And the LORD spake unto me, saying,Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward ~ Deuteronomy 2:2-3.

Introduction:

God takes no pleasure in the stagnation of His people. To condone stagnation is not only frustrating to destiny, it also classifies as a crime of personal injury (Deuteronomy 1:5). It is therefore pertinent for every candidate of excellence to forcefully affix expiry dates to every form of stagnation they encounter in life.

The Bible affirms that constant progress is the inheritance of all God’s covenant people (Proverbs 4:18). Hence, next levels of glory, honor and kingdom accomplishments are great possibilities for God’s people who are called according to His purpose.

I find it imperative at this stage to insistthat God has not yet finished with you.He’s still at work, and your destiny is His work in progress. Life is in phases and glory comes in diverse weights(2Corinthians 3:18; 4:17).

You may not like where you are, but you can still get to where you wish to be if you’re thoroughly dissatisfied with “same-level” identity, charging through wisely and continually aspiring for the next level.

Initiative is the drive to do this! Successful people are always thinking about what they can do to move to the next level, taking the first step and then the next step. The good news here is that initiative is free and available to every normal person; anyone can seize it.

Now, the biblical account in Deuteronomy 1:5-8 confirms that though Israel at that time was no longer in Egypt, she was snailing in her journey to the place she ought to be. So God commanded her to move forward. Getting to the top always calls for constant journeys.

There is always a “next level” in life, and it’s dangerous not to recognize this as a fact. When a destiny stops conceiving “next level”, it starts to inch closely to sure destruction. The place where vision ends is the spot where deterioration begins.

Success is in the journey! The best way to achieve your bible dream of “next level” in life is to engage covenant change through tenacity and persistence(Deuteronomy 1:7).

Meanwhile, no one can cruise (or even crawl) to the next level until he/she has decisively dealt with the limitations of the present level. Life doesn’t always give you what you want, but what you war for(1Timothy 6:12).

We all must skillfully diffuse the light, conquer all limiters and neutralize all satanic embargoes if we hope to truly sing the song of the next level of joy, glory, honor and great kingdom accomplishments on earth.

True to form, you get challenged the most just before the doors to your next levels are opened. Notwithstanding, the place where you are presently, even if it appears obscure, may be because of the famous place you are going to. Obscurity is a stage to pass through, not a place to dwell in forever.

Prominence is your destination, but you must never get bored of progress, no matter the cost. For a kite to fly, it must be rugged as it rises against the noisy wind (Psalm 35:13). If you cannot sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.

Making Covenant Room for the Change You Expect

“Next level” describes a platform you don’t see physically, and may not understand presently by human reasoning (1Corinthians 2:9). Hence, you need a repositioning, spiritually, socially and emotionally, to experience it. Excellence in life is about constant change!

Where change is resisted, progress is denied its commensurate motion. The gear of an automobile is functionally related to its speed. If the driver therefore fails to change the gear when necessary, the vehicle would just be full of noise without corresponding speed.

Progress in life is not traditional; it is transitional. In fact, in certain territories, tradition is the regular mother of stagnation.

Meanwhile, a strong covenant sense is pertinent to movement to the next level in life, family, business, career and ministry (John 8:29). When a man is in a strong covenant relationship with God, no matter the negative circumstances that may come his way, he will always recover and triumph again (Genesis 13:2; Exodus 33:12-14).

Covenant is stronger than any climate or circumstances. While others suffer, God’s covenant people can still thrive luxuriantly (Genesis 47:18,27; 3John 1:2). Next level of breakthroughs is never ending for thoroughbred covenant children of God in Christ Jesus.

Refuse to stagnate! Employ every covenant force to ensure you keep moving forward. Let the counsel of God within you react against stagnation, and be progress-conscious in every area of your life.

Prepare adequately for your next level (2Chronicles 27:6). Be disciplined. Develop your potential (Ephesians 3:20). Seek God’s ideals always (2Chronicles26:5). Be prayerful (Luke 18:1). Be bold in faith and, especially, be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 40: 28-31).

For sure, greater power is needed for the responsibilities of the next level. When you are acutely sensitive in the realm of the spirit, you become a carrier of power for the next level.

However, valuable things are very costly,and rare. To obtain real Holy Ghost power requires considerable investmentof obedience and yieldedness. His anointing is precious, and it’s available only to those who are willing to pay the price (Amos 3:3).

There is oil in peanuts, but you must crush and press the nuts before you can get it. You too must be completely yielded to God as a living sacrifice in order to carry a significant weight of thepower of God (Luke 4:14; Romans 12:1-2). Be ready to die to sin and self, daily(John 12:24).

Friends and brethren, please keep in mind that God’s grand plan for His Church and for each new creation man upon the earth today is to continually move us from glory to glory (2Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:27).

People may have seen your life in the past, just like they saw the temple in its former glory. But the Bible says, “the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former…” (Haggai 2:9). You are going forward in life, and the next stage when compared with the previous ones will surpass them in alldimensions. Keep on pressing forward by faith!

Those who refuse to press become easily oppressed! Until you press, you don’t progress to the next level. Nothing of value comes out of an apathetic lifestyle. Most things that are precious and highly valued on earth are products of sustained pressure.

Paul became the foremost captain among the apostles because he sustained his pressure of faith with a strong focus on his heavenly vision (Philippians 3:14). You too can win the prize!

Meanwhile, if you’re starting out to get to the next level, associate with people who will keep you motivated and energized, especially believers who will inspire you to achieve your best everyday.

Furthermore, let the success stories of those ahead of you motivate you to keep pressing continually. When you do these, you can’t lose.

