France is set to return $150 million, another tranche of the loot traced to Sani Abacha, former Nigerian military leader, to the country.

Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, made the announcement in a statement on Friday following a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Catherine Colonna, the minister of Europe and foreign affairs of France.

Tinubu thanked France for the return of the loot, saying it would be used in developing the country.

“Thank you for the good news on the return of Abacha loot. We appreciate your effective cooperation concerning the return of Nigeria’s money. It will be judiciously applied in attaining our development objectives,” Ngelale quoted his principal as saying.

Tinubu also commended the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and France, adding that more collaboration is needed on both political and economic fronts.

The president also welcomed the growing cooperation between the two countries in areas of shared interest, such as climate change, economic integration, education, and culture.

In response, Colonna conveyed the goodwill of President Emmanuel Macron and expressed the readiness of France to expand mutually beneficial collaboration with Nigeria across multiple sectors.

The minister said the repatriation of the stolen funds followed the completion of legal processes, saying “it was a long process, but we are glad that it was concluded”.

“Sometimes, justice may be slow, but this is a very good achievement,” she added.

The Cable

The naira continued its appreciation streak against the dollar, strengthening to N980/$ in the parallel market on Friday.

Aminu Gwadabe, president of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), made this known in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the naira had appreciated to N1,040 against the dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange market. 

He said the naira rebound is the manifestation of measures of dollar liquidity injection and naira mopping through the instrumentality of interest rate hikes.

“It is a good development as it is a great risk to speculate, hoard and substitute naira for other currencies,” he said. 

“However, the speculators are usually interested in the elements of sustainability of the feat so far achieved; it is panic selling as against panic buying.”

Therefore, he said, it is necessary for the management of the apex bank to continue to make clarifications and implement some of the association’s recommendations to include the BDCs in the foreign exchange market.

This, he said, will allow them to play a crucial role in addressing the needs of the critical retail end.

“The BDCs are necessary in the demand measures of the apex bank, transaction monitoring mechanism and clients utilisation with correcting and moderating potentials,” he said. 

“In the area of increasing reserves, this is linked to increased demand of our major export commodity which is crude oil due largely to the US increasing inventories and the escalation of tension in the middle east.”

Furthermore, he warned against attacking the naira as it all appears that the CBN has gotten the arsenal and the logic to continue to enshrine the success recorded.

The Cable

Manufacturers have expressed concerns as the price of diesel has risen to N1,275 per litre in Lagos and above N1,300 outside the state.

The product is selling for N1,270 per litre in Kano State and above that outside the metropolis. 

This implies a 26 percent increase in the price of the product in less than one week. It had sold for N1,030 on October 23. 

As of Thursday, many filling stations in Lagos adjusted their price to between N1,250 and N1,270. 

Manufacturers, who said they are still battling with forex crisis, high interest rate and poor power supply, fear that the hike in the price of diesel might compound their challenges as diesel is used to power their factories. 

The situation is compounded by the rising inflation which peaked to 26.7 percent in October with many families and households facing a worsening cost of living crisis.

Stakeholders say the hike in the price of diesel portends greater danger for the masses who are bearing the brunt of high inflation.

A bakery owner, Ibrahim Nagode, said: “The price keeps increasing on a daily basis. You can buy it in the morning for a certain price and in the evening, you are told that the price has changed.”

“We were planning to buy diesel yesterday and we had planned our budget on the rate we bought it the last time only to be told that the price is now N1,275,” said another source. 

There are fears the pump price of diesel outside the Kano metropolis has reached N1,400 per litre.

Commenting on the situation, the Chief Executive Officer of Golden Rice Mill, Ilya Nazifi, said inasmuch as logistics and power are affected, the cost of production and prices of finished goods would definitely go up.  

A transporter in Lagos, Wada Jamilu, said with the increase in the price of the product, a trailer would consume diesel worth N1.5m to travel from Kano to Lagos and come back.

He said owners of trailers would have to increase their transportation fares.  

