And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you ~ Matthew 17:20.

Introduction:

The subject of faith is a quintessential subject in our Christian persuasion (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). Nothing works without it: salvation, healing, prosperity, and victory cannot be accessed without it. Even eternal life cannot be enjoyed without exercising ourselves in it (Mark 16:16-18).

Faith is crucial to living, and it’s very paramount to the believer’s justification (Galatians 2:16). We must therefore develop an accurate understanding of its nature, and build ourselves, grow and mature in it before it can work or produce for us.

Unbelief and doubt are the chiefest enemies of faith. Below the surface, unbelief festers and truncates colorful destinies. We all must receive grace to eliminate doubt in our hearts and replace every vestige of unbelief in our spaces with robust faith in God (Mark 11:22-23).

Faith is firm confidence in the integrity of God and His Word. It is a resolute expectation of the good things which God has promised us (Matthew 8:6-13). Faith evidences the certainty of future things, and it’s the ground, basis and foundation of every reality.

Unraveling the mystery of faith in Hebrews 11:1-7, the scripture affirms that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence (or demonstration) of things not seen. A “demonstration” is that which cannot be otherwise, but is so as we assert.

Our faith says that what we expect cannot but be! Faith is a reliable companion and a sure passage. It is the spiritual organ of appropriation, and an invisible hand that takes what God offers. Faith is the proof producer of good reports.

By faith, Abraham obtained the divine promise and became the father of nations. By faith also, Noah built the Ark for 120 years and preserved a select group from the deluge of God’s wrath. Faith is a fixed persuasion of things hoped for (Hebrews 10:35-36). No wonder, those who live by faith are called the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9).

Now, faith is fake without action; it’s dead without works (James 2:17). Faith is “a fact”, but also “an act” motivated by God’s Word. Jesus told the man with a withered hand,“Stretch forth thine hand”. The man did so, and wholeness was restored to him (Mark 3:1-5).

Occasionally, when you’re acting in faith, you may appear primitive in the eyes of others, but the dignity of your eventual victory will be undeniable.

The marriage celebrations almost stalled at a time in Cana of Galilee, if not for Jesus who was there. “Fill the waterpots with water”, He said, and they did. “Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast”, He further commanded. When they obeyed in faith, the rest was a historic miracle (John 2:1-11).

Your faith is your valid instrument of victory in Christ Jesus (1John 5:4). Faith is the only shield that can guarantee protection against the darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16; 1Peter 5:7-9).

Real faith puts you in God’ class by God’s intentional grace (Luke 1:37; Matthew 17:20). When faith is in place, the power of God swings to action. Until your faith fails, you don’t become a failure.

It takes faith to move God to work for you. As long as your faith abides, it gives all the force of reality to that which is believed (Mark 10:46-52; Matthew 9:27-30).

The Sure Fountain of Pure Faith

Faith is that quality that makes us feel and act as if unseen things are tangible, and which causes them to exert an influence over us as if we see them. Think about it!

Now, a very important question at this stage is: “how does faith come”? Yes indeed, anyone in Christ can contact a strong productive faith, and even mature in the same by hearing the Word of God. It is His Word that imparts faith (Romans 10:17).

However, it is not enough to hear the Word of God; you must hear it from Him. You cannot hear Him and remain the same! When you choose to hear Him, you cannot doubt Him.

The Voice of the Lord is powerful, irresistible and full of majesty (Psalms 29:4). When you hear the Lord’s Voice, you become a significant voice on earth.

Though Saul was once a violent persecutor, the day he heard the Voice of Jesus Christ, he recognized His Lordship (Act 22:6-9). Other people around him saw the Light, but only Saul heard the Voice. You cannot hear His Voice and remain untouched.

Light signalizes information, Voice represents personality. If you are informed and the Lord is not there, there can be no substance or change of status.

Adam heard from God, and Satan couldn’t deceive him directly (1 Timothy 2:14). Noah heard from God, and he had no problem believing God. Moses heard from God, he went straight to confront Pharaoh, the same man he ran away from earlier.

Men of exploits in the Bible were men who were sensitive to the Voice of God (John 5:30). Until you hear from God, you have nothing to hold onto. Until your spiritual deafness is healed, your future remains awry.

