Netanyahu says intense fighting against Hamas is ending but war to go on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was coming to an end but that the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.

Once the intense fighting is over in Gaza, Netanyahu said, Israel will be able to deploy more forces along the northern border with Lebanon, where fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah has escalated .

"After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this. First and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly, to bring our (evacuated) residents home," Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel's Channel 14.

"If we can we will do this diplomatically. If not, we will do it another way. But we will bring (the residents) home," he said.

Many Israeli towns near the border with Lebanon have been evacuated during the fighting.

Asked when the phase of intense fighting against Hamas will come to an end, Netanyahu answered: "Very soon."

But the military will still operate in Gaza.

"I am not willing to end the war and leave Hamas as it is," he said.

Netanyahu also reiterated his rejection to the idea that the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority run Gaza in place of Hamas.

 

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine launches tens of drones on Russia's Bryansk region, Russian official says

Ukraine launched tens of drones overnight targeting Russia's western region of Bryansk and other regions but with no reported damage, Russian officials said on Sunday.

At least 30 drones were destroyed over Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia's air defence systems also destroyed drones over the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, governor of the region in Russia's west, said on Telegram. It was not immediately clear how many drones were downed.

According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in either region, the governors said. Russian officials often do not disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.

An air raid alert was announced for the Lipetsk region several hundred kilometres south of Moscow, the region's governor said on Telegram.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Kyiv has often said its strikes inside Russia territory are meant to undermine Moscow's war effort and are in response to Russia's relentless air attackson Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Over 100 draft dodgers try to flee Ukraine daily – official

Over 100 Ukrainians attempt to flee the country every day by various routes in an effort to escape mobilization, a senior Border Service official has said, admitting that the real number could be even higher.  

In an interview with the news agency Unian on Saturday, Igor Matviychuk, who heads the Border Service’s Control Department, said that this figure includes both those who try to leave Ukraine by illegally making their way through checkpoints and those who seek to cross through poorly guarded terrain in the wilderness.  

Matviychuk also noted that the statistics include either those detained by Ukrainian patrols and officials, or those reported by foreign authorities. He stated that most draft dodgers are being caught, but that this offense is punishable only by a fine. However, Matviychuk added that those who mastermind schemes to help Ukrainian men illegally leave the country could face criminal charges.  

The official’s comments come as Ukrainian journalist Vitaly Glagola reported that the Ukrainian authorities on Friday detained an organized group of as many as 47 men attempting to flee the country for Moldova in Odessa Region in what appears to be the largest single arrest of draft evaders since the start of the conflict.  

Ukraine announced a general mobilization shortly after the hostilities with Russia began, barring most categories of men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. However, this effort has been marred by widespread graft and draft-dodging. More recently, faced with mounting battlefield losses, Kiev passed a law that lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and another that significantly tightened mobilization rules.  

At the same time, attempts to escape mobilization have proven fatal in some cases. Ukraine’s Border Service said earlier this month that more than 45 Ukrainian men had died in rough terrain while fleeing the country, adding that a significant portion of them drowned in the Tisza River, which flows through southwestern Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia. 

The agency also admitted last week that its operatives had resorted to firing shots to stop draft dodgers from fleeing the country.

 

Reuters/RT

NGO is the acronym for Non-Governmental Organisation and as the name suggests, they are non-profit bodies formed to carry out non-governmental functions and thereby fill gaps that governments and even the private sectors could not affect or where their impacts are minimal while the needs are necessary. They are meant to be agents of development, more especially at the grassroots level, while engaging the citizenry with a deliberate agenda to awaken their awareness and desire for positive social changes that would enhance their quality of life while driving them to make their world a better place.

Non-governmental organisations are supposed to be interventionist bodies that are formed to improve the quality of life for people through various means, some of which are one or more out of the provision of necessities such as food, clothing, improvement of educational and healthcare infrastructure and provision of materials, training and many more that would improve the quality of life and enhance employment opportunities.

Aware of these herculean but noble tasks, when the United Nations was formed in 1945, Chapter 10, Article 71 in its Charter recognized them as such provided they remain nonprofit entities and independent of governmental influence, even if they receive certain funding from the government. That was probably inspired by The Anti-Slavery Society, arguably the first NGO in the world.

In Nigeria, the earliest NGO formally recognised was that to do with the work of Mary Selessor against the killing of twins considered evil in Calabar.

