Israel keeps pounding Gaza, Houthis vow more Red Sea attacks

Israeli forces pounded the shattered Gaza Strip on Tuesday while Yemen's Houthis vowed to defy a U.S.-led naval mission and keep targeting Red Sea shipping in support of the Palestinian enclave's ruling Hamas movement.

Israel's campaign to eradicate Hamas militants behind an Oct. 7 massacre has left the coastal enclave in ruins, brought widespread hunger and homelessness, and killed nearly 20,000 Gazans, according to the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.

Under foreign pressure to avoid killing innocents, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war will not stop until a remaining 129 hostages are freed and Hamas is obliterated after its fighters' slaying of 1,200 Israelis.

The conflict has spread beyond Gaza, including into the Red Sea where Iran-aligned Houthi forces have been attacking vessels with missiles and drones. That has prompted the creation of a multinational naval operation to protect commerce in the area, but the Houthis said they would carry on anyway, possibly with a sea operation every 12 hours.

"Our position will not change in the direction of the Palestinian issue, whether a naval alliance is established or not," Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters, saying only Israeli ships or those going to Israel would be targeted.

"Our position in support of Palestine and the Gaza Strip will remain until the end of the siege, the entry of food and medicine, and our support for the oppressed Palestinian people will remain continuous."

Announcing the naval operation, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Bahrain that joint patrols would be held in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which encompass a major East-West global shipping route.

"This is an international challenge that demands collective action," Austin said.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday it received information of a potential boarding attempt west of Yemen's Aden port city, adding that the attack was unsuccessful and all crew were safe.

Some shippers are re-routing around Africa.

Attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea are disrupting maritime trade through the Suez Canal, with some vessels re-routing to a much longer East-West route via the southern tip of Africa.

DEATHS MOUNT

In Gaza, Israeli latest missiles hit the southern Rafah area, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees have amassed in recent weeks, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens as they slept at home, local health officials said.

Residents said they had to dig in the rubble with bare hands. "This is a barbarian act," said Mohammed Zurub, whose family lost 11 people in the attack.

In the north, another strike killed 13 people and wounded about 75 in the Jabalia refugee camp, the health ministry said.

Local Palestinians reported intensifying Israeli aerial and tank bombardment of Jabalia as darkness descended later on Tuesday.

Israel says it warns of strikes in advance so civilians can escape, and accuses Hamas fighters of hunkering down in residential areas and using hospitals and schools as cover, which the Islamist group denies.

Israeli military officials told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday that heavy civilian casualties are the cost of Israel's intense campaign to destroy Hamas and the militants' urban warfare strategy, despite global alarm at the huge human toll.

One official, a military legal adviser, said the air force was carrying out "thousands and thousands of attacks and often attacks that require heavy firepower" to break through Hamas' underground tunnel network.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had told Israeli leaders on a visit on Monday that protecting civilians in Gaza was both "a moral duty and a strategic imperative", warning that excessive violence bred resentment that would benefit Hamas and make peaceful coexistence even harder in the long term.

OVER 90% OF POPULATION HOMELESS

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA said more than 60% of Gaza's infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, with more than 90% of the 2.3 million population uprooted.

In the ground war, where Israel has lost 132 soldiers, tanks advanced further into the southern city of Khan Younis and shelled a market area but met heavy resistance, residents said.

Thousands of Hamas fighters, based in tunnels, are waging guerrilla-style war against Israeli forces.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is continuing to operate against Hamas terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog signalled readiness on the part of the country on Tuesday to enter another foreign-mediated "humanitarian pause" in fighting to recover more hostages held by Hamas and enable more aid to reach besieged Gaza.

A truce in late November mediated by Qatari and U.S. diplomats lasted for a week before collapsing and yielded the release of 110 hostages by Hamas in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.

Basem Naem, a senior Hamas official based outside Gaza, ruled out further negotiations on exchanging prisoners while the war continued, but said Hamas was open to any initiative to end it and bring relief to Gaza Palestinians.

A source briefed on diplomatic efforts told Reuters on Tuesday that Qatar's prime minister and the heads of the U.S. and Israeli intelligence services had held "positive" talks in Warsaw, Poland to explore ways of reviving negotiations. But a deal was not expected imminently, the source added.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine conflict exposed truth about Western military equipment – Putin

Ukraine is facing significant battlefield losses, and its counteroffensive has failed to impress the country's foreign backers, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking during a Defense Ministry Board meeting on Tuesday in Moscow, he pointed out that Kiev’s forces are having these problems despite receiving high-grade Western military equipment.

