Nigeria has accumulated up to $3 billion in debts to trading houses such as Vitol and oil majors such as BP for fuel supplies and is trailing four to six months behind schedule in repaying them with cargoes of crude, four traders and executives told Reuters.

Nigeria will likely take months to clear the debt, which will complicate reforms by new President Bola Tinubu aimed at weaning Africa's largest economy and most populous nation off costly fuel subsidies that have contributed to growing debt and foreign exchange shortages.

In his first two weeks in office, Tinubu removed petrol price caps and restrictions on the naira currency – liberalisation changes that investors have been awaiting for more than a decade.

As part of those reforms, Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, plans to scrap an old scheme by which it swaps its crude for gasoline imports. Nigeria for years sold the gasoline, bought at the open market price, to its population at a discount, and the government paid the difference.

The subsidy costs about $10 billion last year. The last time the government tried to end the scheme, the move led to protests. Nigeria needs imports because it lacks the refinery capacity necessary to meet domestic demand.

Head of Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC, Mele Kyari, said earlier this month it was ending the swaps - known as Direct Purchase Direct Sale (DSDP) - after years of criticism by civil society groups including the Nigerian Extractive Transparency Initiative for a lack of transparency and corruption.

Kyari said payments would be now made in cash but traders say NNPC is still importing gasoline via swaps for July delivery and has to pay for those cargoes in crude as well as the pending payments for previous months of swaps.

The arrangement has for years involved more than a dozen foreign and local trading consortia and backpayments are expected to continue until at least October 2023, according to the four traders involved in business with NNPC.

NPPC, which claims the government owes it $6 billion for subsidised fuel sales, declined to comment. The government declined to comment. Swaps participants including Vitol, Mercuria, BP and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) also declined to comment.

"Swaps will ultimately stop but not yet. We are getting our swaps crude cargo in October at the earliest," one major player said.

NNPC had made a rare cash payment in May to some partners of around $200 million, two trading sources said, but no further payment has taken place since amid the government's cash struggles.

Nigeria's falling oil production has exacerbated the country's fiscal problems, because it reduces the revenue that could be used to repay debt.

Nigeria used to produce 1.8 million barrels per day of crude but output has fallen in recent years to as little as 1.1 million during due to lack of investment and massive theft.

PRIVATE IMPORTERS

Paying for fuel deliveries with crude cargoes means there is less crude for Nigeria and NNPC's to export, and so less revenue.

NNPC's contribution to state coffers went from a peak of more than $30 billion a year in 2011 to zero in 2022 as it retained revenues to cover gasoline sale losses.

International monetary experts have long suggested Nigeria remove fuel subsidies and liberalise its foreign exchange to address its fiscal crisis.

In recent years, Nigeria's central bank kept the naira fixed at an artificially high rate that gradually rose from 200 to 450 naira to the dollar that only a few players, including the NNPC, could access. That shut out potential private petrol importers from the market.

President Tinubu allowed the naira to fall steeply in recent weeks, and eliminated preferential naira rates, a move that means all potential importers get the same forex costs and could compete in fuel imports.

But the naira volatility, which makes it tough to calculate potential profits, and uncertainty over whether firms will be able to get money out of the country due to continued dollar shortages, has for now deterred private firms from importing fuel.

Besides private importers, Nigeria will also depend on businessman Aliko Dangote's refinery to cover fuel demand in the future. Nigeria's first major oil plant is unlikely to start full-scale operations before next year.

Reuters

Nigeria’s naira bonds and treasury bills, priced in the local currency, are turning out to be something investors from abroad want to stay away from as the country’s high inflation makes the yields on those assets unattractive for them.

At 22.4 per cent, price levels in Africa’s biggest economy increased to their highest levels in nearly two decades last month, outrunning rates at which such securities are priced so much that returns on them will have been much eroded by the time they fall due.

That has made their real yields negative, and foreign investors want notes to be priced higher to make up for inflation’s adverse impact.

