RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin announces mass production of Oreshnik missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday the decision to begin serial production of the new Oreshnik ballistic missile system.

The announcement came after the system was used in combat for the first time earlier this week in Ukraine.

Speaking during a meeting at the Kremlin with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and defense industry representatives, Putin outlined that the Oreshnik missile system, one of Russia’s latest military advancements, is not a modernization of an old Soviet weapon. 

Instead, it is a new development based on cutting-edge hypersonic technology and modern materials. “It is the result of work done in the conditions of New Russia,” Putin said, highlighting that the system was created to meet contemporary defense needs.

Putin confirmed that several Oreshnik systems are currently undergoing testing in Russia, and that the decision to embark on mass production had already been articulated. “You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organized,” he added. More of the missile systems are expected to be delivered to Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in the coming months.

The first combat use of the Oreshnik missile took place on Thursday, when it was used to strike a Ukrainian defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The target was Yuzhmash, one of Ukraine’s largest defense-industrial facilities inherited from the USSR that produces missile equipment and other weapons.

Putin said the use of the missile was in response to Kiev’s attacks inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons such as American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

The Oreshnik is described as a medium-range, hypersonic weapon designed for high precision strikes. According to the Defense Ministry, “all warheads” of the missile “reached the target”during this week's deployment. 

The president praised the missile’s successful test and combat deployment, expressing admiration for the speed at which the system had been developed.

Putin also emphasized the importance of continuing testing and increasing production rates. “I congratulate the military on the successful tests and support the adoption of the system,” he said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West

The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western actions in support of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with U.S.-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the U.S. granted its approval.

"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Moscow has said it regards Ukraine's firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles into Russia as proof of direct U.S. and British involvement in the war. It says satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths must be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv does not have the capabilities itself.

Putin said Moscow had struck a missile and defence enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known as Yuzhmash by Russians, is based.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that all of the missile's warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia's use of the new missile amounts to "a clear and severe escalation" and has called for strong worldwide condemnation.

Peskov said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but he said Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.

He said Putin remained open to dialogue, but that the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden "prefers to continue down the path of escalation" and urged it to heed a warning Putin issued in September.

Putin said at the time that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict and force Moscow to take "appropriate decisions" based on the new threats.

In his televised remarks on Thursday, Putin said that Russia had fired its new missile after Ukraine, with approval from the Biden administration, had struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles on Tuesday and with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Thursday.

Peskov said he hoped that the U.S. had received and understood Moscow's message.

"As for openness to dialogue, even in yesterday's statement the president stressed his readiness for any contacts - both with a view to de-escalation, to avoiding further escalation, and to reaching a peaceful trajectory," said Peskov.

"Yesterday's statement (from Putin) was very comprehensive, clear, and logical. We have no doubt that the current administration in Washington had the opportunity to familiarise itself with this statement and understand it."

The UK Conservative Party was created in the mid 1800s during Queen Victoria's reign 'to Conserve the White sociocultural, economic and political sphere', following the 1830s abolition of African slavery. This  Conservative mantra, to institutionally restrict freed Blacks from competing with Whites, spread across Western Europe as Christian Democratic Parties and to the US Republican Party. Therefore it is oxymoronic for an African to be a Conservative of the Western or any other civilization. A Black White Supremacist. This was why Kemi Badenoch has to publicly deride Nigeria, the world's most populous Black nation, the origin of humanity and source of the indigneous African civilization.

Nee Kemi Adegoke belongs to the Yoruba ethnicity, the oldest full sized humans genetically dated to 89,000 years, and the most populous Indigenous African group. Unfortunately, the Yoruba were the most enslaved African group in the Americas, and the British were the largest slave traders. By virtue of being the source of indigenous African civilization, Yorubas should lead the Black Race to global economic and sociocultural racial parity. As fate would have it, Yorubas are currently being employed by White Supremacists to act as counterrevolutionaries, both home and abroad. In Nigeria as president and in UK as White Conservative leader.