Kiev has lost over 14,000 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles since the start of Russia’s military operation in the country, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during the meeting.

“The myth of the invulnerability of Western military equipment has collapsed,” said Putin.

Throughout the Ukraine conflict, countries like the US, Germany, France, and the UK have supplied Kiev with hundreds of pieces of state-of-the-art Western-made heavy military equipment such as Leopard 2, Abrams and Challenger tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and more.

Russian forces, however, have repeatedly reported either destroying or capturing this hardware, which had often been touted in Western media as superior to anything Russia has to offer.

Earlier this month, Russian soldiers in Ukraine reportedly seized yet another batch of US and German-made heavy equipment. In a video posted by Russian journalist Vladimir Soloviev, the Russian troops could be seen approaching a Leopard 2A4 tank, which had apparently been abandoned by its Ukrainian operators as there were no signs of any damage to the tank.

In August, Russia’s Defense Ministry even organized an exhibition of captured Western weaponry near Moscow, displaying everything from American M-113 armored personnel carriers and Swedish CV90-40s to French wheeled AMX-10RCR tanks and Australian Bushmaster armored vehicles. In total, the exhibition featured over 870 types of armaments seized by Russian forces, including examples of Soviet and Ukrainian-made equipment.

In July, President Putin also stated that captured Western weaponry would be “reverse-engineered” to adopt any technology that might turn out to be useful for Russian forces.

** Russia starts to leverage assault units, drone forces in military strategy shift — Shoigu

Russia has made a big adjustment to its military tactics, starting to favor deploying assault teams and drone crews, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

"We have readjusted our approach to how we use troops in modern warfare. The tactics of general combat have been tweaked. Assault units and drone crews have been formed and deployed," Russia’s defense chief said.

In addition, the importance of reserves was stressed, and now, "every army has its own reserve regiment," Shoigu added.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia launches air assault on Kyiv for fifth time in December -Ukraine

Russia late on Tuesday launched its fifth air attack this month targeting Kyiv, with Ukraine's air defence systems destroying all weapons on approach to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv's military said early on Wednesday.

"According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Russia started carrying out strikes on Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure in regions far from the front line in October 2022, six months after Moscow troops failed to take over Kyiv and withdrew to Ukraine's east and south.

Most of southeastern Ukraine remained under air raid alerts at 2300 GMT, with Ukraine's air force saying that the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions were under threat of Russian ballistic missile attacks.

** Ukraine considers proposal by army to mobilise another 500,000 for war

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces in what would mark a dramatic step up of Kyiv's war with Russia.

The Ukrainian leader told his end-of-year news conference it was a "highly sensitive" issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament.

Zelenskiy said he wanted to hear more arguments in favour of mobilising the additional people before backing such a move.

"This is a very serious number," he said.

Ukraine has been at war with Russian troops since February 2022. Both sides treat their casualty numbers as a state secret, but U.S. officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded.

Ukraine's troop numbers are not known, but it has said in the past it has around 1 million people under arms. Russia has been expanding its army during the war and said on Tuesday it planned to boost its ranks to 1.5 million service members.

"I said I would need more arguments to support this move. Because first of all, it's a question of people, secondly, it's a question of fairness, it's a question of defence capability, and it's a question of finances," Zelenskiy said.

Ukraine, which initially saw tens of thousands of volunteer fighters queuing up to defend their country from Russia's invasion, is now trying to conscript more men to replace those currently at the front.

There have been discussions behind closed doors for weeks on how to improve the draft process. Some Ukrainians have reacted angrily to social media videos showing draft officers handing out call-up papers at gyms and resorts.

Zelenskiy said an additional 500 billion hryvnias ($13.5 billion) would be needed to support the army's mobilization proposal and he wants further details on how the troops would be used to fight Russia.

There has been tension between Zelenskiy and the head of the army.

This week, army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi criticised a decision, made by Zelenskiy, to fire the heads of the regional military draft offices amid a crackdown on corruption this summer.

RT/Tass/Reuters

Nigeria is about to enter into a new phase in its history. Scarcity will soon become the word most commonly used by us starting from 2024.

We already have scarcity of cash in banks, foreign exchange scarcity, rice scarcity and job scarcity is about to kick in with several multinational companies voting with their feet. Procter & Gamble, P&G, being the latest to shut its gates and send Nigerian hopes of rapid industrialisation crashing at the dawn of Renewed Hope.