Bloomberg cited a London-based institutional investor on Thursday as saying only rates in the 15-20 per cent band could tempt it to plough money into naira-denominated securities. An analyst at another told the news outlet that treasury bills’ yields need to really reflect the monetary policy rate to encourage foreigners to invest in the local debt market.

The circumstances are being complicated by Nigeria’s ongoing currency overhaul, which has collapsed its numerous exchange rates into a single reference rate and helped bridge the gulf between the parallel and official rates.

Removing that spread, which was as wide as 60 per cent before the new reforms, implies foreign investors looking to invest in naira bonds and T-Bills have to pay that percentage more to do so since they have to convert their capital into the local currency to make that happen.

Yet, the trend is a departure from Nigeria’s Eurobonds, which this month quickened to a 5-month high, after considerable interest from investors excited about the foreign exchange revamp.

“We’ve benefited from a big rally on the Eurobonds as spreads have declined by over 200 basis points,” Kevin Daly of London’s Abrdn Investments Limited told Bloomberg.

“We expect spreads to compress further.”

His firm offloaded its investment in Nigeria’s T-bills three years ago following policies pegging the exchange rate and introducing capital controls.

Daly said Abrdn will be willing to reinvest when rates reach between 15-20 per cent and the local currency steady in the neighbourhood of 750 to a dollar.

“T-bill yields may have to rise to re-establish the policy rate as the anchor for interest rates before foreign portfolio investors can be confident to reengage with Nigeria,” Ayo Salami, chief investment officer of an asset management company in London, told the news outlet.

His company, Emerging Markets Investment Management Limited, controls around $40 million in investment in Nigeria’s bonds and stocks.

Unless Salami “sees a genuine willing buyer, willing seller foreign currency market,” he is not prepared to invest in Nigeria, his company having been forced to cut back its activities in Nigeria after the previous government introduced foreign exchange curbs.

PT

Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, on Friday, admitted as exhibit
President Bola Tinubu’s academic records obtained from the Chicago State University, United States of America.

The five-member court headed by Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents as exhibits, while the legal teams of Tinubu, APC, and INEC argued that the documents were not admissible and promised to give their grounds objection in their final addresses.

The documents were tendered by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, who is challenging the outcome of the 25 February presidential election.

Atiku had filed a petition calling the court to overturn Tinubu’s victory.

Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, on 1 March declared Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the race.

But continuing his quest to have Tinubu’s election nullified, Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, led the 27th witness, Mike Enahoro-Ebah, in evidence before the court on Friday.

At the proceedings, Enahoro-Ebah, a star witness for the petitioner, narrated how he obtained several documents detailing Tinubu’s biodata.

Enahoro-Ebah, who identified himself as a public interest litigator, told the court that his attorney in the US obtained Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University.

He said the university was subpoenaed by a US court to release Tinubu’s academic records.

“I obtained the academic records from Chicago State University purporting to belong to Tinubu with a forwarding letter by my counsel based in Chicago.

“A subpoena was issued to the Chicago State University, which gave out the Academic records. A copy of the actual degree certificate issued by Chicago State University and Tinubu’s admission letter dated 1977 is attached,” Enahoro-Ebah told the court.

He said the degree certificate from Chicago State University bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”.

Enahoro-Ebah also tendered Tinubu’s transcript from the South West College in the US. He added the transcript, issued in 1977, identified Tinubu as “female.”

The court admitted the documents as exhibits.

In addition, the court admitted a “notarised judgement of criminal forfeiture” of Tinubu’s assets over alleged drug trafficking in the US.

The court further admitted a photocopy of Tinubu’s purported Guinean citizenship passport, which Enahoro-Ebah tendered.

Enahoro-Ebah also said he obtained Tinubu’s biodata from INEC, which was tendered before the five-member panel of the court

A certified true copy of Tinubu’s nomination form as flagbearer of the APC for the presidential election was presented as an exhibit.

The form was accompanied by a cover letter from INEC and a payment receipt for the certification.

The witness equally presented a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate bearing “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”Objections

In their responses to the various documents, the respondents’ lawyers objected to the admissibility of Tinubu’s records from both the US and Nigeria.

INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, said reasons for his objection to the admissibility of the documents would be advanced at the close of arguments in the case.

Tinubu’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun and APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, urged the court not to admit the documents in evidence.

But no reasons were stated as they promised to articulate their objection later.

As of the time of filing this report, the court stood down Enahoro-Ebah’s cross-examination until 3:00 p.m. Friday.

Enahoro-Ebah may be Atiku’s last witness in the trial that has lasted three weeks.

Atiku is expected to close his case against Tinubu on Friday after calling 27 witnesses and tendering tons of electoral documents as evidence before the court.

After that, Tinubu and other respondents in the suit are expected to commence their defence on 30 June.

Atiku is also challenging Tinubu’s victory because the president “was fined $460,000 for an offence involving dishonesty, namely narcotics trafficking imposed by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in case no:93C 4483″ between the United States of America and Bola Tinubu.

After calling 27 witnesses and tendering tons of electoral documents, Atiku , on Friday, closed his case at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, which he prayed to upturn President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 25 February poll.

Citing the prehearing session report of the court and provisions of the Electoral Act, Uche informed the court that he had come to the end of Atiku’s suit challenging Tinubu’s victory.

Referring to Enahoro-Ebah, Uche told the court, “My Lords, this will be our last witness in this case. Pursuant to the prehearing report and the Electoral Act, we apply to close the case for the petitioners.”

After the close of Atiku’s case, the respondents – INEC, APC and Tinubu – are expected to open their defence soon.

The five-member panel of the court headed by Haruna Tsammani had scheduled 30 June for respondents to commence their defence.

But after Atiku concluded his case, a lawyer in INEC’s legal team, Kemi Pinheiro, urged the court to allow the electoral body to open its defence on 3 July.

Toeing Pinheiro’s line, Olanipekun and Fagbemi prayed the court to allow them to open their clients’ (Tinubu and APC)’s suits after the “Sallah break.”

The Sallah break meant to mark Eid-el-Kabir, an Islamic celebration, is expected to commence from 28 to 30 June.

After listening to the lawyers, the court granted the request and adjourned the suit until 3 July for defence.

PT

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Friday, closed his case at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja with the 13 witnesses he called to prove his case against President Bola Tinubu’s election.

Mr Obi had proposed to call 50 witnesses but could only call 13 within the court allotted time. He also tendered tons of electoral documents.

Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, had declared Tinubu winner of the 25 February election.

Displeased with the results, Obi, who came third in the election, filed a petition at the court to challenge Tinubu’s victory.

He and his party filed the petition 20 days after Tinubu was declared president-elect.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second at the polls, is also challenging the election outcome separately. He also closed his case on Friday with 27 witnesses, although he had proposed to call 100.

Both opposition candidates claim the presidency, alleging that Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not win the election.

Resumed hearing

At the resumed hearing of Obi’s suit on Friday, his lead counsel, Livy Uzoukwu, led Tanko Yunusa, a stalwart of the Labour Party, as a witness.

Yunusa, a Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, was cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro.

Tinubu and APC’s lawyers, Wole Olanipekun and Lateef Fagbemi, also took their turns to grill Yunusa during the cross-examination session.

Yunusa was asked if he knew about a Federal High Court decision that dismissed the Labour Party’s suit challenging vice president Kashim Shettima’s nomination because of the alleged double nomination. He responded, “No.”

A lawyer in Obi’s legal team, Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, invited Peter Yari to the witness box as the 13th petitioner’s witness in the case.

Yari was a presiding officer during the presidential election in Kaduna State. He adopted his witness statement on oath.

Under cross-examination by the respondents’ lawyers, Yari said he had difficulty uploading the presidential election results on INEC’s Results Viewing Portal.

At the close of his testimony, Obi’s lawyer, Uzoukwu, told the court, “My Lords, that is the petitioners’ case.”

Afterwards, the court adjourned further hearing until 3 July for the respondents – Tinubu, INEC and APC- to open their defence.

