ISRAELI REPORTS

Israel seeks 40,000 tents to evacuate Rafah civilians; hostage talks with Hamas languish

Israel is purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Rafah, before it starts its offensive on the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official confirmed Tuesday.

As Israel pushes ahead with plans for the promised — but controversial — military operation, the Israel Defense Forces also carried out strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight, one of which it said killed a terrorist who participated in the Hamas onslaught of October 7 that started the ongoing war.

After a flurry of optimism on Monday over a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire that would include the release of some Israeli hostages abducted during the Hamas assault, the terror group gave a tepid initial response, saying not enough of its demands were being met.

Four Hamas battalions are believed to be stationed in Rafah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that without launching an offensive in the city, Israel won’t be able to achieve the goals laid out at the start of the war of defeating the terror group.

Rafah is also thought to be where many Hamas leaders are hiding, possibly along with hostages.

The population of Rafah has swelled to more than one million people — or half of Gaza’s total population — since the start of the war as civilians evacuated southward to flee the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The international community, including the US, is vehemently opposed to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, saying it would endanger civilians and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has said it has a plan to evacuate civilians ahead of its offensive, and the Defense Ministry on Monday published a tender seeking a supplier of 40,000 tents.

The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the tents were part of the Rafah preparations and would be enough to shelter nearly 500,000 people.

Netanyahu said Monday that a date had been set for the offensive, though he has announced his authorization of IDF operational plans for Rafah at least four times over the past two months. No offensive is anticipated in the immediate future, particularly after the IDF on Sunday withdrew entirely from Khan Younis, further shrinking its troop presence in Gaza.

The Gaza war began when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. The thousands of attackers who burst through the boundary with the Gaza Strip also abducted 253 people who were taken as hostages into the Palestinian enclave.

Israel responded with a military offensive to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza, destroy the terror group, and free the hostages, of whom 129 remain in captivity.

Despite withdrawing most of its troops, Israel has continued efforts to kill Hamas terrorists, particularly senior leaders.

The IDF said a recent airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed a terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught.

Also over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck several sites belonging to terror groups across the Gaza Strip, including buildings, rocket launch positions, and other infrastructure, according to the IDF.

Among the targets were a building and tunnel shafts adjacent to a launch site used in a Monday rocket attack on Kibbutz Re’im, which lies close to the Gaza border, the IDF said.

In the central Gaza Strip, “troops eliminated a number of terrorists in close-quarter combat,” it said. “Several additional terrorists who posed a threat to the troops were eliminated by aircraft strikes and precise sniper fire.”

The IDF also confirmed carrying out a strike in Gaza’s Maghazi camp the night before, killing Hatem al-Ghamri, the head of the so-called emergency committee in the central part of the Strip. The emergency committee is a Hamas body tasked with maintaining order and civil control in the Strip’s municipalities.

According to the IDF, al-Ghamri, in addition to being head of the emergency committee in the Central Camps, was also an operative in the Hamas military wing, responsible for rocket fire from the Maghazi area.

Palestinian media reported that at least five people were killed in the strike.

Alongside the fighting, efforts continued to reach a deal for a hostage release and a truce.

More than six months into the war, Hamas said it was “studying” a new proposal for a temporary truce submitted during talks with US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators.

Under the plan, fighting would stop for six weeks, 40 women and child hostages would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and up to 500 aid trucks would enter Gaza per day, a Hamas source said.

Hamas said it “appreciates” the mediators’ latest efforts but accused Israel of failing to respond to its long-standing demands, including a full withdrawal of forces from Gaza.

Israel has emphatically rejected that condition and also Hamas’s demand that tens of thousands of displaced Gazans who fled the fighting in the north of the coastal territory be permitted to return unhindered to their homes. Israel is reportedly seeking terms that would enable it to ensure that Hamas fighters don’t take advantage of the situation to reposition in northern Gaza.

Also Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for Israel to allow foreign journalists to enter the Gaza Strip, claiming that an “information war” is worsening the impact of the conflict.

“Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish,” he wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

His statement coincided with a statement from the Foreign Press Association, which assists foreign reporters covering events in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, that called for Israel to allow foreign press to return to enter the Palestinian enclave.

“The barring of independent press access to a war zone for this long is unprecedented for Israel,” the statement read. “It raises questions about what Israel does not want international journalists to see.”

“The decision whether to be on the ground in Gaza should be up to each individual international media outlet,” the FPA added. “The blanket ban has limited the world’s ability to witness the true cost of the war to all sides.”

In January, the High Court ruled that Israel could continue barring foreign journalists from accessing the Strip, citing ongoing security concerns after months in which only Gazans or correspondents accompanied by the army have been able to report from the enclave.

In their ruling, High Court justices Ruth Ronen, Khaled Kabub, and Daphne Barak-Erez accepted the Defense Ministry’s stance that the escorted tours provided an appropriate measure of press freedom given “extreme security concerns at this time and concrete security threats that go with approving entry permits for independent journalists.”

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Tuesday more than 33,360 people in the Strip have been killed in the fighting so far, a figure that cannot be independently verified and includes some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

HAMAS’ REPORTS

Hezbollah: We carried out a fire attack on a position of Israeli enemy soldiers and a Merkava tank in the Dovev barracks, which led to the destruction of the tank and the soldiers being killed or wounded. ‏

** For your information, hours after this ambush, the army withdrew from Khan Yunis and used the excuse that the reason for the withdrawal was preparations to enter Rafah.. but the scenes published a short while ago have a different opinion.

** In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Press Statement

Research work is still ongoing at Al-Shifa Medical Complex after the fascist occupation army withdrew from it. More atrocities committed there are revealed, in addition to destroying and burning the complex and completely decommissioning it; Civil Defense crews recovered the bodies of hundreds of martyrs from the complex and its surroundings, who were buried by the criminal Zionist occupation under rubble and piles of sand, in an attempt to hide its crime against the hospital and its patients, medical staff, and displaced people.

The Zionist enemy has violated all laws and treaties that protect civilians and hospitals, which the fascist occupation has made a target for its defeated army, in its failed attempt to displace our people by destroying all means of life in the Gaza Strip.

These crimes are unprecedented, by brutally targeting hospitals and medical centers, committing the most heinous practices there, and turning them into mass graves containing the bodies of hundreds of innocent civilians who were killed in cold blood. It requires the international community and its institutions to work hard to pursue and hold this Nazi entity accountable for all its crimes and violations.

Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas

Tuesday: 30 Ramadan 1445 AH

Corresponding to: 09 April 2024 AD

** Al-Quds Brigades: We bombed with mortar shells an enemy command and control headquarters southwest of Gaza City.

#Al-Aqsa Flood

** The Al-Qassam Brigades destroyed a gathering of Zionist vehicles penetrating the outskirts of the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with 18 mortar shells.

** Eid night massacre...

14 martyrs, the vast majority of whom were children and women, when the occupation bombed a house for the “Abu Youssef” family in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.

** Al-Qassam Brigades, in conjunction with the Mujahideen Brigades, destroy enemy force concentrations southwest of Gaza City with mortar shells.

** Statement issued by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq:

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

Permission has been given to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is Able to grant them victory.

In continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted this morning, Wednesday 4/10/2024, the Haifa Oil Port in our occupied territories, with two drones, The Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds.

Islamic resistance in Iraq

Wednesday 1 - Shawwal - 1445 AH

Times of Israel/Hamas Brigade al-Qassam

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

US sends seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. has transferred to Ukraine thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized more than a year ago as they were being shipped by Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

The hardware sent last week is the latest military assistance that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has provided to Kyiv for its fight to retake territory occupied by Russia.

Democrat Biden has been blocked from providing further U.S. weaponry to Kyiv by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson's refusal to call a vote on $60 billion in new security assistance.

With Ukrainian forces running low on weapons and munitions, especially heavy artillery rounds, the United States and its allies have been searching for new ways to arm Kyiv.