Unilever, formerly Lever Brothers Nigeria Limited, was the first company to establish large-scale manufacturing in Nigeria on April 11, 1923. A century after, the company, which is still expanding globally, diversifying and evolving into new areas of consumer products, has started winding down its business in Nigeria.

Scarcity of some of its products has started to show in supermarkets and open markets. Prices, subsequently, have skyrocketed of

VASELINE, LUX etc. We are lurching gradually back into 1984/85. Those old enough to remember, would recall that those were the years the term Essential Commodities, Essenco, entered our national vocabulary. People, mostly women, had to go on queues to buy ordinary bath soap, detergents, even milk for babies, sugar, sardine, etc.

Buhari’s soldiers were waiting for them. Women, including grandmothers were brutally whipped by Buhari’s young recruits in the most heartless manner imaginable. General Buhari was proud of the carnage too!!!

It has been necessary to remind those alive then and those too young to know that Buhari’s brutality resulted from acute scarcity of almost everything; and that we are closer to another round of inhuman treatment of citizens
than we think. Let me discuss them one at a time because of the ultimate implications.

ANOTHER ROUND OF CASH SCARCITY

“Banks ration cash as naira scarcity worsens.” Vanguard, December 12, 2023. Other Nigerians might have been surprised that cash scarcity has returned so soon.

VANGUARD’s Editorial staff were not. As far back as March this year, while the rest of the nation was reeling under
the assault of the first cash scarcity, we warned the nation that another round would occur any time soon. The nation is in it now.
Furthermore, this second round of cash scarcity will trigger several more in 2024.

Permit me not to elaborate now on why 2024 promises to be a year of cash scarcity – unless the FG and CBN rethink their strategies on monetary and fiscal policies. Right now, we are heading for another bleak Christmas and New Year.

FOREX SCARCITY AND THE DISASTERS AHEAD

“$792M TRAPPED FUNDS: Foreign airlines at breaking point, may exit Nigeria’s airspace.” Report, December 11, 2023. “Manufacturing s e c t o r bleeds as forex loss rises 400% to N466bn.”

Report, December 11, 2023. Try as the FG and CBN might, the present and the short term prospects for Nigeria are bleak.

Tinubu can be airborne 365 days in 2024; meet with Presidents and Prime ministers promising to help Nigeria. It will be in the national interest and his, if it is understood that not all politicians’ promises are ever redeemed. And, he is running around with a beggar’s bowl;

meeting other politicians like himself. The solution to our forex debacle is not outside but inside Nigeria. A nation lacking sufficient foreign exchange to drive the vital sectors of its economy has no business sending 422 or 1,141 delegates to COP28.

DIVESTMENT AND SCARCITY OF JOBS AND PRODUCTS “GSK, P&G:

Over 20,000 direct jobs lost to divestment, NECA cries out”. Re port, December 10, 2023.

My e x p e r i e n c e working in a manufacturing drug company, BOOTS COMPANY NIGERIA LTD, which was the darling of investors in the Stock Exchange in the 1970s; and with NORTH BREWERY LTD , Kano, proved beyond reasonable doubt that the closure of a manufacturing and marketing company results in more job losses than many people realise.

The loss of income by people is even more staggering. For instance, given Nigeria’s high dependency ratio, meaning one worker supports at least five jobless or non-working individuals, the 20,000 job losses will lead to loss of income by at least 120,000 directly.

The numbers increase as we add the losses suffered by contractors, suppliers and others associated with the company closing down.

The closure of BCN, after I left the company, was an eye-opener. I was there when we started local manufacturing of some brands.

We signed on suppliers of chemicals, packaging materials (bottles, caps, blister packs, etc), transporters and advertising agency.
They, in turn, relied on suppliers of inputs. Everybody was happy until Boots UK decided to pull out of the Nigerian market.

Manufacturing came to a halt first; and all the calamities associated with it. One printer supplied all the body labels; and he drove a Mercedes Benz. Boots’ business was enough for him; the orders flowed in. In one day, his business crashed – when he was called by the Purchasing Manager to be told the bad news. He was not alone.

The lives ruined by Boots closure were less than those demolished when NBL(K) ground to a halt. At least 1,500 big, small and microenterprises, domestic and international, are linked to a brewery. Thus, each time a brewery went down in Nigeria, uncountable number of jobs vanished. P&G and GSK represent the sort of foreign manufacturing companies a country is fortunate to have.

