The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has sealed 50 outlets in Kaduna State for selling edible oil under unhygienic conditions.

The operation was said to be part of a sensitisation workshop for dealers, focusing on Registration Procedures and Food Management.

This was disclosed in a statement posted on the agency’s X handle on Saturday.

The statement partly read, “NAFDAC has sealed fifty outlets in Kaduna for dispensing edible oil under unhygienic conditions, aiming to prevent potential health risks associated with contamination.

“The Director, North-West Zonal Office, Mrs. Josephine Dayilim highlighted the dangers of consuming oil processed in unsanitary environments, emphasising the risks of food poisoning, gastroenteritis, and even cancer due to inadequate processing and corrosive equipment.”

Dayilim also emphasised the importance of using food-grade materials and maintaining hygienic production environments to ensure consumer safety.

The Sierra Leone Minister of Energy, Kanja Sesay, resigned on Friday, a few hours after the country paid off some of the debt it owed its Turkish energy providers.

Under Mr Sesay tenure, the country owed its energy providers, Turkish Karpowership a total of $48 million and Transco-CLSG group whose total sum owed has yet been confirmed.

The Turkish Karpowership, which is the biggest floating power plant operator in the world, has been supplying electricity to the country’s capital, Freetown, since 2018 but cut off power from the country in September due to the debt.

The Karpowership disclosed last week that it had reduced the electricity supply to the country from 60 megawatts to 6 megawatts because of the unpaid bills.

However, Mr Sesay while resigning said he took full responsibility for the crisis that rocked the country.

Following the minister’s resignation, the office of the President Julius Maada Bio, revealed that the energy ministry would be under the supervision of the President and two other officials.

Also, the President announced in a statement that $17 million from the debt had been paid, adding that it had also paid $1.5 million to TRANSCO-CLSG, who provided power to the south and east side of the country.

Meanwhile, after the president announced the payments, power was restored back to the country’s capital after months of power outage.

Four Chinese have been arrested by the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, at an illegal mining site where lithium is sold at Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Spokesman of the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

“Following the commissioning of some specially trained NSCDC personnel as Federal Government Mining Marshals, the team has intensified efforts to clamp down on illegal miners sabotaging the economy of the nation.

“The Mining Marshalls with a renewed vigour swung into action following credible intelligence and uncovered an illegal mining site where lithium is sold at Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

“During the sting operation, the squad arrested four Chinese nationals who through preliminary investigation admitted that they were running an illegal site used for selling lithium,” the statement said.

The Mining Marshall Commander, ACC. Attah John Onoja, said the minerals in question were seized in line with the provisions of Section 146 (b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

He added that the arrest of the Chinese followed their refusal to honour invitation for questioning.

Onoja added that an application would be lodged in court for forfeiture of the impounded lithium minerals while the proceeds would be remitted to the Federal Government.

According to him, preliminary investigations have unearthed where the minerals were being disposed of without the required license.

He said, “The arrested suspects have confessed to the crime, admitting that they held no certificate or license to deal in the solid minerals.

“The suspects are running a business venture identified as HOSAN AGRO-ALLIED COMPANY LTD which was registered to deal in agricultural-related activities.”

The Federal Government had vowed to stamp out illegal mining activities across the country and end the menace of mineral theft plaguing the solid minerals sector of the nation’s economy.

Meanwhile, the NSCDC Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Audi has charged the Mining Marshals to work assiduously to rid the country of illegal miners.

Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASCOPA) have sealed three churches, five hotels, a bar, and a food company in some parts of the state.

This was disclosed in a post shared by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on his official X handle on Friday.

According to the statement, LASCOPA shut down the establishments for alleged noise pollution and violation of other environmental laws.

The commissioner wrote, “In a significant effort to address noise pollution and other environmental breaches, LASEPA @LasepaOfficial conducted a comprehensive enforcement operation today in strategic areas of lfako-Ijaiye, Abule-Egba, Alagbado, Command, Abesan Estate, and Dopemu within Lagos State.

