Are you happy? What is the basis of your happiness? Is it based on something you have? Is it based on a situation or circumstance? Beware, because that is building a house on the sand. When the storm comes, and the wind blows, great will be the fall of your house.

The Bible says the basis of our joy should be Christ. Jesus makes all the difference between an abundant life and a life of intermittent misery, depression, and dejection.

Eternal Life

The natural man defines life by material possessions. When people are making money, they are said to be making a living. Therefore, some go so far as to commit suicide for lack of financial resources. Others define their life by their job, marital status, educational background, or social status.

But God defines life by Himself because He is the author of life. God has life in Himself: “As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26).

God is eternal. He is the “ancient of days” who lives forever. (Daniel 7:9). Therefore, God says only he who has God has life: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12).

If you have God, you have a life that cannot be lost. Therefore, your joy must be exclusively in God and in things of God. The psalmist says God is our “exceeding joy.” (Psalm 43:4).  When barren Hannah finally had a child, she did not rejoice in Samuel; she rejoiced in the Lord. (1 Sam 2:1-10).  As a matter of fact, immediately Samuel was weaned, she gave him up and gave him back to the Lord.

Temporal works

What are those things that give you pleasure? What is the joy of your heart? What is it that you can look back on in your old age with satisfaction that you have achieved? Moses prayed: “Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17).

What happens if that husband you are so devoted to leaves you? What happens if those wonderful children of yours die in a car crash? What happens if those wonderful houses you built are destroyed in an earthquake? The truth, dear Moses, is that God only establishes the work of His own hands: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1).

On one occasion when Jesus was leaving the temple, His disciples decided to show him the glories of the temple. But He who knows the excellent glories of heaven can hardly be impressed with the vainglories of this miserable world. Therefore, Jesus said to them: “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2).

God cannot establish the work of a man’s hands unless his works are the works of God. The people of God are those who have rested from their own labours. (Revelation 14:13). Christ for them is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), and they have entered into His rest.

Everlasting joy

Every testimony in the life of a believer is a revelation of Jehovah. It is in him and in him alone that we are to rejoice. Paul says: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

It is significant that Paul wrote this to the Philippians while he was in jail. He was incarcerated and yet he asked that people should rejoice in the Lord always. Then he repeats it again for added emphasis.

This is because the man who rejoices only in Christ cannot be discouraged. He cannot go into depression. For him to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21).  It is heads he wins and tails he is victorious.

If you rejoice in the Lord, you can do so always. The Lord does not change. He is not good today and bad tomorrow. He is not kind today and mean tomorrow. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).

But, if you rejoice in anything or in anyone outside of the Lord, you cannot do so always. The joy of the world is transient; it does not last. The same thing that brought you joy will bring you grief sooner than later. But the blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22).

Bed temperate

As a result, the believer should be positive at all times. If you have received the gospel, you have received the good news that can never become bad news. To the pure all things are pure. Titus 1:15). Love believes all things and hopes all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Paul recognised that his afflictions were actually in furtherance of the gospel. Many of his jailers gave their lives to Christ.

So, what should we do? Thank God for earthly things, but please do not feed your soul on them. Rejoice that your name is written in heaven. (Luke 10:20). Enjoy the things of this world but do not let them get into your heart. Do not set your heart on them. Reserve your heart for the Lord. You cannot be a citizen of the kingdom of God and continue to thirst for the things of the world:

“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3).

Nothing else but Christ should matter to the believer. Only Christ is needful. Nothing else is of any significance whatsoever, save Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2). That is why God, in His favour of life, has made Jesus our life, that we may have a life that cannot be lost.

Rejoice in the Lord always, confident that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:39).

But if Christ is not everything to you, you can be sure that what you consider to be something will be taken away from you. Jesus says: “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42).

Christ cannot be taken away from the believer. If the Lord is truly your shepherd, then you shall not want. (Psalm 23:1).

Tonic for the soul

The gospel gives the believer a totally new perspective on life. While it might not change his outward condition, it should have a salutary effect on his state of mind. It is not so much about saving a man’s life as it is about saving his soul. Therefore, it refreshes the soul even if it might not refresh the body. Received in prison, on death row, in affliction, or even in bereavement, the gospel provides great comfort.

