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

Former employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have initiated legal proceedings against the apex bank, challenging their dismissal in a series of mass terminations conducted in early 2024. The case, filed at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja, represents 33 claimants led by Stephen Gana.

The Legal Challenge

The dismissed employees contend that their termination letters, issued under "Reorganisational and Human Capital Restructuring" on April 5, 2024, violated:

- Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution

- CBN Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual (HRPPM)

- Nigerian labour laws

- Their contractual rights

The claimants are seeking:

- Declarations nullifying their terminations

- Immediate reinstatement

- Payment of withheld salaries and benefits

- N30 billion in general damages

- N500 million in legal costs

Scale of the Layoffs

The terminations affected 218 employees across four batches between March and May 2024:

- 116 executive-level staff

- 97 senior-level employees

- 5 junior-level workers

Termination Dates

- First batch: March 15, 2024

- Second batch: March 22, 2024

- Third batch: April 5, 2024

- Fourth batch: May 24, 2024

Key Issues in Dispute

Procedural Violations

The former employees argue that the CBN:

- Failed to consult the Joint Consultative Council as required by Article 16.4.1 of the HRPPM

- Gave only three days' notice to vacate positions

- Bypassed board approval for the terminations

- Denied them fair hearing rights

Compensation Concerns

Affected employees report severe financial hardships:

- Some received severance payments as low as N5,000

- Many had gratuities entirely absorbed by outstanding loans

- Staff with 6-10 years of service saw gratuities used to offset loans

- Some still owe N25-35 million after gratuity deductions

- Employees with 10-20 years of service received minimal compensation

CBN's Response

The CBN has defended its actions through a preliminary objection, stating:

- Terminations followed contractual terms

- Three months' salary was paid in lieu of notice

- Dismissals were part of internal restructuring

- No misconduct allegations were involved

- The court lacks jurisdiction over the matter

Current Status

The case came before O. A. Obaseki Osaghae on November 20, 2024, who:

- Encouraged both parties to seek amicable resolution

- Referenced Section 20 of the National Industrial Court Act 2006

- Adjourned the case to January 29, 2025

The CBN's spokesperson, Hakama Ali, has not responded to requests for comment on the allegations and compensation issues.

Five Nigerian soldiers have reportedly been killed in an ambush by members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the ambush occurred on January 4 and triggered a two-hour firefight. In addition to the loss of five soldiers, some military equipment was destroyed during the attack.

In response, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai launched targeted airstrikes on ISWAP’s strongholds within the Timbuktu Triangle, a critical area in Borno known for its challenging terrain and strategic significance to the insurgents.

“Intelligence sources confirmed that the precision airstrikes dismantled several ISWAP positions and disrupted their operational capabilities,” the report stated. “A significant number of terrorists were neutralized during the operation.”

Additionally, airstrikes were carried out in the Gwoza axis of the Mandara mountain range. These strikes targeted factions of Boko Haram loyal to Ali Ngulde, a key commander, as part of ongoing efforts to weaken insurgent networks in the region.

The military’s heightened offensive underscores its commitment to countering the escalating insurgent activities in Borno and other affected areas.

Three Israelis killed in northern West Bank shooting

Three Israelis were killed and several injured on Monday in a shooting attack on a car and bus near the settlement of Kedumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israel's national ambulance service Magen David Adom (MDA) said.

The attack, on a major road used by both Israelis and Palestinians, comes amid a diplomatic push for a deal to end the 15-month-old war in Gaza and return Israeli hostages home and may pose another obstacle to sealing such a deal before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Footage posted on Israeli news sites showed at least two men emerge from a car and apparently open fire on nearby vehicles near the Palestinian village of al-Funduq, just down the road from Kedumim.

Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in the settlement where the attack took place, called for an urgent cabinet meeting "to discuss a shift in strategy and to genuinely eradicate terrorism".

The northern West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin "should look like Jabalia", he wrote, referring to a town in the north of the Gaza Strip that has been completely destroyed by repeated Israeli bombardment.

Smotrich, on the far right of Israeli politics, has for years called for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, which is land that Palestinians want for a future state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior military and security officials to discuss the situation and approved measures to capture Monday's attackers as well as "a series of additional offensive and defensive actions" in the West Bank.

"No one will be spared," he posted on X.

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank.

Hamas, the militant group which has run the Gaza Strip and has a presence in the West Bank, praised the attack as a "heroic response against the occupation's continued crimes (including) the war of genocide in Gaza". But it did not claim responsibility.

The West Bank has been transformed by the rapid growth of Jewish settlements since Netanyahu returned at the head of a far-right nationalist coalition two years ago. During that time, a surge in settler violence has led to U.S. sanctions.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, the violence in the West Bank has spiralled, with hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis killed.

'ACT FORCEFULLY'

Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to "act forcefully" in response to Monday's attack.

Israeli Army Radio said the military had imposed a cordon around all villages in the area to search for the suspects, who it believes fled to a nearby Palestinian village.

MDA said two women in their 60s and a man around 40 years old were pronounced dead at the scene, while eight passengers were wounded including a 63-year-old male bus driver who is in serious condition.

Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said in a post on Telegram that "Israel will never enjoy security" unless the Palestinian people also have security.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory in a 1967 war. Most countries consider the settlements illegal, although Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.

Palestinian security forces moved into Jenin, in the northern West Bank, last month in a move they say is aimed at suppressing armed groups of "outlaws" who have built up a power base in the city and its adjacent refugee camp.

On Sunday, Israeli forces killed a 37-year-old man in a town south of Jenin after opening fire on his home, while a 17-year-old was killed in an Israeli raid in Askar camp in Nablus, according to Palestinian officials.

Reuters