By Ivan Mwine
It is literary a black Friday for the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the unfortunate demise of their long-serving president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan, aged 73 years old.
President Sheikh Khalifa’s death was confirmed Friday by the state news agency WAM.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a 40-day period of mourning.
According to the constitution, Vice-President and Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will act as president until the federal council elects a new president within 30 days, per Reuters.
More details about this developing story coming in our subsequent reports.