The weaponry transferred by the United States to Kyiv on April 4 "constituted enough materiel to equip" a Ukrainian brigade, U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

An infantry brigade typically comprises 3,500 to 4,000 troops, but the exact numbers were not known.

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations said, “We cannot comment on weapons and armaments that have never belonged to us.”

CENTCOM said the hardware included more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

The munitions were taken from four "stateless" vessels intercepted by U.S. naval ships and those of partner forces - which were not identified - between May 22, 2021 and Feb. 15, 2023, CENTCOM said.

The weapons were being sent by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis, CENTCOM said.

** US to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades

The United States will sell Ukraine up to $138 million worth of equipment to maintain and upgrade its HAWK air defense systems to help defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, a U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The U.S. began shipping HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine in 2022 as an upgrade to the shoulder-launched Stinger air defense missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range system.

Since then, Ukraine has received several air defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot system.

Tuesday's emergency foreign military sale is worth as much as $138 million, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Although Ukraine has run out of many sources of U.S. funds, Kyiv was given a grant of $300 million in foreign military financing as part of the annual defense spending bill recently signed into law. The grant money will be used to pay for the equipment, which includes engineering and integration for communications and refurbishment of HAWK fire units.

In addition, the sale includes missile recertification components for older units, tools, test and support equipment, spare parts and more.

The sale will require temporary-duty travel to Europe of an estimated five U.S. government employees and 15 contractor representatives to support training and sustainment, the official said. Presidential drawdown authority had been used previously to transfer HAWK equipment to Ukraine. That provision allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from American stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The MIM-23 HAWK - a name that began life as an acronym for "Homing All the Way Killer" - was first introduced in the 1950s as the U.S. military sought ways to defeat raids by high-flying strategic bombers. It was upgraded over the years to deal with jamming and other countermeasures, and eventually exported to more than a dozen countries, according the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Over 30 Ukrainian howitzers destroyed in single strike

A Russian missile appears to have hit a Ukrainian depot, obliterating more than two dozen artillery pieces in one hit, drone footage which emerged online on Tuesday shows.

Surveillance drone footage circulating online shows some 32 Soviet-era D-20 howitzers, stockpiled in the open in a tight formation.

While it was not immediately clear when the strike was carried out, it apparently targeted a military facility near the Ukrainian city of Akhtyrka in Sumy Region, which borders Russia.

The strike appears to have obliterated and blown away most of the howitzers, with only a few left standing. The explosion also left a nearby hangar badly damaged, the video shows.

It was not immediately clear whether the howitzers were operational before the strike, given that they were left in a large group and open to the elements. However, even dilapidated artillery pieces can be a valuable military asset, serving as parts donors for their operational counterparts or as decoys on the frontline.

** Russian troops pummel Ukrainian army, equipment in 131 areas over past day

Russian troops inflicted casualties on the Ukrainian army and military hardware in 131 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a radar station and inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s manpower and military equipment in 131 areas," the ministry said in a statement.

Reuters/RT/Tass

In the course of my journalism odyssey and service to my Fatherland, I have been honoured countless times with awards headlining my modest contribution to country and humanity. But none came close to the one I received on 7 February 2024 at the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion at Ika in Delta State. 

This particular one was an epoch that set me on an emotional introspection followed by profuse praise for God’s matchless grace upon my life. There I stood facing the leadership of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion: the Primate of all Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba, House of Bishops, House of Priests and House of Laity, at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Ascension, Boji-Boji Owa of the Diocese of Ika, Delta State, listening to my citation for the prestigious Award For Excellence In Faithfulness In The Kingdom Service.  

As the citation was being read, the Holy Spirit took over, taking me on a journey  back to my formative years which were spent in vicarage. In vivid colour, the Spirit showed me how my late father, Daniel Akinseye Olamiti -a Cathechist- spent 40 years serving God, faithfully and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to many parts of the Old Ondo Province. My beloved Father was the vessel, the early evangelist that God used to bring Christianity to Idanreland. 

Ironically, despite his many years of dedicated and meritorious service, Papa retired without a building to house his wife and six children. But by the time he was asked to pack out of the Mission House, help came from above. It came in the form of a two-bedroom building without toilet and kitchen, but good enough to provide shelter for him, his wife and six children. 

