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Niger Republic rejecting Entry of Traders and Travellers with ECOWAS passport- Official

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An immigration officer has confirmed that the Republic of Niger no longer recognising Nigerians travelling into the country holding the ECOWAS Travel Certificate (ETC) or ECOWAS passport.

The ECOWAS Travel Certificate (ETC) and ECOWAS passport are travel documents that allow holders to move freely among the member countries of ECOWAS.

The development is coming after Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, recently withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

While Niger maintains an open border with Nigeria, new immigration measures are being enforced at key border crossings, including Illela in Nigeria and Konni in Niger.

Consequently, Cross-border traders and commuters are now facing significant challenges as the Nigerien authorities no longer recognise the ECOWAS passport as a valid travel document.

In a phone interview with an immigration officer at the Jibia/Magama Border in Katsina State late Tuesday, the officer (name withheld), confirmed that Nigerien authorities had begun enforcing the ban.

The officer also mentioned that Nigerian immigration authorities are not yet applying the same restrictions to Nigerien citizens, waiting for further directives from higher authorities to fully implement the measures.

Although no official communication from the Nigerien government yet, affected travellers fear that the situation could worsen, disrupting trade and movement across the border.

When contacted, the Head of Communication ECOWAS Commission, Joel Ahofodji, said the regional bloc was unaware of Niger Republic’s policy to bar ECOWAS passport holders.

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International

30 injured as train derails in Iran

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A train derailed in the southern Iranian province of Kerman on Friday, injuring more than two dozen people though no deaths were reported, according to local media.

“Thirty people were injured when a train derailed on the Kerman-Zarand railway path,” Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Red Crescent Society’s Relief and Rescue Organisation, told the Mehr news agency.

A statement from the public relations office of the national railway body carried by the Tasnim news agency reported that after “the timely arrival of railway technical personnel and rescue forces, all passengers safely exited the train”.

Train derailments are not uncommon in Iran, and while they do not generally result in deaths, there have been fatal disasters in the past.

In June 2022, 21 people were killed and dozens were injured when a train derailed near the central Iranian city of Tabas after hitting an excavator beside the track.

In 2016, two trains collided and caught fire in northern Iran, killing 44 people and injuring scores.

AFP

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U.K.–India set to boost bilateral trade by over $34 billion a year

The FTA, which slashes duties on goods including textiles, alcohol and automobiles, was signed Thursday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.

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•Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.

U.K. and India’s bilateral trade is set to get a more than $34 billion annual boost over the long term following their free trade agreement, with the countries’ leaders calling it a “historic” deal.

CNBC reported that the FTA, which slashes duties on goods including textiles, alcohol and automobiles, was signed on Thursday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.

Both sides had finalized the trade pact in May after three years of intense negotiations — marked by thorny issues such as visas, tariff reduction and tax breaks.

Talks gained momentum and both governments accelerated to seal the deal as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats sent the world in disarray.

The agreement between the world’s fifth and sixth largest economies is expected to boost their bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds per year by 2040.

Trade in goods and services stood at over 40 billion pounds in 2024.

The deal offers “huge benefits to both of our countries,” boosting wages, raising living standards and bringing down prices for consumers, Starmer said.

India’s Modi lauded the agreement as “a blueprint for our shared prosperity,” highlighting how Indian goods including textiles, jewelry, agricultural products and engineering items would benefit from a better access to the U.K. market.

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Russian missing plane found in Forest – No Survivors

Amur’s regional governor Vasily Orlov said five children were among those on board and declared three days of mourning.

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Russian officials say 48 people were killed when an Angara Airlines plane went down in a dense forest in the far-eastern Amur region.

The Antonov An-24 plane, carrying 42 passengers and six crew, had left Blagoveshchensk close to the Chinese border and vanished from radar screens as it approached Tynda airport, officials said.

A Russian civil aviation helicopter then spotted burning fuselage from the plane on a remote hillside about 16km (10 miles) from Tynda.

Amur’s regional governor Vasily Orlov said five children were among those on board and declared three days of mourning.

Orlov said that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board the plane operated by a Siberian airline.

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