The next level of supernatural accomplishment beckons to you. It’s very sweet, but always remember that keeping on the move is what gets you to the top. You will get there! You won’t miss it, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

What is the worst thing that can happen to you?

The worst thing that can happen to you is not if one of your relatives dies, or if your house is burnt down, or if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, or if you are robbed of all your money in cash and in the bank.

The worst thing that can happen to you is if the Holy Spirit leaves you.

The Holy Spirit is the special gift of God. He is the most important thing in your life. Indeed, He is your life.

He is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding that you need. He is the Spirit of counsel and might that you require. He is the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord without which you cannot receive eternal life. (Isaiah 11:2)

He is the riches of the glory of God that is in you. He is: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27).

He who does not have the Holy Spirit does not have God. 

The Holy Spirit is the One who marks you as God’s property. Therefore, He is the most important thing in your life.

He lives in the heart of the born-again Christian. Therefore, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).

When you leave home, you lock your door. When you leave your car you lock it. Which part of your body do you protect the most? Probably, your sexual organs. You see footballers putting their hands over their privates when trying to defend against a free kick. Women do something similar by always crossing their legs.

But your sexual organs are not the most important parts of you by a long shot. The most important part is your heart, which refers to your mind, will, and affections.

Heart Central

God searches the heart and the mind: “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

He defines a man by his heart: “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Solomon says: “As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” (Proverbs 27:19). “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).

Your heart determines your well-being: “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Proverbs 15:13). “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14).

Two Sets of Eyes

God gave you two sets of eyes. One set is designed to control the other set. But in most men, the set of eyes designated to control the other set is often the one being controlled.

We have eyes on our heads and we have eyes in our hearts. That is why Paul says: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which (God) has called you.” (Ephesians 1:18).

For the unbeliever, the eyes of his heart are darkened, and only Jesus, the light of the world, can enlighten them. “For with (Him) is the fountain of life; in (His) light we see light. (Psalm 36:9).

Solomon says: “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12).

The eye of the heart is the seeing eye. The eyes in your head are blind eyes.

Because they have eyes in their heads, most people think they see but they do not. Their eyes impede their sight.

Bartimaeus was blind, but he had the seeing eye, the eye of the heart. So, he recognised that Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah promised in the scriptures. “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:46)

The Pharisees, on the other hand, were not blind. They had eyes but the eyes they had were blind eyes. They could not see Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David.

Jesus said to them: “‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.’” (John 9:39-41).

Seeing But Blind

When Jesus called me to ministry, He said to me:

“l speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:13-16).

God opened my eyes, and I saw in plain sight the demon who had been pressing down on me in nightmares ever since I was a child. Jesus opened my eyes and I saw demons in my bedroom, hundreds of them. He opened my eyes and I saw how he kept Jonah alive in the belly of a great fish.

And so, I believe this charge of Jesus applies to me: “I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:17-18).

Eyes of the Heart

The eyes of our hearts are designed to control what we see with the eyes of our heads. But unfortunately, most people do not use the eyes of their heart. They only use the eyes of their head.

As a result, Peter saw the glory of the refurbished temple in Jerusalem but Jesus saw the vanity of the temple:

“Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things?Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’” (Matthew 24:1-2)

The eyes on your head are blind although you can see with them. But all you see with them is vanity and rubbish. You only see worthless and useless things according to God’s eternal scheme. You only see temporal things that will soon pass away forever.

It is the eye of the heart is the seeing eye. With it, you can see both the spiritual and the natural. With it, you can see God and the things of God. But God has closed our seeing eye. To see with it, He has to open it to open it, and He only does this by His grace.

Jesus says: “(God) has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” (John 12:40).

The blind eyes distract you from the seeing eye. The blind eyes are focused only on the physical. They distract your seeing eye ensuring that you cannot see spiritual things. They enable you to see the glory of men but prevent you from seeing the glory of God.

The natural glory of King Uzziah prevented Isaiah from seeing the glory of God. He only saw the glory of God in the year that king Uzziah died. For this reason, Isaiah made a prophetic declaration:

“Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:4-5).

That is why you only connect with the spiritual when you are sleeping. You only connect with the spiritual when you close your physical eyes or are not using them.

But the seeing eye connects you with the spiritual at all times.

With your natural eyes, you can see men. With your heart, you can see God. God communicates with us through our hearts. So, do not follow your blind eyes. Follow your heart. Do not allow your heart to follow your eyes. Let your eyes follow your heart.

But there is a problem here: the heart is deceitful. CONTINUED.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com

Without a doubt, Moses is definitely one of the Old Testament Bible's most well-known characters. He's connected to a whole load of prominent, often-cited biblical events like defying Pharoah Ramses II, leading the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, retrieving the Ten Commandments, and was played by a grandly-bearded Charlton Heston in that old film epic of the same name, 1956's "The Ten Commandments." Folks with a bit more biblical knowledge might remember his retrieval from a basket in a river as a baby, or an incident like the one when a staff transformed into a snake. 

It's not often that the Bible provides grounded, historically helpful biographical information. In Moses' case, however, we do get a bit more info than usual. The Bible does say in Deuteronomy 34 that when Moses died he was buried in a place called Moab, "in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is." He was also apparently 120 years old, "yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone."

So Moses was buried and that's the end of it, right? Not quite. There's a very peculiar passage in the New Testament epistle of Jude, chapter 1, verse 9, that references Moses' body. "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander." Say what? An angel and the devil chit-chatting about Moses' corpse? It seems so, but its meaning remains obscure.  