PT

Lagos state has been ranked 4th most unlivable city in the world, according the latest report of the Economic Inteligence Liveability Index.

The survey, conducted annually, revealed a surge in liveability scores worldwide, reaching a 15-year high.

Recall that the 2022 survey had reported that Lagos was the second most unlivable city, after Damascus. 

The 2023 survey highlights the global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, with healthcare and education scores witnessing enhancements across numerous cities in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

These positive developments have played a significant role in boosting overall liveability.

However, the report also indicates a decline in stability scores compared to the previous year, as several regions faced episodes of civil unrest.

Despite this setback, Lagos has managed to gain ground, showcasing resilience and progress amidst a challenging environment.

Lagos, one of the largest cities in Nigeria, finds itself among the bottom-ranking cities in the survey.

Nonetheless, the city’s healthcare and education sectors have seen some improvements. 

Vanguard

Nigerian workers have achieved a significant milestone by securing the second spot in the global ranking of the hardest working employees, surpassed only by their Mexican counterparts. According to a recently published report by the World of Statistics, Nigerian workers dedicate an average of 2,124 hours per year to their jobs.

The World of Statistics report reveals that Mexican workers topped the chart, with a mere four-hour difference from their Nigerian counterparts, clocking in an average of 2,128 working hours annually. This makes Nigeria the most industrious nation in Africa, highlighting the strong work ethic and dedication of its labour force.

Average annual hours worked:

Mexico — 2,128

Nigeria — 2,124

Costa Rica — 2,073

Colombia — 1,964

Chile — 1,916

South Korea — 1,910

Malta — 1,882

Russia — 1,874

Greece — 1,872

Romania — 1,838

Croatia — 1,835

Poland — 1,830

United States — 1,791

Nigerian work hours and industries

In Nigeria, the standard working hours for most public and private sector employees span eight hours per day, typically from 8 am to 4 pm or 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. However, certain sectors such as media, healthcare, security agencies, and manufacturing industries may require extended workdays that include weekends and shift rotations.

The report acknowledges that informal workers, often go above and beyond by putting in up to ten hours of work per day, reported Vanguard. While the study does not specify the nature of the work undertaken, it suggests that the top-ranked countries in terms of working hours are not primarily driven by technology-oriented occupations.

Global ranking

Following Nigeria's lead, three countries from Central and South America trail closely behind. Costa Rica claimed the third position with 2,073 hours, followed by Colombia in fourth place (1,964 hours), and Chile in fifth place (1,916 hours). Surprisingly, South Korea, known for its high-tech advancements, ranks sixth, with workers averaging 1,910 hours per year. Other notable countries include Malta (1,882 hours), Russia (1,874 hours), Greece (1,872 hours), and Romania (1,838 hours).

The report also sheds light on the working hours of workers in major global economies. The United States, the world's largest economy, secured the 13th spot with an average of 1,791 working hours per year, while Japan, the third-largest economy, lags behind in 30th place with workers putting in 1,607 hours annually. Germany, Europe's dominant economy, ranks 50th, with employees working an average of 1,349 hours each year. South Africa emerged as the second-highest on the African continent, with workers dedicating 1,513 hours annually, placing them at a distant 36th on the global list.

With Nigerian workers contributing 2,124 hours annually, it signifies that each employee spends a minimum of five hours engaged in productive activities compared to their South African counterparts, who work four hours less. This strong commitment to work highlights Nigeria's potential for increased productivity and economic growth.

WION

The German parliament has passed a new law to ease immigration rules for foreign skilled workers.

Presenting the bill on Friday, Nancy Faeser, interior minister, said the draft law will secure prosperity in Germany.

“It’s unacceptable that you have to fill in 17 different applications to bring a new care worker into the country,” she said.

An “opportunity card” under the new law will allow foreigners who do not yet have a job to come to Germany for a year to find employment.

A prerequisite for receiving a card will be a vocational qualification or university degree.

Those with German and/or English language skills, existing ties to Germany, and the potential of accompanying life partners or spouses on the German labour market could also be eligible to receive the card.