Thanks to the gospel, sorrow no longer has a basis in the believer. Since Jesus has borne our grief and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4), we no longer have any grounds to be sorrowful. Sin is the only legitimate cause of sorrow in the world. Being hell-bound is the only legitimate cause for grief.

The principal problem of life is not, as many presume, lack of a job, money, or means. The principal problem is sin. Once Jesus dealt conclusively with the sin problem, he declared: “it is finished.”  Jesus did not come to provide jobs, put money in people’s pockets, or find husbands for wives. He came to reconcile man back to God through the forgiveness of sins.

Think of something that gave you a great deal of joy. It could be that you bought a new car or a new dress, or you built your own house or got an excellent job. How long did that joy last? Was it a sustaining joy? Has the joy of that acquisition or achievement not dimmed already? The truth is that happiness only happens occasionally. The joy of the world only lasts for so long. It soon diminishes and dies.

Therefore, Jesus warns: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:27).

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Scientists have witnessed brain patterns in dying patients that may correlate to commonly reported "near-death" experiences (NDEs) such as lucid visions, out-of-body sensations, a review of one's own life, and other "dimensions of reality," reports a new study. The results offer the first comprehensive evidence that patient recollections and brain waves point to universal elements of NDEs. During an expansive multi-year study led by Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor and an associate professor in the department of medicine at NYU Langone Health, researchers observed 567 patients in 25 hospitals around the world as they underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after suffering cardiac arrest, most of which were fatal.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) brain signals captured from dozens of the patients revealed that episodes of heightened consciousness occurred up to an hour after cardiac arrest. Though most of the patients in the study were sadly not resuscitated by CPR, 53 patients were brought back to life. Of the survivors, 11 patients reported a sense of awareness during CPR and six reported a near-death experience. Parnia and his colleagues suggest that the transition from life to death can trigger a state of disinhibition in the brain that "appears to facilitate lucid understanding of new dimensions of reality -- including people's deeper consciousness -- all memories, thoughts, intentions and actions towards others from a moral and ethical perspective," a finding with profound implications for CPR research, end-of-life care, and consciousness, among other fields, according to a new study published in Resuscitation. [...]

"One of the things that was unique about this project is that this was the first time ever where scientists had put together a method to examine for signs of lucidity and consciousness in people as they're being revived by looking for brain markers, or brain signatures of consciousness, using an EEG device as well as a brain oxygen monitor," Parnia explained. "Most doctors are taught and believe that the brain dies after about five or 10 minutes of oxygen deprivation," Parnia said. "One of the key points that comes out of this study is that that is actually not true. Although the brain flatlines after the heart stops, and that happens within seconds, it doesn't mean that it's permanently damaged and [has] died. It's just hibernating. What we were able to show is that actually, the brain can respond and restore function again, even after an hour later, which opens up a whole window of opportunity for doctors to start new treatments." Indeed, the study reports that "near-normal/physiological EEG activity (delta, theta, alpha, beta rhythms) consistent with consciousness and a possible resumption of a network-level of cognitive and neuronal activity emerged up to 35-60 minutes into CPR. This is the first report of biomarkers of consciousness during CA/CPR."

Slashdot

A retiring justice of the court, Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who reportedly pulled out from the seven-man panel that dismissed all the appeals that sought to remove President Tinubu from office, has accused the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola, of abusing the powers of his office.

Muhammad, who spent 47 years in active judicial service, bowed out of the apex court bench on Friday, having clocked the 70 years mandatory retirement age.

He used the opportunity of a valedictory session that was organised in his honour by the Supreme Court, to address what he observed as rots in the judiciary that have continued to affect the justice delivery system in the country.

“Through the years, I rose to become the second most senior justice of the country’s apex court and Deputy Chairperson of the National Judicial Council.

“Considering the number of years I have spent in judicial service and the position I have attained by the grace of the Almighty, I feel obligated to continue the struggle for reforms for a better Judiciary and would be leaning on the earlier submissions of those who had exited before me,” Justice Muhammad stated before he descended on the CJN.

He maintained that the judiciary, as presently structured, gave so much power to the CJN who he said usually take decisions without consulting other justices.

“As presently structured, the CJN is Chairman of the NJC which oversees both the appointment and discipline of judges, he is equally Chair of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), the National Judicial Institute (NJI), the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) that appoints Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“In my considered opinion, the oversight functions of these bodies should not rest on an individual alone. A person with absolute powers, it is said, corrupts easily and absolutely.