An oil marketer, Abdulrasheed Olapade, noted that diesel had for long been deregulated and that its price is determined by the international market.

“As I am talking to you, it is more than N1,275 at the terminal price and when you have to add transportation cost, it would be more than that. Since it has been deregulated, it is dictated by the world market more so the dollar has also gone up. We are in hot soup with the current price of a dollar.” 

A member of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Inuwa Abdullahi, said the high cost of diesel is hitting the association hard. 

He said, “When you look at the cost of diesels coupled with the multiple check points by state and non-state actors, the bad roads and the high cost of spare parts, a trip that a truck is supposed to go for about N500,000 would be around N2m now.

“At the end of the day, you will end up with nothing to take home as a driver. We are just there struggling as diesel continues to go up.”

Factories may shut down 

President of the Premium Bread Makers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onuorah, said the hike in the price of diesel might force factories to shut down. 

“The price has increased since Monday. For us as bakers, the implication of that we keep increasing our prices. As long as everything keeps increasing, we would keep adding money to our product so that we can recover costs.

“You can’t do anything again. Flour today is about N43,000. Every day, they would put N5000; N10,000 on one line item. Manufacturers will shut down, industries will shut down.

“As I am talking to you, I am sitting in my factory. Everybody will close up. Anybody who cannot do it again will pack up and leave. It is tough. The crisis is coming,” he stated.

A professor of Entrepreneurship Development and Lagos State chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Adams Adebayo, warned that the rising cost of diesel portends a serious danger for the economy.

He said, “The economy is in a serious shamble. It has never been this bad in the last 20 years. This is the worst that has ever happened. If diesel price has gone up, it has really affected everybody.

“What we are going to do now is that all the manufacturers would shut down. Except the government decides to subsidize the power and direct electricity distribution companies to supply to the manufacturers at a rate being controlled by the government, there would be problems.

“The diesel price can go to N3,000, it doesn’t matter as long as the government’s energy is stable, we don’t need to buy diesel except those who are using it for logistics which would be affected.

“Before this administration came in on May 29, diesel sold for N670. Between June and today, 1st of November, diesel is N1,256. Small businesses are not finding it easy.  

“The government needs to rise up to the task, set up a board to control all these essential commodities like fuel, diesel and gas because gas prices too would be increased and households would not be able to use it again,” he said.

Daily Trust

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have announced plans for a nationwide strike beginning on Wednesday, November 8, in response to the recent abduction and physical assault of their president, Joe Ajaero.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when the Imo State Police Command, allegedly acting on the orders of the State Governor, abducted Ajaero from the NLC state council secretariat in Owerri, where he was waiting for colleagues to join him for a peaceful protest rally.

According to the labour unions, Ajaero was blindfolded, beaten to a pulp, brutalised, humiliated, and violated by the police personnel and taken to an unknown destination where he was subjected to more battering and torture as well as threatened with death before “help” came his way via the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who ordered his immediate release.

The labour union issued a statement on Friday, signed by their General Secretaries, Emmanuel Ugboaja and Nuhu Toro, warning of an impending nationwide strike set to commence on Wednesday, November 8, should the government fail to address their demands.

“We further resolved that in the event the government fails to comply with any or all of the conditions above-stated, NLC, TUC and their affiliates will no longer guarantee industrial peace in Nigeria beginning Wednesday the 8th of November, 2023, while a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the two Labour Centres will meet to decide on the next course of action,” the statement read.

The demands made by the labour unions included a call for the investigation and immediate removal of the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Barde, due to his alleged complicity and unprofessional conduct.

“The Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force and all other officers and men in Owerri through whom the Police Commissioner supervised the brutalisation and humiliation of Ajaero and other workers be relieved of his office and stripped of his commissions,” it stated.

“Nwaneri Chinasa, Adviser on Special Duties who supervised the terror on workers and bestial brutality meted out to Congress President, Ajaero, be arrested immediately and prosecuted for his crimes against workers and the President.”

The unions insisted on an immediate, independent, and unbiased professional medical examination for Ajaero to assess the extent of the physical and psychological injuries he suffered.

