WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

A Russian guided bomb attack on Wednesday killed at least 13 people and injured 63 in Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.

The blast left bodies strewn across a road alongside injured residents. Public transport was also damaged in the strike.

Prosecutors in the region said 63 people had been injured. Rescue work had been completed at the site of the attack.

High-rise apartment blocks were damaged along with an industrial facility and other infrastructure, Ukraine's prosecutor general office said on Telegram. The debris hit a tram and a bus with passengers inside, it added.

As emergency workers tried to resuscitate a man, raging flames, smoke and burnt cars could be seen in the background.

Russian troops had used two guided bombs to hit a residential area, the regional governor Ivan Fedorov told reporters.

At least four of the injured were rushed to hospital in serious condition, Fedorov said, adding that Thursday would be an official day of mourning.

"There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X, urging Ukraine's Western allies to step up pressure on Russia.

Regional authorities reported further explosions after the first strike hit.

Fedorov said Russian troops shelled the town of Stepnohirsk, south of Zaporizhzhia, killing two people. Two residents were pulled alive from underneath rubble.

Russia regularly carries out air strikes on the Zaporizhzhia region, which its forces partially occupy, and its capital. Moscow claims to have annexed the Ukrainian region along with four others including Crimea.

Public broadcaster Suspilne also reported two people killed and 10 injured in attacks on several centres in the southern region of Kherson, also partially occupied by Russian forces.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian army captures 18 Ukrainian servicemen west of DPR's Kurakhovo

Eighteen Ukrainian servicemen have been taken prisoner west of the Kurakhovo settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"Units of the Battlegroup South have taken more favorable positions. They defeated the formations of two mechanized and an air mobile brigades of the Ukrainian army in the areas of Seversk, Belogorovka, Chasov Yar, Vasyukovka and Yantarnoye in the DPR. Three counterattacks by enemy assault groups were repulsed. Ukraine lost more than 280 servicemen; 18 soldiers of the 46th air mobile brigade were captured west of Kurakhovo," it said.

Russia’s army also destroyed a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, seven pickup trucks, two artillery pieces and an ammunition depot.

Air defenses

"Air defense means shot down six rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system and 105 fixed-wing drones," the ministry said.

It noted that a total of 652 airplanes, 283 helicopters, 39,723 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20,290 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,507 multiple rocket launchers, 20,284 field artillery and mortar guns, and 29,983 items of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation.

Reuters/ Tass

I’ve been meaning to sell some company stock and diversify into another investment for awhile now. Here’s the thing, though: it’s hard. Not the actual sale – that’s as easy as clicking a few buttons. But first I need to look up a bunch of stuff related to taxes. 

There are other details, too, that I’m going to have to call someone and ask about. Because that sounds miserable, I haven’t done it. 

Behavioral finance experts have a name for this cognitive bias: complexity aversion.

In my particular case, it’s not a huge deal. But if it’s keeping you from, say, investing in the stock market at all, it’s something you’d be wise to address, says Amos Nadler, founder of Prof of Wall Street and a Ph.D. in behavioral finance and neuroeconomics.

“It’s the biggest barrier to building wealth for people who are not in markets or who have never invested before,” he says.

Staying on the sidelines means sacrificing your greatest asset as an investor: time. The longer you invest, the more time you give your money to grow at a compounding rate. For every year you delay getting started in the market, you potentially shave thousands of dollars off your future net worth.

Consider a 20-year-old who invests $200 a month into a retirement portfolio that earns an annualized total return of 8%. By the time she’s ready to retire at age 67, she’ll have $1.25 million saved. If she starts at age 25, with all other conditions the same, her total drops to about $830,000. And if she puts things off until age 30, she’d retire with $547,000.

Spend a few minutes playing around with Make It’scompounding interest calculator and you can see for yourself.

So if enrolling in that 401(k), for example, has seemed too complicated, now’s the time to talk to someone in HR about getting started. Your future self will thank you.

CNBC

The Nigerian stock market experienced its first decline of the year yesterday, with market capitalization dropping by N152 billion to close at N63.051 trillion. The all-share index (ASI) fell by 249.42 points (0.24%) to close at 103,398.82 points, primarily due to sell-offs in Northern Nigeria Flour Mills (NNFM) and 50 other stocks.