“As Chair of NJC, FJSC, NJI and LPPC, appointments as council, board and commitment members are at his pleasure. He neither confers with fellow justices nor seek their counsel or input on any matter related to these bodies. He has both the final and the only say.

“The CJN has power to appoint 80 percent of members of the council and 60 percent of members of FJSC. The same applies to NJI and LPPC.

“Such enormous powers are effortlessly abused. This needs to change. Continued denial of the existence of this threatening anomaly weakens effective judicial oversight in the country,” he added.

On the current composition of the bench of the apex court, Justice Muhammad alleged that the refusal to fill the vacant slot of South East on the apex court bench, was deliberate, blaming it on “absolute powers vested in the office of the CJN.”

He further stressed that with his retirement, the North Central zone which he represented, would no longer have a Justice on the Supreme Court bench.

“My lord Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko JSC who also represented the zone retired on 23rd of May, 2022. It has been a year and five months now. There has not been any replacement.

“With the passing of my lord, Chima Centus Nweze, JSC on 29th July 2023, the Southeast no longer has any presence at the Supreme Court. My lord, Sylvester Nwali Ngwuta JSV died on 7th March 2021. There has not been any appointment in his stead for the Southeast.

“As it stands, only four geo-political regions- the Southwest, Southsouth, Northwest and Northeast are represented in the Supreme Court.

“While the Southsouth and Northeast have two serving justices, the Northwest and Southwest are fully represented with three each.

“Appropriate steps could have been taken since to fill outstanding vacancies in the apex court. Why have these steps not been timeously taken?

“It is evident that the decision not to fill the vacancies in the court is deliberate. It is all about the absolute powers vested in the office of the CJN and the responsible exercise of same,” the retiring jurist added.

On the issue of membership of the panel that heard the presidential election appeals by candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, Muhammad, said:

“To ensure justice and transparency in presidential appeals from the lower court, all geo-political zones are required to participate in the hearing.

“It is therefore dangerous for democracy and equity for two entire regions to be left out in the decisions that will affect the generality of Nigerians.

“This is not what our laws envisage. Although it can be posited that no one expected the sudden passing of Nweze JSC, yet, it has been two years and seven months since previous justice from Southeast died and no appointment was made.”

On funding and independence of the Judiciary, the retiring justice bemoaned that though the budgetary allocation for the Judiciary increased from 70 billion that it was in 2015 to 165 billion presently, “Justices and officers welfare and the quality of service the judiciary render have continued to decline.”

“It may interest one to know that the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court earns more than the Justices. While she earns N1.2m per month, justices take home N751,000 in a month.

“The CJN on his part takes home N400,000 plus. The salary of a Justice, curiously, drops rather than increases when he gets the added responsibility of being a CJN.

“That the unjust and embarrassing salary difference between the justices and the Chief Registrar still abides remains intriguing to say the least.”

He noted that it was owing to allegations of corruption and perversion of justice, that informed President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to order the invasion of homes and arrest of some judges in 2016.

“Not done, in 2019 the government accosted, arrested and arraigned the incumbent Chief Justice before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged underhand conduct.

“With his retirement apparently negotiated, he was eventually left off the hook.

“In 2022, a letter signed by all other justices of the Supreme Court, including the current Chief Justice, the aggrieved protested against the shabby treatment meted to them by the head of court and the Chief Registrar.

“In the event, his lordship Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad disengaged ostensibly on grounds of ill-health.

My lords, distinguished invitees, ladies and gentlemen, it is obvious that the judiciary I am exiting from is far from the one I voluntarily joined and desired to serve and be identified with. The institution has become something else,” Muhammad lamented.

Meanwhile, earlier in the ceremony, the CJN, in his speech, paid glowing tribute to the retiring jurist who he described as a “quintessential Judicial icon with dazzling qualities and alluring stature.”

“His Lordship is one judicial officer that could be blunt, even to a fault; and is never known to be afraid to say things the way they are; and also never shies away from calling a spade by its name, irrespective of whose ox is gored,” the CJN stated.

He decried that with Justice Muhammad’s exit, the apex court bench has further depleted to 10.

Vanguard

Nigeria's naira is on the brink of breaching 1,000 per dollar after falling to an official record low of 999 last week, Refinitiv data showed, tracing its weakness on the unofficial market where it trades freely.