To matter on earth, you must hear from heaven (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 89:15).

Happily, our Father-God still speaks to His people today! But, to hear Him, you must be spiritual to start with (Revelation 1:10-20). Flesh and blood cannot hear from God because God is a Spirit Being (John 4:24). Behind every written Word is His Voice; hence, His Word is spirit and life (John 6:63).

Again, we must gladly worship the Lord if we want to hear His Voice. When Elisha needed to hear from heaven, he requested a minstrel to break through the siege of the spirit of heaviness (2 Kings 3:15).

Furthermore, you must be still to know this joyful sound (Isaiah 30:15; Psalms 4:4; 46:10; 84:4). Nothing works by anxiety (1Kings 19:4). Anxiety chokes the seed of the Word, thereby constituting itself a major enemy of destiny (Luke 8:14).

Moreover, be obedient (John 2:5). Be meek and humble (1Peter 5:5; James 4:7). And, choose the walk of faith, today (2Corinthians 5:7). Nothing that’s visible is durable; but the invisible things which carry eternal value can only be evidenced in our lives here on earth through faith (2Corinthians 4:18).

Albeit, real faith is not just about quoting “quotable quotes”. It is a weapon of war. You don’t just watch the enemy gain ground in your family, business, body, career, and mind. You fight him to finish with your Word of faith and prayers.

Friends and brethren, the fight of faith is the only guaranteed way to winning (1Timothy 6:12). Whatever has not been working in your life till now can be forced to work by faith in the dominion power of our God and King (Matthew 11:12).

Fight sin, Satan, poverty, sickness and stagnation: our God takes pleasure in such fights that resist evil (Deuteronomy 2:24,31). Never give a room for Satan. Sing excitingly, “Thanks be unto God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ”. See you on payday! You won’t miss out, in Jesus name. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

The Bible is a book of prophecies. God says in the Scriptures: 

“Don’t forget the many times I clearly told you what was going to happen in the future. For I am God – I only – and there is no other like Me who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Even some of the historical situations presented in the Scriptures are prophetic. Therefore, they are fulfilled again and again. For example, the persecution of Isaac by his brother, Ishmael, is re-enacted in the persecution of Joseph by his brothers, repeated in the persecution of David by his brothers, and again replicated in the persecution of Jesus by His brothers. 

The process continues today in the persecution of true believers by pretender Christians. 

Prophetic Christians

Since the believer is created in the image and likeness of Christ, our identity is in the word of God. All we need to do is search the Scriptures to determine what manner of men we are and what the future holds. This is because the Bible does not merely predict the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also foretells the birth, growth, and development of believers and the church of Christ. 

It is the prophetic revelation about Christians that is of particular interest here. The Scriptures indicate that Christians will not like Christ. The church in the wilderness rejected Moses. The Israelites rejected the prophets. The Jews rejected Jesus. Christians will reject the word of God.   

God says to Ezekiel: 

“I am sending you to the people of Israel with My messages. I am not sending you to some far-off foreign land where you can’t understand the language – no, not to tribes with strange, difficult tongues. (If I did, they would listen!). I am sending you to the people of Israel, and they won’t listen to you any more than they listen to Me! For the whole lot of them are hard, impudent, and stubborn.” (Ezekiel 3:4-7).

Indeed, the Scriptures detail not so much how Jesus is hated by men, as how He is hated by His people. 

John says:  “(Jesus) came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11). 

That statement is prophetic. Today, Christians are supposedly the people of God; so, the scripture now applies to us. It means Christians will not receive Christ. 

Jesus Himself observes that: 

“A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:57).

Christian animosity

Most Christians do not like the Jesus of the Bible. We may say we love the Lord because He is our Saviour, but the truth is we do not like Him. 

“Why don’t you like Me?” asks God. “What did I do to drive you away?” 

“What iniquity did you find in Me that turned you against Me?” (Jeremiah 2:5).   

“Hear, O you mountains, the LORD’S complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a complaint against His people, and He will contend with Israel. ‘O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.’” (Micah 6:2-3).

Moses says God created man in His image. However, George Bernard Shaw was right when he said: “We have decided to return the favour.” We have created God in our image. 