Some simpletons might argue that slavery and colonization are long gone, as Kemi would like to portray, but as Yorubas say, 'a lie never goes amiss, if the liar doesn't know, the person lied to knows. It is true that Africans are traditionally Social Conservatives that reject LGTBQ, therefore recently shunning left wing parties to join US Republican and UK Conservative Parties. However, the racial conservative roots of Conservative Party remain very much alive, due to the fear of genetic annihilation of unfretted miscegenation. Some claim Kemi is just being used to Whitewash their racist foundations to fool Black voters, and will be dropped before the next election, knowing their supporters who are majority racists will not vote for her.

A similar political game and optics were played with Rishi Sunak, the Indian made a party leader and prime minister by Conservative Party handlers. It has been alleged that Rishi was never intended to go for elections, but before he was replaced with Boris Johnson, he rushed to elections and sunk the party with its greatest election defeat since its creation.

Kemi might not only be used for racial optics but racial capture in what is termed Empire 2.0. The Conservatives pushed for Britain's exit of the European Union, the Common Market created in the 1950s to augment the loss of African markets due to decolonization. Like Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mantra, the UK Conservatives that had spearheaded the 1800s African colonization believed they can make Britannia Great Again by recolonizing the Black Race of Africa and Caribbean islands.

Frighteningly, Kemi is Bad Enough to accomplish Empire 2.0, like Helen of Troy bearing gifts to Nigeria and other Black nations. Unlike the initial British Empire built with war, Empire 2.0 was to be accomplished with soft power by offering to strike economic partnerships with their neocolonies. After social engineering neocolonial guards to destroy African economies with IMF and World Bank Neo-Conservative economic policies, the British will offer to site their factories here, like sweatshops, to exploit Africa’s natural and human resources, while shipping away the profits. Elevated neocolonies like India and Japan.

Like the iron axe with a wooden handle kept cutting trees, Kemi Greek gifts will be hard to resist as Yorubas will relate to her father, family and church. Kemi is everything that Coloniality of Being has conditioned the average Nigerian to want to be, Whiter than White. Racial inferiority complex that breeds self hatred as Kemi continues to portray to integrate herself into the White civilization. Her comments on slavery and colonization are based on ignorance inspired by coloniality of knowledge that denigrates her indigenous African civilizational knowledge for Western civilizational values.

Some will argue that she is doing what is necessary for her personal advancement. The same logic that inspired Yoruba Baloguns and Iyalodes at the center of indigenous political system, to engage in slave trade to get European guns, to prevent European inspired and armed bandit coast kingdoms with European guns from overrunning them. With the evolution of slavery to colonization came coloniality of the economy whereby to make it professionally and financially, you had to submit to the European racist economic caste system. Those who could not gain access to sellout their human and natural resources migrated to the Western countries as economic migrants.

The worst scenario is that if the civilizationally conscious and protective Northern Nigeria Afroasiatic civilization resists the British civilizational imperialism, Yoruba and Igbo separatists might be armed to break up Nigeria, and the resultant smaller uneconomic tribal nations will have no choice but to sign as neocolonial satellites of the British Empire 2.0

 ** Justice Faloye,

President ASHE Foundation

Prioritizing your joy can feel like an abstract assignment that, frankly, many of us don't have time for. When work and family obligations are crowding an already stressed schedule, adding one more to-do to your list can feel overwhelming — even if that to-do is supposed to increase your own happiness.

But what about something that takes no more than 10 minutes? There are plenty of quick, therapist-approved tasks that even the busiest person could execute.

Here are three science-backed ways you can boost your mood today. And, they all take less than 10 minutes.

1. Text or call a friend

Texting or calling a friend to let them know you're thinking about them is an easy way to nurture the positive relationships in your life, says Vienna Pharaon, a therapist and author of "The Origins of You."

"It makes us feel really good to do for others, and the bonus is that it also creates much needed connection," she says

It can feel awkward sending an out-of-the-blue message, but, according to a 2022 study, people consistently underestimate how much their friends want to hear from them. An unexpected phone call or text is actually very appreciated. And the research shows that the more surprising call, the better it's received.