“Among the affected establishments are the Catholic Church, Seventh Heaven Bar & Lounge, 1602 Hotel, Lourita Hotel & Suites, Wonderful Bible Prayer Ministries, God’s Porch Ministries, White Pavilion Hotel, Quest Hotel & Suites, Honey Comb Confectioners Ltd, and Excel Hotel & Suite.”

Mr Wahab explained that the establishments were temporarily closed to ensure compliance with the state’s environmental regulations.

LASEPA, therefore, stressed the importance for businesses in the state to adhere to environmental standards.

The Defence Ministers of China and Iran have agreed on closer cooperation on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Kazakhstan.

Iran’s Brigadier General Mohammed-Reza Astiani said, “Improved cooperation and rapprochement on both sides are needed to resolve regional and international security problems.”

He spoke after talks with China’s Admiral Dong Jun in Astana, the Kazakh capital.

Iran is internationally isolated on account of its nuclear programme and its support of non-state militant groups in the Middle East.

It has responded by improving ties with Russia and China.In moves to find new partners, Tehran joined the SCO in July 2023.

At the beginning of the year, it joined the BRICS organisation, whose original members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

China has become the main customer of Iranian oil and a significant economic partner.

The two countries signed a 25-year cooperation agreement in 2021.

A chief magistrates’ court in Badagry, Lagos, on Friday remanded a 37-year-old man, Ademola Afeez, in a correctional facility for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl.

Mr Afeez, whose address was not provided, is being charged with unlawful penetration and defilement.

The prosecutor, Insp Ayodele Adeosun, told the court that the defendant committed the offence at about 9:00 a.m.m. on April 1 in the Baba-Pupa, Azangbemeh area of Badagry, Lagos.

Mr Adeosun said Mr Afeez sexually penetrated the vagina of the 12-year-old girl with his fingers.

He said the defendant unlawfully took her from the custody of her parents with the intent to have sexual intercourse.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 261 and 170 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The chief magistrate, Patrick Adekomaiya, who did not take Mr Afeez’s plea, ordered him remanded in a correctional centre and adjourned the matter until June 3.

Ukraine has received the bodies of 140 soldiers killed while trying to defend the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson from Russian attacks.

The authority responsible for prisoner-of-war matters said on Telegram on Friday that five bodies were from the Sumy section in northern Ukraine.

Russia has no Ukrainian territories under its control in this area; however, at the beginning of March, units of allegedly Russian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine made advances from the Sumy region into Russian territory.

Once the identities of the dead have been established, they will be handed over to their relatives, the authority said.

The authority, known as the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for arranging the return.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two years.

Despite the ongoing fighting, both sides regularly exchange the bodies of fallen soldiers and prisoners of war.

It is not yet known whether and how many dead soldiers Russia has received in return.

Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed he sought treatment for debilitating anxiety during his time in office.

In a new book, Mr Morrison points to “pure physical exhaustion” and the “unrelenting and callous brutality of politics” as central to his struggles.

He said he was sharing his story to “de-stigmatise” mental illness.

“My doctor was amazed I had lasted as long as I had,” Mr Morrison writes, in an extract published by The Australian.

“Without this help, serious depression would have manifested.”Politicians are not made of stone, yet they’re often treated as though they are, including by each other,” he continued.

Mr Morrison – a conservative who led Australia from 2018 to 2022 – wrote on social media that he wanted to “normalise” something that was “very common for many Australians”.

He also told ABC News that he wanted to make clear that politicians experiencing mental illness can still perform at a high level.

“Because I sought help I was fully functional. [It is] important that people understand that this doesn’t have to hold you back. I went on to land Aukus in the midst of this,” Mr Morrison said, referring to a defence pact with the US and UK.