The opportunity card will also permit casual work for up to 20 hours a week while looking for a qualified job, as well as probationary employment.

The law also covers individuals awaiting asylum approval, who got their application by March 29, 2023, with appropriate qualifications, and a job offer to join the labour market.

In addition, immigrants in the country on a tourist visa will not be required to first leave the country, before returning in an employment context.

Skilled foreigners will also no longer have to have their degrees recognized in Germany if they can show they have at least two years of professional experience and a degree that is state-recognised in their country of origin.

Those who hold valid job offers can move to Germany and start working while their degree is still being recognised.

“The well-qualified young people from around the world are not exactly queuing up to come to work in Germany,” Martin Rosemann, a lawmaker said.

“We have to woo them and must give them a long-term perspective,” he said, adding that plans are in motion to reform the citizenship law to accommodate the changes.

As Germany grapples with an energy crisis threatening its future as an industrial leader, it also faces an acute shortage of workers compounding problems for manufacturers already struggling to stay competitive.

Recent surveys found a record 50 percent of firms are cutting output due to staffing problems, which is costing the economy as much as $85 billion per year.

Lawmakers from opposing parties faulted the law, saying it would ease the passage of unqualified workers into the country.

The Cable

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Top Russian general sends message to ’mutinous’ Wagner PMC

Deputy commander of the Russian Joint Forces, General Sergey Surovikin, asked on Friday the fighters of the private military company Wagner Group to stop their “rebellion” against Moscow.

In a short video message released on social media, Surovikin said he had just returned from the front, where Russian forces were standing their ground against the Ukrainian offensive.

“I appeal to the fighters and commanders of the PMC Wagner,” Surovikin said, still wearing his fatigues. “We have walked a difficult road together. We fought together, took risks together, suffered losses together, and won together. We are of the same blood. We are warriors. I urge you to stop. The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen. We should not play into the enemy’s hands in these difficult times for our country.”

He urged Wagner troops to submit to the lawfully elected authorities “before it is too late,” return to their barracks and address their grievances peacefully.

Earlier on Friday, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of targeting one of the company’s field camps in a rocket attack and killing “many fighters,” vowing to march on Moscow and deal with those responsible and warning the military to stay out of his way.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Prigozhin’s accusations “did not correspond to the truth” and were an “information provocation.” According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about the situation involving Prigozhin and Wagner, and all the necessary measures are being taken.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that it had opened an investigation into Prigozhin for allegedly “calling for an armed rebellion.” The crime is punishable by 12-20 years in prison.

Surovikin, an air force general, was put in charge of the operation in Ukraine in October 2022, overseeing  a major redeployment in the Kherson Region. In January this year, he became a deputy to General Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian General Staff and current commander of the operation.

** Ukraine’s counteroffensive is ‘suicidal’ – Moscow

Thousands of Ukrainian troops are being sent to their deaths in a “suicidal”counteroffensive that Kiev is using to help keep Western benefactors on board with their massive aid programs, Russia’s top diplomat at the United Nations has claimed.

“Kiev is sending soldiers to be slaughtered only in order to successfully report to Western partners how Ukraine can defeat Russia,” Vasily Nebenzya, Moscow’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Friday in a UN Security Council meeting. He added that the counteroffensive is so futile that it’s known as the “Zaporozhye meat grinder” in Ukrainian society.

The campaign, which began earlier this month, has already cost Ukrainian forces tens of thousands of casualties and hundreds of Western-supplied armored vehicles, according to Russia’s UN mission. Western media outlets have suggested that the appetite of Western governments to send more aid to Kiev will depend at least partly on the outcome of the long-delayed counteroffensive.

Even if Ukraine’s backers continue to supply weaponry to facilitate their proxy war against Russia, Kiev doesn’t have an endless supply of troops to send into battle, Russian President Vladimir President said on Thursday. “It seems Ukraine’s Western allies are indeed prepared to wage the war to the last Ukrainian,” he added. 