Market Performance:

The market showed negative investor sentiment, with 51 stocks declining compared to 19 advancing. Trading volume increased by 30% to 1.112 billion units, valued at N14.638 billion across 16,617 deals.

Top Gainers:

- Abbey Mortgage Bank and PZ Cussons Nigeria: Both up 10% (closing at N3.63 and N27.50 respectively)

- Learn Africa: Up 9.90% (closing at N5.44)

- NCR Nigeria: Up 9.77% (closing at N7.30)

- Nigerian Exchange Group: Up 9.72% (closing at N29.90)

Top Losers:

- FTN Cocoa Processors, RT Briscoe Nigeria, and Veritas Kapital Assurance: All down 10%

- SUNU Assurance and Cornerstone Insurance: Both down 9.98%

- Honeywell Flour Mills: Down 9.92%

Most Active Stocks:

FBNH Holdings led trading activity with 161.46 million shares (N4.715 billion), followed by AIICO Insurance with 120.703 million shares (N225.444 million).

Market Outlook:

Analysts at Vetiva Dealings and Brokerage note that the ASI's slower start this January contrasts with the 6.5% gain seen in early 2024. They attribute cautious investor sentiment to higher fixed-income yields and predict selective buying in the next trading session.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reported an overwhelming response to its 2024/2025 recruitment drive, with 573,519 applications received in just one week after the portal opened. This comes after Federal Government approval to hire 3,927 officers, as confirmed by Finance Minister Olawale Edun.

NCS National Public Relations Officer Abdullahi Maiwada provided a detailed breakdown of the applications across different positions:

For Superintendent Cadre:

- General Duty: 249,218 applicants

- Support Staff (requiring HND or university degree): 27,722 applicants

For Inspector Cadre (requiring NCE or National Diploma):

- General Duty: 115,634 applicants

- Support Staff: 12,952 applicants

For Customs Assistant Cadre (requiring secondary school certificates):

- General Duty: 153,593 applicants

- Support Staff: 14,400 applicants

The Customs Assistant positions are open to candidates with secondary school certificates, with separate categories for those who have a minimum of five credits including Mathematics and English, and those without these specific subjects.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Four days after Boko Haram militants launched a deadly assault on a military base in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, numerous soldiers remain missing, according to credible security sources.

The attack, which occurred at 4 p.m. on Saturday, targeted the Forward Operating Base in Sabon Gari. The assault involved a large number of insurgents, who overwhelmed the base’s defenses.

Despite ongoing efforts, the military and Borno State government have yet to issue an official statement. However, military insiders revealed that the casualty toll is rising as more bodies are being recovered.

“Some soldiers died en route to the hospital in Maiduguri, while many others remain unaccounted for,” said a military source. “It’s still too early to confirm exact figures, but over 12 bodies have been recovered so far.”

Another source confirmed to Daily Trust that the attackers dislodged the base, carted away equipment, and planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to thwart reinforcements. “The Forward Operations Base of the 25 Task Force Brigade was responsible for securing southern Damboa and curbing Boko Haram and ISWAP activities. Unfortunately, the base was overrun, with soldiers killed, equipment stolen, and others still missing,” the source added.

The base had an operational strength of 110 soldiers, but only about half have been accounted for so far.

The attack comes amid increasing sophistication in insurgent tactics. Two weeks prior, ISWAP fighters used modified drones in an attack on a neighboring base in Wajiroko, a sign of advanced planning and capabilities.

Residents and sources have linked the recent attacks to militants fleeing intensified military operations in the Lake Chad region. Many are believed to have regrouped in Sambisa Forest, joining factions loyal to the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Efforts to obtain official casualty figures from the Defence Headquarters have been unsuccessful. Calls and messages to Major-General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, remained unanswered as of press time.

The decade-long Boko Haram insurgency has devastated northeastern Nigeria, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. Neighboring countries, including Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, have also been drawn into the conflict, which continues to pose a severe security challenge for the region.