The 55-year-old father of two joins a growing cohort of world leaders who have opened up about similar issues, such as New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who spoke about her struggles with burnout, and Mr Morrison’s predecessor Malcolm Turnbull who revealed in a memoir that he had experienced suicidal thoughts in 2009.

While in the top job, Mr Morrison oversaw Australia’s pandemic response, the 2019-20 bushfire crisis, and was embroiled in a historic scandal for secretly appointing himself to several ministerial positions.

In January he retired from politics after 17 years of public service, to join the private sector.

His departure had long been expected following a shattering election loss to Labor’s Anthony Albanese in 2022, which left the Liberal-National coalition with its lowest ever number of seats.

An Indian woman named Varsha Sahu accidentally inhaled the screw of her nose pin two months ago, but she wasn’t too concerned about it.

She thought the pin had gone into her stomach and would naturally pass through her digestive system.

But the metal object got lodged in her lung and caused her weeks of discomfort and shortness of breath until finally it was removed by doctors.

Like most married Hindu women in India, 35-year-old Varsha had been wearing a nose pin since her wedding “16-17 years back” as it’s considered a symbol of marital status.

“I didn’t know that the screw had come loose,” she told the BBC on the phone from her home in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

“I was just chatting and I took a deep breath and I inhaled it. I had no idea it went into my airway. I thought it had gone into my stomach,” the mother of two teenaged boys added.

Dr Debraj Jash, a pulmonologist at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, who removed the pin from Varsha’s lung last month, described her case as “extremely rare” – Indian media have reported only two cases in the past decade.

“Sometimes we get cases where dry fruits or betel nuts have gone into people’s lungs, but most such cases involve young children or elderly people above 80. A woman patient in her 30s is an exception.”

Varsha’s story came to light when – a month after inhaling the screw – she went to a doctor complaining of a persistent cough and shortness of breath and pneumonia. She initially blamed the breathing difficulties on an earlier injury to her nose.

When medicines didn’t help, she consulted a pulmonologist. A CT scan detected the object in her lung and a subsequent chest X-ray showed what it was.

The pulmonologist sent a fibreoptic bronchoscope – a tiny camera with forceps – down her airway. But it couldn’t grasp the “sharp shining object” and failed to pull it out. She then referred the patient to Dr Jash.

“We had to counsel the patient first. She was worried about undergoing a second procedure so soon after the first one, but we explained to her that the human body is designed in such a way that there’s no place in it for a foreign object,” he said.

“We told her there was no way her body was going to accept it and that if left untreated, her pneumonia would keep getting worse,” he added.

Dr Jash says he also told her that they may even have to perform an invasive surgery which would involve hiving off a part of her lung. But as it could potentially have long-term complications, he decided to give the fibreoptic bronchoscope another try.

“It is extremely difficult to pull out a sharp object with a regular flexible bronchoscope. The object had been in her lung for more than two weeks and tissues had already grown around it.

“We had to be very careful because if during extraction, the screw came in contact with the airway – which is very narrow – it could cause injury and lead to a bleeding which could cause a catastrophe.

“But the procedure, which lasted 30 minutes, was successful and Varsha was discharged after four days in the hospital.

“She’s been back for follow-ups and she’s now perfectly fine,” Dr Jash said.

Varsha laughs when I ask her if she’s gone back to wearing nose pins again. “No way. I could never imagine that something like this could happen, but it did. I do not want a repeat of it.”

The Hope Behind Bars Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has urged the federal government to speed up the decongestion of custodial centres nationwide.

The senior communications manager of the NGO, Obinna Ejiogu, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, that the government should also urgently address the physical state of the custodial centres.

118 inmates escaped from Suleja Custodial Centre in Niger following a rainstorm that destroyed the facility on Wednesday night.

”The jailbreak underscores the effects of deteriorating structures of the Custodial Centres of the Nigeria Correctional Service, many of which were built in the colonial era and are now old and weak.”