Nebenzya’s top deputy at the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, warned on Friday that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s regime could stage a false-flag attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to trigger a direct NATO intervention in the conflict. “The whole of Europe may be easily sacrificed by Ze and his blind Russophobic sponsors,” Polyanskiy said on Twitter. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Nebenzya called on Western governments to block Kiev from organizing such an operation.

The US joined with the UK, France and Albania on Friday in issuing a joint statement demanding that the UN investigate Russia’s alleged use of Iranian drones in Ukraine. A 2015 resolution by the UN Security Council prohibits the transfer of such weapons from Iran.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations of using Ukrainian drones. “We categorically reject it,” Nebenzya told reporters on Friday. “These are baseless allegations and blatant attempts to deliberately mislead the international community.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Falling drone fragments trigger fire in Kyiv tower block

Fragments from a downed Russian drone hit a high-rise apartment building and a parking lot in central Kyiv, injuring two people, and missiles targeted the country's second city, Kharkiv, officials said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were injured in central Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district and pictures posted on social media showed the top floors of a tower block in flames. Fragments also hit a parking lot.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said at least three Russian missiles targeted his city, with one hitting a gas line and triggering a fire. Terekhov said emergency services were at the scene but gave no details on casualties.

There were reports of explosions in other cities, including Dnipro in central Ukraine. Military reports said anti-aircraft units were in action throughout the country.

Air raid alerts were in effect for the entire country for more than an hour before authorities lifted them in most regions.

** Moscow accuses Wagner head of mutiny, he says his forces enter Russia

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday his Wagner fighters had crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine and were prepared to go "all the way" against Moscow's military, hours after the Kremlin accused him of armed mutiny.

As a long-running standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass appeared to come to a head, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, TASS news agency said. It called on the Wagner private military company forces to ignore his orders and arrest him.

Wagner fighters had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted on Telegram. He said he and his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way.

Prigozhin earlier said, without providing evidence, that Russia's military leadership had killed a huge number of his troops in an air strike and vowed to punish them.

He said his actions were not a military coup. But in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that his 25,000-strong militia was en route to oust the leadership of the defence ministry in Moscow.

Security was stepped up on Friday night at government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow, TASS reported, citing a source at a security service.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was getting around-the-clock updates, TASS said, while the White House said it was monitoring the situation and would consult with allies.

Kyiv, meanwhile, said the major thrust in its counteroffensive against Moscow's invasion had yet to be launched. "The main blow is still to come," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television.

A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south - one of two main theatres of operations, along with eastern Ukraine.

'OBEY PRESIDENT,' GENERAL SAYS

The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, told Wagner fighters to obey Putin, accept Moscow's commanders and return to their bases. He said political deterioration would play into the hands of Russia's enemies.

"I urge you to stop," Surovikin said in a video posted on Telegram, his right hand resting on a rifle.

The standoff, many of the details of which remained unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis Putin has faced since he sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year.

Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, in recent months has carried out an increasingly bitter feud with Moscow. Earlier on Friday, he appeared to cross a new line, saying the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation," was based on lies by the army's top brass.

Wagner led Russia's capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, Russia's biggest victory in 10 months, and Prigozhin has used his battlefield success to criticise the leadership of the defense ministry with seeming impunity - until now.

For months, he has openly accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence.

Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal in which he asked Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said.

UKRAINE SAYS MAJOR THRUST AHEAD

On the ground in Ukraine, at least three people were killed in Russian attacks on Friday, including two who died after a trolleybus company came under fire in the city of Kherson, regional officials said.

Addressing the pace of the Ukrainian advances, several senior officials on Friday sent the clearest signal so far that the main part of the counteroffensive has not yet begun.

"I want to say that our main force has not been engaged in fighting yet, and we are now searching, probing for weak places in the enemy defences. Everything is still ahead," the Guardian quoted Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, as saying in an interview with the British newspaper.

General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's "Tavria," or southern front, wrote on Telegram: "There have been tangible successes of the Defence Forces and in advances in the Tavria sector."

Tarnavskyi said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armoured personnel carriers.