2. Do something hard that you've been avoiding

We tend to remember undone or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, a psychological phenomenon known as the Zeigarnik effect. This creates cognitive dissonance which can actually distract us from tackling other projects.

Crossing even the smallest to-do off your list can relieve some of this tension and cause your brain to release dopamine.

"Addressing something you've been ignoring lightens the load and allows you to accomplish something that's been weighing you down," Pharaon says.

There are so many tasks we dread that only take a few minutes. Scheduling a dentist appointment or vacuuming your rug might not seem like it will bring you joy, but science shows it probably will.

3. Give someone a compliment

We can make ourselves feel better by complimenting another person, says Laurie Santo a psychology professor at Yale Univeristy and host of The Happiness Lab podcast.

Even if the prospect of complimenting someone gives you anxiety, you're likely to feel better after the act, according to a 2020 study

"Tell a stranger that you like their shoes or their bag," Santos says. "Reveal to a colleague that you thought they did a nice job at a work meeting, remind a friend how much you appreciate them, or compliment a colleague on something you've long admired."

The effects, Santos says, will last well beyond the interaction: "That quick compliment may boost your mood for longer than you think."

CNBC

Nigeria has become less stable in the past year and can now be categorised as ‘vulnerable’ based on an instability risk index, according to a new report.

SBM Intelligence, a pan-African think tank, ranked Nigeria as a ‘vulnerable’ country and one of the “biggest losers” in sub-Saharan Africa on its instability risk index. This was disclosed in its recent Africa Country Instability Risk Index (ACIRI) which assesses the political, economic and social factors frustrating stability in African countries.

The report spotlighted 48 West, Central, East and Southern African countries. These countries, according to the report, “were grouped by region as delineated by the African Development Bank.”

However, the think tank explained that North Africa was “exempted because of the sub-Saharan focus of this study.”

Although Mauritania and Western Sahara are mapped to West Africa, they were exempted from the study due to what the SBM Intelligence described as “a paucity of data, geopolitical considerations and a cultural and economic affinity with North Africa.”

The report sheds light on three key factors — history, economy, and geopolitics, as well as leadership and governance — and how they contribute to political instability in these countries.

It also evaluates the stability of the 48 African countries by considering indices like ethnic tensions, coup history, dominant ethnic groups, food security, poverty rate, debt sustainability, conflict and vulnerability, and economic diversity.

Countries are therefore categorised into six levels of stability — Red Watch, Critical, Warning, Vulnerable, Stable, and Safe.

The firm explained that a higher score indicates a higher level of political risk to business. According to it, a country that scores 70 and above is categorised under Red Watch.

Countries that scored between 60 and 69 are categorised as critical while those that score between 50 and 59 are placed under warning. Countries like Nigeria that scored between 40 and 45 are marked as vulnerable. Those that scored between 30 and 39 are marked stable while those that scored below 30 are marked safe.

“A lower score shows how stable a country is, while a higher one tells the opposite,” the firm noted.

‘Biggest losers, biggest gainers’

Countries like Botswana, Seychelles, Namibia and Zimbabwe joined Nigeria to earn the title of biggest losers.

Analysis by SBM Intelligence showed that Nigeria’s instability worsened as it ranked 45th this year, unlike the previous year when it ranked 39th and was marked “stable.”

This deterioration could be blamed on unfavourable government policies that weakened the country’s currency and eventually forced some big investors out of Nigeria.

It would be recalled that some multinational companies, including Kimberley-Clark, Procter & Gamble (P&G), GlaxoSmithKline Consumer (GSK) Nigeria, Equinor, Sanofi and Bolt Food, recently withdrew from the Nigerian market.

The exit was attributed to various challenges, such as foreign exchange shortages, rising energy costs, and declining consumer purchasing power amid high inflation.