Additionally, NLC and TUC demanded the treatment of other workers and journalists who had experienced inhumane treatment by the police, the restoration of their confiscated properties, and the implementation of all outstanding industrial relations issues previously agreed upon.

The unions also addressed allegations that they had disobeyed a court order, stressing the need for transparency and accountability regarding the circumstances surrounding the court order, provided a list of grievances that had led to their planned peaceful protest and called for the resolution of these issues.

“Government repeatedly observed in breach agreements it voluntarily reached with Labour amongst which was the January 9th 2021; Non-payment of salaries and pensions for upward of 22 months ….in some instances, 44 months; Declaration of 11,000 hard-working workers as ghost workers and diversion of their salaries or emoluments to other uses; Serial vandalism of Congress secretariat for no just cause.”

The Guardian

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has introduced visa-free travel for Nigerians and all Africans.

Rwanda is now one of the African countries after Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin, that provides visa-free entry for all African citizens.

“Let there be no mistake about it. Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and will not pay a thing to enter our country,” Kagame was quoted on BBC News Africa X handle on Thursday.

He added that the move was aimed at taking advantage of Africa’s growing tourism market, driven by the continent’s growing middle class.

Rwanda has been on a campaign to boost its tourism sector, partnering with football clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich to promote the country as a tourist destination.

Also, several African countries have entered into bilateral agreements for visa-free travel, most recently Ghana and South Africa, and Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This week, Kenyan President William Ruto said his country will end visa requirements for all African visitors by the end of the year.

Ruto said this at an international conference in Congo Brazzaville, a report by the BBC said.

“When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers,” Ruto said.

“Let me say this: As Kenya, by the end of this year, no African will be required to have a visa to come to Kenya,” he said to loud cheers from the conference delegates.

“Our children from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa.”

The Guardian

Israel resists US pressure to pause the war to allow more aid to Gaza, wants hostages back first

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back against growing U.S. pressure for a “humanitarian pause” in the nearly month-old war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary cease-fire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterating American support for Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas after its brutal Oct. 7 attack in Israel. He also echoed President Joe Biden’s calls for a brief halt in the fighting to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Alarm has grown over spiraling Palestinian deaths and deepening misery for civilians from weeks of Israeli bombardment and a widening ground assault that risks even greater casualties. Overwhelmed hospitals say they are nearing collapse, with medicine and fuel running low under the Israeli siege. About 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70% of the population, have fled their homes, the United Nations said Friday.

Palestinians are increasingly desperate for the most basic supplies.

The average Gaza resident is now surviving on two pieces of bread per day, much of it made from stockpiled U.N. flour, said Thomas White, Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Demands for drinking water are also growing.

“People are beyond looking for bread,” he told U.N. diplomats in a video briefing from Gaza. “It’s looking for water.”

After talks with Netanyahu, Blinken said a temporary halt was needed to boost aid deliveries and help win the release of the hostages Hamas took during its brutal incursion.

But Netanyahu said he told Blinken that Israel was “going with full steam ahead” unless hostages are released.

U.S. officials initially said they were not seeking a cease-fire, but rather short pauses in specific areas to allow aid deliveries or other humanitarian activity, after which Israeli operations would resume. Netanyahu has not publicly addressed the idea and has instead repeatedly ruled out a cease-fire.

On Friday, however, a senior U.S. administration official said policymakers believe a “fairly significant pause” in fighting will be needed to allow for releases. The idea is modeled on a smaller-scale pause that allowed the freeing of two American hostages from Hamas captivity in October.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said that release was a test pilot for how a broader deal could be struck, and said negotiations on a “larger package” of hostages are ongoing. The official emphasized it would require a significant pause in fighting to ensure their safety to the Gaza border.

GAZA CITY ENCIRCLED

Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City amid continued battles with Hamas militants as airstrikes wreaked havoc around the city, the largest in the tiny Mediterranean territory.

Al Jazeera TV reported that a strike late Friday hit a school in Gaza City where many were taking refuge, causing casualties.