President Bola Tinubu removed Nigeria's foreign currency controls in June in a bid to get transactions flowing through the official market again to help unify the naira's exchange rates.

But that has only fuelled the currency's weakness and added to inflationary pressures.

Here is what you need to know about the naira.

WHY IS THE NAIRA FALLING?

The central bank has a backlog of accumulated forex demand on the official market, which effectively forces individuals and businesses to head to the black market if they need dollars.

But dollar flows to Nigeria have been falling in the last few years due to declining investment and lower exports of crude oil, which account for more than 90% of the country's export income.

Investors cheered when Tinubu lifted the currency controls, hoping a unified exchange rate would make it easier to access foreign currency, but that is yet to happen.

HOW BIG IS THE FOREIGN CURRENCY BACKLOG?

Nigeria has nearly $7 billion in forex forwards that are past due, which corporates bought from local banks. Banks then repaid foreign credit lines with their own funds when the central bank did not pay out.

That means corporates are unable to get new letters of credit, while the banks are owed dollars. New central bank governor Yemi Cardoso said clearing the backlog was a priority but he gave no timeline for how long it would take.

Some analysts say the forward agreements could be rolled over by 24 to 36 months, giving the central bank more time to find the dollars to pay off the corporates.

HOW BIG ARE NIGERIA'S FOREX RESERVES?

The country's forex reserves fell to $33.5 billion in September from $37 billion in January, central bank data shows.

In August, the central bank published audited accounts for the first time since 2018, and revealed that its reserves included a $19 billion commitment in derivatives - slashing the liquid amount of the reserves.

JPMorgan calculated that the country's net FX reserves stood at $3.7 billion as of the end of 2022, "significantly lower" than prior estimates.

Nigeria's crude excess account only has $473,755, the National Economic Council said in August, down from a peak of $20 billion in 2008, after successive governments withdrew dollars to support the naira and budget spending.

WILL THE CENTRAL BANK RESTORE FOREX OPEN POSITIONS?

Nigerian banks are not allowed to have open positions on the dollar, meaning that they cannot buy forex for their own account from the market or speculate on the value of the currency.

Banks use their open net positions on foreign currency to finance short-term trade lines without resorting to the central bank for bidding. That means banks "make the market" for dollars and provide two-way quotes for buying and selling the currency, effectively creating a fully functioning forex market.

A trader said if banks were allowed to make the market on the dollar, the local currency could weaken further because they would sell to customers at rates determined by demand and supply.

Nigeria's 2024 budget assumes a benchmark exchange rate of 700 naira to the dollar. The finance minister says the parallel market rate of 1,300 naira does not reflect the true value of the local currency.

"Given that the naira remains much weaker on the parallel market, further devaluations – and rises in inflation – are likely," Capital Economics said in a research note.

Reuters

The investors who are backing the recent $250 million lithium project have been found to be copycats and not affiliated with the China-based companies bearing the same name as these copycat companies as revealed by Bloomberg in an October 27 report.  

According to Bloomberg, Ganfeng Lithium Industry Ltd., Tianqi Lithium Industrial Ltd. and Ningde Era Industrial Ltd. have nothing to do with three nearly identically named behemoths listed on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Instead, they were founded recently and registered in Nigeria as independent companies.  

Difference between the original and copycat companies 

According to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records as of Friday, October 27, the companies identified as copycats by Bloomberg were registered almost around the same time in 2022 bearing the same name as mining giants in China: 

Ganfeng Lithium Industry: The Nigerian entity, registered on September 13, 2022, with an address listed as High Court Road, Ipegba, Sagamu, Ogun state. It should be noted that the original Ganfeng Lithium Industry was founded in China in the year 2000 and is located in Jiangxi Province. The latter is a prominent player in the global lithium industry. 

Tianqi Lithium Industrial Limited: This company, also registered on September 8, 2022, shares the same address as Ganfeng Lithium Industry in Sagamu, Ogun state.

However, the original Tianqi Lithium Industrial Limited, established in 2000, operates in Southwest China, specifically in Sichuan. The latter is a major player in the global lithium production sector, controlling more than 46% of lithium production worldwide. 