However, there are so many now in Nigeria that it may be impossible for even the government to know some, considering our poor database system. Even though according to AllAfrica, a multi-media content provider, systems technology developer and the source-of-record for African news and information worldwide, there are over 46,000 NGOs in Nigeria, lack of proper monitoring has given some a window to engage in activities detrimental to our well-being as a nation. The nefarious activities associated with some of them have made some states tag some of them with the toga of ‘persona non grata’, booting them out of their states.

Some prominent NGOs in Nigeria, some bearing names of individuals and some reflecting their works include the TY Danjuma Foundation, the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Amnesty International, the North East Regional Initiative, and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

There are many others such as the Solutions for Internally Displaced (SOLID) People Project, Saving One Million Lives Programme, Africa Hope Alive Initiative, Mental Aware Nigeria Initiative, CLEEN Foundation, Federation of International Female Lawyers, Global Peace Foundation, etc.

However, apart from states that halted the activities of some NGOs, the federal government has had occasions to altercate with some of them because they deliberately incite the public or their beneficiaries against constituted authorities. Some of them prefer beneficiaries that will always be at loggerheads with the government; to them, such are friends deserving of more and more patronage.

Apart from all these, most of them are not corrupt free or super accountable as they want the world to believe. For those bearing respected people’s names, is it in collusion with the individuals or are they being blindsided?

When beneficiaries’ grants are in foreign currency, for instance, some of the NGOs “help” the beneficiaries by converting the funds into naira for them. However, in a show of corruption bordering on fraud, they do not do the conversions based on any known parameter: not official rate and not parallel market rates. While what they give is always lower than official or black-market rates, beneficiaries never get to see the excess, which invariably affects their activities.

Yet these are organisations purposely established to fight corruption and mismanagement in governance as well as fight for accountability and transparency among public officers.

The NGOs mostly get their funding from abroad as conduits to beneficiary bodies here. Do their funders abroad know of this misappropriation? Will they condone it if they knew? Is the government aware of such vices that can be deemed as sabotaging the nation’s economy?

The federal government needs to set up an inquiry into how many of these NGOs run their activities, including giving more encouragement to subversive elements and those calling on the depredation of national assets and how they utilize their funding, including how they disburse them to beneficiaries.

While we intend to subsequently present three-year evidence of such malfeasance to aid any action the government intends to pursue, we believe the Nigerian government must come out with a new policy that would guide the activities of all NGOs.

Many of them can be rightly said to be tools of neo-colonialism and outright agents of foreign intelligence services in the way they go about their activities. The amount of information they have at their disposal, using local organisations is far more than the Nigerian state has.

However, others are genuinely concerned with the well-being of Nigerians and are actively impacting positively on the lives of people in both rural and urban areas. They do not short-change beneficiaries because they are aware that they are not a profit-making body and therefore they do not collect funding from A, meant for B, but end up not giving to Caesar what belongs to him because Caesar has no way of asking A what was due to him.

They also do not, under the carpet, encourage and empower elements that see the governments of the day as enemies, fighting them, weakening them in such a way that the future becomes uncertain.

Hence we will look at basically two such NGOs, the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The WSCIJ is a “non-profit, non-governmental organization with social justice programmes aimed at exposing corruption, regulatory failures, and human rights abuses with investigative journalism.” SERAP desires to “advance transparency, accountability and respect for economic and social rights through other means such as media advocacy, public impact and strategic litigation, capacity building, institutional building, and education and awareness.”

To be continued.

** Hassan Gimba is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.

 

The coastal Nigerian community of Ayetoro was founded decades ago and nicknamed “Happy City,” meant to be a Christian utopia that would be sinless and classless. But now its remaining residents can do little against the rising sea.

Buildings have sunk into the Atlantic Ocean, an increasingly common image along the vulnerable West African coast. Old timber pokes from the waves like rotten teeth. Shattered foundations line the shore. Waves break against abandoned electrical poles.

For years, low-lying nations have warned the world about the existential threat of rising seas. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, struggles to respond. Some plans to address shoreline protection, even for Ayetoro, have come to nothing in a nation where corruption and mismanagement is widespread.

Prayers against the rising sea are “on the lips of everybody” in the church every Sunday, according to youth leader Thompson Akingboye. But they know the solution will require far more.

Even the church has been relocated away from the sea, twice. “The present location is now also threatened, with the sea just 98 feet away,” Akingboye said.

Thousands of people have left. Of those who remain, Stephen Tunlese can only gaze from a distance at the remnants of his clothing shop.

Tunlese said he lost an investment of eight million naira, or the equivalent of $5,500, to the sea. Now he adapts to a watery future. He repairs canoes.