Strikes hit near the entrances of three hospitals in northern Gaza just as staff were trying to evacuate wounded to the south, hospital directors said. Footage showed the aftermath outside Gaza’s largest hospital, Shifa, where more than a dozen bloodied bodies were strewn next to damaged cars and ambulances. One bleeding boy screamed as he huddled on top of a woman sprawled on the pavement.

Friday’s strike outside Shifa Hospital came after Israel said Hamas has a command center there — a claim that could not be independently verified and that Hamas and hospital officials deny.

At least 15 people were killed and 60 wounded outside Shifa Hospital, said Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra. At least 50 others were killed or wounded in a strike outside Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, its director said, without providing more precise figures.

The Israeli military said its aircraft hit an ambulance Friday that Hamas fighters were using to carry weapons. The claim could not be independently verified. It was not clear whether the strike was connected to the one by Shifa Hospital. The military said it took place “near a battle zone,” suggesting it was close to ongoing ground battles.

Al-Qidra said a convoy of ambulances left Shifa carrying wounded people to Rafah when a strike hit a vehicle on the edges of Gaza City. The convoy turned around, and another strike hit another ambulance. He denied that any of the ambulances were used by Hamas fighters.

FEARS OVER NEW FRONTS

Throughout the war, Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire almost daily along the Lebanon border, raising fears of a new front opening there.

In his first public speech since the war began, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the cross-border fighting showed his group had “entered the battle.”

He suggested escalation was possible: “We will not be limited to this.” But he gave little sign that Hezbollah would fully engage in the fighting. So far, Hezbollah has taken calculated steps to show backing for Hamas without igniting an all-out war that would be devastating for Lebanon and Israel.

“We are in a high state of readiness in the north, in a very high state of alert,” said Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.

The exchanges since the start of the war have killed 10 Lebanese civilians and 66 fighters from Hezbollah and other militant groups, as well as seven Israeli soldiers and a civilian in northern Israel. Thursday saw one of the heaviest exchanges over the border yet when Hezbollah attacked Israeli military positions in northern Israel with drones and mortar fire, and Israeli warplanes and helicopter gunships retaliated with strikes in Lebanon.

WHERE THINGS STAND

More than 9,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, including more than 3,600 Palestinian children, the Gaza Health Ministry said, without providing a breakdown between civilians and fighters.

More than 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ initial attack. Rocket fire by Gaza militants into Israel persists, disrupting life for millions of people and forcing an estimated 250,000 to evacuate. Most rockets are intercepted.

Twenty-four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation.

The overall toll is likely to rise dramatically. Israeli military officials said their forces have encircled densely built-up Gaza City and began Friday to launch targeted attacks within the city on militant cells.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain in the city and across northern Gaza. Israel says Hamas has extensive military infrastructure in the city, including a network of underground tunnels, bunkers and command centers. It says its strikes target Hamas and the militants endanger civilians by operating among them.

The military said its troops have killed numerous Hamas militants exiting tunnels. Footage released by the military showed soldiers and tanks advancing toward bombed-out buildings.

Israel has repeatedly told residents of Gaza’s north to evacuate to the south for greater safety. But many have been unable to leave or to stay in the south, fearing continued airstrikes there.

The military on Thursday told residents to evacuate the Shati refugee camp on Gaza City’s edge. On Friday, shells hit a convoy of evacuees on the coastal road they were told to use, killing around a dozen people, doctors said. Footage from the road showed dead children lying in the sand.

Further south, in Khan Younis, workers pulled 17 bodies from the rubble of a building leveled by a strike, witnesses said. Associated Press images showed rescuers digging with their bare hands to save someone buried, with one arm protruding from the wreckage. At a hospital, a crying man held up the dead body of a small girl whose lower limbs appeared to be missing.

Heading into Friday morning in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians and arrested many more, according to the Israeli military and Palestinian health officials.

