Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life ~ Jude 1:21.

Introduction:

It’s that time of the year again when many people demonstrate their keenest interests in increasing their personal growth, productivity and impacts on earth, beseeching the throne of God with prayers and fasting, just to break through the limits of the past and make the new year better than ever.

Sadly, however, too many good people simply relive the “same year” many times over, year-in year-out, till they grow old and die. They shrink their dreams to fit the sizes of their fears and indulgences. But, that’s not how God intended us to live.

Yes indeed, no matter the season you’re in right now, you can still upgrade your life significantly and make this year the finest year of your life yet. However, this won’t just happen, you must accept responsibility and do something about it.

Though, there are many steps to take in this regard; albeit, I strongly believe that the place to start is to examine and reorder the status of our hearts towards God whose throne we've been bombarding with all manner of prayers since the beginning of the new year. Are we truly reciprocating His love for us (1 John 4:19)? Do we genuinely love Him in our hearts?

As far as I know, the most unfailing winning idea ever is your personal love for God. It generates a peculiar supernatural force that can make any man great on earth. This is a fantastic mystery!

No doubt, God’s love for us is expressly overwhelming (John 3:16). However, how we respond to it matters most to our destinies. God so loved us, and we must reciprocate it. Reciprocated love is the tonic of any relationship.

Genuine Iove for God is that compelling desire to please Him, to keep His commandments and to say yes to His Will (John 14:15; 15:10). It is an attribute, attitude and a lifestyle that every serious believer should vigorously pursue, without which no man can ever fully appropriate God’s love personally.

The greatest heroes and heroines with loads of outstanding achievements in the Scriptures were people propelled by their positive force of genuine love for God in their hearts. They demonstrated great courage and noble moral qualities, and had lived in the minds of God and men for successive generations.

David followed this route, and we clearly see how his life contrasted with that of Saul in 1 Samuel 13:-13-14. Saul was foolish in disregarding the commandments of the Lord, his reign was aborted and David was chosen to replace him.

God found David in the wilderness, and said that’s my king. When David was anointed, he left the wilderness for the palace, and he became an instant phenomenal personality (Psalm 89:20). A teenager became a national hero through the Lord’s uncommon favour, overnight!

If we may inquire here, what qualified David for this uncommon favour he enjoyed with God? It was simply his heart for God: he loved God and His kingdom. Although he was a bush boy, God brought him into divine limelight, because he demonstrated a commitment of love for Him in diverse ways.

Your commitment of love to God is what will single you out amongst the crowd, and make you extra-ordinary among ordinaries. When you are committed to God, even angels will run errands for you. Let’s all determine to be militant in our love for God on earth!

The Gains of Loving God

Basically, anything that’s important to God works by love (Galatians 5:6). Indeed, everything that the covenant provides works by love. Hence, when you give God your best in love, your prayers will turn to praise.

Your love for God defines the perimeter of your safety on earth. The big playing field where the believer may walk and exercise himself, without any fear of harassment or intimidation is defined by his love for God. It is the energy of God’s love that keeps us safe from evil.

Secondly, in love is everything connected, and in it every good thing in life can be collected (John 1:1-3). The love of God is so deep, so boundless and so encompassing (Ephesians 3:19). It shows us the lines, which we must not transgress and it equally throws His lines of pleasure in areas that mark our inheritance (Psalm 16:6).

What principle did Solomon engage to become fabulously rich? It was love for God (1Kings 3:3-4)! Thereafter, God gave him an outstanding, peculiarly outlandish supra-wealth. When you genuinely and outstandingly love the Lord, the good things of life will begin to pursue you.

Furthermore, loving God guarantees a torment-free life. Loving God and loving the world are mutually-exclusive (1John 2:5,15). You cannot love the world and love God at the same time. Only perfect love for God casts out the torment of fear (1 John 4:18).

Any adventure outside the Father’s love is a disaster waiting to happen! Any enterprise or advance outside it is like courting the viper’s fangs (Ecclesiastes 10:8). If the Word of God cannot correct you or re-orientate your life, you're in great danger and you're not safe.

See, the way of transgressors must be hard, naturally (Proverbs 13:15)! On the contrary, when you genuinely love the Almighty God, you supernaturally become torment free.