Ningde Era Industrial Limited: Registered on August 24, 2022, with an address in High Court Road, Ipegba, Sagamu, Ogun state, this company is not associated with the original Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (tagged Ningde Era), which was founded in 2011.

The original company is located in Ningde, Fujian province, China, and is a significant player in the global battery and energy storage industry. 

Backstory  

On October 13, Nairametrics reported that President Bola Tinubu marked the beginning of construction for a remarkable “$250 million lithium factory in Nasarawa State.”

The ambitious facility, known as the Ganfeng Lithium Industry Limited factory, will be situated in the Endo community of Udege Development Area within the Nasarawa Local Government Area.  

Once completed, this mega factory is expected to process a substantial 18,000 metric tons of lithium each day, contributing to an impressive annual output of 4.5 million metric tons.

At the inauguration of the factory, Tinubu, represented by Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, emphasized the project’s alignment with his administration’s industrialization policy.  

Nairametrics

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has detained the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

Emefiele was picked up on Thursday night, less than an hour after he regained his freedom from the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.

The former CBN governor, it was learned, is currently being interrogated at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

The EFCC is reportedly probing Godwin Emefiele over alleged impropriety during his term as the head of the apex bank.

Recall that the DSS arrested Emefiele in June, on the same day President Bola Tinubu suspended him from office with immediate effect.

According to the Presidency, Emefiele was suspended at the time due to “ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy.”

Vanguard

Israel steps up air and ground attacks in Gaza and cuts off territory's communications

Israel knocked out internet and communications in the Gaza Strip in stepped-up bombardment Friday night, largely cutting off its 2.3 million people from contact with each other and the outside world and creating a near-blackout of information, as the military said it was “expanding” ground operations in the territory.

The military’s announcement signaled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza, where it has vowed to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago.

Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall. The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services. The cutoff meant that casualties from strikes and details of ground incursions could not immediately be known. Some satellite phones continued to function.

Already plunged into darkness after most electricity was cut off weeks ago, Palestinians were thrown into isolation, huddling in homes and shelters with food and water supplies running out.

Relatives outside Gaza panicked after their messaging chats with families inside suddenly went dead and calls stopped going through.

“I was so scared this was going to happen,” said Wafaa Abdul Rahman, director of a feminist organization based in the West Bank city of Ramallah. She said she hadn’t heard for hours from family in central Gaza.

“We’ve been seeing these horrible things and massacres when it’s live on TV, so now what will happen when there’s a total blackout?” she said, referring to scenes of families that have been crushed in homes by airstrikes over the past weeks.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said ground forces were “expanding their activity” Friday evening in Gaza and “acting with great force ... to achieve the objectives of the war.”

Israel says its strikes target Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants operate from among civilians, putting them in danger.

The Hamas media center reported heavy nighttime clashes with Israeli forces at several places, including what it said was an Israeli incursion east of the refugee camp of Bureij in the central Gaza Strip. Asked about the report, the Israeli military reiterated early Saturday that it had been carrying out targeted raids and expanding strikes with the aim of “preparing the ground for future stages of the operation.”

Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border ahead of an expected ground offensive. Earlier Friday the military said ground forces conducted their second hourslong incursion inside Gaza in as many days, striking dozens of militant targets over the past 24 hours.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has soared past 7,300, more than 60% of them minors and women, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. A blockade on Gaza has meant dwindling supplies, and the U.N. warned that its aid operation helping hundreds of thousands of people was “crumbling” amid near-depleted fuel.

More than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, according to the Israeli government, and at least 229 hostages were taken into Gaza. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel, including one that hit a residential building in Tel Aviv on Friday, wounding four people.

Early Saturday, the Israeli military released the names of 310 soldiers killed during the initial Hamas attack and its aftermath. The vast majority were killed Oct. 7, according to the announcement. The slain soldiers are part of the overall death toll in Israel.

The overall number of deaths far exceeds the combined toll of all four previous Israel-Hamas wars, estimated at around 4,000.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel expects a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon. It “will take a long time” to dismantle Hamas’ vast network of tunnels, he said, adding that he expects a lengthy phase of lower-intensity fighting as Israel destroys “pockets of resistance.”

His comments pointed to a potentially grueling and open-ended new phase of the war after three weeks of relentless bombardment. Israel has said it aims to crush Hamas’ rule in Gaza and its ability to threaten Israel. But how Hamas’ defeat will be measured and an invasion’s endgame remain unclear. Israel says it does not intend to rule the tiny territory but not who it expects to govern — even as Gallant suggested a long-term insurgency could ensue.