More than 386 Palestinian dual nationals and wounded exited Gaza into Egypt on Friday, according to Wael Abou Omar, the Hamas spokesperson for the Rafah border crossing. That brings the total who have gotten out since Wednesday to 1,115.

Israel has allowed more than 300 trucks carrying food and medicine into Gaza, but aid workers say it’s not nearly enough. Israeli authorities have refused to allow fuel in, saying Hamas is hoarding fuel for military use and would steal new supplies.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian troops battle exhaustion as war drags into second winter

Istoryk, a 26-year-old soldier in eastern Ukraine, finally managed to fall asleep one morning, exhausted from the relentless battles against Russian forces in the pinewood forests near Kreminna.

His rest was cut short just an hour later when a fresh firefight broke out, forcing the senior combat medic back into action in a fierce and lengthy exchange.

"We had a firefight for over 20 hours," said Istoryk, identified by his military call sign. "Non-stop fighting, assaults, evacuations, and you know, I managed it," he told a Reuters reporter visiting his position on Thursday.

"And we all managed it. We aren't very fresh, and right now we need to find strength."

His description of recent clashes, and the fatigue that he and his unit are experiencing, underscore the huge strain that the war, now in its 21st month, is putting on Ukraine's limited resources and on its troops.

The soldiers also know that Russia has a far bigger army and more weapons and ammunition, raising the uncomfortable question of how Ukraine can ever repel the invaders once and for all in Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhnyi, described a "stalemate" on the battlefield in an interview published this week, adding that a protracted, attritional war would favour Russia and could threaten the very state.

Only new capabilities, including more supplies from Western allies as well as locally produced drones, would tip the balance back in Kyiv's favour, Zaluzhnyi said.

The highly respected general's stark assessment coincides with the advent of seasonal rains, which makes it harder to advance over muddy ground, and follows a summer counteroffensive which has liberated far less territory than Kyiv had hoped.

For those in the trenches, while exhaustion is unavoidable, motivation remains strong.

Istoryk, speaking in a broad west Ukrainian accent, recounts his grim experiences with a winning smile.

Asked whether he could continue to fight for another year, or even two, he replied: "I think so. For sure."

FALTERING OFFENSIVE

Istoryk serves in a rifles battalion of the 67th Mechanised Brigade in the Serebryanskyi forest in the Luhansk region. Most of the province is occupied by the Russians.

The ground around the road to the trenches is dotted with craters from incoming shells, and charred trees have snapped in half from the explosions.

Fighting of this kind is raging along the frontlines running from the border with Russia's Belgorod region in the northeast all the way to the Black Sea in the south.

Istoryk said Russia had taken "huge" losses in the area; five Ukrainian soldiers in an evacuation team were also killed by recent shelling nearby, he added.

Reuters could not independently verify his account of casualties, but tens of thousands of troops have died in battle over 20 months of a conflict that shows no sign of ending.

Having focused on defence earlier in the year, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June in a bid to wrest back the initiative and cut Russia's supply lines by thrusting south towards the Sea of Azov.

Five months on, that objective remains a distant dream - Ukrainian forces are some 80-90 km from the coast, and extensive Russian defences have so far largely held firm.

More dramatic advances are still possible; last year Russian forces swiftly retreated from positions in Kherson region in early November. But offensive operations could be stymied by muddy conditions.

"It's one thing to run 300 metres to an enemy position in June, and totally another when you are up to your knees in mud, warm clothes, protective gear, a backpack with spare clothes," Colonel Oleksandr Popov, an artillery reconnaissance brigade commander whose units also operate in the area, told Reuters this week.

The drone pilots from his brigade appeared less tired than those in infantry units nearby.

Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the conflict had reached a "transitional phase" where both sides hold the initiative in different parts of the front.

"Overall, Ukraine's offensive in the south has either culminated or is about to," he said.

ARTILLERY WARFARE

Key battles along the front stretching nearly 1,000 km (620 miles) are raging around the eastern cities of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Kupiansk, while two main thrusts are taking place in the south - one near Orikhiv and another south of Velyka Novosilka.