Christians do not like the God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we contradict Him at every turn. 

We do not want the God who insists we should love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44-45). We prefer a God who sends the fire of the Holy Ghost to destroy them. We do not want the God who says those who use the sword will be killed by the sword. (Matthew 26:52). We prefer a God who provides us with AK47 rifles. 

We do not like the God who says we should turn the other cheek. (Luke 6:29). We prefer the God who gives an eye for an eye. We do not want the God who desires mercy. (Matthew 9:13). We prefer a God who exacts eternal punishment on sinners. 

The God revealed in Christ is far too demanding for us. He wants everything we have. (Luke 14:33). But Christians prefer a God that only requires a tithe. We do not like the God in Christ who regards men and women as equals. We prefer the God who legislates that women must be servants of men. We do not like the God in Christ who says we should bless those who curse us. (Matthew 5:44). We prefer the God who allows us to abuse our opponents.   

Christians do not like the Jesus who was born in poor and humble circumstances. We prefer the Jesus of our mega-pastors who fly around in airplanes and even establish their own private airlines. We do not like the Jesus who did not go to school and get a formal education. (John 7:15-16).We prefer the fictional Jesus who boasts of his Ph.D degree. We prefer the God who establishes church schools and universities, where much money is made by charging high school fees.

New improved Jesus

Indeed, the real Jesus of Nazareth has become so offensive to Christians that we have created a new improved Jesus more to our liking. This new Jesus is no longer poor, meek, and lowly. But according to some, He is a rich man who wears “designer clothes.” Some Christians even claim the donkey Jesus rode in humility into Jerusalem was a brand-new “Continental Donkey;” thereby ascribing to it the same status as today’s Cadillac.   

Christians have given Jesus a spiritual makeover. He is no longer physically ugly, according to prophecy: 

“He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (Isaiah 53:2). 

The modern-day Jesus preferred by Christians is very handsome. He is not even Middle Eastern any longer: He is European and blue-eyed. 

In effect, we have fulfilled the prophecy which says of the true Jesus:   

“He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah 53:3).

But even more than the fact that we do not like Jesus personally, we certainly do not like His doctrine. We do not like His insistence that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Him. (Matthew 16:24). We do not like His requirement that we have to lose our life to save our life. (Mark 8:35). 

We do not heed His warning that we should not be worldly but should be hated by the world.

(John 15:18-20). We do not obey His injunction not to have any other father but God.

(Matthew 23:9). We do not agree with Him that a rich man cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24).  

We are then confronted with this dire prophetic decree:

“Therefore, God will deal with them and burn them. They will disappear like straw on fire. Their roots will rot and their flowers wither, for they have thrown away the laws of God and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. That is why the anger of the Lord is hot against His people; that is why He has reached out His hand to smash them.” (Isaiah 5:24-25).

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com

What if the secret to being happier was purely just to get older?

It sounds absurd, but at 63 years old, I can say that the last few decades have been a tale of two midlives: one very dark from my 30s- to -40s, and one truly splendid ... starting when I hit 50. 

The No. 1 reason? My emotional intelligence increased. And, as I discovered while writing my book, “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age,” high emotional intelligence is a crucial ingredient for boosting happiness and resilience.

Emotional intelligence, which is the capacity to understand and control our emotions, as well as being sensitive to others’ feelings, nurtures our relationships and boosts our empathy.

This can lead to stronger social connections. And as we age, our social bonds become even more vital to our well-being. With higher emotional intelligence, you’re also better equipped to grasp and empathize with the emotions of others, fostering deeper, more fulfilling relationships.

Here’s how my emotional intelligence has grown since I’ve gotten older:

1. I feel more compassion for others

As I age, I’ve softened ... and not just around my belly. I experience less ego and more soul. I feel more deeply for others’ life circumstances.

Fortunately, I am able to direct some of that increased compassion toward myself as well.

2. I am less emotionally reactive and more emotionally fluent

When I was younger, I had a kind of emotional vertigo; my emotions constantly made me feel imbalanced and uneasy. I didn’t know how to dance with them. In fact, I often tried to outrun my emotions.