Incidentally, I also worked for SmithKline and French, SKF, in Nigeria, before the merger with Glaxo to form GSK. Drug manufacturers, with several products are divine gifts to domestic suppliers of raw materials, spare parts, components, packaging materials, fuel, vehicles, banking services, etc. They provide many jobs directly and indirectly. The challenge nations have increasingly is keeping them.

The unfortunate thing for a country experiencing mass exit by foreign manufacturers is the domino effect of such departures.

As everybody knows from experience, by the time you notice three-bed bugs, several hundreds are in the room. By the same token, by the time three big multinationals pack their bags, others are probably seriously considering the same decision or have already
reached the same conclusion: “time to go”. OTHERS TOO…

“Nigeria’s oil sector hit by exodus of foreign companies.” Financial Times. Thus, the announced departure of some companies in the manufacturing sector is occurring against the background of our nation’s increasing loss of economic competitiveness and hostile operating climate. Capital is always a coward. When demand and profits in constant dollars are shrinking; profits cannot be repatriated at will and there is no definite date for the transfer, then the exit door looks extremely inviting.

Today, foreign companies which are required to source a certain percentage of their inputs locally are stuck three ways. They cannot find forex to import inputs, they cannot find sufficient local raw materials e.g food and beverage sector and they can’t get their money out. What are they doing here?

Vanguard

That text message about your package could be a scam. 

One of the biggest scams you need to watch out for is coming from your phone. 

In “smishing” ― a term that combines “SMS” and “phishing” ― bad actors try to get your personal and banking information through unsolicited text messages on mobile devices. They do it by pretending to be government agencies, companies that you might have done business with, or a package delivery service. They’ll say something to get your urgent attention like a text about a free gift that you have to pay a small “shipping fee” to receive or they will send a warning about suspicious activity on your account.

“We see a lot of it with people posturing banks, saying ‘This is Chase Bank, there is a hold on your account due to a security breach, click here to verify your information,’” said Amy Nofziger, the director of fraud victim support with AARP. 

The Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost $330 million from smishing scams in 2022, with a median loss of $1,000. 

These kind of texting scams have an easier time at fooling us because our phones train us to pay attention to them. “We have our devices with us, 24/7. And when we hear that little ‘Ding!’ we automatically look at it. Whereas we don’t do that as much with our email anymore,” Nofziger said. 

In package smishing scams, the suspicious message can seem innocuous and read: “USPS: Since your package address does not have a house number, we are unable to arrange home delivery for you. Please update online,” the FTC shared as an example. But once you click, you’ll be asked to pay a “redelivery fee” to trick you into giving up your credit card information.

“Especially around the holidays and this time of the year, we are, on a more frequent basis, ordering packages. So it might not be out of the norm to get an email from a shipping company saying that there’s a delay,” Nofziger said. That’s why she advises consumers to get into the habit of writing down what you ordered, where you ordered it from, and what company will be the package delivery service. 

When in doubt, call the source instead of relying on a text message. “If you do think that there’s a problem with your shipping, your package, your item, your bank account ― just call the company at the number you have for them. And just check that way,” Nofziger said. 

“It is better to contact the company from their original website or phone number than to provide account information and login and password information from a bogus link,” said Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, lead cybersecurity faculty at University of Phoenix College of Business and Information Technology.

How To Spot A ‘Smishing’ Message

A “smishing” message can seem like any other text message, but there are a few telltale signs that will warn you that something’s off. Here’s what to keep an eye on:

Look to see how many people also received your text. 

If your text about a free gift or suspicious activity was also sent to multiple people, be suspicious. “That’s an immediate red flag, and you should absolutely delete it and block that number right away,” Nofziger said.

Be wary of unsolicited messages that ask for your information. 

A regular solicitation will tell you information that you signed up to receive, while a spam message is more likely to ask for it, Nofziger said. “When they are then asking you to go off of that platform or asking you for personal information, that should be your No. 1 red flag. Nothing is as important as your personal and financial information,” she said. 

Be suspicious of any action you have to do right away.

Bad actors want you to not have time to think, so make sure to take a breath and really think about what you are being asked to do. “The sense of urgency is ‘right now,’ and they are looking for you to wire a check, purchase and provide information from gift cards, or log in to an account from this link,” Benoit-Kurtz said. 