Artillery would remain a key weapon in the winter, according to Popov, adding that it was more effective when targets were more static and bare trees provided little camouflage for troops on the ground, something that affected both sides.

While the colonel noted a near three-fold drop in the number of Russian artillery strikes in the Lyman sector of the front last month when compared to October 2022, some experts said that both sides had limited stocks of ammunition.

"My sense is that the artillery advantage that Ukraine had for much of its offensive is now going to recede, and that Ukraine's ammunition availability is going to be constrained," said Kofman.

"Russia will also be forced to conserve ammunition, but will now increasingly benefit from the influx of supply coming from North Korea."

Away from the battlefield, Ukraine has sought to knock out Russian air defences, aircraft and naval assets using long-range missiles supplied by the West, hoping that such attacks make it harder for the enemy to support frontline troops.

Russia, meanwhile, has kept up its bombardment of Ukraine using drones and missiles in what it says is a targeted military campaign but which has killed thousands of civilians and knocked out infrastructure vital for heating, power and transport.

Back in the forests around Lyman, Zakhid, a 26-year-old officer, said the next phase of the war would be tough and a true test of character for the military.

"We're exhausted, they're exhausted. But there are more of them, and they have more equipment."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin explains why he ordered military operation in Ukraine

Russia had no option but to launch its military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the country’s Civic Chamber on Friday. The Russian leader reaffirmed his belief that the decision was the right one, despite the difficulties resulting from it.

“We had no other choice,” Putin replied when asked if he would make the same decision again, knowing what the consequences would be. He added that “removing the assault rifle covers” must never be done lightly, but said he had reached the conclusion that military action against Ukraine was unavoidable.

“Why? Because we had already been attacked,” the Russian leader stated, without elaborating.

Putin has repeatedly explained the reasons for Moscow’s military campaign, citing Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and the looming prospect of the US-led military bloc expanding even closer to Russia’s borders as major sources of concern.

He has also stressed the need to protect the people of Donbass and end the nearly eight-year conflict that had raged between local rebels and Kiev’s forces. This was coupled with the increasingly nationalist stance of the Kiev government and its treatment of the Russian-speaking population, with Putin previously explaining the need to “denazify” Ukraine.

At the annual Victory Day Parade in May 2022, Putin described Moscow’s operation in Ukraine as a “preemptive” one, again maintaining that it was “the only right decision.” “Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression,”the president insisted at the time, arguing the move had been “forced” but was the only correct decision that a “sovereign” and “independent”country could have taken.

Kiev has repeatedly claimed that Russian actions were “completely unprovoked.” The US and its allies in Europe and elsewhere have also pinned the blame for the conflict squarely on Moscow, while providing Ukraine with massive military and financial assistance.

** US House speaker refuses to meet Ukrainian lobbyists – WaPo

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has turned down a request to meet senior faith leaders from Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Monday. The group of pro-President Vladimir Zelensky figures is currently touring the US in a bid to convince Americans that Kiev is not threatening religious freedom.

The group is led by Bishop Ivan Rusin of the Ukrainian Evangelical Church and includes Muslim, Catholic and Jewish leaders, as well as members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) – a government-approved institution designed to replace the traditional Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which the Kiev parliament voted to ban last month.

While Rusin has held meetings with American evangelical leaders and Republican lawmakers, an organizer for the delegation told the Washington Post this week that House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a request to meet with the bishop and his colleagues.

Johnson – who voted against military aid for Ukraine last year but remains open to funding Kiev in future – did not provide an explanation for turning down the request. 

Speaking to the Post, Rusin insisted that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is not restricting religious liberty in Ukraine, and that Russian forces are jailing pastors and destroying churches in the Russian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye.

“Our pastors have been imprisoned in the occupied places, so for us, it’s clear that we will be at least imprisoned [if Russia wins],” he said.

However, American conservatives are unconvinced. “Is it easier to be a Christian in Ukraine or Russia?” former Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked at a Christian summit in Ohio in September. “One of those countries just arrested a bunch of priests and shut down churches with political police and the army. It wasn't Russia.”