Before moving forward we should clear up a few disclaimers. First off — and no disrespect meant to believers — we only have religious texts to go on when talking about Moses. There isn't any historical evidence that anyone named Moses actually existed. He's more of a mythical figure who plays a function in the Old Testament plot and whose story mirrors earlier "folk memor[ies]" of peoples in the Levant, as The Washington Post quotes archaeologist Cyprian Broodbank. So when this article talks about what happened to Moses' body, we're talking about what Bible stories say about what happened to Moses' body. Also, when Jude talks about "the devil," bear in mind that "diabolos" — the Greek that gives us our word "devil" — is a common noun meaning "slanderer" and not a specific, hellish entity that any of us moderns would likely envision after centuries of accumulated art and stories.

Bearing all of that in mind, we've got what the aforementioned Bible verses describe happening to Moses' body after he died. Like we said and which Deuteronomy 34 attests, we at least know that his body was apparently buried and not cremated, torn apart in battle, lost at sea, or something else. In fact, depending on the translation, the passage in Deuteronomy says that God Himself buried Moses — "He buried him," with "He" being "the Lord" and "him" being Moses. As for where – the biblical "Moab" refers to the modern nation of Jordan east of the Dead Sea.

MICHAEL AND THE DEVIL

Things would be simple if the tale of Moses' body ended with his burial in Moab. But, Jude's mention of the discussion between the devil and the archangel Michael about Moses' body asks more questions than it answers. The New Testament letter of Jude, it should be noted, is believed to have been written between 67 and 80 C.E. That's between 600 and 700 years after Deuteronomy was written in the 7th century B.C.E., which itself references much older events. Jude is believed by scholars to be the half-brother of Jesus, but we don't know much about him or what we would have known about ancient Hebrew events. When he references the conversation about Moses' body, he talks about it like it's a common event that his readers already know.

Loads of articles on Christian sites have done their interpretive best to disentangle the passage in question, which isn't mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Got Questions, in referencing the book of Revelations, suggests that the passage means that the devil protested Moses being granted access to heaven. Compelling Truth says that the passage in Jude might mean that people shouldn't worship things — including the bodies of holy people — rather than God. Finally, the English Standard Version (ESV) online Bible resource says that Jude was written to denounce false church teachers. The cited conversation about Moses — in which Michael doesn't slander the devil directly, but cites God to do so — could just be a convenient choice to make the epistle's point.

Grunge

Nigeria’s crude oil production continues to decline, falling by 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) in September, according to a report by Reuters based on a survey of OPEC’s output for the month. This decrease adds to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to meet its OPEC production quota, which has hovered between 1.2 and 1.3 million bpd since the start of the year. The nation produced 1.35 million bpd as of August 2024, according to OPEC’s latest report.

A key issue exacerbating Nigeria’s production woes is the massive oil theft occurring in the Niger Delta, a region responsible for much of the country’s crude oil output. This widespread theft, facilitated by an intricate network of illegal pipelines and local criminal gangs, siphons off large quantities of oil, undermining the government’s ability to raise revenues and maintain output levels. Estimates suggest that Nigeria loses hundreds of thousands of barrels daily to oil theft, which has crippled efforts to boost production and meet OPEC quotas.

The situation in Nigeria mirrors challenges faced by other OPEC members, particularly Libya, whose oil output also plummeted in September due to unrest and supply disruptions. Libya’s production fell by 300,000 bpd, while Iraq also saw a decline as it attempts to align its production with OPEC targets. Meanwhile, Iran increased its output slightly, despite sanctions.

OPEC’s overall oil production fell to 26.14 million bpd in September, down by 390,000 bpd compared to August. This drop, driven by Libya’s decreased supply, contributed to rising global oil prices amid concerns over demand and growing non-OPEC supply.

Although Nigeria’s oil sector contributes only a small portion to its GDP, it remains critical for foreign exchange earnings and government revenue. The ongoing oil theft in the Niger Delta not only affects production but also deepens the country’s fiscal challenges. Revenue losses from reduced output weaken the economy’s ability to support essential services, such as infrastructure, education, and healthcare. This persistent issue, combined with other production challenges, continues to threaten Nigeria’s economic stability at a time when boosting crude oil output is vital to meeting both local demand and international commitments.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reported that while the service and agriculture sectors expanded in September, the industrial sector contracted, marking a continued struggle for Nigeria’s manufacturing and industrial output. According to the CBN’s Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) report published on Wednesday, the composite PMI for September 2024 was 50.5 index points, indicating overall economic expansion for the second consecutive month, slightly up from 50.2 points in August.

The PMI serves as an indicator of economic trends within the manufacturing and service sectors. An index above 50.0 points indicates an expansion in business activities, while a reading below 50.0 points reflects contraction.

Industrial Sector

The CBN reported that the industrial sector contracted in September, registering 49.7 points, a slight improvement from August’s 49.2 points. Although this indicates a slight rebound in recent months, the sector remains in contraction. The apex bank attributed this decline to persistent challenges within the manufacturing subsector, despite some expansion in mining, quarrying, electricity, gas, and water supply activities.

One significant factor contributing to the contraction in industrial output is the rising cost of energy. The increase in petrol prices and higher electricity tariffs have placed enormous pressure on the manufacturing sector, driving up operational costs and reducing profit margins. These energy costs have made it difficult for manufacturers to maintain production levels, leading to a decline in new orders and employment, which fell to 49.9 and 48.2 index points, respectively. The CBN’s report noted that four out of the 17 subsectors surveyed, including Paper Products, recorded contractions, with manufacturing being the hardest hit.

While the Stock of Output and Raw Materials indices grew slightly at 50.7 and 51.7 points, indicating some resilience, the slower delivery times (48.4 points) reflect the ongoing struggles in supply chains, exacerbated by energy price inflation.

