastern China – witnessed exceptional cold during the last week of the month.

The meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere finished officially at the end of February.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) raised increasing concern on Friday that more refugees would cross into Chad from Darfur in the coming weeks amid a worrying lack of food and other essentials.

Almost a year since the start of the civil war between rival militaries in Sudan, neighbouring Chad urgently needs more humanitarian aid and significant development investment, the agency reported, especially in its eastern areas which are hosting the refugee influx.

This investment will allow the country to continue its generous open-door stance towards refugees.

“Chadian officials are concerned that many more hungry Sudanese families will come in the next weeks,” said Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, who is in the country to review the relief operation.

“The country is committed to keeping its borders open, despite the fragility of this region.

“But, doing so will put even more strain on Chad, which has so graciously been hosting refugees from Sudan’s war – now raging almost a year – and other refugees still here from earlier emergencies.” (NAN)

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