“Botswana experienced a GDP decline of nearly 2% in the first quarter of 2024, and Zimbabwe experienced economic challenges such as debt and currency crises,” SBM Intelligence says, adding: “Nigeria, Africa’s fourth largest economy, ended the year with a score change of -6, following the exit of foreign businesses over weaker currency, rising inflation and other economic challenges.”

Meanwhile, five countries were crowned the “biggest gainers.” They include Angola, Burundi, Chad, Togo, and Madagascar.

“A cutback on governance costs drove Angola’s performance, while Madagascar’s GDP growth improved to 4.4 per cent in 2023 from 4.3 per cent in 2022,” the think-tank noted.

Regional perspective

The report indicates that Central African countries had the most representation in the top ten, with four countries present: Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon.

West Africa followed closely in the top ten with three countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

“The regions with the lowest representations are East Africa, with 20% represented by Burundi and Madagascar, and Southern Africa, at 10%, with Eswatini as its sole representative. The worst-performing entities are shared by Eastern and Southern Africa, at 40% each–represented by countries such as Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius, and Comoros on the East side and Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia on the South,” the report noted.

However, Southern Africa retained its spot as the most stable region for the second year with a score change of -1.3, the report disclosed, noting that “Central Africa was the least stable, ending the year with a score change of 6.78, performing worse than East (1.07) and West (2.47). This performance can be explained by an improvement in South Africa’s economy, which grew by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2024 from 0.1% in the first quarter.”

While the raging conflict between the Rwanda-backed M-23 militia and Congo “contributed to the relatively poor performance in Central and East Africa”, attempted coups and Islamist insurgencies “contributed to West Africa’s poor outing.”

PT

Two-thirds of Nigerian households cannot afford nutritious food, according to a new National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey comparing data from 2018/19 to 2023/24.

The study reveals a sharp decline in food security, with 62.4% of households worried about having enough food to eat—a significant jump from 36.9% five years ago. Nearly 64% of families reported limiting their diet variety due to financial constraints, while 60.5% reduced their portions.

The survey also highlighted infrastructure challenges. While 82.2% of urban households have electricity access, only 40.4% of rural homes are connected to the power grid. Those with electricity face an average of 6.7 blackouts weekly.

Traditional cooking methods dominate, with 65% of households using three-stone stoves and 70.2% relying on wood fuel, though LPG usage is increasing. Basic amenities remain scarce, with many homes lacking proper toilets and depending on boreholes for water. Nearly half of households dispose of waste in bushes or streets.

While overall asset ownership has decreased since 2018/19, mobile phone penetration remains high at two-thirds of households, with 21.3% having internet access. Home ownership stands at 70.4% nationally, showing a notable urban-rural divide (49.1% urban vs. 80.1% rural).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for the increasing pressure that loans are placing on Nigeria’s economy, describing the situation as “insufferable.” Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, accused both the president and the National Assembly of pushing Nigeria deeper into debt.

In a statement reacting to the government’s recent borrowing proposal, Atiku expressed concern over the World Bank’s report that named Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA). He pointed to the government’s latest move to borrow an additional N1.7 trillion through Euro bonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, questioning the economic strategy behind the move.

“At a time when the country is already reeling under significant debt, this new borrowing proposal, which is based on an exchange rate of N800 to the dollar, is alarming—especially considering the Central Bank’s rate of over N1,600 to the dollar,” Atiku said. He further criticized the National Assembly for approving such loans, calling it an “accomplice” in driving the country deeper into financial crisis.

Atiku also questioned the rationale behind the government’s borrowing, despite claims by President Bola Tinubu’s administration that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service had achieved record revenue collections to finance the 2024 budget. “If the revenue is at an all-time high, why continue borrowing?” Atiku asked. He suggested that the government’s handling of the country’s finances was not transparent, and warned that Nigerians were being burdened by “failed policies and loan rackets.”

The PDP leader went on to criticize the government’s “voracious appetite” for loans, suggesting that the funds were not being used for vital infrastructure or development but were instead fueling corruption. He referenced a report by budget watchdog Budgit, which raised concerns over the excessive perks included in the 2024 budget, calling it a “mess.”