In Washington, the Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Gallant on Friday and “underscored the importance of protecting civilians during the Israel Defense Forces’ operations and focusing on the urgency of humanitarian aid delivery for civilians in Gaza.” The Pentagon said Austin also brought up “the need for Hamas to release all of the hostages.”

The conflict has threatened to ignite a wider war across the region. Arab nations — including U.S. allies and ones that have reached peace deals or normalized ties with Israel — have raised increasing alarm over a potential ground invasion, likely to bring even higher casualties amid urban fighting.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned on X that the “outcome will be a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions for years to come.”

With no electricity, no communications and no water, many of those trapped in Gaza had little choice but to wait in their homes or seek the relative safety of schools and hospitals as Israel expanded its bombing early Saturday.

Throughout the night, orange fireballs exploded on the horizon above the apartment buildings and refugee camps of Gaza City, briefly illuminating clouds of white smoke hanging in the air from previous strikes. Some bombs hit in tight groups, apparently slamming into the same location.

Lynn Hastings, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the occupied territories, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that without phone lines and internet, hospitals and aid operations would be unable to operate. The Red Crescent said it could not contact medical teams and residents could no longer call ambulances, meaning rescuers would have to chase the sound of explosions to find the wounded. International aid groups said they were only able to reach a few staffers using satellite phones.

The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm, saying the world “is losing a window into the reality” of the conflict. It warned that the information vacuum “can be filled with deadly propaganda, dis- and misinformation.”

The loss of internet and phones deals a further blow to a medical and aid system that relief workers say was already on the verge of collapse under Israel’s weekslong seal. More than 1.4 million people have fled their homes, nearly half crowding into U.N. schools and shelters. Aid workers say a trickle of aid Israel has allowed to enter from Egypt the past week is a tiny fraction of what is needed.

Gaza hospitals have been scrounging for fuel to run emergency generators that power incubators and other life-saving equipment.

Gallant said Israel believes that Hamas would confiscate any fuel that enters. He said Hamas uses generators to pump air into its hundreds of kilometers (miles) of tunnels, which originate in civilian areas. He showed reporters aerial footage of what he said was a tunnel shaft built right next to a hospital.

“For air, they need oil. For oil, they need us,” he said.

Late Friday the army released photos showing what it said were Hamas installations in and around Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest. Israel has made such claims before, but declined to say how the photos were obtained.

Little is known about Hamas’ tunnels and other infrastructure. Claims by the military and Gallant couldn’t be verified.

Speaking at Shifa Hospital, Hamas media chief Salama Maroof called Israel’s claims “lies” and said they were “a precursor for striking this facility.”

“I ring the alarm bell. There is imminent danger hovering above the medical facility,” Maroof said. The hospital has been overwhelmed and around 40,000 displaced residents have crowded its grounds for shelter, the U.N. says.

Asked if Israel plans to target Shifa, Hagari said, “We will not be able to allow terror activity against Israel from hospitals.”

Hundreds of thousands of people remain in northern Gaza.

In related developments:

— The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities. It was the first U.N. response to Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s ongoing military response and vow to obliterate the militant group.

— In New York City, hundreds of protesters calling for a cease-fire filled the famed Grand Central Terminal during rush hour Friday, wearing T-shirts saying “Jews say cease-fire now” and “Not in our name.” Many were detained and removed, their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Police couldn’t immediately provide a number of arrests.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia shells Ukraine's Kherson, injuring 8, damaging buildings

Russian forces heavily shelled the centre of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday, injuring eight people and destroying or damaging at least 15 buildings, a senior city official said.

Pictures posted on social media showed at least three sites dotted with piles of rubble and the interior of one building strewn with shattered building materials and other debris.

Roman Mrochko, head of the city's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app that three of the injured were being treated in hospital. He said two buildings had been destroyed, three suffered heavy damage and 10 less damage.

"In the evening the entire city trembled," Ukraine's Emergency Services said on Telegram. "The enemy targeted the very centre of Kherson."

The posting said emergency workers had rescued two women, in their 70s and 80s, who had been blocked in a building, and brought a fire under control in a rubble-strewn area.

