Tag: Aid

Red Cross trains journalists in first aid skills
First aid
By Ibrahim Kado
Yola, June 27, 2024 (NAN) The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), has trained 23 journalists in first aid skills to save lives in emergencies.
The First Aid Field Officer, ICRC, Mr Omoruyi Edobor, who spoke at the end of the three-day training exercise on Thursday in Yola, said the participants were drawn from Borno and Adamawa.
He urged the participants to apply the skills learnt into practice and step down the knowledge to save more lives in the society.
Accorcing to him, first aid is an assistance given to a casualty before the arrival of a medical doctor or before going to hospital to saving lives.
Edobor said it was also to prevent the condition from becoming worse as well as to promote speedy recovery, adding that in the course of providing such assistance, safety and security should be considered.
The field officer said that as journalists they might come across incidents that need their urgent help.
Earlier, the ICRC Communication Officer, Esther Eleojo said ICRC is an independent and neutral organisation that ensures humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and armed violence.
“It takes action in response to emergencies and promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.”
Eleojo added that the ICRC’s mission was to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and violence, and to provide them with assistance.
Mr Lemdi Okolie, ICRC Communication Officer, Mubi Sub delegation, said the organisation had provided a lot of services in the North-East as a result of the Boko Haram crisis.
He listed some of their interventions towards improving the standards of healthcare facilities, vaccinated over two million livestock and reunited missing persons with their families.
One of the participants, Fati Muhammad, lauded the gesture and promised to put the knowledge acquired into practice.
She said she had learnt a lot on first aid in terms of domestic accidents, full body examination, controlling of bleeding and handling fracture. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
IMK/CEO/RSA
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Edited by Chidi Opara/Rabiu Sani-Ali
June 27, 2024
EU ministers approve €1.4bn Ukraine military aid using Russia assets
EU ministers approve €1.4bn Ukraine military aid using Russia assets
Aid
Luxembourg, June 24, 2024 (dpa/NAN) EU foreign ministers approved 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) in military aid for Ukraine, with the package to be financed for the first time by proceeds from frozen Russian Central Bank assets.
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said this on Monday, ahead of the ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg that the funds needed to reach Ukraine quickly and “avoid any blockage.’’
The approval came as a welcome boost for Kiev amid Hungary’s ongoing opposition to other packages from an off-budget fund called the European Peace Facility (EPF) worth more than 6 billion euros.
Each EU member state has a veto on EPF payments and Hungary has been blocking some disbursements related to Ukraine for nearly a year.
A 5-billion euros support fund is also blocked.
EU diplomats were not expecting a breakthrough on the EPF deadlock with Hungary.
As a result, Ukraine military aid from the proceeds is a useful alternative means of support. Careful legal footwork to enable aid
EU member states first gave their approval to the use the proceeds to buy arms for Ukraine in May however it was unclear when the first payments would flow due to Hungary’s veto.
A legal analysis noted that as Hungary abstained on the decision to use the frozen assets for Ukraine, and that the new aid is derived from the Russian Central Bank assets and not EU funds.
Budapest’s veto did not apply.
Borrell said on Monday that the finances cannot get stopped.
“It has to be used. We have a legal procedure in order to avoid any blockage.’’
Hungary opposed military aid for Ukraine fearing an escalation of the conflict with Russia and expresses doubts about Western support for Ukraine, preferring instead to call for a ceasefire.
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has previously linked decisions on aid for Ukraine to freeing up EU funds for Hungary that have been frozen due to concerns about the rule of law.
Military and financial aid for Ukraine
The military aid for Ukraine uses the interest and other profits from the assets, but not the underlying assets themselves, which will remain frozen.
A total of 90 per cent of the money will fund military aid, while 10% will go directly to Ukraine as financial aid.
Under the agreement, Germany and the Czech Republic have been selected as the first to use the proceeds to provide Ukraine with air defence equipment and artillery shells, EU diplomats said.
Other EU member states may administer the proceeds in the future.
According to the European Commission, around 210 billion euros worth of Russian Central Bank assets are frozen in the EU.
The Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear, which held the lion’s share of the assets, recently announced that the assets had made around 4.4 billion euros in interest in 2023.
Russian LNG targeted in EU sanctions first
EU foreign ministers also adopted new punitive measures to crack down on sanctions evasion and stop Russia from obtaining Western technology for making weapons.
A further 69 individuals and 47 entities linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been sanctioned with an asset freeze and a travel ban to the European Union.
The new salvo of sanctions target Russia’s multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector for the first time.
These punitive measures ban ports such as Zeebrugge in Belgium from shipping Russian LNG to countries outside the EU after a nine-month transition period.
Also targeted is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s so-called shadow fleet used to avoid sanctions including 27 specific vessels.
German opposition to the 14th sanctions package needed to be overcome, EU diplomats said, as Berlin was concerned the 14th sanctions package went too far, especially for subsidiaries.
EU diplomats said a compromise was reached, allowing measures halting exports to Russia the so-called No Russia clause to not apply to subsidiaries for the time being.
The issue is to be revisited.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba briefed his EU counterparts on the war situation via video call.
Western Balkan foreign ministers were also invited to discuss foreign policy. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
COO/HA
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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

June 24, 2024
Canada announces rockets, other military aid for Ukraine
Canada announces rockets, other military aid for Ukraine
Aid
Brussels, June 13, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Canada says it will supply Ukraine with rockets, small arms ammunition and remote-controlled weapon mounts for vehicles, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair announced in Brussels on Thursday.
“Canada will provide Ukraine with 2,300 Canadian Rocket Vehicle 7s or CRV rocket motors,’’ Blair said.
He added, “Canada will send an additional number of rounds of small arms ammunition, as well as 29 Nanuk remote systems,’’ which are remote-controlled weapon mounts for military vehicles.”
He said the CRV7s were “formerly used by the Royal Canadian Air Force on our CF-18 aircraft.’’
Meanwhile, “the Nanuk is a remotely-controlled weapon station used by the Canadian Army on our own light armoured vehicles.’’
He added, this week, Canada would begin the shipments of a new fleet of 50 armoured vehicles to Ukraine.
”The first four vehicles would be departing Canada this week, and they would be delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces in the coming weeks,’’ Blair said. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
COO/BRM
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Edited b y Cecilia Odey/Bashir Rabe Mani
08053114137
June 13, 2024