Reflecting on Nigeria’s past, Atiku lamented that just a few years after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo had successfully exited foreign debt burden, the country was once again facing a serious debt crisis. He called for a more cautious and strategic approach to borrowing, urging the government to apply “arithmetic” to its loan policies to prevent further economic strain.

Simon Ekpa, the controversial leader of the pro-Biafra faction Autopilot, was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday, marking a significant development in international efforts to curb separatist violence linked to his activities. Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian descent, is accused of inciting terrorist acts from Finland that have contributed to violence and instability in southeastern Nigeria, particularly through his influential social media presence.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Ekpa, alongside four other men, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities, including public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent. The charges stem from alleged acts carried out between 2021 and 2024, during which Ekpa is said to have used his position to promote violence in the region, including issuing illegal sit-at-home orders that have led to widespread chaos in Nigeria’s southeast. The suspects are also accused of financing these activities in violation of Finnish law.

The arrest has drawn attention both in Finland and Nigeria. The Nigerian government, which has long called for Ekpa’s extradition, welcomed the arrest as a step toward holding him accountable for his role in exacerbating terrorism and unrest. Tukur Gusau, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence’s Director of Defence Information, expressed hope that the arrest would pave the way for Ekpa’s eventual extradition to Nigeria, where he faces charges related to his leadership role in the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group seeking an independent Biafran state.

Ekpa, who has been linked to a series of violent incidents in Nigeria, including attacks on civilians and security forces, has also been criticized for spreading false information and soliciting funds for his separatist cause. He was previously arrested by Finnish authorities in February 2023 on suspicion of fraud related to fundraising for terrorism but was released shortly after questioning.

Following his most recent arrest, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on November 21, 2024. His trial is expected to proceed, with the Finnish authorities conducting an ongoing investigation into his activities.

The arrest highlights the ongoing international dimension of the Biafra separatist movement and underscores the role of social media in fuelling global security concerns. Authorities in Nigeria are closely monitoring the situation, hoping that the arrest will lead to broader international cooperation in curbing separatist violence.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

Judges said there were also reasonable grounds to believe the blockade on Gaza and lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies "created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration".

The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which called it shameful and absurd. Gaza residents expressed hope it would help end the violence and bring those responsible for war crimes to justice. Hamas welcomed the warrants against the Israelis, and a senior official told Reuters it was a first step towards justice.

The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and also charges of rape and the taking of hostages.

Israel has said it killed Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in July but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.

The United States, Israel's main diplomatic supporter, is also not a member of the ICC. It said it "fundamentally rejects" the move.

"We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. is discussing next steps with its partners.

Global powers Russia, China and India have also not signed onto the ICC, the world's permanent war crimes court, which is backed by all of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Britain, Brazil, Japan and dozens of African and Latin American countries.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan had announced on May 20 that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza. Israeli and Hamas leaders have dismissed allegations that they committed war crimes.

The court does not have its own police force to carry out arrests and relies on its 124 member states for that, with only limited diplomatic means to force them if they do not want to.

Khan called on signatories of the court's founding treaty "to live up to their commitment to the Rome Statute by respecting and complying with these judicial orders."

In a statement he said "we count on their cooperation in this situation, as with all other situations... We also welcome collaboration with non-states parties in working towards accountability and upholding international law."

GLOBAL REACTION

"Netanyahu and Gallant now are war criminals and sooner or later some country will bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes," said Shaban Abed, 47, a technical engineer and a resident of Gaza City, now displaced in the Khan Younis area. He said the court's move was "late, but never too late".

Rabeeha, a mother of five and a resident of Gaza City who only gave her first name, said she hoped it would help bring an end to the war.

"I hope we can soon see Netanyahu and the criminal Gallant in jail," she said. "Now they can't travel, now they are being hunted."

Netanyahu's office said the ICC decision was "antisemitic" and he will "not yield to pressure, will not be deterred" until Israel's war objectives are met.

The ICC has "lost all legitimacy" after issuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Saar said on X, adding that it had issued "absurd orders without authority".