“I will stay in Ayetoro because this is my father’s land, this is heritage land,” he said.

The Mahin mud coast where the community is slipping away has lost nearly four square miles, or nearly 60% of its land, to the ocean in the past three decades.

Researchers studying satellite imagery of Nigeria’s coast say a number of things are contributing to Ayetoro’s disappearance.

Underwater oil drilling is one reason, according to marine geologist Olusegun Dada, a professor at the Federal University of Technology in Akure who has studied years of satellite imagery. As resources are extracted, the ground can sink.

But he and colleagues note other reasons, including the deforestation of mangroves that help anchor the earth and the erosion caused by ocean waves.

“When we started coming to this community, then we used to have fresh water,” Dada said. Today, the freshwater ecosystem is transforming into a salty, marine one.

The transformation is enormously costly in Nigeria. The World Bank in a 2020 report estimated the cost of coastal degradation in three other coastal Nigerian states — nearby Lagos, Delta and Cross River — at $9.7 billion, or more than 2% of the country’s GDP. It looked at erosion, flooding, mangrove loss and pollution, and noted the high rate of urbanization.

And yet dramatic images of coastal communities slipping away only capture Nigeria’s attention from time to time, as when the annual flooding occurs — another effect of climate change.

But Ayetoro residents can’t turn away.

“Ayetoro was like a paradise, a city where everyone lived joyfully, happily,” said Arowolo Mofeoluwa, a retired civil servant.

She estimated that two-thirds of the community has been slowly swept under the waves, along with some residents’ multiple attempts to rebuild.

“This is the third house we are living in, and there are some living in the fourth house now, and we do not have enough space for ourselves again. Four or five people living in a small room, you can just imagine how painful it is,” Mofeoluwa said.

“If you look where the sea is now, that is the end of the former Ayetoro.”

For the community’s traditional leader and head of the local church, Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, the pain is not only in the loss of land but also “what we are losing in our sociocultural and religious identity.”

Some residents say even burial grounds have been washed away.

Early this year, the Ondo state government announced a commitment to finding “lasting solutions” to the threat to Ayetoro. But residents said that’s been vowed in the past.

It might be too late for efforts to be effective, Dada said. For years, he has hoped for an environmental survey to be carried out to better understand what’s causing the community’s disappearance. But that’s been in vain.

The Niger Delta Development Commission, a government body meant in part to address environmental and other issues caused by oil exploration, didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press about efforts to protect the community’s shoreline.

The commission’s website lists a shoreline protection project in Ayetoro. A photo shows a sign marking the feat with the motto, “Determined to make a difference!”

The project was awarded two decades ago. Project status: “Ongoing.”

Residents say nothing ever started.

“Help will come one day, we believe,” youth leader Akingboye said.

 

NBC News

Marco's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of embracing the journey towards success. Growing up in Mexico, Marco witnessed his mother's logistics business and was inspired to follow in her footsteps. He became a customs broker, combining his passion for business with his desire to give back to the community.

Marco emphasizes the significance of personal development and positive influence in achieving both personal and professional success. He believes that taking care of oneself and continuously growing as an individual is essential to effectively help others. By focusing on self-care and personal success, Marco has been able to make a positive impact on the lives of those around him.

Dream Big, Grow, and Learn

One of the key takeaways from Marco's journey is the importance of dreaming big and having a growth mindset. He encourages everyone to set ambitious goals and take the first step towards achieving them. Marco believes that success is not just about reaching the destination but also about the growth and learning that happens along the way.

Marco's story is a testament to the power of resilience and faith. He faced numerous challenges throughout his journey, but he never let them deter him from pursuing his dreams. Instead, he embraced these obstacles as opportunities for growth and learning.

Perseverance, Positivity, and Overcoming Obstacles

Marco's story is a shining example of the value of perseverance and positivity. He believes that a positive mindset is crucial in overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities. Marco's unwavering faith in himself and his abilities has been instrumental in his success.

As we wrap up this episode, let Marco's journey serve as a reminder that no matter where you come from or what challenges you face, you have the power to create your own success. Embrace the journey, dream big, and never stop growing. Remember, success is not just about reaching the destination, but also about the person you become along the way.

 

Entrepreneur

The Federal Government, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, disbursed a total sum of N14.77bn for the repair and maintenance of the presidential air fleet in 11 months.

The payments, made in 11 tranches between 16th July 2023 and 25th May 2024, were processed through the State House headquarters transit account labelled, ‘Presidential Air Fleet Transit Funds’.