Ukraine's Suspilne public broadcaster said Russian forces had also shelled Beryslav, a town further north on the Dnipro River in Kherson Region, wounding one person.

Russian forces captured Kherson in the early days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but abandoned the city and the western bank of the Dnipro late last year. They now regularly shell those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

** Russian diplomats deny Moscow executed soldiers on battlefield

Russian diplomats on Friday dismissed as lies a White House allegation that Moscow's military was executing its own soldiers if they refused to carry out battlefield orders in Ukraine.

"Whoever came up with these other-worldly lies could only have been a person with an imagination far into overdrive," the Russian embassy in Washington said in comments carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.

"And all this simply to justify the failed, much publicised counteroffensive of its (Ukrainian) ward. Let us say with full responsibility that all insinuations about this in comments by the White House spokesperson are a lie."

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that the U.S government had information the Russian military had been executing soldiers who refuse orders.

"We also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to execute entire units if they seek to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire," he said.

Kirby provided no evidence for his assertions.

Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive, which has regained villages in the south and east, but is moving more slowly than an advance last year through occupied northeastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russian losses had grown significantly in the past week. These included, he said, at least a brigade worth of troops trying to advance on the eastern town of Avdiivka.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia appoints replacement for controversial sacked general

Lieutenant-General Viktor Afzalov has been confirmed as the new head of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Friday. He had stepped in as acting commander when Sergey Surovikin, the general who masterminded the defense of Zaporozhye and Kherson, was relieved after the Wagner mutiny.

“Appointed commander of the Aerospace Force in October 2023, by presidential decree,” read the general’s official biography on the Russian Defense Ministry website as of Friday, confirming unofficial reports by major media outlets last week.

Afzalov, 55, is a highly decorated career air defense officer, whose previous post was heading the Aerospace Force general staff since 2018. He was born near Simferopol, in Crimea.

The official appointment comes approximately two months after Afzalov stepped in as acting head of the force. Surovikin was reassigned to other duty in late August, and was subsequently spotted in Africa with several high-ranking military officials. His biography has since disappeared from the Defense Ministry website, without explanation.

Surovikin had gained fame during the conflicts in Chechnya and Syria, garnering the nickname ‘General Armageddon’ for his approach to military operations. He was put in charge of the entire Russian force engaging the Ukrainian military in October 2022, amid the Ukrainian offensives in Kharkov and Kherson. In January 2023, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov took over that post and Surovikin continued acting as his deputy.

It was Surovikin who reportedly recommended a tactical retreat from the right bank of the Dnieper in Kherson and building the extensive fortifications in both Kherson and Zaporozhye – dubbed the ‘Surovikin Line’. The Ukrainian army attempted to breach the line starting in June 2023 and failed while losing an estimated 90,000 men and thousands of pieces of equipment.

** Russian forces destroy 31 Ukrainian warplanes, 3 helicopters since October 1

Russian combat aircraft and air defense forces have destroyed 31 Ukrainian warplanes and three helicopters since October 1 in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"Since October 1, fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and air defense capabilities have destroyed 31 Ukrainian Air Force planes and three helicopters, including 20 MiG-29 fighters, eight Su-25 ground attack aircraft, a Su-24 bomber, two L-39 combat training planes and three Mi-8 helicopters," the ministry said in a statement.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 515 Ukrainian warplanes, 253 helicopters, 8,312 unmanned aerial vehicles, 441 surface-to-air missile systems, 12,960 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,169 multiple rocket launchers, 6,893 field artillery guns and mortars and 14,684 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the ministry reported.

On October 25, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting with the personnel of the battlegroup East decorated with state awards that Russian troops had shot down 24 Ukrainian warplanes over the past few days with the weapons they received. Later, a source close to the Defense Ministry told TASS that Russia had employed the latest S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system in conjunction with an A-50 long-range radar surveillance aircraft in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Reuters/RT/Tass

In an era in which the scales often tip in favour of evil rather than good, a disconcerting debate rages on. While some argue that the world inherently harbours more good than evil, it is an argument ensnared in ambiguity. What remains indisputable, however, is the unwavering passion with which those who perpetuate evil pursue their craft; a stark contrast to the lukewarm commitment of those advocating for good.