When you prove your commitment to Him by your qualitative love for Him, He will speedily heap on you an abundance of every good thing you could ever wish for, and all the good things of life will start running after you (Matthew 6:33). Assuredly, loving God is the most potent creative force for enjoying God's super abundant favour.

How To Show Your True Love for God

Fundamentally, your obedience to God’s commandments is the litmus test and the living proof of your love for Him. Biblical obedience can be indexed by the number of things, pleasures and propensities, you’re ready to give-up for God, your genuine love for humanity, and the quality time you’re happy to spend in His presence to worship, pray and study the Word.

When you truly love God, it will also reflect in your sacrificial giving and general services to His kingdom. And, it will show in your zeal and fire for the things of God, including your firm defense of His kingdom in your speech and other daily socio-political interactions, and so on. Watch out: you are what you do, not what you say you'll do!

Yes, obedience may come with painful costs; yet, it is in your moments of obedience that your destiny is shaped. Moreover, the pain of today is temporary, but the fruit of eternity is permanent. Don't give up. You cannot change the character of the devil, but you can change your attitude to events and happenings around you.

Friends, let’s settle our “accounts” with God today, we can’t “bank” on tomorrow. Receive grace to love God. Resist every seducing spirit working to lure you away from loving Him. Thereafter, every negative energy working against your advancement will be totally neutralized, and all doors appointed to usher in fulfillment and excellence to your destiny will be fully opened. You won’t miss it, in Jesus Name. Amen. 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

Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5).

This means some things can only be discerned by those who are flesh and blood but not in the flesh but in the spirit. Some things are only perceptible to those who are here on earth but at the same time are sited in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6).

Everything about the kingdom of God is counterintuitive. Because it is currently a spiritual kingdom, it can only be seen by those able to see the invisible things of God. (Romans 1:20). Those things can only be seen by those who are blind but can see. But those who are not blind but can see are blind to them.

Jesus says to a Jewish man: “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”(John 9:39).

Eye-openers

God says: “Who is blind but My servant? Who is blind as he who is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant? Seeing many things, but you do not observe.” (Isaiah 42:19-20).

Therefore, He reveals to those born again a kingdom that is yet to come but nevertheless is already here. That is why faith in God is: “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).

But how can something intangible be substance? How can something we cannot see be evidentiary? The answer is simpler than it seems. Jesus says: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).

A man who lives by bread alone lives an incomplete and unfulfilling life. A man who lives only on his salary is a candidate for hardship. A believer is not rich in money but in the glory of God. (Phil 4:19). He must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

This is because God Himself is the life of the believer. (Colossians 3:4). “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). Moreover, “God calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” (Romans 4:17).

Once He calls them into existence, they exist, whether physically manifest or not. Once He calls them into existence, we can live by them, whether we have them physically or not.

If God tells the barren she has a child, she must receive the child, whether she is pregnant or not. She must then live in the consciousness of that child, even before she is pregnant. God says His word never returns to Him void: “But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Believing to see

In the world, we say, “Seeing is believing.” In the kingdom, we believe to see. David says: “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13).

Jesus says to Martha at the graveside of Lazarus: “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).

He said to Thomas who did not believe He had risen from the dead: “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

Accordingly, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We must receive things spiritually even before receiving them physically.Therefore, Jesus says: “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24).

Promised Kingdom

God promised Israel a kingdom that will never pass away. Nathan said to David, king of Israel: “Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16).

Daniel also confirmed this: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44).

This kingdom has yet to be established. And yet, it is already here.

However, the Jews expected this promised kingdom to be established physically. But God brought it to them spiritually.

Jesus told the Pharisees when they asked Him when the kingdom would come: “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” (Luke 17:20-21).

The kingdom of God was already among them, but they could not see it. The kingdom was already among them because Jesus was with them. Jesus is the King of the kingdom of God. But He has not yet been installed as King in this world. Therefore, He told His disciples to pray that the kingdom of God should come on earth and that God’s purpose should be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10).

We are still using this prayer guideline today, asking for the kingdom to come, because the kingdom has yet to be physically established. It will only be physically established in Jerusalem at the Second Coming of Christ.

World of Evil

Currently, it is the will of the devil that is done on earth. Or so it appears.

Daniel says: “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men.” (Daniel 4:17). But John observes that: “The whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19). Indeed, Jesus calls the devil: “The ruler of this world.” (John 12:31). He told Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36).