For his service for 40 years he was paid one-off retirement benefit of 40 pounds and he used half of that amount to offset the balance of my school fees at Olofin Grammar School, Idanre. I also remember how, as a young boy in the primary School, I used to follow my Dad to the yearly Synod in Ondo town. My Dad, though poor financially, living on one-pound monthly salary, always went with cap in hand to well-to-do Church members for help.

However, throughout that difficult period, I never saw my father in a moody state. He was always happy and enthusiastic in going from house to house twice daily to win converts into God’s Kingdom from paganism.  He was cheerfully and eagerly going about planting churches at the different stations he found himself from frequent transfers.

Therefore, as joy continued to well in my soul and spirit as I received the award, my spirit kept telling me: this award is not for me but for my father and the people of Idanreland, where my beloved old man was one of the pioneers that brought Christianity to the land.

Shortly after he  passed on to glory, 28 years ago, I saw him  in my dream. The two of us were in white apparels, walking in a lush green field. As we walked and as I savoured the scenic scene, Papa told me to look sideways. I did. And I saw men in white dresses entering a big church. My father then instructed me to go and join them. He let go my hand and continued walking away. As I was walking towards the big church to join the men in white as Papa instructed, I woke up.

In his days, my father struggled hard to get a collar as a reverend but could not because of his minimal education attainment. He only had a standard six certificate.  

But here was I, standing on the stage, facing the awesome gathering of God’s people, including the most eminent fathers and mothers in the Anglican Church, receiving this prestigious honour. How can I ever forget this day of glory? It’s not possible. I will forever cherish it. This definitely is not by my powers or might but by the Grace of the Almighty God and also to the leadership of our Church, Ndukuba. I am one of the few Anglicans that belong to three dioceses - Abuja, Ibadan and Akure. I make sure I balance my responsibilities to the  best of my ability to serve the Lord and humanity in these dioceses. 

Just last year, in January to be precise, the Ibadan Diocese, while celebrating its 70th anniversary, honoured me with an award for Invaluable Services to the Diocese. Yet, this was just one of the many awards that I received from the diocese. They included: Communicator of the Year, 2006; Son of The Year 2009; and 2012 Award for Invaluable Contribution to the Growth and Development of Ibadan Diocese. From Akure Diocese, I was honoured during its 10th Inauguration Anniversary in 2023 with the Eminent Ambassador Award. This is not forgetting the Abuja  Diocese where I was privileged to be a member of the Committee for the Establishment of the Anglican  International Academy, and from there also came an award in recognition of invaluable service to work of God. From Oyo Diocese in 2019, The Women organizations honoured me with an award in recognition of my contributions to the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, the media and society at large. As the immediate past chairman of the Board of Management of Advent Cable Network Nigeria Television, ACNNTV, for two terms. I got a Nehemiah award during the station’s 10th Year Anniversary in recognition of my pioneering role in setting up the station. In 2017, I was also inducted into Anglican Knighthood of Saint Christopher in Bayelsa State.

Now, let me quickly say this: I have gone all out to mention all these honours among the many honours and services the Church has bestowed on me not  for self-adulation but to appreciate God for His kindness and faithfulness in my 72 years so far on this side of eternity.

Yet, this is not to talk about secular awards which God has bestowed on me and they came in droves. Needless to mention that I am a titled Chief in Idanre, my hometown - where the Owa of Idanreland Oba Frederick Aroloye Arubiefin IV installed me the Ajagunla of Idanreland. I am also a trustee of The Yoruba Leadership Peace Initiatives TYLPI. I served for ten years as the Resident Consultant and spokesperson of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission ( ICPC) and received an award for Outstanding Leadership and Service in The Fight Against Corruption.