Service Sector

In contrast, the service sector expanded for the fourth consecutive month, with the PMI index for September standing at 51.0 points, an increase from August’s 50.7 points. This growth is primarily driven by increased business activity, rising stock levels of raw materials, and continued business opportunities. Among the 14 subsectors surveyed, nine recorded growth, with the Finance and Insurance subsector seeing the highest expansion. However, Transportation and Warehousing experienced significant contraction, likely due to the increased cost of fuel, which directly impacts logistics and freight services.

Business activity, new orders, and stock of raw materials in the service sector all showed growth, but the employment index declined slightly, ending the month at 49.5 points.

Agriculture Sector

The agriculture sector continued its positive trajectory, expanding for the second consecutive month with an index of 51.4 points in September, up from 50.5 points in August. The Crop Production, Livestock, Forestry, and Agricultural Support Services subsectors all recorded growth, while Fishing and Fish Farming contracted.

Though agricultural activities remained robust, the sector was not immune to the broader economic pressures, with the employment index also declining to 49.1 points. Rising energy costs, particularly for petrol, have impacted transport and farming operations, increasing the costs of food production and distribution.

What You Should Know

The contraction in Nigeria’s industrial sector highlights the challenges facing the country’s economy, particularly in light of soaring energy costs. The increases in petrol prices and electricity tariffs have heavily impacted production, leading to higher operational expenses for businesses and reduced output in the manufacturing subsector. These factors are further straining Nigeria’s economic recovery and compounding issues in employment, with new job creation stagnating across various sectors. Despite some resilience in agriculture and services, the industrial sector’s struggles underscore the need for solutions to stabilize energy prices and improve business conditions.

Israel targets Hezbollah intel HQ in Lebanon, Iran says it will not back down

Israel said it had targeted the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut and was assessing the damage on Friday after a series of strikes on senior figures in the group that Iran's Supreme Leader dismissed as counterproductive.

Israel has been weighing options in its response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, which Iran had carried out in response to Israel's military action in Lebanon.

Oil prices have risen on the possibility of an attack on Iran's oil facilities as Israel pursues its goals of pushing back Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and eliminating their Hamas allies in Gaza.

The air attack on Beirut, part of a wider assault that has driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese from their homes, was reported to have targeted the potential successor to the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel a week ago.

Hashem Safieddine's fate was unclear and neither Israel nor Hezbollah have offered any comment.

A blast was heard and smoke was seen over Beirut’s southern suburbs early on Saturday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military issued three alerts for residents of the area to immediately evacuate.

The first alert warned residents in a building in the Burj al-Barajneh neighbourhood and the second in a building in Choueifat district. The third alert mentioned buildings in Haret Hreik as well as Burj al-Barajneh.

In a statement early on Saturday, Hezbollah also said the Israeli army was trying to infiltrate the Lebanese southern town of Odaisseh and that clashes there were ongoing.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he would think about alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields if he were in Israel's shoes, adding that he thinks Israel has not yet concluded how to respond to Iran.

Biden was asked at a White House press briefing if he thought that by not engaging in diplomacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to influence the Nov. 5 U.S. election in which Republican former President Donald Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Whether he is trying to influence the election, I don't know but I am not counting on that," Biden said in response. "No administration has done more to help Israel than I have."

The government in Lebanon says more than 2,000 people have been killed there in the past year, most in the past two weeks.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the toll on civilians “totally unacceptable.”

The Lebanese government has accused Israel of targeting civilians, pointing to dozens of women and children killed. It has not broken down the overall figure between civilians and Hezbollah fighters.

Israel says it targets military capabilities and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah and Hamas of hiding among civilians, which they deny.

The U.S. State Department said that an American was killed in Lebanon this week and Washington was working to understand the circumstances of the incident.

Kamel Ahmad Jawad, from Dearborn, Michigan, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, according to his daughter, a friend and the U.S. congresswoman representing his district.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the department was "alarmed" by the reports, and added: "it is a moral and strategic imperative that Israel take all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm."

The latest bloodletting in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict stems from an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants' Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 and in which about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and displaced nearly Gaza's entire population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.

The Israeli military said some 70 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory on Friday evening and were either intercepted or fell in open land.

Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon this week after the Iranian missiles attacks. It has said its ground operations are "localized" in villages near the border, but has not specified how far into Lebanon they would advance or how long they would last.

Israel says the operations aim to allow tens of thousands of its citizens to return home after Hezbollah bombardments that forced them to evacuate from its north.

IRAN VOWS NOT TO BACK DOWN

Iran's missile salvo was partly in retaliation for Israel's killing of Hezbollah secretary-general Nasrallah, a dominant figure who had turned the group into a powerful armed and political force with reach across the Middle East.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a huge crowd in Tehran that Iran and its regional allies would not back down.

Israel's adversaries in the region should "double your efforts and capabilities... and resist the aggressive enemy," Khamenei said in a rare appearance leading Friday prayers, at which he mentioned Nasrallah and called Iran's attack on Israel legal and legitimate.

He said Iran would not "procrastinate nor act hastily to carry out its duty" in confronting Israel.

The semi-official Iranian news agency SNN quoted Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi as saying on Friday that if Israel attacked, Tehran would target Israeli energy and gas installations.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited three Israeli officials as saying that Hezbollah official Safieddine, rumoured to be Nasrallah's successor, had been targeted in an underground bunker in Beirut overnight but his fate was not clear.

Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on Friday the military was still assessing the Thursday night airstrikes, which he said targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters.

Earlier the Israeli military reported that it had killed the head of Hezbollah's communication networks, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi. It declined to comment on the report that Safieddine was targeted.

Hezbollah made no comment on the fate of Sakafi.

Khamenei said assassinations would just spur more attacks.