Therefore, Jesus is still referred to as a Prince because He has yet to be crowned as King. He is: “The Prince of princes,” (Daniel 8:25);“Messiah the Prince,” (Daniel 9:25); and “The Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6).

But when John sees Jesus by revelation, He is a King: “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16).

Is Jesus a King now or will He be a King?

Jesus is already a King, but He is yet to be a King. When He is installed as King: “Every knee (will) bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue (will) confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11).

But that Has yet to happen.

Declaring the Kingdom

The Bible records that: “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15).

He was asking Israel to believe what the Jews could not see. The kingdom was at hand but not yet. The King was in their midst, but Israel did not recognise or acknowledge Him. He did not come in the pomp and splendour that they anticipated. He was not a conquering war hero, but a peace-loving and humble servant who laid down His life for the sins of mankind:

That was the openly hidden promise of the scriptures: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Jesus rebuked even His disciples for rejecting what was written in the Old Testament: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).  

They did not believe Zechariah, who said: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.” (Zechariah 9:9).

When Jesus rode a donkey triumphantly into Jerusalem, they did not get the message. Instead of crowning Him, they killed Him. TO BE CONTINUED.

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To increase your longevity, you can make some small changes to your eating patterns.

“Diet is one of the most important factors that can impact chronic disease risk, mortality and longevity,” says Frank B. Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Here are four smart, simple ways you can change your diet with longevity in mind, according to Hu. 

1. Eat more whole foods.

“Focus on whole and minimally processed foods, especially plant foods,” Hu says. Aim to incorporate more whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, into every meal.

2. Eat less processed food.

“In the U.S. diet, almost 60% of the calories come from ultra-processed foods,” including items like soft drinks, snacks and sweets, Hu notes. “That’s one of the reasons Americans consume too many unhealthy foods and too many calories.”

3. Eat for enjoyment, too.

Identify which of the whole foods you enjoy and make your own healthy diet, he says. You can mix and match the elements of a Mediterranean diet and an Okinawan diet, or create an entirely new way of eating that works for you.

“That’s how to actually improve their enjoyment and also long-term adherence to dietary patterns,” Hu says.

4. Eat with other people.

Social connection is a vital factor in longevity. By asking friends out to lunch or over for dinner, you can combine two behaviors – socializing and eating – that are linked to living a longer life.

“Eating healthy food together not only nourishes our bodies, but also nourishes our souls,” Hu says.

CNBC

Debt Management Office (DMO) says Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N97.34 trillion in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.

In a statement on Friday, DMO said the latest figure represents a 10.73 percent or N9.43 trillion increase compared to N87.91 trillion recorded in the third quarter (Q3) last year.

The country’s public debt consists of domestic and external debt stocks of the federal government of Nigeria (FGN) and the subnational governments — the 36 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

According to DMO, the increase was primarily due to new domestic borrowing by the federal government to partly fund the deficit in the 2023 budget as well as disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.

“At N59.12 Trillion, Total Domestic Debt accounted for 61% of the Total Public Debt Stock while External Debt at N38.22 Trillion accounted for the balance of 39%,” DMO said.

“Consistent with the debt management strategy, Nigeria’s External Debt Stock was skewed in favour of loans from multilateral (49.77%) and bilateral lenders (14.02%) or total of 63.79% which are mostly concessional and semi-concessional.”

DMO said while it continues to use best practices in public debt management, the fiscal authorities’ recent and ongoing measures to shore up revenue will support debt sustainability.

The Cable

The Federal Government on Friday, arraigned the detained President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, on a three-count terrorism charge.

The defendant, who has been in detention since January 23, was further remanded in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, after he pleaded not guilty to the charge that was read to him before trial judge, Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

It would be recalled that Bodejo was arrested at the Miyetti Allah’s office in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa state shortly after he unveiled a vigilante group.

Following his arrest, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on February 5, through an ex-parte motion, obtained an order that allowed the government to keep him in custody, pending the conclusion of the investigation and his arraignment in court.

Based on the strength of the AGF’s application and an affidavit that was attached to it, Ekwo initially gave FG the nod to detain the defendant for 15 days.

The court, on February 22, further extended the detention order, even as it directed FG to within seven days, file a charge against Bodejo.