This new development comes amidst plans by the National Assembly to approve the purchase of two new aircraft, after it was discovered that the President’s 19-year-old Boeing 737 and some of the other aircraft in the fleet, were dysfunctional.

The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence listed the purchase in its technical subcommittee report, which may cost over $623.4m or N918.7bn, according to experts’ estimates.

“The committee is of the strong and informed opinion that considering the fragile structure of the Nigerian federation and recognising the dire consequences of any foreseen or unforeseen mishap that may arise as a result of technical/operational inadequacy of the Presidential Air Fleet, it is in the best interest of the country to procure two additional aircraft as recommended. This will also prove to be most cost-efficient in the long run, aside from the added advantage of providing a suitable, comfortable and safe carrier befitting of the status and responsibilities of the offices of the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the report read in part.

In recent times, there has been serious contention about the state of the air fleet despite enormous government resources spent on it during past administrations.

The Presidency currently maintains a fleet of six aircraft, namely a Boeing 737, a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7Xs, and a Challenger CL605; as well as six helicopters— two Agusta 139s and four Agusta 189s.

Buhari’s government spent N62.47bn for the operation and maintenance of PAF during his eight-year tenure. Though Buhari promised to reduce the size of the fleet as part of his pledge to cut the cost of governance, checks reveal that his regime failed to live up to this promise.

In the 2016 budget, N3.65bn was allocated for the PAF, but this rose to N4.37bn in the 2017 fiscal year. In 2018 and 2019, the allocation almost doubled, amounting to N7.26bn and N7.30bn respectively. Closer observation showed a slight drop by N503.75m in 2020, when N6.79bn was budgeted for the fleet. The allocation surged to N12.55bn and N12.48bn in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal budgets respectively, before the N8.07bn allocation in 2023.

Meanwhile, checks by our correspondent using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal Government’s spending, showed that Tinubu approved the disbursement of N14.77bn within one year of assuming office. The amount is separate from expenses incurred during foreign and local trips by the President, Vice-President and other officials.

N1.52bn was approved in July 2023 for maintenance, and was followed by a payment of N3.1bn in August. The next tranche was paid in November 2023 with a disbursement of N1.26bn. The government also paid N2.54bn in March 2024, N6.35bn in April 2024 and N1.27bn last month.

Defending the need for a new aircraft, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the purchase of another aircraft was a necessity. He added that the proposal was a “basic thing any sane government will do”, because it cannot toy with the President’s welfare.

“Does Peter Obi want the President dead? Is that his wish? Does he want him to continue moving around in a rickety plane and die like the Vice-President of Malawi, and President of Iran? Let him tell us. This is a basic thing any sane government will do. You can’t toy with the President’s welfare,” he said.

Opposition tackle APC

Meanwhile, the leaderships of the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party have tackled the Federal Government over its plan to secure two new planes for the PAF.

The disagreement comes barely three days after the Presidency criticised Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, for his objection to the demand for new aircraft.

Obi described the move as unfortunate, saying it was coming at a time when Nigerians were grappling with economic hardship caused by the Federal Government’s policies.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, maintained that Nigeria could not afford to be seen lavishing scarce resources on ‘luxury’ at a time when the masses were experiencing untold hardship.

He said, “I think that the office of the President needs a ‘functional’ aircraft. But, as of the last count, we are aware that there are more than 10 aircraft in the presidential fleet.

“What any responsible government should do is refurbish them. One or two manufacturers, such as Boeing or whoever built the aircraft, could service them and return them to Nigeria.

“Is this not the same presidential fleet that is used to carry the children of the president, vice president, their wives and their cronies around? We see them everywhere.

“It is a misplaced priority for this government to think of taking loans again, despite the billions of dollars in debt that we have found ourselves in. A new presidential jet is a luxury.”

Opposition making noise – APC

In its reaction, the APC stated that the opposition was making a noise.

While not dismissing the current hardship in the country, the National Vice-Chairman (South-East) of the party, Ijeoma Arodiogbu, argued that the safety of the President was paramount.

Among other things, Arodiogbu cited the death of the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi; the country’s foreign minister and other top government functionaries, who recently died in a helicopter crash as enough reason not to allow any Nigerian, let alone the president, to travel in faulty aircraft.

He said, “We appreciate the concerns of the opposition about the hardship in the country, which is also real. But, I believe the administration is doing its best to ameliorate the pains of the Nigerian people. With that said, no country will compromise the safety of its president. You can see that in recent times, there have been plane crashes that killed a couple of world leaders.