"Every strike launched by any group against Israel is a service to the region and to all humanity," he said, adding that Afghanistan should join the "defence".

FLATTENED BEIRUT BUILDINGS

In Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, many buildings have been reduced to rubble. Nearly all the storefronts in the main market street, Moawad Souk, were damaged and the road filled with broken glass.

"We're alive but don't know for how long," said Nouhad Chaib, a 40-year-old man already displaced from the south.

The Islamic Health Authority, a civil defence agency linked to Hezbollah, said 11 medics had been killed in three separate Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Friday.

The Israeli military said that in the past day it had struck several weapons storage facilities, command and control centres, and Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the Beirut area.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, visiting Beirut and meeting with top Lebanese officials, said Tehran supported efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon provided it was backed by Hezbollah and was simultaneous with a Gaza ceasefire.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia knocked out most infrastructure in Ukraine's Pokrovsk, local official says

Russia knocked out around 80% of critical infrastructure in the town of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in Ukraine's east, as Moscow's troops inched forward, a local official said on Friday.

Serhiy Dobriak, Pokrovsk's military administration head, said Russian forces were at about 7 km (4 miles) from the town, which is at an intersection of roads and a railway that makes it an important logistics point for the military and for civilians in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia forces have focused some of their heaviest assaults in recent weeks on Pokrovsk, which could allow it to consolidate and advance the front line in the region.

"The enemy is leaving us without power, without water, without gas. Prepares us for the winter, so to say," Dobriak said on national television.

Some 13,050 residents remain in the town and Ukrainian officials are pressing on with an evacuation plan that has been going on for some weeks. Just a month and a half ago, the town hosted more than 48,000 people, he said.

Russia continued to pummel the town on Thursday, launching a total of nine glide bombs and injuring four people in two attacks which damaged infrastructure, Dobriak said.

He said the daily attacks targeted energy facilities and other vital infrastructure. Almost half of Pokrovsk, 10 nearby villages and one smaller town were without power, he said, adding the energy infrastructure was "almost impossible to repair".

He put the level of the destruction at about four fifths of the town's critical infrastructure.

Russia denies targeting civilian infrastructure.

More than 31 months since Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces are on the defensive and Kyiv ordered the pullout of its troops from Vuhledar, another town in the east. Kyiv's top commander this week ordered defences strengthened on the eastern front.

In a Friday morning report on the battlefield situation, Ukraine's military said that its forces repelled 30 attacks on the Pokrovsk front over the past day as Russia pushed towards the villages of Mykolaivka and Selydove.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian military targets Ukrainian position in powerful strike – MOD

A successful missile strike hit the position of a company-sized Ukrainian tactical unit not far from the Russian border, the defense ministry in Moscow announced on Friday. The Russian military also published a video showing the moment of the strike.

Black-and-white footage apparently taken from a drone hovering over the area at first showed some vehicles moving along a road towards a small wooded area amid fields. The location is then struck by a Russian missile, with a powerful blast rocking the area. Around a dozen burning objects can then be seen at the target location after the strike.

According to the defense ministry, 12 armored vehicles as well as five pickup trucks were destroyed and some 80 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated in the attack. Kiev has not commented on the development.

The attack was carried out using an Iskander-M missile system, the statement said. According to Russian media, the strike targeted an area near the village of Frunzenka in the Ukrainian northeastern Sumy Region. Frunzenka is located less than about ten miles (15 km) away from the Russian border.

Sumy Region borders Russia’s Kursk Region, where Kiev’s troops launched an incursion in early August. They made some initial progress but were eventually stopped, according to the Russian defense ministry. Russian troops have since been successfully preventing any further advance by the Ukrainian military and also managed to win back some territory, along with a dozen settlements close to the border. Fighting in the region continues.

Ukrainian officials have stated that the main goals of the incursion were to sway public opinion in Russia and to gain a better bargaining position ahead of possible peace talks with Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow has never ruled out negotiations, but only after all Ukrainian forces have left Russian territory.

Earlier on Friday, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, said that Ukraine’s Kursk operation has failed to distract Russia from its successful offensive in Donbass.

Ukraine has lost almost 20,000 soldiers in the incursion, according to the Russian defense ministry’s estimates.

Reuters/RT

Choi Soon-hwa, an 80-year-old woman from South Korea, recently shocked the world by qualifying as a finalist in the annual Miss Universe Korea competition.

Choi, a grandmother of three who turns 81 next month, never dreamed of being in the running to represent her country in the Miss Universe beauty pageant, but thanks to changes made to the contest’s selection rules, she was able to do just that. Before this year, participants were required to be between the ages of 18 and 28, but due to growing pressure to become more inclusive, Miss Universe scraped the rule, thus allowing pretty much anyone to participate. Apart from the age ban lifting, pregnant women, and women who had children or had ever been married were also allowed to compete. Now, Choi hopes to inspire others by showing that health and vitality can be maintained well into old age.

“Now that the age restriction has been lifted, I said, ‘I should give it a try.’ Whether I get through or not, I was determined to try and get this opportunity,” Choi said. “Looking beautiful on the outside is important, but I think you need to be at ease in your mind as well and know how to respect others.”

Interestingly, while this is the 80-year-old’s foray into beauty pageantry, she has been working as a senior fashion model for years, securing collaborations with magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, as well as commercial campaigns with various Korean brands. It all started at age 72 when one of the patients at the hospital she was working at as a nurse recommended she give modeling a chance.

“One of my patients told me to try modeling,” Choi said. “I thought it was nonsense… but at the same time, it awoke my old dream of becoming a model, wearing pretty clothes and doing photo shoots. So, I said, ‘Yes, I used to dream of that before, I should try it.’”