From my professional body as a journalist, I was honoured with an indelible and committed  Senior Management Staff award of The African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Publisher of Trbune titles where I served for 32 years. Other awards included Fellow Nigerian Guild of Editors (FNGE), Fellow of Diamond Merit Award (DAME), the Milestone Award from Nigerian Union of Journalists, and Member of International Press Institute IPI in Vienna and a member IPI Board of Trustees, Nigeria chapter. No doubt, all these secular honours are good for the recognition of one’s services to humanity. And I remain forever grateful for these recognitions. 

But the ones from the Church give me enormous spiritual fulfillment; and for this reason I’m celebrating the latest that came from the Apex Body of the Church - The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion.  Colossians 3:17,  says: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it well in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” 

For me, praising God and my Saviour Jesus Christ is a contract that has no expiry date. For my remaining years on earth, I will totally commit myself to serving Him with all my heart and soul. To Him belong all the glory. Thank you, Jesus!

According to a new power distribution plan approved by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), certain segments of the Nigerian population will henceforth have regular electricity and pay more, while the rest of society will see far less electricity supply and pay lower tariffs.

If this Orwellian electricity plan is followed through, the Nigerian middle class, as well as the urban and rural poor, who constitute the majority of the country, will most likely retreat into medieval darkness.

From a policy standpoint, below are three downsides of the new electricity plan:

1. It Promotes Social Inequity

Electricity is much more than cables, light bulbs, and switches. In developmental terms, electricity is a crucial thermometer by which we measure the quality of modern life. In fact, no definition of modernity can be complete without a people’s access to electricity.

This is why governments all over the world see the provision of electricity to their citizens as an important responsibility.

Therefore, any policy that segregates access to such a basic and essential service strictly on the basis of economic and social stratification of citizens, is a short-sighted policy and needs to be reviewed.

The new electricity supply regime will deepen social inequity in the country and reduce the quality of life of the majority of Nigerians, who are set to see far less access to electricity simply because of where they live.

This is social apartheid à la carte.

Rather than reduce supply to most citizens, the government and its private sector partners should increase, prioritise, and guarantee regular electricity supply to all citizens.

When Brazil faced an unprecedented economic and social regression in the late 1990s, the government of President Lula Da Silva (2003-2011) rolled out the most audacious and inclusive economic recovery plan that pulled millions of people out of poverty. The resulting economic recovery propelled Brazil ahead of Britain as the fifth largest economy in the world for the first time.

Nigeria needs an inclusive and robust economic and job creation plan that can increase people’s capacity to pay for social services and live meaningful lives.

2. It Will Deepen Economic Woes

All over the world, reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply is seen as the ultimate tonic that spurs economic growth.

Nigeria has the largest informal sector in Africa, with micro, small, and medium-sized businesses accounting for over 40 per cent of the country’s GDP and 70 per cent of employment. These businesses range from subsistent fish farms in rural communities to vibrant, youth-led innovation hubs in informal urban settlements across the country.

A segregationist electricity supply policy that excludes this productive swathe of Nigeria’s population will spell disaster for an already beleaguered Nigerian economy.

In an age when Finland has made Internet access a constitutional right, with a stipulated bandwidth guaranteed to every citizen, Nigeria cannot afford to pursue an energy policy that is guaranteed to sentence the majority of its citizens to live in darkness.

3. Where Are the Meters?

Nigeria generates an average of 5,000 megawatts of electricity for a population of over 200 million people. This is grossly inadequate when compared to South Africa, which generates over 50,000 megawatts for its 60 million citizens.

Yet, Nigeria has perhaps the most unpredictable energy consumption audit systems in the world.

According to a recent report by NERC, only 44 per cent of electricity consumers in Nigeria have metered connections. This means that 56 per cent – a vast majority of energy consumers – are subjected to an opaque and extortionate “estimated billing” system that leaves consumers feeling duped.

The new electricity tariff regime does not address the important problem of inadequate metering and the systemic corruption that it breeds.

Finally, to address the crisis, the government and its private sector partners should keep the focus on generating sufficient and uninterrupted power supply to all citizens.

This can be done through a power consumption audit system that is universally metered, fair, accountable, and transparent.