“The prime minister of Iran also died in an old helicopter. People had attributed a lot of conspiracy theories on how he possibly died. Some blamed Israel. But, the truth remains that the aircraft was a very old one. I guess it was bought or made in the 1970s, and due to their peculiar problems, they were unable to buy a new aircraft.

“Recently, Malawi’s vice president’s aircraft also crashed. I wonder why we want to compromise the safety of our president. If our pilots and aeronautic engineers have said those planes are old and unsafe for whatever reason, we can’t expect our president to be trekking to the places he needs to go.

“It is still a sacrifice the country has to make for the safety of our President if we love him. But again, it is the job of the opposition to criticise anything done by the administration, and make it look insensitive and unpopular. Peter Obi, for one, is doing it very strongly, airing his voice on every issue, whether it’s worthy or not, to rouse the sentiments of Nigerians against the president or the APC administration in the country today.”

NNPP slams FG

Also reacting, the New Nigeria People’s Party did not share the sentiment of the APC government, which it claimed has been toying with the emotions of Nigerians.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the spokesman for the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, said the timing for buying new aircraft was wrong.

“Whatever it is, the timing is not good. This is coming at a time when Nigerians are facing challenges. It seems like this government has not cut its costs in any way, hence they have to tighten their belts. People are not happy over the removal of fuel subsidy, the hike in electricity tariffs, and food inflation.”

Aviation experts disagree

In his submission, the President of the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, Kingsley Nwokeoma, said though it was expedient for the president to have functioning aircraft for his trips, there should be moderation in the financial budget to maintain the presidential fleet.

“If you spend that kind of money, there should be value for it. Yes, the president should have aircraft that are in good condition, as he needs to travel here and there. But, we should also consider the fact that times are hard for Nigerians, as everybody is complaining now. So, whatever has to be used and whatever money has to be appropriated for such things have to be duly deployed, so that it doesn’t look like wastage. This means everybody should be accountable. We all know that the times are not good. And, this should reflect in anything we do as a country,” Nwokeoma told Sunday PUNCH.

However, another aviation expert, John Ojikutu John, backed the Federal Government, stating that the funds to be spent were not much.

He said, “The money (for the repair) is nothing. It is about $14m when converted to dollars. At that level, they cannot spend anything less than $2m on each one if they have about five to seven aircraft.

“I don’t know how many aircraft there are. But, I am looking at five aircraft minimum, and they will spend about $2m on each of them.”

 

Punch

The details of the judgement of the Federal High Court of Thursday have confirmed that the court nullified the reappointment of Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano but refused to rule on the validity of the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024.

The judgement specifically said “every step taken by the defendants in pursuance to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 are hereby annulled and set aside.

The said law repealed the Kano State Emirate Council Law 2019, which created four new emirates of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye in addition to the Kano Emirate.

Governor Abba Yusuf signed the new law on 23 May and removed all the five emirs appointed under the old law, including Aminu Ado-Bayero of Kano.

A day later, the governor reinstated Sanusi as the sole emir of the state.

But that was before a title holder in Kano emirate, Aminu Dan’agundi, filed a suit at the Federal High Court to challenge the new law.

Dan’agundi also applied to the court to restrain the Kano State Government; the State House of Assembly and its speaker; the Attorney-General of the state; the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector-General of Police; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; and the State Security Service (SSS) from implementing the law until his case has been determined.

On 23 May, the judge, Abdullahi Liman, granted the application and ordered the state government and the other parties involved to stop the implementation of the new emirate law pending the hearing of the substantive case.

However, the five emir’s have been stripped of their roles, including Ado-Bayero who has relocated to the mini palace in Kano and defied the directives of the state government and state high court that he should cease parading himself as the emir.

When the federal court next heard the matter on 20 June, the judge chided the governor for reinstating Sanusi, saying the action was in disrespect of his court’s order for a freeze of actions on the new law.

The judge said despite being served with the court order, the state government went ahead to appoint Sanusi as the 16 Emir of Kano on 24 May.

“Every step taken by the defendants in pursuance to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 is hereby annulled and set aside.

“That, however, this order doesn’t affect the validity of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 which is the subject of the substantive suit.

“That the order sought by the plaintiff, which extends to the validity of the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 which is the subject matter of the substantive suit, is hereby refused.

“That the earlier order directing parties to maintain status quo ante still stands,” the judge said in the certified true copy of the ruling released on Friday.

However, the state government has said the emir was reinstated four days before it was served with the court order on 27 May and has interpreted the status quo to mean the state of events before the court granted the interim judgement.

But Mamman Yusufari, a senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), insisted that the ruling of the court on Thursday invalidated Sanusi’s reinstatement.