Choi Soon-hwa took some modeling classes and practiced her walking during breaks at work, and by age 74 she was making her debut at the Seoul Fashion Week.

“Becoming a model was like opening a door to a new path for me, so I planned in my mind. I said, ‘I will be successful and work hard’… When my dream came true, I thanked God and kept working hard. It’s so fun and I love it,” she told CNN.

On September 30th, during the final of the Miss Universe Korea pageant, Choi Soon-hwa fell short of her goal of representing her country in the global Miss Universe contest in Mexico, but she gave the other contestants, many young enough to be her granddaughters, a run for their money, just like Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez did in Argentina earlier this year.

Oddity Central

We recently shared a Reddit thread about where people's former childhood bullies ended up later in life. This prompted BuzzFeed Community users to tell us about what happened to their former school bullies once they became adults. The stories were pretty interesting. Here's what people shared:

1. "I was bullied throughout school, all the way from elementary through high school. One particular bully called my parents one day out of the blue, apologizing for what he'd done. It turns out he went into the military, and I guess getting bullied during training made him realize what an a-hole he was. However, in my opinion, it was too little too late. The damage was already done. No amount of apologizing will fix what was broken."

—Anonymous
2. "One of my former bullies is a stand-up comedian/actor. He apologized, invited me to one of his shows, and said I could heckle him if I wanted to."

—Anonymous
3. "She always made fun of me and turned my two best friends against me. I saw her at a reunion a few years ago. She approached me with that familiar nasty look on her face, like she was going to make some snide comment with the intent to humiliate me. I pretended to have no idea who she was, then hit her with, 'Oh!! You're the one who got pregnant in 10th grade!' Then, I walked away before she could respond. We graduated almost 30 years ago."

—ponygirl79
4. "I sold her my childhood home. Why? Because we grew up. A family needed a home, and I had one I didn't use."

—Anonymous
5. "There was a girl who decided to start a rumor that I asked her to prom, thus making me a 'giant lesbian.' I got spit on, hit, and pushed around, and I eventually dropped out in the 10th grade because of her. One of the girls who instigated the worst of it later tried to friend me on Facebook when I had one. I looked at her profile, and it turns out she has a wife. I never did get an apology."

—pullhandlesupnotout
6. "I was bullied a lot. I was very tall, skinny, and awkward. Not a cool look in the early '80s. When I was divorced in my early 30s, I ran into two of the boys who were the worst of the lot. Neither of them had grown taller than about 5'7 and didn't recognize me when they offered me a seat at their table and offered to buy me a drink. I looked at them, smiled, held my hand to the top of my head, and told them, 'You need to be this tall to ride this ride.' I'm 5'9. It was a win for my tall, skinny, awkward 13-year-old self."

—laurenebannister
7. "I was viciously bullied by multiple people through my childhood and teens for all my 'weird traits,' which eventually got diagnosed as autism. Also, I was really tall and, therefore, an easy target. One of my bullies actually became a social worker. I don't know if she's changed, and I don't care. This woman used classic abuser tactics on me, isolating me from my family and friends, telling me nobody would care about me like she did, and taking me on her dates so I could see 'what it looked like to be desired.' She was evil. Now she's a social worker?"

"I served her dad in my store a while ago and didn't realize it was him until he gave me some details for his receipt. He said his daughter was supposed to have come in to help him but couldn't. Once he'd left, I had to hide around the back of the store, throw up, and sob because I was so shaken up. I hadn't spoken to her in 20 years but never recovered."

—garebehr

8. "My bully won the lottery and retired early. I'm not kidding. I hope his life was a mess after that, like most lottery winners. Sorry, not sorry."

—ericr1
9. "A couple of years ago, I reconnected with a girl I knew in high school, and she invited me to a small holiday get-together with some other people we went to school with. No one there had really bullied me, but they were all aware it was happening at the time and were close with the girls who were really leading it. It came up that high school was a bit rough for me, but the conversation quickly moved on, and we had a nice night. The next day, the girl who invited me texted to thank me for coming and apologized for not being a better ally in high school."

"She'd known what people were saying about me, and even though she wasn't the problem (she was always very lovely and friendly and still is), she felt bad and wished she'd done something more to support me back then. It was an unnecessary apology. I never blamed her and had processed and moved on from the rest long ago, but it was still very kind of her to say, and it made me feel nice."

—dalyaz

10. "My bully is a nurse in the NICU at our local children's hospital. I had a baby in February who had to spend a week in the NICU. I was TERRIFIED that I would see her and she would be the nurse to my baby. I seriously wouldn't have put it past her to neglect my baby over her hatred for me. I spoke to my husband and mother about it when I went into labor, knowing (because my baby was coming early) that she would end up in the NICU, and I wanted to know if I had the right to ask for a new nurse. They both told me not to be dramatic and get over it because a nurse couldn't be so cruel. Little do they know ALL the things she did to me over many years."

"Luckily, I did not have to see her face once. I don't know if she doesn't work there anymore, was on vacation, or just saw my name and knew it would be a bad scene. Regardless, I breathe a HUGE sigh of relief whenever I remember my baby being discharged from the NICU!"

—leahm491b1c910

11. "I was bullied/ostracized by a group of five boys when I was 15 years old and in the 10th grade. There was never any physical violence, however. The ringleader of the group was very scarred by his parents' very acrimonious divorce when we were both 14. He was jealous of kids like me who lived in loving and stable homes. At some point, he started using drugs to cope with the difficulties he had dealing with his parents' divorce. He resorted to burglary to help fund his drug habit and was sentenced to prison multiple times. As far as I know, he is still in prison in his senior years, although it's possible that he was released at some point."