What You Can Do To Block ‘Smishing’ Messages

Once you spot a “smishing” message, don’t just leave it in your messages folder. Take these actions to prevent future issues:

Block or filter unsolicited messages.

You can filter messages from unknown senders on Apple phones by going to Settings, then Messages. Scroll down until you see Filter Unknown Senders and select it.

On Android phones, go to Settings, then Blocked numbers. Turn on the Unknown option to block private or unidentified numbers from contacting you. 

Nofziger said that filtering out these messages is “a great tool that people can use to give yourself a little red flag ... ‘Well this person is not my contacts list, because it didn’t come in my regular folder. So let me take a moment, calm down, pay attention to what this message is asking.’”

Report smishing. 

USPS advises attaching a screenshot of the text message showing the phone number of the sender and the date sent, and sending that to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For unsolicited messages on iPhones that are not in your contacts, tap the Report Junk option that will appear, then tap Delete and Report Junk. On Android phones, click the person you want to block, then click More options, From there select “Block & report spam.”

In general, you can forward the suspicious message to 7726 (SPAM). That way, your wireless provider can learn to block similar spam messages for you. You can also report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

What If I’ve Already Been ‘Smished’?

If you fell for the “smishing” scam, don’t panic. There are still steps you can take to mitigate losses.

If you click a link you think is suspicious, get your computer immediately checked for malware, Nofziger said. And ignore any follow-up texts the person may be sending you, even if they seem friendly.

“Stop the communication, because at some point, they’re going to ask you to go to a link or to help you with your device,” Nofziger said.

And make sure to call your bank about fraudulent transactions or security breaches, so they can investigate.

“If you think you are a victim of a scam, make sure to report it to the financial institution or the organization right away. You can also contact the state attorney general’s office to report the issue,” Benoit-Kurtz said. 

Buzzfeed

Director-General, Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, disclosed on Monday that the Federal Government borrowed N7.04 trillion locally in 2023, adding that the figure was the FG’s domestic target for the year.

She revealed this while speaking to CNBC Africa on the sidelines of the discussions for the establishment of the African Debt Managers Initiative Network spearheaded by the African Development Institute of the African Development Bank in Abuja.

Oniha said, “I am happy to say that in 2023, the new domestic borrowing was N7.04 trillion, and as we speak, that has been raised in full.

“So, I don’t need to explain how we raised it, but it has been raised. When you compare it to the N3.5 trillion of last year. It tells you that the market has debt for us to raise money.”

She noted that several of the investors in the securities issued were institutions whose balance sheets were growing including asset managers, fund managers, pension funds, insurance companies, and banks.

She added, “We still had an auction this week. Subscription levels have been good, and the rates have been very responsible below the monetary policy rate, so it just tells you that there is liquidity.”

As of the second quarter of 2023, Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N87.38 trillion according to the DMO.

It said, “Nigeria’s total public debt stock as of June 30, 2023, was N87.38 trillion ($113.42 billion). It comprises the total domestic and external debts of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the thirty-six states, and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The major addition to the Public Debt Stock was the inclusion of the N22.712 trillion securitised FGN’s Ways and Means Advances.”

Punch

The United Nations migration body, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), has disclosed that more Nigerians migrated abroad in 2023.

The IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, disclosed this during a media parley on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, no fewer than 260,000 Nigerians approached the IOM for assistance to leave the country in 2023.

“This 2023 number is the highest number we have ever had. We know now that those people have requested visas but they did it in a regular way which is positive.

“The UK is the number one destination for those 260,000 who came to us. It represents 80 per cent. The rest is the United States, Canada, Australia and some other European countries,” he said.

De Boeck said the IOM was in a discussion with Italy which had expressed an interest in developing regular pathways for qualified Nigerians who can fill up certain positions in the country.

He added that there were plans for discussions with Spain, Belgium, France and other countries as well.

The IOM Chief however predicted a decrease in the number of Nigerians leaving for America and Europe in 2024 as a result of strict policies being adopted by some countries.

“We expect that the number may decrease next year because of some decisions taken by some states,” he said, adding that Canada had effected new regulations for migrants from 2024, while the UK had also reduced the number of people entering the country.

“We expect that from 2024, there will be a decline in capacity to enter some countries in Europe because of the elections”, he added, saying politicians were campaigning to reduce migration to their respective countries.

Meanwhile, De Boeck has raised the alarm that more Nigerians were migrating from Kano irregularly.