Gunmen kidnapped at least 46 people, including women and children, in a raid on Gana town in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, residents and a local traditional leader said on Tuesday.

The attack, which follows a similar mass kidnapping in the state last month, occurred at about 2200 GMT on Sunday, with dozens of gunmen on motorbikes unleashing a barrage of gunfire on the community and setting fire to several homes and businesses, residents said.

Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar was unavailable for comment when contacted by Reuters. Efforts to reach him by phone and text message were unsuccessful.

Northwest Nigeria has been plagued by armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who routinely terrorize communities, leaving a trail of death and kidnapping victims, including residents, farmers, students and motorists, who are often held for ransom.

Garba Haure, a traditional leader in Gana, said the intervention of government security forces prevented the assailants from setting the entire town ablaze. No lives were lost, he said.

"We have 46 men, women and children that have been abducted altogether, and still counting," Haure said.

Bala Harauma, a resident, told Reuters the actual count of abducted individuals could be higher. Six people managed to escape while the armed gang moved the captives in the early hours of Monday, Harauma added.

Another resident, Yusuf Mohammed, reported that the bandits set ablaze dozens of houses and silos containing foodstuffs.

The captives taken in the December attack were freed after a ransom was paid, residents said.

Reuters

Trump Middle East envoy predicts 'good things' to announce on Gaza hostages before inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday he hopes to have good things to report about hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by the time Trump is sworn in as U.S. president on Jan. 20.

"Well, I think we're making a lot of progress, and I don't want to say too much because I think they're doing a really good job back in Doha," Witkoff said at a Trump press conference in Palm Beach, Florida.

Doha has been hosting negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war that would include freeing hostages that Hamas abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Doha is capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, which along with Egypt and the U.S. has been mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff said that he if did not travel back to Doha on Tuesday night, he would head there on Wednesday night.

"I think that we've had some really great progress, and I'm really hopeful that by the inaugural, we'll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president," Witkoff said.

Trump, a Republican who will succeed Democratic President Joe Biden, repeated his threat that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if Hamas does not release the hostages by the time he takes office.

"It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone," he said.

Hamas-led Islamist militants killed 1,200 people and captured more than 250, including Israeli-American dual nationals, during their Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 100 hostages have been freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations. Of the 101 still held in Gaza, roughly half are believed to be alive.

Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced nearly all of the population in Hamas-ruled Gaza and reduced much of its territory to rubble.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says forces conducting 'new offensive actions' in Russia's Kursk region

Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces were "commencing new offensive actions" in Russia's western Kursk region, in its first substantive remarks two days after Russian reports of a renewed Ukrainian thrust in the area.

Ukraine first seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise incursion last August, and it has held territory there for five months despite losing some ground. The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday that Kyiv had launched a new counter-attack.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's general staff, which keeps a tight lid on information out of the area for the security of its operation there, said Kyiv's military had hit a Russian command post near the Kursk region's settlement of Belaya.

The strike and other recent operations in the region were coordinated with Ukrainian ground forces who "are currently commencing new offensive operations" against Russian troops, it said.

The military later edited out any mention of a new attack in the Telegram statement, replacing the phrase with the much vaguer "combat operations". It provided no explanation.

Russia's defence ministry, which has characterised the Ukrainian counter-attack as bungled over the last two days, said in a statement that its troops had carried out strikes on Ukrainian units in the Kursk region.

It listed six locations where it said its forces had defeated Ukrainian brigades, and seven more - including one on the Ukrainian side of the border - where it said it had carried out strikes on Ukrainian troops and equipment.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports from either side.

The apparent escalation in the fighting in the Kursk region comes at a critical time for Ukraine, whose outnumbered and outgunned troops are struggling to repel Russian advances in the east.

Capturing and retaining a slice of Russian territory in the Kursk region has given Ukraine a bargaining chip in potential peace talks, as both sides fight to improve their battlefield positions before Donald Trump's return to the White House.

The U.S. president-elect, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20 - has repeatedly said he will end the nearly three-year-old war quickly, but without saying how.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said geolocated footage from the region published on Sunday and Monday indicated recent Ukrainian advances in three areas northeast of the town of Sudzha.