"Bottom line: His parents' divorce basically ruined his life. I had no experience with divorce and didn't understand what he was going through. Looking back on this experience, if I had better understood it, maybe I could have done something to support him, and the bullying wouldn't have occurred."

—sidneykaler

12. "My high school bully wasn't a bully in the traditional sense, but she was a compulsive liar who had our school administrators wrapped around her little finger and would make up these grandiose stories about how we (her classmates) had wronged her in an attempt to get us into trouble. She targeted me because I had been nice to her when she transferred into the district midway through eighth grade. She harassed me (and many others) over text and via social media as well. Everyone knew she was a pathological liar, but it didn't matter because the principal and deans believed her. The only time I got sent to the principal's office in all my years attending school in this district was because of her alleging that I was 'bullying her' in 11th grade. Last year (six years after graduating high school), I met a guy who grew up a few towns away from me and attended the same state college as her. He had even been roommates with her -ex-boyfriend."

"I told him that the summer between first and second year of college, she came back to our hometown and told everyone that she had a boyfriend, but of course, nobody believed her because you couldn't believe a word she said, and that I was shocked to hear that that was actually true. His response was, 'That actually explains so much.' From what he told me, she hadn't changed much. At college, she was always in other people's business, always had to be the center of attention, and blackmailed several people (including the guy I met). Last I heard, she moved out to the Pacific Northwest (from the Northeast), and even though it's been seven years since I last saw or interacted with her, I still have her blocked on every platform in case she still wants to harass me."

—cristinas437192d57

13. "She was a friend who turned into a bully. After graduating high school, we went our separate ways, and I haven't reconnected even though she's in the area and runs into members of my family and friends occasionally. I think she's had a chance to mature since then, as she went to college and was exposed to more than just the strict family she grew up with. She does children's book illustrations now and recently got married. I know that at least some of the bullying was in response to stress at home, especially because her mom was going through some pretty serious medical stuff at the time. I hope she's doing well, but I won't contact her. The things she did and said affected me for a long time, and I still have trouble trusting friends to be friends."

—torbielillies
14. "One of my worst ones is now a judge in Texas. I shudder to think about it."

—wonkobox
15. "One of the boys who made it his life goal to bully me came from a nice upper-class family, but he was totally low-class. In sixth grade, we had a class swim party, and he convinced all of the kids that I'd poison the pool and that I wasn't wanted there. I spent the rest of the party in the house, waiting until the end for my mom to come get me. I never told my parents about it. By the time we got to high school, he'd dropped off of the social map. I just found out that the bully died last year. He spent his entire adult life as a stoner, jumping from odd job to odd job. He had lots of chronic health problems related to his lifestyle choices. He lived in an old traveler trailer on his cousin's farm."

—Anonymous
16. "I was a huge nerd and was bullied by a few girls in elementary school. A few years ago, one of them, out of the blue, messaged me to apologize and told me that she was just really jealous. I didn't realize, but I was reading way ahead of my grade level, and she revealed that she was essentially illiterate at that point and was miserable. I hadn't thought about her in a decade, but she said it bothered her, and I appreciated it!"

—skybluedays
17. "For four years, every day in high school, this guy relentlessly verbally bullied me. I pretended not to hear him. Fast forward 50 years when I walked into our 50th high school reunion. There he was. He followed me everywhere, and every time he spoke, I said something like, 'You were awful to me in high school.' I couldn't get away from him. Everywhere I went, there he was right at my side. Finally, the event was over, and we were leaving, and once again, he was right there. I said, 'You were awful,' again, and to my surprise, he said, 'I'm sorry.' I was able to say, 'I forgive you.' This was the best part of the reunion!"

—Anonymous
18. "I was bullied by a lot of kids in elementary school because I was small and quiet. One girl and her mother bullied me. Her mom was the Girl Scout leader. They were social-climbing snobs and even made fun of my mom's accent. They excluded me from activities. She approached me at our 40th class reunion and acted like I was her long-lost best friend. She was getting over cancer, which I wouldn't wish on anyone. We talked for a while, but I was pretty puzzled. Maybe her brush with death made her think about her choices. At earlier reunions, I just got the stink eye from her. Her besties, who were also bullies, also acted all sweet with me. I guess success is the best revenge because they were all surprised at how well I turned out. They're all doing fine, which is great. Sounds like they grew up. They were just following the lead of their snobby, social-climbing moms."

—Anonymous
19. "One was a guy who, for some weird reason, used to tease me relentlessly when we were in elementary and middle school. I have no idea why. He's now in prison for murdering someone. He became homeless, lived in an encampment, and got into it one night with some other guy and killed him. Another one was this awful girl from high school who, I swear, inspired Mean Girls. At some point, she was in an accident and is now paralyzed from the waist down, in a wheelchair, and lives alone in government housing. You'd think that would humble someone, but no. Her Facebook is still super rude, so I guess she hasn't changed."

"Finally, just based on my own experiences as a parent, I'm pretty sure most bullies grow up and end up being parent bullies in the PTA. I quit doing volunteer work at the schools because I am too old to deal with people who peaked in high school and are still doing the same crap."

—j4287b3497

20. "I'm on good speaking terms now with one of mine now. She was also the only one at my 10-year reunion that gave condolences for my dad's passing. Ironically enough, though, she recently made a post about how her daughter is being bullied in school, and she just can't believe people would be so cruel. I kept my mouth shut."

—m4eed64e13
21. "One of my main bullies is now in the Army and posts pictures of himself with guns all too frequently."