Today, I don’t sweat the small stuff. I’m able to positively reappraise negative experiences, like getting stuck in traffic in an Uber (interpretation: great chance to meditate).

Simultaneously, my enhanced ability to recognize my patterns, habits, and tendencies allows me to observe myself more effectively.

3. I don’t take things so personally

Don Miguel Ruiz, the author of “The Four Agreements,” says: “There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”

This skill is particularly valuable in our polarized, “cancel culture” era.

4. I have a better understanding of how to create my ideal habitats

Social scientists call this “environmental mastery,” or the ability to determine which environments one will flourish in — and the capacity to adjust and adapt to changes in those habitats.

This also speaks to why, in the workplace, older people on a team have been found to create more “psychological safety” on teams: because their environmental mastery, combined with their compassion, helps them create the proper conditions for team flourishing.

5. I value relationships more

It’s been said that the two questions people ask on their deathbed are “Did I love well, and was I well‐loved?”

The longitudinal Harvard Study on Adult Development and the Blue Zones research conclusively show that the relationships we cultivate in our lives can actually increase our lifespan.

Of course, there are always outliers — Exhibit A: your perennially grumpy 75‐year‐old uncle. But he’s an exception, not the rule.

Chip Conley is the author of ”Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age.″ After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, Conley founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018.

 

CNBC

Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) on Friday raised the alarm over high cost of operation even as aviation fuel has hit over N1300.

This is despite the rising dollar to Naira exchange rate of over N1,500 to a dollar which has made it difficult for airlines to carry out scheduled maintenance of their aircraft.

The operators said the situation poses existential threat to them, saying the aircraft that are due for maintenance have been grounded and cannot be ferried overseas because of the scarcity of forex.

According to them, there is continuous depletion of equipment without replenishment and warned that if this continues the country may not have operating aircraft for domestic services.

Spokesman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Obiora Okonkwo, in a statement stated that airlines need urgent government intervention without which many airlines would go under and government would be their undertaker.

The airlines said the lack of stability in foreign exchange and the soaring price of aviation fuel, which is now N1,300 per litre, have eroded their ability to plan; created uncertainty and precariousness in their operations.

Okonkwo, who is also the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, explained that travellers who bought forward tickets in 2023 when aviation fuel was N700 per litre and exchange rate was N800/$1 would be airlifted at the current price of aviation, N1,300 per litre and exchange rate of N1400/$1; so, the airlines are recording huge losses on those tickets.

“We are making losses on factors that are beyond our control. We are not only faced with the problem of scarcity of dollars; even the aviation ecosystem is feeling the heat. Handling companies have increased the cost of their services, airports have increased their charges and those that service the aircraft have also increased the cost of their services. The monies for these payments are coming from the passengers who are already exhausted financially,” he said.

Okonkwo said that many businesses in Nigeria are making poor returns so those entrepreneurs who are the crux of passengers that travel during the high and low season are no more travelling and those who travel on tourism and social engagement are not enough to provide airlines good load factor to sustain their operations at the current low season.

“Passenger traffic has shrunk because even those on social engagement like weddings, burials and other ceremonies may not be inclined to spend money on flight tickets; they would rather send credit alert to those hosting the events who would appreciate such gestures. So, they pay instead of appearing in person,” he said.

“Air travel is catalyst to economic development. There should have been government engagement with airlines at different levels. Airlines do not have special forex allocation; so, they buy at the same place traders who trade on Brazilian hair, textiles and others buy.

“Our passion to remain in this business is being eroded. We are at the point of oxygen supply. Some airlines are going into coma. Our equipment is diminishing. The minimal revenues we earn to keep the airlines flying, we convert to pay our lessors.

“It is impossible to bring in more aircraft. Aircraft owners have become sceptical because of country risk. A Nigerian airline may meet their terms, all the standard criteria but the aircraft owners consider country risk above other factors. Country risk supersedes everything and lessors have their own obligations. So, there is nothing personal. Some airlines deposited money with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but they cannot provide us the needed dollars.”

 

Daily Trust

Shell Plc's Nigeria unit said on Friday it has resumed supply of crude oil from its Bonny export terminal to the state-owned refinery in Port Harcourt which is expected to start operations in the first quarter of this year, the company said on Friday.