There was no immediate comment from Gallant.

In a statement, Hamas welcomed the warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu and urged the court to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the warrants against the Israelis were an important step towards bringing justice for the victims and that all countries should back them.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the decision was not political but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented.

"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," he said.

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said the ICC's decision must be implemented, adding that Palestinians deserved justice after what he termed Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza.

The Netherlands' foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country acts on arrest warrants for people on its territory and will not engage in "non-essential" contacts.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said: "The court is a dangerous joke. It is now time for the U.S. Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

It launched the campaign in response to the October 2023, Hamas-led attack which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, with more than 250 others taken hostage, Israel has said.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian conflict acquires global elements after strikes with Western missiles — Putin

The strikes with US-made long-range missiles at the Russian territory have introduced features of a global conflict to the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address.

"Since this moment, as we have underscored repeatedly, the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature," he underscored.

** Russian forces successfully advancing in all areas in special military op zone — Putin

The Russian armed forces are successfully advancing in all areas of the special military operation despite Ukraine’s use of Western long-range missiles, President Vladimir Putin said.

"Our troops are successfully advancing along the entire line of engagement, all the goals we set for ourselves are being achieved," the Russian leader said.

** Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

Russia struck a Ukrainian aerospace plant called Yuzhmash with a hypersonic ballistic missile that carried a non-nuclear warhead, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"There was, among other things, a combat-conditions test of one of Russia’s newest intermediate-range missile systems. In this case it was a ballistic missile in a non-nuclear hypersonic version," he said.

According to the president, the missile is code-named Oreshnik, which can roughly be translated as hazel bush.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Biden's shift on missiles for Ukraine informed by North Korean troops in Kursk, Trump's election victory

President Joe Biden dropped his opposition to Ukraine firing U.S. missiles at targets deep inside Russia in response to North Korea's entry to the war, a shift in U.S. policy that took on added urgency following Donald Trump's Nov. 5 election win, sources familiar with the matter said.

Biden for months resisted pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to ease limits on the use of U.S.-supplied ATACMs missiles, which can reach far into Russian territory, wary of potentially drawing NATO into a conflict with a nuclear-armed power.

But Moscow's decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to Russia's Kursk region represented a major escalation that demanded a response, a senior U.S. official and two other sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The election of Trump - who is deeply skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine - added pressure on the administration to loosen the rules on the use of the weapons and take other steps to bolster Ukraine as it suffers repeated setbacks on the battlefield, said two other sources familiar with the matter.

The decision could help to "Trump-proof" parts of Biden's Ukraine agenda by strengthening Ukraine's position in case they lose U.S. support, one of the sources said.

Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine, raising fears that he might suspend weapons supplies.

The relaxation of the restrictions on U.S. weapons may have come too late to alter the course of the conflict but could help Ukraine defend the foothold it has in Kursk.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A State Department spokesperson declined to say whether Biden had authorized the longer-range strikes but said Russia was escalating the conflict by deploying North Korean troops.

Moscow has vowed to respond to what it sees as an escalation by the West. A U.S. official said on Thursday that Russia may have fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, in a likely warning to NATO.

STRENGTHENING KYIV'S HAND

The relaxation of U.S. conditions was conveyed to Ukraine during a Nov. 12 call between Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, said a source familiar with the discussions.

A day later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European officials of the decision as well as his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, during a trip to Brussels, a senior U.S. official said.

Ukraine conducted its first long-range strike under the new policy on Tuesday, announcing it had fired U.S. ATACMS missiles on an arms depotabout 110 km (70 miles) inside Russia.

Biden's easing of weapons restrictions appeared to open the door for U.S. allies to allow their own weapons to be used in new ways. On Wednesday, Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia.

Since the elections, the Biden administration has taken other actions to support Kyiv, approving the use of anti-personnel mines to slow Russia's advance in Ukraine's east and allowing U.S. defense contractors to work inside Ukraine to repair U.S.-supplied weapons, enabling the Ukrainians to keep more of the gear in active use.