Yusufari, a professor of law, said on a radio programme, ‘Rigar Kaya’ anchored by Yakubu Musa-Fagge, that the ruling also voided all actions taken by the governor, including the signing of the new emirate council law.

“The governor appointed Sanusi after the court order. The court gave the order on 23 May and the governor reappointed Sanusi on 24 May,” Yusufari said.

He said the governor was aware of the court order because he protested against the order being served virtually, stating that the judge, Liman, issued it from the United States of America.

“The judge described the governor’s action as disrespectful and cannot be tolerated in a country with law and order because nobody is above the law. In the eyes of the law, the appointment of Sanusi didn’t exist because it was conducted in disregard to the law of the land.

“The judge was silent on the validity or otherwise of the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 but said all other action taken by the governor before the court order is null and void, which includes the signing of the law by the governor, meaning that the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024, is still a bill, not a law.

“With this, all the five Kano emirate councils are still in force because there is no law in place that removed them. The appointment of Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano is illegal, with this, all parties in the crisis are maintaining the status quo as directed by the court.

“The substantive case will continue at the high court if the appeal court rules on the jurisdiction suit in favour of the applicant, but if it ruled against, the case will definitely reach the Supreme Court because I doubt if any of the contenders will surrender at the appeal court,” Yusufari stated on the radio programme.

Meanwhile, Liman has transferred the case to another judge, Simon Amobeda, due to his elevation to the Court of Appeal.

On Friday, Amobeda halted the hearing of the substantive suit following an appeal by the state government challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain chieftaincy matters.

 

PT

 

Uwem Udokwere, a retired brigadier general, has been killed in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Udokwere was said to have been killed by armed robbers in an estate on Saturday morning.

Josephine Adeh, spokesperson of the federal capital territory (FCT) police command, in a statement, said Benneth Igweh, the commission of police, has ordered immediate investigation into the incident.

“In response to the tragic and unprecedented attack at Sunshine homes estate by armed robbers, resulting in the untimely demise of one Brigadier General Uwem Harold Udokwere (rtd.) on June 22, 2024, at approximately 03:00 a.m, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Benneth C. Igweh, has promptly ordered a thorough and discreet investigation into the circumstances surrounding this regrettable event,” the command spokesperson said.

“Expressing profound condolences to the bereaved family, Igweh, assures the family and the public of swift justice, with every effort in conduit to ensure the perpetrators of the atrocious act are apprehended and brought to justice.

“Furthermore, the commissioner of police reaffirms the unflinching commitment of the command to amplify the security landscape of the nation’s capital, by continually adapting strategies to effectively combat evolving criminal activities.

“Updates on this matter will be provided in due course.”

 

The Cable

Israeli strikes kill at least 42 in Gaza, enclave's government media office says

At least 42 people were killed in Israeli attacks on districts of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave on Saturday, the director of the Hamas-run government media office said.

One Israeli strike on houses in Al-Shati, one of the Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee camps, killed 24 people, Ismail Al-Thawabta told Reuters. Another 18 Palestinians were killed in a strike on houses in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood.

The Israeli military released a brief statement saying: "A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck two Hamas military infrastructure sites in the area of Gaza City."

It said more details would be released soon.

Hamas did not comment on the Israeli claim to have hit its military infrastructure. It said in a statement the attacks targeted the civilian population and vowed in a statement "the occupation and its Nazi leaders will pay the price for their violations against our people."

Footage obtained by Reuters showed dozens of Palestinians rushing out to search for victims amid the destroyed houses. The footage showed wrecked homes, blasted walls, and debris and dust filling the street in Shati refugee camp.

Israel's ground and air campaign in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The offensive has left Gaza in ruins, killed more than 37,400 people, of whom 101 were killed in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian health authorities, and left nearly the entire population homeless and destitute.

More than eight months into the war, Israel's advance is now focused on the two last areas its forces had yet to seize: Rafah on Gaza's southern edge and the area surrounding Deir al-Balah in the centre.

Residents said Israeli tanks deepened their incursion into western and northern Rafah areas in recent days. On Saturday Israeli forces bombed several areas from air and the ground, forcing many families living in areas described as humanitarian-designated zones to leave northwards.

The Israeli military said forces continued "precise, intelligence-based" targeted operations in Rafah, killing many Palestinian gunmen and dismantling military infrastructure.

On Friday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 25 Palestinians were killed in Mawasi in western Rafah and 50 wounded. Palestinians said a tank shell hit a tent housing displaced families.