The dual-unit plant, which is undergoing a revamp and almost set for a restart, will begin by processing 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, before ramping up to its full capacity of 210,000 bpd later this year.

A total of 475,000 barrels of oil was delivered to the Port Harcourt refinery on January 18, Shell's Bonny oil terminal manager Osita Nnajiofor said in an emailed statement on Friday.

"Future supplies from Bonny oil and gas terminal would be guided by the demand for the product," he said.

Shell spokesperson Bamidele Odugbesan told Reuters by phone that the oil deliveries to the refinery were made this week.

Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC Ltd last month tendered for operators for its Port Harcourt refinery in the oil-rich Rivers state.

The NNPC at the turn of the year said it planned to complete test runs at the refinery by the end of January in a major step towards resuming operations five years after the plant was shut down.

Port Harcourt is one of four state-owned refineries that have been mothballed for years, but which the government is trying to revive to end the country's reliance on fuel imports.

 

Reuters

President Bola Tinubu signed the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, into law on Friday after it was passed by the house of representatives and the senate.

The bill, sponsored by Babajimi Benson, representative of Ikorodu federal constituency of Lagos state, was passed by the house of representatives on July 27, 2023, and by the senate on November 14, 2023.

In a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, the bill seeks to address the development and environmental concerns of host communities.

Ngelale said it also sets aside five percent of the actual annual operating expenditures of power-generating companies (GENCOs) from the preceding year for the development of their respective host communities.

“The Bill further provides that the funds set aside for the development of host communities will be received, managed, and administered for infrastructure development in the host communities by a reputable Trustee/Manager to be jointly appointed by the respective GENCO and their host community,” Ngelale said.

The new electricity law repeals the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 and consolidates the laws relating to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

 

The Cable

Armed bandits have targeted Kogo village in Faskari Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State, kidnapping 16 residents, including children, women, and men.

According to a local resident who spoke with our correspondent, the attack which was carried out at about 8:20pm yesterday, caught the villagers off guard as the assailants executed their plan with meticulous precision.

“The hoodlums quietly infiltrated the community, parked their motorcycles at a distance to avoid detection. Without causing much uproar, the assailants targeted a residence and eventually took away 16 people comprising of children, women, and men.

The community is now grappling with fear and uncertainty, anxiously awaiting updates on the ongoing situation. The residents are deeply concerned about the safety of their kidnapped fellow villagers and the overall security of the area”, the local source revealed.

When contacted, Abubakar Aliyu, spokesperson for the Katsina Police Command, stated that he would verify the report and provide a response. As of the time of filing this report, he was yet to confirm or communicate any updates.

 

Vanguard

Israel seeks to evacuate Palestinians jammed into a southern Gaza city ahead of an expected invasion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said he has ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli invasion of the densely populated southern Gaza city.

The announcement came after heavy international criticism, including from the U.S., of Israeli intentions to move ground forces into the city that borders Egypt. Rafah had a prewar population of roughly 280,000, and according to the United Nations is now home to some 1.4 million additional people living with relatives, in shelters or in sprawling tent camps after fleeing fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

Israel says that Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza after more than four months of war.

“It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war of eliminating Hamas by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu’s office said. “On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat.”

It said he had ordered the military and security officials to come up with a “combined plan” that includes both a mass evacuation of civilians and the destruction of Hamas’ forces in the town.

Israel declared war after several thousand Hamas militants burst across the border into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. An Israeli air and ground offensive has killed roughly 28,000 Palestinians, most of them women and minors, according to local health officials. Roughly 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, and the territory has plunged into a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food and medical services.

Netanyahu has largely rebuffed international criticism of the civilian death toll, saying that Hamas is responsible for endangering civilians by operating and hiding in residential areas. But that criticism has grown in recent days as Netanyahu and other leaders vow to move into Rafah.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that Israel’s conduct in the war is “over the top,” the harshest U.S. criticism yet of its close ally. The State Department said an invasion of Rafah in the current circumstances “would be a disaster.”

The operation will be a challenge on many levels. It remains unclear where civilians can go. The Israeli offensive has caused widespread destruction, especially in northern Gaza, and hundreds of thousands of people do not have homes to return to.