For months, Ukrainian officials pleaded with Americans to let them use the 190-mile range rockets for targets deeper inside Russian territory, arguing that their inability to hit air bases hosting warplanes involved in strikes on Ukraine was a major handicap.

But the Biden administration declined to give a green light.

U.S. officials have been skeptical of the value of letting Ukraine use weapons such as the ATACMs, arguing that Moscow has already moved some bombing targets out of range, and that Ukraine already has domestically made rockets and kamikaze drones that can reach into Russian territory.

They have also worried that such a move could risk a direct war between NATO and Russia, a possibility some experts and U.S. lawmakers have downplayed.

Russia's decision to deploy thousands of North Korean troops to join the fighting changed the administration's thinking.

The U.S. acknowledged in late October that it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia for possible deployment in the Ukraine conflict.

North Korean soldiers had docked in the eastern port city of Vladivostok, after boarding ships in early-to-mid October from North Korea's Wonsan region, and were taken to three military training sites in eastern Russia, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

The following week Blinken said as many as 8,000 North Korean forces were in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces have controlled territory since August.

Easing U.S. controls on the use of the missiles was intended to send a message to the North Koreans and Russians that the shift was unacceptable, as well as hamper their efforts to push Ukrainians out of Kursk, said a senior U.S. official familiar with the administration's thinking.

The official acknowledged that relaxing the restrictions risked a further escalation of the conflict - but noted that Russia has so far taken no action against states other than Ukraine.

And a congressional aide said they believed the new policy only applied to the Kursk region.

"Ukraine is only authorized to shoot deeper into Russia to constrain the Russian-North Korean effort to push Ukraine out of the Russian territory," the aide said.

Tass/Reuters

It’s a famous story in Christendom. Palestine, a vassal territory under the Roman Emperor Caesar, was obliged to pay tributes and taxes to Rome. A radical teacher in the territory, Jesus, taught things that the teachers of the law and local administrators in Palestine were uncomfortable with. 

After setting traps for him but missing, they pitted him against Caesar by asking him a question that could have gotten him in trouble and possibly gotten rid of him for good.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes?” the Pharisees asked him.

“Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s,” he replied.

Caesar’s dilemma

The problem is that the world's Caesars have never been satisfied with what is theirs without resistance or, sometimes, a nasty fight. 

Take England, for example. In the 13th century, the barons revolted against King John over arbitrary taxation. When the King would not budge, they renounced their allegiance, forcing him to back down and sign a charter (the Magna Carta) which limited his powers.

It was the same in the US about four centuries later, leading to the famous “No taxation without representation” that paved the way for American independence. The Germans had theirs earlier, and the French, who loved nothing more than a rebellion, also waged violent wars against their kings for excessive taxation.

It’s not a foreign thing. Our tax rebellions have been championed not by men who often start the trouble but by women who bear the brunt. The British colonialists, for example, will not forget the Aba Women’s Riots of 1929 in a hurry.

Money not a problem

Yet, much as the world’s Caesars may be despised or resisted, running a country without taxation is not an option. Nigeria almost succeeded in doing so. I am not using the worn-out statistic about the low tax-to-GDP ratio to make the point. As long as there was oil money to spend, the problem—as General Yakubu Gowon said in the 1970s—was not the money but how to spend it. Tax was a non-issue.

The elite lived mainly on rent. Businesses recruited smart consultants to manipulate their numbers, and a small percentage of the public sector population who paid anything at all paid a token. Oil money was not the problem, but how to spend it.

We woke up one morning to find that while our population was growing rapidly and the infrastructure was decaying, what was left from declining oil sales, after accounting for corruption, theft, and our appetite for foreign products and services, was barely enough to fix the broken system. 

The day after

The states went haywire, and Caesars everywhere launched one of the most egregious campaigns to finance themselves in an epidemic of internally generated revenue. Thus, the era of agencies staffed with some of the most ruthless staff members was born, mandated to raise revenues from the living, the dying, and the dead by hook or by crook.