Austin Tam-George is a former senior executive fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

PT

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No one likes being tethered to a socket at home or dealing with a dying phone when on the go. A long-lasting battery life on a phone is essential. When an iPhone ages, its battery suffers, leading to a shorter life. If you feel your iPhone has not lasted as long as it used to, follow the tips below. They won’t undo the battery damage but’ll ensure you get the most out of each charge.

Turn off Background Refresh

iPhone apps tend to auto-refresh to be ready for you when you launch them. While that’s helpful, it constantly drains your battery in the background. Imagine how much battery that would take up if your phone’s loaded with apps.

This newsletter comes from the future.

Turning the background app refresh off is okay since they can always refresh upon launch. Go to General > Background App Refresh > Background App Refresh (again) and choose Off.

Limit Location Services

Location services are another thing that runs in the background that takes up your battery without you knowing. You’re wasting considerable battery by always sharing your location with certain apps. You should change that to only when you’re using that app.

Head over to Settings > Privacy and go through the list of apps to see if any say ‘Always’ in front of their names. When you see one, click on it andpick While Using the App from the list. If you feel that the app doesn’t need your location, feel free to pick Never.

Organizing this list from time to time helps save you a lot of battery and is also safer regarding privacy.

Watch Your Phone’s Temperature

According to Apple’s iPhone user guide, iPhones are designed to work in ambient temperatures between 32° and 95° F (0° and 35° C) and stored in temperatures between -4° and 113° F (-20° and 45° C). The guide also adds that an iPhone’s battery life can be shortened if stored or operated outside these temperature ranges.   

This means that to optimize your iPhone’s performance, you need to watch its temperature. If you’re out in the cold, keep it as warm as you can tucked inside your jacket’s pocket. If you’re charging it and feel it starting to heat up, take it out of its case so it can breathe a little.

Turn Low Power Mode On

This is an obvious one. Low Power Mode reduces background activity like auto-downloads and mail fetch and reduces your display’s refresh rate. This makes your phone less power-hungry. You still get all your notifications, and your phone works normally.

  Low Power Mode automatically activates when your battery falls below 20%. However, if you wish to activate it manually, go to Settings > Batteryand turn on the toggle switch for Low Power Mode.

It’s easier to  add the feature to your Control Center, so all you have to do is swipe down on your display and click the battery icon when you want to activate the mode. To add it to your Control Center, navigate to Settings > Control Center and hit the green plus icon next to Low Power Mode.

Turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular Data, and Airdrop off

Again, it’s a pretty obvious and easy one. Features like Wi-Fi and Airdrop drain your battery by constantly looking for connections nearby. For instance, turning all of these off is a good habit when hitting the bed.

To turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Data off, swipe down on your display from the top-right and tap on their respective icons. It’ll all be greyed out if you’re successful. You can also turn them off in Settings. Go to each menu (Wi-Fi, Settings, Bluetooth) and turn their respective toggle switches off.

For Airdrop, go to Settings > General > Airdrop and click on Receiving Off.

Turn Brightness Down

There’s a reason why Low Power Mode makes your display less bright. The higher the brightness, the less your battery will last. Unless you’re outdoors and absolutely need all those nits, turn your brightness down in the Control Center.

Swipe down on your display from the top-right of your screen and then swipe down on the brightness slider as much as you want. Heading over to Settings > Display & Brightness and tweaking the Brightness slider on that page is another way to do this.

Turn Auto-Lock On

The longer your display stays on, the more battery you’ll lose. Turn auto-lock on if you always turn off your display when putting your phone down manually. You’d need to go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Once you see all the options, change it from Never to an option of your choice. Anything two minutes or under should be fine.

If Auto-Lock is greyed out, that’s because your Low Power Mode is activated. You’re automatically defaulted to 30 seconds, which is even better. But it’s helpful to have this information handy when you want your display to last longer.

Update iOS

Think of this as the ‘turn it off and on again’ hack. It works for everything, from making your iPhone run faster to extending its battery life. New iOS versions bring bug fixes and updates that help improve your phone’s overall performance. Anytime your phone’s acting up, it’s a good idea to check if you’re on the latest software version and update if you aren’t.

