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UAE Celebrates Co-operation With Nigeria as it Marks 49th Anniversary

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday celebrated the growing cooperation with Nigeria as it marked the country’s 49th anniversary in Abuja.

Dr Fahad Al Taffaq, its Ambassador to Nigeria, while addressing guests and friends of the UAE at a ceremony to mark the National Day, said that he was excited to see the growing bilateral relations between both countries across all sectors.

“Today marks the importance of unity and coming together to celebrate our achievement in 2020 even though it has proved to be challenging for many reasons.

“I am proud to see the growing bilateral relations we enjoy with the good people of Nigeria across all sectors.

“This relationship is nurtured, developed and reinforced by the wise leadership of both friendly nations who have continued to forge strategic partnerships for prosperity of both countries.

“As of 2019, the total volume of non-oil bilateral trade between Nigeria and UAE stood at $1.4 billion, but just yesterday, Dec. 1, I, alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on behalf of our respective governments, signed an MoU for the establishment of a Joint Commission for Cooperation.

“This huge stride will, no doubt, further expand bilateral relations between Nigeria and the UAE to wider prospects,” he said .

He added that throughout 2020, the Embassy in Abuja carried out several initiatives across several sectors that positively impacted over 32,000 Nigerians.

According to him, the initiatives ranged from sinking boreholes to providing clean water to communities and schools, distribution of food, relief items, masks and hand sanitisers to the most vulnerable communities, especially those in IDPs camps.

He said that the UAE-based charity organisation, Noor Dubai Foundation, that was launched in Katsina state in 2019, had provided eye care services, performed over 1,000 cataract surgeries, treated over 8,000 people and recruited two ophthalmologists and two optometrists.

He applauded the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of UAE, and Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, for making the cooperation a reality.

In his remarks, Mr Zubairu Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said that UAE had come a long way in achieving developmental strides with countries like Nigeria seeking to emulate its achievements.

He said that such was the reason Nigeria had maintained a very cordial relationship with the UAE.

According to him, Nigeria has maintained close ties with the UAE over a period of four decades.

“We are hoping that the relationship will be taken to another level, for the mutual benefit of all.

“The MoU signed earlier is for the promotion and diversification of the two countries in various fields such as economy, agriculture, education and Consular issues, among others,” he said.

Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, in a remark, said that the economic relationship between the two countries had progressed steadily since diplomatic relations was established.

He added that such was evidenced in the improvement of the bilateral non-oil activity between both countries and the show of both medical and conventional tourism activities.

“There is also the recent construction of the 300 mega watts renewable energy plant in Lagos by UAE.

“We have also commenced engagement with the UAE toward a potential collaboration to help boost our Small and Medium Enterprises.

“I will like to say that Nigeria is committed to working with the UAE and we are open to investment proposition to boost our trade competitiveness and to create job opportunities in the country,” he said. (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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