The inadequate maintenance of these buildings, combined with overcrowding of the prisons is what contributes to a high likelihood of jailbreak.”

We call on the Government of Nigeria to do everything within its means to address the physical state of our custodial centres and to speed up efforts to reduce overcrowding.”

We also call on the public to pay more attention to issues concerning corrections in Nigeria, as they affect everyone’s safety,” he said.

Mr Ejiogu added that jailbreaks have far reaching consequences on society, as it increases the threat to security, safety and public health of the people.

He said that the sad news was of particular concern to the Hope Behind Bars Africa, as the organisation had made extensive rehabilitation and reformation efforts at the Suleja facility.

Mr Ejiogu said the intervention included the inauguration of a renovated skills centre for women in the month of March, as part of the organisation’s “Inside Out Hub” project.

The family of late Senator Ayogu Eze, who represented Enugu North Senatorial District in the 6th & 7th National Assembly, has confirmed his death.

According to a statement signed by Kenechukwu Ayogu Eze, his first son, on behalf of the family, the Senator died in the early hours of Thursday, April 24, 2024 in an Abuja hospital after a brief illness, at the age of 65.

He requested prayers from friends and well wishers at this trying time.

“Words cannot describe the pain in our hearts at this moment and we are devastated as a family as we break this news of his passing.

“Senator Eze was a man with the warmest of hearts and a sincere patriot who diligently served the country and humanity in various capacities.”

The late Senator was once a Commissioner for Information & Media, as well as Special Adviser in Enugu State.

Until his death, the former lawmaker was the Enugu State representative at the RMFAC (Revenue Allocation Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission). He also served as a member on the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

He was also at various times Senate Committee on Works, and also chairman, Senate Committee on Information & Media.

Before going into politics Eze was a consummate journalist and rose to the rank of editor in both The Guardian and Newswatch magazine.

Gunmen have allegedly abducted the Assistant Controller of Corrections of the Niger State Correctional Centre Minna, ACC Abdulrahamam Ibrahim Gelele.

In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), CSC Rabiu Mohammed Shuaibu, the ACC was kidnaped since the April 17, 2024.

Shuiabu disclosed that the officer was abducted along Ilorin – Minna road when he was coming back from Ilorin on vacation.

The incident has been shrouded in secret with the belief that he will regain his freedom soon but after over a week it has become the talk in the headquarters of the centre.

It also revealed that the kidnappers had so far made contact with family of the victim once and since then, cut off all communications with either his office or the family.

According to the statement, “The Controller of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, Niger State CC Mohammed Hamisu Isa, on behalf of the officers and men of the command solicit your prayers for his safe release and freedom from the captives, please.”

It was gathered the incident was earlier kept secret out of the belief that he would soon regain his freedom, however, after over a week in the custody of his abductors, his abduction has become a open secret even in the headquarters of the facility.

Suspected militias reportedly killed two persons in Gbuo village, Akate Ward, in Donga Local Government Council of Taraba State on Tuesday.

The attackers stormed the village and shot sporadically, killing two persons.

Confirming the report on Thursday, the traditional ruler of the Tiv ethnic group in Donga Council, Chief Ugondo Uma, described the attack as unprovoked.

Chief Uma, who said that the attack came at the time farmers were going about their normal farm work in the area, said: “We have recorded several unprovoked attacks on the axis of Gbuo and Akinde villages. It has become a common occurrence in recent times without security checks.

We are calling on all the security agents and the state government to ensure that this ugly trend does not continue anymore.

“Our people are predominantly farmers and peace-loving. We are therefore appealing to the security agencies to intensify checks on the Donga-Wukari border to ensure it does not reoccur.”

Briefing journalists on Thursday, the state command of the Nigerian Police Force reiterated its commitment to flush out hoodlums making life unbearable for the people of the state

Lagos civil servants earning N35,000 as salary have begun earning N170,000. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the civil servants began receiving the new wage in January.