“We have seen an increase of migrants in Kano which was a creation of the pressure from the people displaced from Kano itself or the region and we have found some youths coming from Taraba who ended up in Kano.

“There are some active smugglers and traffickers in Kano”, informing that the IOM was ready to combat them while also talking to the youth on employability and skills acquisition as alternatives to irregular migration.

“That is why we are developing what we call a ‘regular pathway’ to ensure that people if they want to migrate, can use the regular way,” he said.

Daily Trust

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) and Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state, have agreed to end the political feud between them.

According to the resolutions reached at the end of a meeting held with President Bola Tinubu at the State House of Monday, all parties to the crisis in Rivers have agreed that all matters instituted in courts should “immediately” be withdrawn.

In the eight-point resolution signed by Fubara, Wike, and other Rivers stakeholders, it was agreed that all impeachment proceedings against the governor should be dropped “immediately”.

They also agreed that Martin Amaewhule should be recognised as speaker while the 27 lawmakers who defected should be taken back as members of the assembly.

“The remunerations and benefits of ALL members of the Rivers state house of assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers state house of assembly,” the agreement reads.

“The Rivers state house of assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference

and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of government

“The governor of Rivers state, Fubara, shall represent the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly

“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers state executive council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state should be resubmitted to the House of assembly for approval.

“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers state. The dissolution of the local government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”

THE RIFT

Over the past few weeks, there has been tension in Rivers over the feud between Fubara and Wike.

In the wake of the crisis, the Rivers house of assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor.

Fubara’s loyalists kicked against the impeachment moves.

Thereafter, 27 lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Subsequently, Edison Ehie, factional speaker of the Rivers assembly, declared the seats of the lawmakers who defected vacant.

The Cable

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.

The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office, released Monday, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn’t confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.

The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman. And it stresses that blessings in question must be non-liturgical in nature and should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or even with the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.

But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied full stop. It offers an extensive and broad definition of the term “blessing” in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy should not be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” as a precondition for receiving it.

“Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God,” the document said. “The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live.”

He added: "It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.”

The document marks the latest gesture of outreach from a pope who has made welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy. From his 2013 quip, “Who am I to judge?” about a purportedly gay priest, to his 2023 comment to The Associated Press that “Being homosexual is not a crime,”Francis has distinguished himself from all his predecessors with his message of welcome.

“The significance of this news cannot be overstated,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which supports LGBTQ+ Catholics. “It is one thing to formally approve same-gender blessings, which he had already pastorally permitted, but to say that people should not be subjected to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive God’s love and mercy is an even more significant step.”

The Vatican holds that marriage is an indissoluble union between man and woman. As a result, it has long opposed same-sex marriage.

And in 2021, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said flat-out that the church couldn’t bless the unions of two men or two women because “God cannot bless sin.”

That document created an outcry, one it appeared even Francis was blindsided by even though he had technically approved its publication. Soon after it was published, he removed the official responsible for it and set about laying the groundwork for a reversal.

In the new document, the Vatican said the church must shy away from “doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying."

It stressed that people in “irregular” unions of extramarital sex — gay or straight — are in a state of sin. But it said that shouldn’t deprive them of God’s love or mercy. “Even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God,” the document said.

Offering such a blessing isn't legitimizing anything. But at the same time, the church shouldn't judge, he said.

“Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the document said.

The Rev. James Martin, who advocates for a greater welcome for LGBTQ+ Catholics, praised the new document as a “huge step forward” and a “dramatic shift” from the Vatican's 2021 policy.

The new document “recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence and help in their committed relationships,” he said in an email. "Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”

Traditionalists, however, were outraged. The traditionalist blogger Luigi Casalini of Messa in Latino (Latin Mass) blog wrote that the document appeared to be a form of heresy.

“The church is crumbling,” he wrote.

AP

US envoys work for new hostage release deal, scale-down of Israel-Hamas war but say no timetable

The head of the CIA jetted to Europe for talks with Israeli and Qatari officials Monday, sounding out the potential for a deal on a new cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza, as the U.S. defense secretary spoke to Israeli military leaders about scaling back major combat operations against Hamas.

Still, there was no sign that a shift in the war was imminent after more than two months of devastating bombardment and fighting. Fierce battles raged in northern Gaza, where residents said rescue workers were searching for the dead and the living under buildings flattened by Israeli strikes.