In March, Zelensky’s government ordered the expulsion of monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of the country’s oldest monasteries. Agents stormed the premises in August when UOC monks refused to leave.

Authorities in Kiev ordered the confiscation of 74 church properties in the Ukrainian capital in September, with many of the seized temples – including several churches inside the Pechersk Lavra – being turned over to the government-backed OCU.

The US State Department, which produces an annual “religious freedom” report, has never commented on Kiev’s campaign against the UOC. Amid the Kiev-Moscow schism, the Republican Party establishment has also sided with the OCU, with former Vice President Mike Pence telling Carlson in July that “very small elements” of the UOC had been “held to account”for “advancing the Russian cause.”

“I sincerely wonder how a Christian leader could support the arrest of Christians for having different views,” Carlson replied. “That’s an attack on religious liberty and we’re funding it.”

Reuters/RT

Mai Watanabe, a young self-proclaimed dating scammer, was arrested for selling how-to guides on defrauding ‘sugar daddies’ through paid dating.

25-year-old Watanabe, who hails from Nagoya, Japan, was arrested in August for selling a number of dating scam manuals to her social media followers. featuring titles like ‘Textbook for Sugar Babies: The Right Profile and Magical Words to Make Men Pay,’ these books went into great detail about the right way to approach vulnerable middle-aged men and get as much money from them as possible. One of these controversial guidebooks taught readers to tell their sugar daddies that they had had an unhappy childhood, in order to gain their sympathy and open their pockets. Other tactics included lying that they were unable to work due to ill health and that they urgently needed help to pay rent.

According to sources from the Naka Police Department, Watanabe started selling her scamming manuals last year, for prices between 10,000 yen ($67) and 20,000 yen ($134), with private lessons available for an additional fee. Japanese media reported that the young woman managed to sell around 2,000 copies of her books before being arrested.

Police started investigating Watanabe after arresting a 20-year-old woman who they believe managed to swindle a total of 10.65 million yen ($72,000) from two men in Aichi Prefecture using tactics from Watanabe’s books. The author, who goes by “Itadakijoshi Riri-chan (Riri the Sugar Baby),” online, admitted to the allegations, saying she knew that she was helping her customers commit fraud.

But just how good of a sugar daddy swindler was Mai Watanabe? One would have to consider themselves an expert in order to sell a manual on the practice, right? Well, it turns out that the 25-year-old woman was a seasoned ‘papa katsu’ (paid dating) master. In September, Japanese newspaper The Mainichi reported that she had been accused of swindling 27 million yen (approximately $182,500) from a 50-year-old man by telling him that she had borrowed money from an acquaintance to open her own apparel shop and that she was going to have to sell her body at a brothel to pay them back.

Last month, The Mainichi published new accusations against Mai Watanabe, this time from a 54-year-old man who claimed to have transferred a total of roughly 117 million yen (about $780,000) to Riri the Sugar Baby.

Oddity Central

Actions may speak louder than words, but words still matter — a lot. People can get easily offended, and if you rush around like most folks, it’s easy to say the wrong thing in the wrong way.

As a public speaking expert, one thing I focus on is teaching good speech manners. There are nine phrases in particular that instantly show appreciation and respect.

If you use any of them every day, you have better etiquette skills than most people:

1. “What I’m hearing you say is ...”

People don’t expect you to agree with everything they say. But they do want to know they’ve been heard and understood.

Use this phrase to clear your mind and confirm that you did consider their words before responding. If they spoke in a vague way the first time, you’ll give them a chance to focus their thoughts and contribute more meaningfully to the conversation. 

2. “You may be right.”

This phrase helps pave the way for disagreement, as in: “You might be right, but let’s experiment with this new idea this time.”

It’s also helpful for responding to off-topic comments and remarks from hyperactive colleagues who talk too much. No one likes to be negated, and a simple affirmation allows conversations to proceed without disharmony. 

3. “You were right, I was wrong.”