Although the advances Ukraine has reported this month are its first substantial gains on the battlefield for seven months, Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare.

RT/Reuters

Sudan's warring factions widen conflict across the country

Sudan's two-month long war is extending across the country with the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashing in several areas on Friday.

Air strikes and anti-aircraft missile fire hit overnight in the Omdurman and Khartoum, two of the three cities that make up Sudan's wider capital. But the war has in recent days heated up in cities to the west of the capital, in the fragile Darfur and Kordofan regions.

In Al Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, a fragile truce fell apart as the two forces clashed in residential areas.

And in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan and a transport hub between Khartoum and Darfur, where the RSF maintains significant presence, the paramilitary force clashed with the heavily armed Central Reserve Police.

The worst fighting has been in West Darfur, where militias backed by the RSF razed areas of the city and forced a mass exodus, residents and human rights monitors said. The West Darfur city of El Geneina has been worst hit by repeated militia attacks.

The United States said on Thursday it had suspended talks which had so far presented the only forum for discussions between the two sides, though it only resulted in short, often-violated humanitarian ceasefire agreements.

In recent days, fighting had also picked up between the army and RSF in Nyala, capital of South Darfur and one of Sudan's largest cities. Clashes continued on Friday in the south of Nyala, and a resident said civilians were killed but could provide no further details.

A new front in the fighting is also threatening to open in South Kordofan, where the rebel SPLM-N controls some areas. The army earlier this week accused the force of violating a long-held ceasefire agreement.

The fighting has caused more than 2.5 million to be displaced, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled across the border, including to Chad and Egypt.

It has created a humanitarian crisis with NGOs struggling to provide much needed medical and food aid.

On Saturday, medical aid agency MSF said its operations have been hindered by both parties, including rejected travel permits.

"MSF supplies have been confiscated, while armed groups have looted our facilities and beaten and violently threatened staff," it said in a statement.

Reuters

This $1.6 million unique property in rural Washington, United States, doesn’t look like much from the outside, but its unassuming exterior conceals a stylish and cozy interior.

Most people would call you crazy for even considering spending over one and a half million dollars on four steel grain silos in Odessa, Washington, but these are not your average grain bins. As you can see in the pictures below, three of the four metallic silos are connected, which is unusual for this kind of structure, but that’s only because they make up a modern and spacious living space. The current occupant, a local hunter, reportedly spent $100,000 on the four old silos and then another $500,000 to convert them into this rather impressive summer home, which comes complete with a shooting range and freeze-proof pond.

“This property is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, from the stocked pond and outdoor shooting range with targets UP to 1 mile, to the fully improved grain bins that make for an ideal entertainment venue,” the Zillow listing reads. “With a state-of-the-art security system equipped with cameras and a smart home management system in place, you can ensure your safety and peace of mind, wherever you are.”

The unique property originally went viral last month, when it was featured on Zillow Gone Wild, a Facebook page dedicated to the wildest, most unusual properties listed on the popular real-estate selling platform. Feedback has been mixed, with some people praising the owner’s originality, and others declaring it a hard pass.

“I actually like it!! Can you imagine how relaxing it would be to sleep here with the rain hitting the roof?” one Facebook user wrote.

“Ahh, yes. All the charm of an underground off-grid industrial bunker with none of the actual security or functionality,” someone else commented.

Located in Odessa, about 75 miles southwest of Spokane, the grain silo home sits on 386 acres of land and includes a bunch of automated features such as lights, heating and cooling, and surveillance cameras, all controlled through a smart-home app.

If you’re thinking to yourself ‘living in a bunch of metal grain silos can’t be very comfortable,’ you should know that a big part of the renovation involved adding a second metallic layer inside the silos and filling the space between them with insulating material to ensure that the temperatures remain bearable both in summer and winter.

According to the real-estate agency handling the property, the current owner doesn’t visit it too much these days, and they want someone else to enjoy it. The place was listed on Zillow back in April, for $1.6 million, and is still waiting for a buyer.

Oddity Central