—triiipi
22. "She was so cruel to me for years in high school. From the first day we met, she called me names and told horrible stories about me. She was absolutely awful! Especially about my weight because she was thin and popular, and I was the chunky nerd. Fast forward 25 years. I took a job as a teacher, and unbeknownst to me, she worked as an administrator in the gifted/talented department at the same school. We didn't interact much; she had gotten married, so she changed names and also looked very different. She knew it was me for over a year but never said a word until, one day, I realized who she was."

"I still marvel at the fact that she bullied me relentlessly as a kid and then acted like we were strangers when she knew exactly who I was."

—Anonymous

23. "He's a real estate agent in our area. I looked at his reviews, and they're all written by his friends from high school."

—jessethecowgirl
24. "I had one 'friend' bully me for my sexuality. She is now a mental health nurse."

—woofshoe
25. "My bully and I ran into each other at an AA meeting that set all animosity aside. We are very close now."

—kmpbnjelly
26. "We wound up becoming friends online. She had dropped out of school and gotten her GED. She's raising a child with her partner and has felt genuine remorse for middle school."

—Anonymous
27. And: "Nothing special happened to mine. As far as I know, they continued living in my hometown, got married, and had kids like most people did. When they made my life hell, people said, 'Karma will get them back one day. They'll end up sad and alone,' but it doesn't always work like that. Sometimes, they end up happy and fulfilled. But I don't begrudge them that. I hope they grew up emotionally and realized that being cruel wasn't conducive to happiness."

—emmak26

Buzzfeed

Since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, Nigeria - according to Nigeria Security Report by Beacon Consulting, a firm that specialises in security risk management - has experienced a dramatic surge in violence. In just over a year, 13,346 people have been killed and 9,207 abducted across 667 local government areas, with deaths resulting from terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and other forms of violence. This sharp rise in fatalities and kidnappings underscores the country’s deteriorating security situation and provides a grim context for understanding the entrenched socioeconomic and political crises that fuel this unrest.

The worsening insecurity in Nigeria is a direct consequence of deep-rooted issues, and several core factors contribute to the persistence and escalation of violence, making it unlikely to abate soon.

1. Deep-rooted Socioeconomic Disparities

With 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and over 50 million out-of-school children, Nigeria's socioeconomic landscape is ripe for violent conflict. Poverty creates conditions where citizens, especially young people, are easily recruited into criminal and insurgent groups. Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State highlighted how Boko Haram recruits spies for as little as N5,000, showing how economic desperation pushes people toward violence. The lack of opportunities in regions like the North-East and North-West drives many into criminal activities like banditry and terrorism.

2. Perceived Marginalization and Regional Grievances

The rise in violence in regions such as the South-East and South-South stems from long-standing grievances of marginalization. The South-South resents the extraction of its oil resources to benefit other regions, while the South-East agitates over political exclusion. These perceptions of injustice foster militancy and separatism, with local communities providing support for insurgents. As long as these grievances remain unaddressed, the violence in these regions will likely continue.

3. Farmer-Herder Conflicts

In the North-Central and North-West, clashes over farmlands between farmers and herders, exacerbated by climate change and resource scarcity, have intensified. These conflicts, often framed in ethnic and religious terms, are driven by competition over increasingly scarce arable land. The absence of effective conflict resolution mechanisms leads to escalations, resulting in retaliatory violence, banditry, and mass displacement.

4. Weak Security Infrastructure and Personnel Shortage

As noted by Army Chief Taoreed Lagbaja, Nigeria's security forces are insufficiently staffed and equipped to manage the country's security crisis. With only 2 million security personnel tasked with protecting over 200 million people, and 90% of military equipment imported, the security apparatus is stretched thin. The inadequate funding and reliance on external defense imports cripple the military’s ability to effectively combat insurgencies, even as insurgents adapt and shift their operations to new areas. This security vacuum allows violence to persist and spread.

5. Economic Hardship and Materialism

In the South-West, the combination of economic hardship and extreme materialism fuels criminality, including ritual killings and kidnappings. With high levels of poverty and wealth inequality, many are driven into crime as a means of survival or quick wealth acquisition. This materialism, alongside shrinking economic opportunities, creates a volatile environment in which violent crime thrives.

6. Cross-border Infiltration and Weak Border Control

Nigeria’s porous borders, particularly in the North-East and North-West, allow foreign insurgents and criminal elements to infiltrate the country. The lack of effective border security enables the smuggling of arms and the spread of extremist ideologies. As security experts have pointed out, better control of these borders is essential to prevent external destabilization of local communities.

7. Corruption and Governance Issues

Corruption within Nigeria’s security and governance structures continues to undermine efforts to tackle insecurity. Misappropriation of funds, lack of accountability, and the absence of political will to address critical reforms enable insurgents and criminals to exploit weaknesses in the state. Additionally, unresolved issues related to political exclusion and resource control fuel regional discontent and lawlessness.

8. Child Poverty and Vulnerability

With 90% of children in the North-East and North-West living in poverty, these regions are facing a generational crisis. Children deprived of basic services such as education and healthcare are easily exploited by criminal and insurgent groups. The Almajiri system, in particular, has become a ready recruitment pool for extremists, as vulnerable children are left without proper social or educational structures to integrate them into society. Addressing child poverty is critical to breaking this cycle of violence.

Outlook: Why Insecurity Will Persist

The staggering death tolls and abduction numbers in 2023 and 2024 — 13,346 killed and 9,207 kidnapped — reflect the deepening security crisis in Nigeria. Without addressing the root causes of insecurity, such as poverty, political exclusion, economic deprivation, and governance failures, violence will continue to rise. Military operations alone, while necessary, are insufficient. The government at all levels must invest in social, economic, and political reforms that tackle these underlying issues if it hopes to stem the tide of insecurity. Until such reforms are carefully designed and implemented, the prospects for lasting peace remain grim.