It’s not funny. There was a proliferation of levies and taxes, some collected on the Walking Dead. In a September 2024 report, BusinessDay said a study by the Stakeholder Democratic Network showed that businesses in Rivers State identified 75 taxes and levies. Anambra, Lagos, and Edo are also in this brutal tax-and-levy bracket.

In addition to taxes and levies paid by companies to states and local governments, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) collects income tax, stamp duties, capital gains tax, personal income tax, withholding tax, industrial training fund tax, VAT, and education tax for the Federal Government.

If you are wondering how bad it is, PwC cited 57 percent of multiple tax and levies incidents, revealing a significant lack of coordination between the states and the Federal Government. As it might have been said in old Palestine, it was a case of more Caesars than taxpayers. The system is broken and overdue for reform.

Anatomy of the bill

That’s why the current interest in the Tax Reform Bill 2024 is good. If the good times were still here, the government would not bother, and few Nigerians would care. But we now care more because the times are hard and mainly because, in recent years, governments have promised to use taxes and levies to improve infrastructure but have done nothing, if not worse.

According to the government, the Tax Reform Bill promises significant changes in tax relief to small businesses (with exemptions for those earning below N25 million), expansion of VAT exemptions on essential goods, and harmonisation of consumption taxes to simplify the tax system. The bill also aims to increase transparency and compliance, reduce the corporate tax rate from 30 to 25 percent, adjust the PAYE band, focus on technology, and centralise VAT collection.

Governors and the political class directly oppose the reform, especially in the North. In addition to the derivation-based VAT model and potential increased tax burden, this objection concerns regional disparity. 

The governors are concerned that the reform may not energise people and enable investment. Manufacturers also have these concerns, including the potential inflationary impact of an incremental hike in the VAT rate from the current 7.5 percent to 15 percent in six years. They worry that it does not address the economic realities of the different regions, may worsen existing inequalities, and may not benefit local economies. 

The heart of the matter

I have a slightly different concern. Centralising VAT and tax collection despite genuine concerns about a poor federal structure is ill-advised. How can a government pursuing an agenda for a state police emasculate the states? 

How can President Bola Tinubu, whose government as Lagos governor achieved some of the most far-reaching fiscal restructuring by ligation, be the enabler of central tax collection, which Rivers State litigated against, and Lagos State even joined? 

How can a government that went to the Supreme Court to promote fiscal independence for local governments, promote a centralised system that collects revenues that should go to the states? Except if the intention is to treat the states like Rome did ancient Palestine—a conquered territory, by the way—a reform that creates a Caesar in Abuja does not make sense.

VAT is commonly used in Europe and is the prevalent system in many parts of the world. However, it’s a far cry from what has been implemented in Nigeria. For example, a critical element of VAT in Europe and elsewhere is VAT refund. That is not on the cards in Nigeria and never was. 

I wonder if it confers more advantages than the consumption or sales tax, for example, the predominant US system. If the goals are simplicity in the collection, lower compliance costs, instant revenue generation, transaction transparency, and lower risk of evasion, sales tax ticks all the boxes.

Still a federalist?

This centralised plan should be particularly troubling for Tinubu, an acclaimed exponent of true federalism. I understand the point about simplicity, transparency, and the benefits of technology. I also appreciate the nonsensical irony of states that ban certain items wanting to share VAT revenue from the same items. 

The government has responded to many of these concerns and said the bill is a work in progress. It promises that a fairer, harmonised, and transparent system will block leakages and create a larger pool by making the wealthy and big businesses pay more. However, it remains to be seen how a central collection and distribution system, which often has significant administrative costs and complexities, will deliver these benefits. 

Under the reform's proposed centralised collection system, Abuja may become more affluent, giving Tinubu’s government more money to spend, hopefully on good causes. But nothing stops his successor from using the same larger pool of funds for bad causes, including those that would undermine his legacy.

In Ancient Rome, lack and scarcity didn’t ruin the empire. It was complacency and abundance.

** Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.