The governor disclosed this on Wednesday at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, during the flag-off of the ‘Eko Cares Initiative’, a social intervention program launched to alleviate the pains of residents caused by the country’s economic hardship.

“The civil servants and all public officers know that since January, we have continued to pay the wage allowance, minimum of N35,000, over and above what they were earning before,” he revealed.

The governor added, “So, what it means is that people that were earning a minimum of N35,000 to N40,000 before are now earning N170,000. That’s what they’ve been enjoying since January.”

Sanwo-Olu also mentioned that “by the grace of God, very soon, we will see a new minimum wage that will be approved by the federal and state governments.”

Prime Minister of Tanzania, Kassim Majaliwa, has announced the shut down of five hydroelectric stations in the country, in order to reduce excess electricity supply in the national grid.

Mr Majaliwa said the main plant alone, which is Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, has already generated enough electricity to power major cities, including the country’s main commercial hub, Dar es Salaam.

The BBC quoted an official of Tanesco, the power company run by the country as saying that, “We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now.”

Following heavy rains that began earlier in the year, the 2,115MW Julius Nyerere hydropower dam is said to be filled up with water.

The shutdown makes it the first time the country, which suffers chronic power shortages, will be shutting its hydroelectric stations over excess production.

The development comes just two months after the first turbine, with a capacity of 235 MW of a new hydroelectric plant, was switched on, in order to increase the power generation capacity and help reduce months of power rationing.

118 inmates have escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, after a downpour on Wednesday night, April 24, caused extensive damage to the facility.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the spokesperson, Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Adamu Duza, on Thursday, April 25.

Duza noted that the downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, which allowed the inmates to flee.

In response, the NCoS swiftly activated its recapturing protocols, collaborating with other security agencies to recover 10 of the escaped inmates.

Efforts to recapture the remaining fleeing inmates are said to be ongoing.

The statement further noted that the Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Francis John, assured the public that the situation was under control and urged them to carry on with their daily activities without fear.

The statement read in part, “A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, April 24, 2024, has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying parts of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of 118 inmates of the facility.

“The service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot pursuit to recapture the rest.

“The service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and weak. The Service is making frantic efforts to ensure that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones.”

“The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Francis John, wishes to assure the public that the service is on top of the situation and that they should go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance,” the statement added.

An Osun Chief Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Ede, has sentenced a teenager, Abiodun Adewuyi to three years imprisonment for theft of water taps.

18-year-old Adewusi was arrested by operatives of the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, after he removed the items at Durodola community, Owode-Ede town.

Giving other details about the case, the spokesperson of the Command, Adeleke Kehinde in a statement in Osogbo on Wednesday, said the suspect was caught in a building removing the taps on April 16 at about 5:40 pm.

The offence committed, according to the statement, was contrary to Section 390 of the Criminal Code Law of Osun State.

The suspect was arraigned on Monday, April 22, at the Magistrate Court in Ede, Osun State, before Chief Magistrate V. A. Adedokun, where he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

“The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Osun State Command has arraigned one Adewuyi Jamiu Abiodun (m) 18 years for stealing seven brass water taps.

“The suspect was arrested on April 16 at Durodola community, Owode Ede, Osun State at about 1740hrs where he was caught removing two brass water taps.

“At the point of arrest, he had a total number of seven water taps in his possession and discreet investigation further revealed that whenever he stole water taps, he sold the stolen items to buyers of scrap metals,” Adeleke said.

Meanwhile, in a reaction, the Osun NSCDC Commandant, Michael Adaralewa, has called on parents and guardians to warn their children and wards against such acts.

While declaring that it was capable of bringing their family’s name into disrepute, he assured that the NSCDC would not allow criminals to hide in any part of the state.

Fire outbreak has again wreaked havoc in Edo State as property, mostly medical equipment, were destroyed in an inferno that gutted shops opposite the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH.