The Israeli military said that the incident was under review. "An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi," it said.

 

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?

The multistorey building stands alone just off a main road. The houses around it are completely destroyed, razed to the ground by relentless Russian shelling, and the dirt road is scarred by shrapnel. All that can be heard is the sound of a bomb being dropped, followed seconds later by a mighty explosion.

The bomb smashes into the ground 10 metres from the building, opening up a huge crater before a swelling fireball engulfs the entire three floors. When the smoke eventually dissipates, the footage shows the building’s whole roof has been ripped off.

This, Russian military bloggers are claiming, is the first test of a 3000kg glide bomb, otherwise known as the Fab-3000, a modified munition that is packed with nearly a tonne and a half of explosives. Earlier versions of these explosives, which are Soviet-era munitions retrofitted with fixed wings and GPS navigation systems that extend their range beyond the reach of Ukrainian anti-air defences, appeared earlier this year. These were the Fab-500s and the Fab-1500s.

This building is located on the eastern side of Lyptsi, a small village just behind the front line in the northeast Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv has been under relentless ground and aerial assault since thousands of Vladimir Putin’s forces pushed over the border from Russia in mid-May. Having moved several miles towards the region’s namesake capital, home to around 1.3 million civilians, Ukraine’s forces have managed to halt the attack about two miles north of Lyptsi. It is about 20 miles from Kharkiv.

This alleged new model threatens to worsen an already dire situation facing not only Ukraine’s soldiers but the millions of civilians living within range of these glide bombs.

Since their introduction, they have killed hundreds, even perhaps thousands, of Ukrainians. Aid workers in Kharkiv city say the explosives have even rendered bomb shelters irrelevant.

“If a glide bomb hits then you’ve just got no hope,” says Ada Wordsworth, who runs a charity rebuilding homes in the wider Kharkiv region. “The destruction is so massive. It’s a weird kind of psychological torture [to face them].”

The footage posted by the Kremlin-approved Russian military blogger Fighter Bomber, believed to be in the Russian air force, purports to show a new version of the glide bombs that is twice as heavy as its predecessor, and twice as destructive.

“This is an excellent result even for a guided munition,” Fighter Bomber wrote alongside the video, before claiming that fragments of the bomb “retain their destructive power at a range of 1,240 metres”.

He added: “Here there is one bomb but you can throw 10 of them [at once].”

In March, footage showed Russia’s then defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, touring a weapons manufacturing plant located around 250 miles east of Moscow, where production of a new Fab-3000 M-54 was announced.

Ukrainian officials say they have noted the latest video, but that fragments of the weapon – which would be used to identify it – have not yet reached investigators. “All we can say for sure at the moment is that such objects have not yet been submitted to us for examination,” Natalia Nestor, deputy director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, the investigative arm of Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice said. She added that if confirmed, this would be the first piece of evidence of the Fab-3000.

The Institute for the Study of War, which monitors Russia’s invasion, is taking the footage as proof of the use of the bombs. “The fact that Russian forces have figured out how to launch FAB-3000s is a significant development,” the Washington-based think tank wrote in its latest daily update, citing the video posted by Fighter Bomber. “It will increase the destructive potential of Russia’s ongoing glide bomb attacks against Ukrainian forces and infrastructure.”

Other analysts have been more circumspect in their assessments, choosing to wait for confirmation from the ground before determining whether this marks a new weapon. In either case, the level of destruction the video shows has had people in Ukraine calling for more to be done to deal with glide bombs.

“If this is not a FREAKING MASSIVE WAKE UP CALL for finally doing everything possible and impossible to find a solution to the notorious [glide bomb] problem, I don’t know what is,” Illia Ponomarenko, Ukraine’s most followed journalist, wrote on Twitter/X.

The problem of glide bombs is “notorious” because they are extremely difficult to shoot down. The bombs’ navigation modifications mean they can be fired well beyond the range of Ukrainian air defences from deep within Russia territory.

The most effective way to stop the missiles is to shoot down the fighter jets carrying them, either in the air or while they are stationed at a base. But up until last month, Ukraine’s Western allies had barred Kyiv from using their missiles to strike over the border, meaning that fighter jets could launch these glide bombs without fear of being hit within Russia itself.

The Pentagon said on Friday that Ukraine's military is now allowed to use longer-range missiles provided by the US to strike targets inside Russia across more than just the front lines near Kharkiv, if Kyiv is acting in self defence, opening the way for Ukraine to halt the glide problem at the source.