This phrase is a gold star of conversational selflessness for two reasons:

1. It’s impossible to say these words unless you mean them.
2. They’re music to people’s ears.

It is a great tool for defusing tension, clearing the slate, and earning respect. Surrender your ego to win the bigger fight for more productive, authentic relationships.

4. “Thank you for doing this ...”  

Old-school, elegant and simple. In a world where gratitude, respect and acknowledgement are hard to come by, it pays to be generous with praise.

If you want to encourage good behavior, force yourself to acknowledge it when you see it.

5. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Sometimes the hardest and most helpful thing you can do is overcome your impulse to control.

If someone is chopping carrots (rather than landing a plane), offer this simple gesture of trust — especially if your first thought is that you have a better technique. Say it like you mean it, and do it with a smile.

6. “Can you help me with something?”

No one likes to be barked at or ordered around, but most of us enjoy being asked for help.

Note the difference between saying, “Take out the garbage,” versus, “Hey, I’m overwhelmed. Can I ask you to help me by taking out the garbage?”

7. “Your [hair/shirt/tie, etc.] looks so nice today!”

Don’t lie, but do look for the good. People like compliments, even when they act like they don’t.

We’re all aging, we’re all stressed, we all worry that we forgot something about our appearance. It’s nice to hear that we did something right once in a while.

8. “That’s interesting.”

Even the melodic, prosodic flow of these words demands a slow-down, a bow to the speaker of sorts, before the conversation continues. It’s an acknowledgement that something was said, heard and considered.

9. Say nothing at all.

When someone says something rude or ignorant and you’re dying to lash back, remember the power of “I’m rubber and you’re glue.” Be rubber. Take a deep breath. Chalk the words up as somebody else’s issue and walk away.

CNBC

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has started clearing the foreign exchange (FX) forwards backlog in banks.

Payment commenced on Wednesday, a source in the apex bank said while confirming the development.

On September 22, Wale Edun, the finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, said the overdue forward payments were behind the depreciation of the naira.

Edun said settling the forex backlog would increase FX supply in the foreign exchange market and strengthen the local currency against the dollar.

The naira, on Tuesday, depreciated to N1,185 per dollar at the FX parallel market and strengthened to N786 at the official window.

Olayemi Cardoso, CBN governor, on September 26, said the apex bank was working on settling the $7 billion FX backlog. The finance minister later said Nigeria is expecting to receive $10 billion to ease liquidity in the FX market.

‘CITI BANK, KEYSTONE BANK HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENTS’

Commenting on the development, Charles Abuede, the chief economist and researcher at Cowry Asset Management Limited, said the settlement by the CBN is a positive move for the Nigerian economy, the FX market, the value of the naira, and the country’s gross external reserves.

He told TheCable that more than 10 banks — including Stanbic IBTC, Citi Bank, Standard Chartered — have received payments.

“Based on available information, over 10 banks such as Citi (got 100%), StanChart (80%), Stanbic (75%), UBA, Heritage, Keystone, Signature, Parallex, Greenwich Merchant, etc, have been settled by the CBN and more are counting,” the economist said.

“In recent days, there has been a gradual increase in the gross external reserves, which is a positive sign for dollar inflow and provides some relief for the naira.

“Additionally, we anticipate that this move will lead to a more favorable interaction of the local currency in the foreign exchange market, aligning with the exchange rate movements between the naira and the U.S. dollar, where the Naira has been appreciating in various FX segments.

“Furthermore, this step is expected to improve Nigeria’s credit ratings from international rating agencies.

“In September, the Russel FTSE announced its intentions to downgrade Nigeria’s index to ‘unclassified’ due to the rising FX backlogs and the challenges faced by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in repatriating their incomes and dividends to their home countries, primarily caused by CBN’s liquidity issues.”

Abuede said the FX backlogs had led to rating companies downgrading Nigeria’s status in the business community — one of such being MSCI revealing plans to reclassify Nigeria’s indexes from frontier to ‘Standalone’ status by February of 2024 due to the unsettled forex.

The Cable