The fire outbreak happened in less than 36 hours after that, that gutted a section of Ekiosa market, where about 20 shops were affected, resulting in the loss of property estimated to be worth one billion naira.

It was gathered that the fire started at a shop dealing in hospital and laboratory equipment by 2 pm and later spread to other shops within the building.

It was also gathered that all four shops directly opposite the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) were completely razed in the inferno.

Speaking with newsmen, Mr Sunday Madubuko, a shop owner who operates a boutique, said around 2:45 pm, a shop next to his was on fire, as he was told by the shop salesgirl.

According to him, “The salesgirl ran to my shop, telling me that fire was burning in our office; I told her I don’t have a fire extinguisher. Before I knew it, the fire extended to my boutique.

“All I know is that the fire started from the laboratory shop and spread to other shops. The cause of the fire, I still don’t know. What I lost in the inferno is worth over N20 million,” he said.

It was learned that men of the Federal Fire Service, Edo State Fire Service, the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport Benin, the University of Benin Fire Service, UNIBEN, and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, battled helplessly to put out the raging fire.

When contacted, the spokesman for the Federal Fire Service, Asimu Sumaila, said he was yet to get the full report from the operational commander of the unit.

He, however, promised to get back to journalists as soon as he gets full details of the fire incident.

It was, however, learned that goods and property estimated to be hundreds of millions of naira were lost to the inferno.

Police in Edo have arrested two suspects, aged 26 years and 30 years, in connection with a Benin church robbery.

The police commissioner in Edo, Funsho Adegboye, paraded the suspects before journalists in Benin on Wednesday.

He said the duo stormed the church on April 14 and robbed the pastor, Juliet Imubhin, and other members of their belongings.

“Imubhin told the police that three armed men walked into the church with guns and robbed them of their valuables. The armed robbers abducted the pastor and took her away in her Toyota Highlander jeep.

“She was driven to a spot where they forced her to disclose her bank debit card pin, which they used to withdraw money from her account,’’ he said.

He explained that police operatives, however, intercepted the vehicle on Auchi Road on April 16 and arrested the suspects.

One of the suspects, however, denied his involvement in the crime while speaking with journalists.

“My friend only asked me to serve as an escort to deliver a vehicle to its owner. We were on the road when the police arrested us. I only got to know that it was a stolen vehicle after we were arrested,’’ he said.

The other suspect also denied his involvement in the crime, saying his friend, still at large, asked him to deliver the vehicle to a buyer.

“On the said day of the robbery, I went to attend the Oodua Peoples Congress meeting, and after the meeting, I went to meet my father. I know nothing about the robbery.

“I met my friend at a drinking joint. We were drinking when he received a phone call that they would be taking a vehicle to the owner. He then asked if I wanted to escort them, and I agreed because he said they would pay money after the delivery of the vehicle,’’ he narrated.

AVienna-based think tank has forecasted that Russia’s economy will grow by 2.8 per cent this year and expand at a slightly slower 2.5 per cent in 2025.

The forecast defies predictions that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to economic ruin.

Vasily Astrov, an economist with the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, said Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not run out of money for the war.’’

“For the Russian economy, the question is rather what comes after the war, as it is currently completely dependent on it,’’ Mr Astrov said.

There has been a massive increase in public spending, especially for the military.

Real wages in Russia rose by almost 8 per cent in 2023, driven by a shortage of skilled labour, while private consumption increased by 6.5 per cent.

This is according to a report by the institute specialising in Eastern Europe.

Despite massive Western sanctions, gross domestic product grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023.

For Ukraine, the think tank expects growth of 3.2 per cent this year, following 5.3 per cent in 2023.

But Kyiv’s increasingly thin air defences were taking a toll, with Russia’s aerial assaults cutting electricity to homes and industry.

“Ultimately, everything will stand or fall on the receipt of adequate and timely military and financial aid from the West. In 2024 alone, Ukraine faces a financing gap of 40 billion dollars,’’ Mr Astrov said.