Navigating to Settings > General > Software Update will tell you whether or not you need to update.

Gizmodo

Central Bank of Nigeria has barred commercial lenders from accepting foreign currency-denominated collateral to grant naira loans, a move that could protect the banking system against a strengthening of the local currency, it said on Monday.

The regulator said in a circular that the practice it had observed of bank customers using foreign currency as collateral for naira loans was "prohibited".

The CBN on Monday said it approved Eurobonds issued by the government or letters of credit issued by an offshore bank as eligible foreign currency collateral.

It told lenders to wind down all loans currently secured with dollar-denominated collateral within 90 days or face sanctions.

The naira has gained sharply against the dollar on both the official and parallel markets after suffering its second devaluation in less than a year in January.

The currency strengthened after the central bank raised interest rates in February and March, and lifted restrictions on foreign participation at its fixed-income auctions.

The bank now allows foreign investors to pre-fund their accounts and get naira at the prevailing exchange rate for bill auctions, analysts said.

In the past, lenders faced constraints in fulfilling foreign investors' bids as they incurred extra costs on settlement day if they borrowed from the central bank's discount window to pay for bills.

Reuters

A Binance Holdings Ltd. executive detained for more than 40 days in Nigeria after being invited by the government and then charged with tax evasion and fraud has been sent to prison ahead of trial in May.

A court ordered Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial compliance at Binance, to be remanded at the Kuje correctional center in the capital Abuja on Monday, despite his counsel pleading that he remain in the custody of the anti-graft commission.

Gambaryan was charged alongside Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and in his first appearance in court on April 4, argued that he could not be served the company’s charges as he was not authorized by his employer to receive it.

On Monday, Emeka Nwite ruled that Gambaryan had earlier admitted to visiting Nigeria as a representative of Binance which “clearly shows his involvement” with the company within Nigeria, and so could be served in lieu of his employer.

He was charged with tax evasion, currency speculation and money laundering of $34 million by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He pleaded not guilty.

“We are deeply disappointed that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making power in the company, continues to be detained,” a Binance spokesperson said in an emailed statement, calling for his release.

“These charges against him are merit-less. It’s outrageous that he would be remanded in a prison such as Kuje Correctional Facility.”

Nwite fixed April 18 for hearing on Gambaryan’s bail application and May 5 for trial.

Another Binance executive — Nadeem Anjarwalla — who was detained at the same time as Gambaryan, and has UK and Kenyan citizenship, fled the West African country last month.

The two men had traveled to Nigeria late February at the invitation of the authorities to meet officials after the government blocked access to cryptocurrency channels amid a clampdown on currency speculation.

Many residents of Africa’s most-populous nation have flocked to cryptoassets amid a plunge in the value of the naira. That prompted a state crackdown on platforms offering digital tokens.

Bloomberg

Sequel to the impeachment of Philip Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo State, a new deputy governor has been sworn in. He is Godwins Marvelous Omobayo.

Omobayo was sworn in by the State Chief Judge, Daniel Okungbowa at the new Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City.

The swearing in ceremony was performed in the presence of Governor Godwin Obaseki, Secretary to State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie; State Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Aziegbemi; Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku traditional rulers mainly from Akoko-Edo local government area, and other top government functionaries. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Obaseki said the nomination of Omobayo as deputy governor of the state was with wide consultation with people of the local government area and other prominent persons in the state.

The new deputy governor was the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election.

He is an Engineer with a proven track record of progressive professional experience in the oil and gas sector.

Born July 19, 1986, Omobayo hails from Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the State.

With a B.Eng Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Msc in Public Administration from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), he is well suited for the role as a professional and an expert in public administration.

He is a registered member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). 

A thorough-bred young professional, he serves as a Senior Maintenance Engineer in Dresser Wayne West Africa Limited, cutting his professional teeth in the operations in the South South area, providing top-notch services and growing the business in the region.

He has also been active in politics in his local government.

Thisday

The presidency has chided Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, over his recent comments on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

In a statement issued at the weekend by Paul Ibe, his media adviser, Abubakar alleged that the 700-kilometre highway project was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Limited (Hitech) owned by Gilbert Chagoury.

