WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia kills civilians in first huge missile wave for weeks Russia fired a huge wave of missiles across Ukraine on Thursday as people slept, killing at least nine civilians and knocking out power in an attack Kyiv said included six Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, one of Moscow's most valuable weapons. The mass strikes on targets far from the front were the first such wave since mid-February and shattered the longest calm since Moscow began an air campaign against Ukraine's civil infrastructure five months ago. They also briefly forced Europe's biggest nuclear power plant off the grid. "The occupiers…

Fitch Solutions lowered Nigeria’s Social Stability score in its proprietary Short-Term Political Risk Index (STPRI) to 17.5 out of 100, down from the 25.0 previously projected, following what it described as the aftermath of the “weak” mandate claimed by the president-elect. In its latest Country Risk & Industry Research, the global group also downgraded Nigeria’s overall STPRI from 42.1 to 40.2, maintaining that political risks are expected to rise in Nigeria as a result of Tinubu’s victory. Fitch stated that as it had projected, Tinubu – the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) – was declared the winner…

In the face of outcry over rising transaction costs of financial services, deposit money banks (DMBs) have extended electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) to domiciliary accounts. The new levy takes immediate effect. The levy, which is completed by banks on behalf of the government, was previously restricted to naira accounts. But banks have communicated to their customers that the fee would, with immediate effect, apply to domiciliary accounts on the directive of the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. Accordingly, a dollar or pound account holder would henceforth pay an equivalent of N50 as EMTL at an…

Richard Hugh Montgomery has been appointed as the new British high commissioner to Nigeria. The United Kingdom government announced his appointment in a statement on Tuesday. The high commissioner is the UK government’s representative in a commonwealth nation. They are responsible for the direction and work of the consulate, including political relations, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services. Montgomery succeeds Catriona Laing who has been been the UK’s representative in Nigeria since 2018. The statement said Laing will be transferred to another diplomatic service appointment. Montgomery served as the counsellor (development) and head of…