Pressure is growing, as France, the U.K. and Germany — some of Israel’s closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza. But after talks with Israeli officials Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “This is Israel’s operation. I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms.” The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the U.N. and has rushed munitions to Israel.

The U.N Security Council delayed a vote to Tuesday on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the U.S. to abstain or vote “yes” on the resolution.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crushes its formidable military capabilities and frees hostages still held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel that ignited the war. Militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 240 others in the attack.

The war has killed more than 19,000 Palestinians and demolished much of the north into a moonscape. Some 1.9 million Palestinians — nearly 85% of Gaza’s population — have fled their homes, with most packing into U.N.-run shelters and tent camps in the southern part of the besieged territory.

HOSTAGE TALKS

In an apparent sign that talks on a hostage deal were growing more serious, CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar, a U.S. official said.

It was the first known meeting of the three since the end of a weeklong cease-fire in late November, during which some 100 hostages — including a number of foreign nationals — were freed in exchange for the release of around 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the talks were not “at a point where another deal is imminent.”

Aiming to increase public pressure on the Israeli government, Hamas released a video showing three elderly Israeli hostages, sitting in white T-shirts and pleading for Israel to bring their immediate release.

The comments were likely made under duress, but the video signaled Hamas wants to move on to discussions of releasing sick and elderly men in captivity. Israel has said it wants around 19 women and two children freed first. Hamas says the women include soldiers, for whom it is expected to demand a higher price in terms of prisoner releases.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives. Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends.

SCALING DOWN THE WAR

Austin, who arrived in Israel with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, said he and Israeli officials exchanged “thoughts on how to transition from high intensity operations” in Gaza and how to increase the flow of humanitarian aid.

American officials have called for targeted operations aimed at killing Hamas leaders, destroying tunnels and rescuing hostages. U.S. President Joe Biden warned last week that Israel is losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing.”

Speaking alongside Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said only that “the war will take time.”

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Israeli chief of staff met with Austin and Brown and presented “plans for the continuation of the battle in the coming stages.”

European countries appear to be losing patience. “Far too many civilians have been killed in Gaza,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X.

Under U.S. pressure, Israel provided more precise evacuation instructions earlier this month as troops moved into the southern city of Khan Younis. Still, casualties have continued to mount and Palestinians say nowhere in Gaza is safe as Israel carries out strikes in all parts of the territory.

Israel reopened its main cargo crossing with Gaza to allow more aid in — also after a U.S. request. But the amount is less than half of prewar imports, even as needs have soared and fighting hinders delivery in many areas. Israel blocked entry off all goods into Gaza soon after the war started and weeks later began allowing a small amount of aid in through Egypt.

MORE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

At least 110 people were killed in Israeli strikes Sunday on residential buildings in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, Munir al-Boursh, a senior Health Ministry official, told Al Jazeera television.

Fierce fighting continued Monday in Jabaliya and the Gaza City districts of Zaytoun and Shijaiyah, where tens of thousands of Palestinians remain trapped, crowded in homes or schools.

In Jabaliya, first responders and residents searched the rubble of many collapsed buildings. “They use their hands and shovels,” said Amal Radwan, who is staying at a U.N. shelter there. “We need bulldozers and above all the bombing to stop.”

More than 19,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry, which has said that most are women and minors and that thousands more are buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

Israel’s military says 127 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. It says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence.

Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields. But the military rarely comments on individual strikes.

REGIONAL TENSIONS

In Bahrain early Tuesday, Austin said that the U.S. and other nations have created a new force to protect commercial ships passing through the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Houthis say their attacks aim to end Israel’s offensive in Gaza, and their campaign has prompted a growing list of companies to halt operations in the major trade route.

“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in statement.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the war began. And in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, over 300 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including four overnight during an Israeli military raid in the Faraa refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

This has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005. Most have been killed during military raids, which often ignite gunbattles, or during violent demonstrations.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's top general criticizes president's firing of recruitment chiefs- media

Ukraine's top general on Monday issued his strongest criticism to date of a previous presidential decision to fire regional military draft office chiefs, Interfax Ukraine reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fired all of Ukraine's regional military recruitment heads in August in a corruption crackdown.

He said at the time a state investigation into centres across Ukraine had exposed abuses by officials ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting draft-eligible men across the border despite a wartime ban on them leaving the country.

Asked by reporters on the sidelines of an event on Monday about whether the decision affected mobilisation levels, Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi bemoaned the recruitment chiefs' sacking.