The former vice-president said President Bola Tinubu prioritised personal business interest over Nigerians in the handling of the project.

He alleged that Chagoury is a business partner of Tinubu.

Abubakar said the federal government has not revealed the expenses associated with the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

He added that the road construction is shrouded in secrecy and could cost N15.7 trillion.

He also condemned the federal government for not disclosing the cost of the project as done by Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari’s administrations.

‘ATIKU’S AIDES MISLEADING HIM‘

In a statement issued on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Abubakar did not get his facts right.

“In his desperation to always want to hug the headlines as a self-appointed opposition leader, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has allowed himself to be led into a blind alley again by his poorly informed aides,” the statement reads.

Onanuga said Abubakar made “false allusions” about the project in his “futile attempt to denigrate and find faults in the audacious and transformational” road construction initiative.

“To Atiku’s chagrin and utter disappointment, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway has been rightly praised for the huge economic impact it will create and how it will be a game-changer in improving the quality of life of Nigerians, especially the economy of the nine coastal states it will pass through. Importantly, the road will boost the agricultural and tourism economy on a grand scale,” the presidential spokesperson said.

“Seeking to be a killjoy, Abubakar engaged in red-herring by raising ill-thought-out allegations that only exposed his inadequacies and those of his team in getting the basic facts on an issue he badly seeks to nail the government.

“We owe it a sacred duty to ensure Atiku and his handlers do not continue to spread disinformation as they wallow in their politics of hatred.”

‘PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION NEVER AWARDED THE PROJECT’

Onanuga said the administrations of Jonathan and Buhari never awarded the project to any company at any varied and revised amount as claimed by Abubakar.

He said Abubakar is mixing up the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project with the Lagos-Calabar coastal rail.

“So the question of costs comparison does not arise,” the presidential spokesperson said.

“The contract that was awarded was that of Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail. The rail was designed as part of the standard gauge national rail network.

“The contract was awarded on August 4, 2021, by the Federal Executive Council presided over by former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the cost of $ 11.17 billion. The contract was to be completed in six years. The project didn’t take off.

“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail project has always been on the card. It was another testament to the failure of the previous PDP-led government that it could not get it off the ground in the 16 years it held sway.

“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway and Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail are two distinct projects. It is unfortunate that the former Vice President is confused about  the two projects.”

Onanuga said Tinubu “should be praised for having the courage to embark on this transformative project and not vilified as Abubakar unsuccessfully sought to do”.

“We know there is nothing so sacred for Abubakar in the pursuit of his undying ambition to be President of Nigeria even in his advanced age,” he said.

“We, however, don’t expect a former Vice President of Nigeria to continue to fan ill-will and engage in divisive politics in his twilight.”

“Tinubu as a leader and nationalist will continue to drive and propel national progress through infrastructural development across the country.”

The presidency asked Abubakar to “act his status as a presumed statesman and desist from engaging in fruitless exercise that does not add any value to nation-building”.

The Cable

Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared Wednesday as the first of Shawwal and Eid day, commemorating the completion of the 2024 Ramadan fast.

Deputy Secretary-General, NSCIA, Salisu Shehu, said this in a statement on Monday night.

According to him, this is due to the fact that the new crescent was not sighted in the Kingdom on Monday.

This means that this year’s Ramadan fasting would complete 30 on Tuesday.

NSCIA under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, wishes to inform the Nigerian Muslim Ummah that there was no positive report of the sighting of the crescent of Shawwal 1445 AH on the 29th of Ramadan 1445 AH.

“Consequently, Ramadan fast will continue tomorrow Tuesday, 9th April 2024 as the 30th day of Ramadan. Therefore, Wednesday, 10th April 2024 is hereby declared as the 1st day of Shawwal 1445 AH and the day of Eid-il-fitr,” Shehu said.

The Council prayed that Allah accepts the fasting and other virtuous acts in Ramadan and grant all peaceful and blissful Eid celebrations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had earlier declared Wednesday as the first of Shawwal and Eid day.

Daily Trust