It said Russian forces were trying to attack elsewhere in the region. Russian military bloggers reported fighting in Malaya Loknya, northwest of Sudzha.

Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region has come at a cost. Late in 2024 Russian forces advanced in eastern Ukraine at the fastest pace since 2022. Their troops control about a fifth of Ukraine's territory.

Western and Ukrainian assessments say Russia also has about 11,000 troops from its ally North Korea fighting with its own forces in the region. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their presence.

Ukraine and the United States say large numbers have been killed, with U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken giving a figure on Monday of more than 1,000 North Koreans dead or wounded.

Ukraine's special forces said on Tuesday they had killed 13 North Korean soldiers, and posted photos on Telegram which they said showed their bodies and ID documents.

In a regular update, Kyiv's general staff said there had been 27 Russian attacks in the Kursk region on Tuesday so far.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Pentagon unveils NATO plans on granting military assistance to Ukraine until 2027

Western countries will divide Ukraine's military needs into several types and define NATO countries responsible for deliveries in each of these areas, a high-ranking Pentagon representative told a briefing on Tuesday.

The Pentagon representative said that eight "capabilities coalitions" have been created within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the Western group coordinating arms deliveries to Kiev.

"Each coalition represents one aspect of Ukraine's military capabilities and is co-led by at least two separate NATO nations," he said.

"The leaders of these coalitions will need to endorse roadmaps that articulate Ukraine's air force, armor, artillery, de-mining, drone, integrated air and missile defense, information technology and maritime security needs and objectives through 2027," the Pentagon representative said.

The 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the Western group coordinating arms deliveries to Kiev, will be held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on January 9 and will be attended by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Reuters/Tass

Morgan Smith

Starface World president Kara Brothers has interviewed dozens of prospective employees since she joined the cult-favorite skincare brandin 2021.

In those conversations, the 39-year-old executive is assessing candidates for an important soft skill: emotional intelligence.

Research dating back decades has found that emotional intelligence — the ability to manage your own feelings and the feelings of those around you — is the strongest predictor of success in the workplace. 

Yet, measuring it can be tricky. Unlike technical skills or experience, emotional intelligence is built on intangible qualities like empathy and self-awareness, which don’t always fit neatly onto a resume.

To gauge a candidate’s emotional intelligence, Brothers relies on tough, introspective questions during interviews. One question in particular, she tells CNBC Make It, often leaves candidates stumped:

“In your last workplace, what really held you back?” 

The goal, Brothers explains, is to uncover how adaptable and coachable someone is. “We all have an ego, but does your ego impede your ability to work effectively?” she says. “I’m trying to figure out if you’re aware of when you’re at your best or where you might hold yourself back in professional relationships.”

The question can trip up candidates who want to “put their best foot forward” without spotlighting their flaws, Brothers points out. Still, she says the best responses strike a balance between honesty and accountability.

“For example,” Brothers says, “Someone might say, ‘I realized I wasn’t at my best leading a Monday morning strategy meeting, so after reflecting and getting feedback, I decided to scrap the meeting altogether and replaced it with a weekly email update, which was more effective for everyone.’ That’s a full 360-degree understanding of yourself and how your actions impact those around you.”

This level of self-awareness, Brothers adds, translates well to navigating workplace challenges and collaborating with diverse personalities.

How to build self-awareness 

You don’t have to wait for your next job interview to start building your self-awareness.

A simple, three-step exercise can help you cultivate this skill, Juliette Han, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist told CNBC Make It last year:

1. Reflect on your interests and skills, so you can specifically define your strengths and the job responsibilities you’d enjoy. What are you good at? What do you like doing?
2. Ask for feedback from your managers and co-workers. The way they describe you and your work can help you learn a little more about how other people see you.
3. Use all of those takeaways to figure out which skills you want to hone or incorporate more into your work.

Building self-awareness takes time, but the payoff can be substantial. “You can have all the technical skills and charisma in the world,” Han said, “but if you’re completely oblivious of yourself, how you come across and interact in the world, it’s a lot harder to build strong relationships … and deepen the friendships you need to truly succeed.”

CNBC