"These were professionals, they knew how to do this, and they are gone," Interfax Ukraine cited him as saying.

Zaluzhnyi's frank assessment of battlefield realities in a November essay published in The Economist are in stark contrast to the unwavering optimism of Zelenskiy's public speeches.

Ukrainska Pravda, a major Ukrainian media outlet, recently reported of a long history of growing tensions between the two men, citing several anonymous officials.

Asked by reporters to comment on the Defence Ministry's recent plan to boost military recruitment, Zaluzhnyi said the old system should be brought back.

"It is still a little early to evaluate recruiting. As for mobilization issues, it is not necessary to strengthen it, but to return it to those boundaries (and) to those frameworks that worked before," Interfax Ukraine quoted him as saying.

Ukraine, which initially saw tens of thousands of eager volunteers queue up to fight off Russia's invasion, is now trying to conscript more men to replace those currently at the front.

Angry social media posts have abounded in recent weeks purporting to show army recruiters turning up at gyms and resorts to hand out draft notices.

Zaluzhnyi's remarks come a day after it was publicly revealed that an information gathering device had been found in an office that he had been due to move into, with the domestic security service launching an investigation.

** White House plans one more Ukraine aid package, then up to Congress

President Joe Biden is planning one more military aid package in December for Ukraine in its war against Russia, the White House said on Monday, then further assistance to Kyiv will require an agreement in Congress where prospects for a deal were uncertain.

"When that one's done ... we will have no more replenishment authority available to us and we're going to need Congress to act without delay," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The White House has warned that U.S. aid will run out by the year's end for Ukraine's fight to retake territory occupied by Russian forces since it invaded in February 2022.

Talks continued on Monday in the Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority, on a deal that would include aid for Ukraine and Israel as well as new measures to improve security at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republicans have insisted that improved border security be part of any deal on Ukraine aid, although it was unclear whether senators had enough time to clinch an agreement in the days remaining before leaving for a holiday break.

Senate Republicans earlier this month blocked an emergency spending billwith $50 billion in new Ukraine aid, demanding tougher steps to control immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Over the past week, Democrats and Republicans have made important progress towards an agreement on the national security supplemental," top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said on Monday. "While the job is not finished, I am confident we're headed in the right direction."

However, Schumer's Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell - whose support would be needed to pass such a bill - said it will "require some time" to reach a deal.

Another top Senate Republican, John Thune, sounded a similar note, telling reporters: "Obviously we are not going to get this done this week. We all know that now."

Even if the Senate were to reach an agreement and pass a bill this week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives - where a significant number of Republicans have voiced opposition to additional Ukraine aid - is not due to return to work until Jan. 8.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Washingtonbut received a skeptical reception from key Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian air defense shot down two MiG-29, Su-25, 91 drones over day

Over the past 24 hours, Russian air defense systems shot down two MiG-29 aircraft, one Su-25, and 91 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"Over the day, air defense systems shot down two MiG-29 and one Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force in the areas of the settlements of Elizavetovka in the Nikolayev region, Druzhkovka and Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. <…> In addition, 91 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed during the day ", the ministry said.

Two HIMARS MLRS shells and a JDAM guided munition were also intercepted, the Ministry of Defense added.

The Russian Armed Forces destroyed the command post of the 47th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a HIMARS MLRS launcher, as well as aircraft fuel depots. "Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of groupings of troops of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed the command post of the 47th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, in the area of the settlement of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, a launcher of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system was hit and fuel depots for aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed at the Kanatovo airfield in the Kirovograd region and Starokonstantinov in the Khmelnytsky region," the statement said.

The Russian Armed Forces also repelled nine attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansk direction over the day. "In the Kupyansk direction, competent actions of units of the Western Group of Forces, air strikes, artillery fire and heavy flamethrower systems repelled nine attacks by assault groups of the 115th mechanized and 95th air assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Sinkovka and Terny in the Kharkov region. Losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces consisted of over 50 military personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle, and two armored combat vehicles," the statement said.

According to the ministry, two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts and two D-30 howitzers were hit during the fight.

Units of the central group of the Russian Armed Forces in the Krasny Liman direction repelled an attack by a special forces brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "In the Krasny Liman direction, units of the Center group of troops, with the support of artillery, repelled an attack by the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine southeast of the village of Kuzmino, Lugansk People’s Republic," the statement said.

Reuters/Tass