In addition, Egypt has warned that any movement of Palestinians across the border into Egypt would threaten the four-decade-old peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. The border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which is mostly closed, serves as the main entry point for humanitarian aid.

Israel already has begun to strike Rafah from the air. Airstrikes overnight and into Friday hit two residential buildings in Rafah, while two other sites were bombed in central Gaza, including one that damaged a kindergarten-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinians. Twenty-two people were killed, according to AP journalists who saw the bodies arriving at hospitals.

GROWING FRICTION

Comments from top U.S. officials about Rafah have signaled growing friction with Netanyahu after a visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken, who has been working with Egypt and Qatar on trying to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, left the region Thursday without an agreement. But he said he believed it was still possible to strike a deal that would include an extended pause in fighting in exchange for the release of many of the more than 100 hostages held by Hamas.

Netanyahu appeared to snub Blinken, saying he will settle for nothing short of “total victory.” The Israeli leader has said the war seeks to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and return all hostages home. With Blinken still in town, Netanyahu said achieving those goals would require an operation in Rafah. Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, said Thursday that going ahead with such an offensive “with no planning and little thought in an area where there is sheltering of a million people would be a disaster.”

John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, said an Israel ground offensive in Rafah is “not something we would support.”

Aid agency officials have also sounded warnings over the prospect of a Rafah offensive. “We need Gaza’s last remaining hospitals, shelters, markets and water systems to stay functional,” said Catherine Russell, head of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF. “Without them, hunger and disease will skyrocket, taking more child lives.”

With the war now in its fifth month, Israeli ground forces are still focusing on the city of Khan Younis, just north of Rafah, but Netanyahu has repeatedly said Rafah will be next, creating panic among hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

AIRSTRIKES OVERNIGHT

Shortly after midnight Friday, a residential building was struck near Rafah’s Kuwaiti Hospital, killing five people from the al-Sayed family, including three children and a woman. A second Rafah strike killed three more people.

Another overnight strike, in the central town of Deir al-Balah, claimed nine lives. Also in central Gaza, a strike hit near a kindergarten-turned-shelter, damaging the building. It killed five and wounded several more people. Witnesses said shelter residents were asleep at the time.

A woman, carrying a small girl in her arms, shouted as she arrived at the local Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital: “What can we do? This is the work of the coward Zionist enemy that chooses innocent civilians. This girl is firing rockets at the Jews? May God help us.”

Some of the wounded children were treated while lying on the floor.

WORKING FOR A CEASE-FIRE

Israel’s 4-month-old air and ground offensive — among the most destructive in recent history — has killed 27,947 Palestinians and wounded more than 67,000, local health officials said Friday. The war has driven most people from their homes and pushed a quarter of the population toward starvation, according to the U.N.

Biden has said said he continues to work “tirelessly” to press Israel and Hamas to agree on an extended pause in fighting.

Netanyahu has rejected Hamas’ demands for a hostage deal, which includes an end to the war and the release of hundreds of veteran Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences in Israel for deadly attacks carried out as part of the long-running conflict. Netanyahu dismissed Hamas’ demands as delusional, even as Blinken said he believes continued negotiations, through mediators Egypt and Qatar, are possible.

Israel’s war goals appear increasingly elusive, as Hamas reemerges in parts of northern Gaza, which was the first target of the offensive and has seen widespread destruction. Israel has only rescued one hostage, while Hamas says several have been killed in airstrikes or failed rescue missions.

 

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Kharkiv swept by fire after Russian drones strike petrol station

Russian drones struck a petrol station in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, late on Friday, triggering a vast fire that engulfed private homes, local officials said.

Officials said drones also hit a hospital and a restaurant in the town of Velykyi Berluk, east of Kharkiv.

In Kharkiv, the head of the local prosecutor's office, Oleksandr Filchakov, said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app that three drones hit the petrol station in Nemyshlianskyi district just before 11 p.m.

"There was a great deal of fuel and that's why there are these dreadful consequences from the fire," Filchakov said.

One person was injured. Filchakov said that toll could rise as search and rescue operations proceeded through the night.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 14 private homes had been destroyed and 50 residents evacuated. A video posted by the mayor showed flames and smoke rising over a wide area.