Ekwo ordered that the detainee should be taken before a court of competent jurisdiction for arraignment.
Counsel to the defendant, Mohammed Sheriff, had on the last adjourned date, notified the court that he applied for the unconditional release of his client from the custody of the DIA. He urged the court to release him on bail, pending the arraignment.

His request was opposed by a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ms. Y.A. Imana, who urged the court to refuse the bail application.

FG told the trial judge that Bodejo, whose followers besieged the court premises with placards to demand his release, was detained in the interest of national security.

Meanwhile, before the defendant took his plea on Friday, the defence lawyer drew the attention of the court to the fundamental rights enforcement application he filed on behalf of his client.

In a short ruling, Ekwo dismissed the application on the premise that it had been overtaken by events owing to the charge that was brought before the court by FG.

“A matter is said to be overtaken by the event when something happens that can change the original course of action, or, when there is a superseding course occurs that makes a previous course of action no longer a suitable pursuit.

“In judicial consideration, a matter overtaken by event means that by the prevailing circumstance, a previous course of action has lost its currency and by that, become academic,” Ekwo held.

He, therefore, ordered the defendant to enter his plea to the charge that was anchored on section 159 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

The prosecution counsel told the court that FG has lined up witnesses to testify in the matter, even as he applied for the defendant to be further remanded in the custody of the DIA.

While granting the application, Ekwo ordered that the defendant be given adequate medical attention at the detention facility.

He further warned against mobilising people to come around the vicinity of the court to protest for the defendant’s release.

“Tell the defendant. Those who are drumming, thinking it is a carnival, they will face the trial,” the trial judge warned.

More so, the court said it would allow at least 10 family members of the defendant to be around to witness the proceedings.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 27, 28, 29 and 30.

Vanguard

Three students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, were feared dead on Friday in a stampede that occurred when the students struggled for rice donated by the state government.

The incident occurred at the convocation square of the university where the bags of rice were kept awaiting the arrival of Governor Abdullahi Sule for the commencement of distribution.

According to a student witness, Moses Ajah, the surging crowd of students overpowered the security personnel and broke into the square through the gate, thereby causing a stampede.

“Some of the students were struggling with the police over the rice, and as more students got information, the situation degenerated.

“As we speak, some students are injured and receiving treatment at the school clinic,” he said.

He said some students picked up bags of rice and ran to their hostels and other places of residence even as the governor was yet to arrive to inaugurate the distribution.

As of the time of filing this report, police officers were seen retrieving the palliatives from students.

When contacted, the Information and Protocol Officer of the University, Abraham Ekpo, said he was aware of the incident but yet to get the details.

NAN

A newlywed man, identified as Sani, was among 21 persons shot dead by bandits who invaded a weekly market in Madaka, an agrarian community in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State on Thursday.

Sani, a butcher who resided in Kagara, the headquarters of Rafi LGA, was said to have gone to the market to sell meat when he was shot during the attack.

He reportedly got married about three weeks ago.

Also, Muslim women were reportedly forced to break their fast by bandits during the attack.

Residents said the attack was launched around 3pm on Thursday when commercial activities had peaked.

One resident, Salihu Abdullahi, told Daily Trust at IBB Specialist Hospital where his 8-year-old daughter shot during the attack was admitted that bandits ordered the women to drink water or risk their lives.

“We were at the neighbouring village where we went to mine gold when we saw people running. Some people started jumping into the river, even those who didn’t know how to swim. So, I rushed home on my motorcycle to pick up my family.

“On my way, I was stopped to go back, that they had taken over the community already. They burnt down our clinic and shops containing goods worth millions of naira, motorcycles, trucks, foodstuffs and houses. They gathered our women and forced them to break their fast. One of them that attempted to resist was beaten mercilessly.

“My little daughter was among those they shot. She’s 8-year-old. In the first place, I counted 11 corpses. More bodies were later recovered. And uptil now, many people have not been accounted for because many sustained bullet wounds and they ran to the bush. Some people died in the bush.

“Over the years, vigilantes have protected our communities. We contribute money to pay them and buy them food items to enable them face the security job and they have been doing well. Since we formed the vigilante, bandits have not attacked our community. We didn’t know what happened, the commander was arrested and they asked them to stop operation.”

Residents alleged that bandits invaded their community one week after the vigilante commander was arrested by the police and his boys were ordered to stop operations by the state government over alleged illegal arrest of herders.