But Ukraine’s leaders have been clear that US-made F-16 fighter jets are also crucial for its fight against the glide bomb threat. The first batch of F-16s, from around 80 promised by several European countries, is expected to arrive in Ukraine this summer, and they will allow Kyiv to go toe to toe with Russian fighter jets while in the air.

“Against these [glide bombs], even air defence systems are not so useful,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to president Volodymyr Zelensky, last month. “Only F-16s will work.”

** Russia launches 'massive' attack on Ukrainian power grid

Ukrainian energy facilities have come under a massive attack from Russia, in the latest onslaught targeting the country's power grid, officials say.

It is the eighth time Russia has launched an attack on energy infrastructure facilities in the past three months, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

Air defence systems shot down 12 of 16 missiles and all 13 drones launched by Russia at several regions through the night, the Ukrainian air force said.

Later on Saturday officials in Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine said three people were killed and at least 18 injured by Russian guided bombs, with at least four explosions heard in the city.

“This is one more terrorist attack, a precise attack on civilian infrastructure. There is nothing of military interest in this district," Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov said.

The overnight attacks on infrastructure wounded two energy workers in the central Zaporizhzhia region, and damaged equipment in the western city of Lviv, officials said.

In the south-western region of Ivano-Frankivsk, the authorities also reported damage to houses and a kindergarten.

Russia has renewed its campaign of strikes on Ukrainian energy targets over spring and early summer, causing frequent blackouts across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said Moscow had destroyed half of his country’s electricity-generating capacity since it began pummelling its energy facilities in late March.

On Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said seven employees were wounded and energy infrastructure, including a power station, had been damaged in a major overnight attack.

Ukraine is buying energy from the European Union, however, this is not enough to make up the deficit.

This means that most days involve a planned nationwide blackout to protect critical infrastructure such a hospitals and military facilities.

"We urgently need to close our skies or Ukraine faces a serious crisis this winter," the chief executive DTEK, of one of Ukraine's largest private energy companies, Maxim Timchenko said.

"My plea to allies is to help us defend our energy system and rebuild in time.”

Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine's allies to send more air defence systems. He has specifically requested seven sophisticated air defence systems called Patriots from the US.

Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia's governor, echoed Zelensky's message on Saturday morning in a message posted to Telegram.

"We can say for sure: the enemy will not stop. Ukraine needs air defence systems." he said.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that Washington would put Ukraine at the top of the queue for Patriot deliveries, ahead of other countries that have ordered them.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians hiding from draft officers — NYT

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have gone into hiding as they avoid conscription for fear of dying in the conflict involving "bloody trench warfare," The New York Times reported on Friday.

While it is not clear how many men are hiding from authorities, in big cities like Kiev and Lvov, social media groups alerting members to mobilization include tens of thousands of people, the newspaper wrote.

Ukrainian men expressed fear of dying in the conflict, the NYT continued. According to the newspaper, Kiev has been sending troops without "sufficient training" to the front to replace combat losses.

Military analysts agree that a lack of adequate training makes it difficult for Kiev to hold its lines, the newspaper concluded.

Ukraine announced a general mobilization in February 2022, which it has extended periodically ever since, with the country’s authorities doing their utmost to prevent men of conscription age from dodging the draft, including a ban on male residents of Ukraine from leaving the country. On May 18, a law tightening mobilization rules came into force in Ukraine, allowing hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians to be called up into the army.

** Ukraine lost Canadian armored combat vehicle Senator for the first time

 For the first time since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported the loss of the Canadian armored combat vehicle Senator by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Units of the West group of forces occupied more advantageous positions, defeated the personnel and equipment of the 58th motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the 102nd, 123rd ground defense brigades and the 21st brigade of the National Guard in the areas of the settlements of Varvarovka, Novoivanovka in the Zaporozhye region, Prechistovka and Neskuchnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. Enemy losses reached over 140 servicemen and one Canadian-made Senator armored fighting vehicle," the ministry said.

At the same time, the Russian military destroyed warehouses for storing unmanned boats and aircraft-type UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces, and artillery of groupings of troops of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed warehouses for storing unmanned boats and aircraft-type UAVs, and defeated concentrations of enemy forces and military equipment in 127 regions," the ministry said.

Units of Russia’s South battlegroup have also improved the situation along the frontline over the past 24 hours. "Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line and defeated the manpower and equipment of the 143rd Infantry, 30th, 54th, 93rd Mechanized, 79th Air Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Chasov Yar, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka, Kalinino, Grigorovka, Krasnogorovka, Razdolovka, and Verkhnekamenskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

 

Independent/BBC/Tass