The top military official in Velykyi Burluk, Viktor Tereshchenko, told public broadcaster Suspilne that drones had damaged a hospital and a restaurant. Details on casualties were being clarified.

Officials reported an attack on a hospital in the town last week, prompting the evacuation of dozens of patients.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm details of the attack. Russia did not immediately respond to a request for comment but says it does not deliberately target civilian sites.

Kharkiv has been under attack regularly since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been a frequent target of Russian assaults in recent weeks.

In the Black Sea port of Odesa, the regional governor said a drone attack had injured one person.

Three people were reported killed in shelling earlier in the day in a village in Sumy region on the border with Russia.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine running out of ammunition – FT

Ukrainian frontline units have resorted to rationing artillery rounds because US supplies have stopped and the EU has been unable to deliver on its promises, according to a Financial Times report on Friday.

Kiev is facing a “critical” shortage of Western-caliber artillery ammunition, unnamed EU and US officials told the UK-based outlet. One American described it as a “gap in the hose.”  

“It is a desperate situation on the front lines for the Ukrainians, far worse than they are letting on,” a senior NATO diplomat told FT.

The outlet said it had seen a letter from Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell, which lamented that shortages are getting worse by the day.

“The old truism still holds true — the side with the most ammunition to fight usually wins,”  Umerov wrote. The “absolute critical daily minimum requirement” for Ukraine was 6,000 shells a day, but its military has been able to fire about a third of that, he added.

A Pentagon official described the situation as “a very grim scenario,”noting that without Congress approving additional aid, the US can’t send over more ammunition from its own stockpiles, or commission new rounds from the industry.

The White House had bundled a $60 billion Ukraine aid package with funding for Israel and the US-Mexico border, which ended up getting stuck in Congress due to domestic political concerns. The foreign aid portion of the bill finally advanced in the Senate earlier this week.

The Pentagon’s own stockpiles of 155mm ammunition had run low by last summer, however, prompting President Joe Biden to send the Ukrainians some cluster munitions instead – and upsetting several NATO allies who had banned their use.

Meanwhile, the EU has fallen far short of its pledge to crank out a million rounds for Ukraine by March 2024, managing to deliver less than half of that number.

“It will not be easy for the Europeans to substitute for the US. That’s not entirely realistic,” one senior EU diplomat told FT. 

Ukraine has become entirely dependent on the US and its allies for ammunition, weapons, equipment and even salaries of government employees. According to Russian estimates, the collective West has poured more than $200 billion into Kiev since February 2022.

 

Reuters/RT

A Hong Kong finance worker at a multinational company was tricked into transferring $25 million to scammers after attending a video conference with deepfake CFO and several colleagues.

Hong Kong police recently reported that it is investigating an elaborate scam that saw a group of bad actors defraud a multinational firm of $200 million Hong Kong dollars ($25.6 million) using deepfake technology to impersonate company management during a video call.

Fraudsters initially targeted one of the unnamed company’s finance workers with an email from the company’s UK-based chief financial officer (CFO). Seeing that the message involved a ‘secret transaction’ to the tune of $200 million Hong Kong dollars, the man suspected it was a phishing email, but those doubts were put to rest when he was invited to a video conference with the CFO and several other colleagues he recognized.

What the man didn’t know was that all the familiar faces and voices in the video call were actually deepfake filters designed to make total strangers look and sound like company staff. Relieved that he was acting at the request of his CFO, the finance worker transferred over $25.6 million into the scammers’ account and went about his business.

“They used deepfake technology to imitate the voice of their targets reading from a script,” senior superintendent Baron Chan Shun-ching said, adding that his department was highlighting this case because it was the first one in Honk Kong where the victim was tricked during a “multi-person video conference”.

The tricked employee said that company employees in the call looked and sounded like real people, but that in hindsight, the people he was on the call with mainly gave him instructions before ending the conference abruptly, and didn’t really interact with him. The scam was only discovered when the employee checked with the head office about the transaction, only to learn that no one knew anything about it.

Deepfake and voice cloning scams have become very frequent in the last few years as the technology has reached a level where most people cannot discern between real people and digital clones.

 

Oddity Central