The disheartening question arises: Why does the fervour for goodness seem to pale in comparison to the zealous dedication of the malevolent? One possible explanation is that the rewards for doing good seemingly pales in comparison to those for nefarious acts.

The proponents of evil recognise their dominion over the world, perpetuating a cycle in which malevolence takes the centre stage, occasionally disrupted by the valiant efforts of the forces of good, although such interventions are a rarity.

Unfortunately, the majority of those professing to be champions of good can be aptly labeled as cowards, lacking the courage to relinquish their personal comforts. They prefer to stew in their private discontent, remaining passive until their patience wanes. In stark contrast, the evil doer, akin to a fearless thief, courageously acknowledges the risk but marches forward regardless, propelled by dark passions.

It is said that every nation receives the leadership it deserves. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wisely observed that evil thrives when the good stand idly by. The crucial question arises – why do Nigerians find themselves governed by charlatans they never elected, who never even participated in an election?

The malevolent elite are acutely aware of our inertia, knowing that our most potent response is to vent our frustrations through complaints, screams, and curses. Regrettably, we are often too timid to rise and confront crooked leaders, their corporate collaborators and judicial bandits.

In contrast, these wrongdoers are resolute in their willingness to accept risk, and the African equivalent of the Arab Spring remains a distant dream because many would rather endure suffering than risk the discomfort that comes with protesting against an unjust government.

Ultimately, when we condone a flawed system and abstain from combating malevolent forces, we implicitly accept whatever fate befalls us. Our silence morphs into complicity, and our pitiable escape is “japa”, hoping to savour the fruits of other people’s life struggles in a foreign land, while abandoning the very soil from which we hail. What a shame!

For a nation to emerge, it necessitates a critical mass of individuals prepared to lay down their lives for the common good, those who ardently advocate for what is right and galvanise others to join their noble cause. However, in Africa, comfort holds an irresistible allure, often overshadowing our readiness to engage in the struggle. We seemingly opt to bide our time, anticipating the ascent of our own ‘evil men’ to power, so we too can partake in the spoils of corruption – a dilemma of our own making.

The disheartening aspect is that even the most educated, privileged, and economically empowered citizens in Nigeria have often faltered in making decisions that favour the collective over personal interests. This tragic facet of our nation persists as a lamentable reality.

We vociferously demand that others do what is right while neglecting to do so ourselves. In the contemporary world, evil appears to gain a significant upper hand over good. The competition is not merely lopsided; it verges on the non-existent. It is incumbent upon us to confront a stark reality – those who have willingly embraced the darkness and the rewards it bestows are often more pragmatic in navigating life than those of us who continually lament.

Nigerians often amuse me with their curious notions. Many seem to believe that exposing a counterfeit certificate, revealing classified FBI files, or any such revelation might serve as a transformative game-changer. The true paradox, however, lies in their conviction that mere wishes possess the extraordinary ability to usher in significant transformations.

The responsibility rests upon the shoulders of citizens to rise above corrupt leaders and their collaborators. They must stand ready to defend their nation against the encroaching forces of darkness. This duty is not only to themselves but to future generations. A society that permits evil to flourish through complacency deserves any misfortune that may befall it.

A 40-year-old garbage collector in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi tragically lost his life after being shot by a loaded gun that had been thrown away in a plastic garbage bag.

Imagine living in a place where gun crime is so high that people casually throw loaded firearms in garbage cans where they can literally kill garbage collectors. One such incident took place on October 16, near the Rioverde town hall, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A group of garbage collectors was doing their jobs when tragedy struck. One of the men was calmly picking up garbage bags and throwing them into the back of a garbage truck when suddenly a gun went off. His colleagues froze in place and then started looking around for assailants, but there was no danger in sight. Then, they saw the man lying on the pavement.

Upon realizing that one of their own had been shot, the other garbage men called emergency services, but even though an ambulance arrived only a few minutes later, the man succumbed to his gunshot wound shortly after being taken to the Rioverde Medical Center.

According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, the man’s death was caused by a bullet fired from a loaded gun discarded into one of the garbage bags he was collecting. experts believe that the gun’s trigger was accidentally pushed when the garbage bag was thrown into the truck. Unfortunately, the barrel was pointed directly at the garbage worker and he got shot.

Authorities are still investigating this case in hopes of finding the gun’s owner and bringing them to justice for disposing of it so irresponsibly.

Oddity Central