The Madaka Youth Leader, Saidu Bwale, said that the Thursday attack was one of the deadliest on the community.

Chairman, Rafi Local Government, Ayuba Usman Katako, said that the bandits had invaded Pangu Gari on Wednesday and rustled cattle and goats before they attacked Madaka on Thursday.

“In Madaka, many people were killed. Till now, we can’t ascertain the number of casualties until when those who have fled return home that we will be able to ascertain the number of people that they have kidnapped or that are still missing.

“At least, 21 people including the village head, Saleh, lost their lives during the attack.

The Sarkin Hausawa Madaka, Garba Mai-Haja, who sustained severe gunshots injuries died in the early hours of Friday at the IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna.

Residents said seven people, comprising four men and three women including children were receiving treatment at the IBB Specialist Hospital.

Secretary, Coalition of Shiroro Association, Saidu Salihu, described the attack as severe and unfortunate.

He called on the federal and state governments to renew efforts in the fight against insecurity in Shiroro, Munya and Rafi LGAs.

Residents decried absence of security operatives despite that the area had come under attack several times in the last five years.

Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Bello Abdullahi Mohammed, a retired brigadier general, confirmed the attack to our correspondent on the telephone.

Though he did not give details of the attack, he said the state government was working in collaboration with security agencies to put and end to the incessant attacks on farming communities in the state.

Daily Trust

Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire at concertgoers with automatic weapons on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 more in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

In the deadliest attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, gunmen sprayed civilians with bullets just before Soviet-era rock group "Picnic" was to perform to a full house at the 6,200-seat the Crocus City Hall just west of Moscow.

Verified video showed people taking their seats in the hall, then rushing for the exits as repeated gunfire echoed above screams. Other video showed men shooting at groups of people. Some victims lay motionless in pools of blood.

"Suddenly there were bangs behind us - shots. A burst of firing - I do not know what," one witness, who asked not to be identified by name, told Reuters.

"A stampede began. Everyone ran to the escalator," the witness said. "Everyone was screaming; everyone was running."

Russian investigators said the death toll was more than 60. Health officials said about 145 people were wounded, of which about 60 were in critical condition.

In the 2004 Beslan school siege, Islamist militants took more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, hostage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was being updated by security chiefs about the situation, including from Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Kremlin said.

Russian investigators published pictures of a Kalashnikov automatic weapon, vests with multiple spare magazines and bags of spent bullet casings.

ISLAMIC STATE

Islamic State, the militant group that once sought control over swathes of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's Amaq agency said on Telegram.

A grainy picture was published by some Russian media of two of the alleged attackers in a white car.

The fate of the attackers was unclear as firefighters battled a massive blaze and emergency services evacuated hundreds of people while parts of the venue's roof collapsed.

Islamic State said its fighters attacked on the outskirts of Moscow, "killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely." The statement gave no further detail.

The United States has intelligence confirming Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the shooting, a U.S. official said on Friday. The official said Washington had warned Moscow in recent weeks of the possibility of an attack.

"We did warn the Russians appropriately," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details.

Russia has yet to say who it thinks is responsible.

The attack on Crocus City Hall, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Kremlin, comes just two weeks after the U.S. embassy in Russia warned that "extremists" had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow.

Hours before the embassy warning, the FSB said it had foiled an attack on a Moscow synagogue by Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, and seeks a caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.

Putin changed the course of the Syrian civil war by intervening in 2015, supporting President Bashar al-Assad against the opposition and Islamic State.

"ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, frequently criticizing Putin in its propaganda," said Colin Clarke of the Soufan Center.

The broader Islamic State group has claimed deadly attacks across the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Europe, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was a "bloody terrorist attack" that the entire world should condemn.

The United States, European and Arab powers and many former Soviet republics expressed shock and sent their condolences. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak denied any Ukrainian involvement.

The United Nations Security Council condemned what it called a "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack."

SECURITY TIGHTENED

Russia tightened security at airports, transport hubs and across the capital - a vast urban area of over 21 million people. All large-scale public events were cancelled across the country.

Putin, who was on Sunday re-elected for a new six-year term, sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 and has repeatedly warned that various powers - including countries in the West - are seeking to sow chaos inside Russia.

Putin was informed in the first minutes of the attack and is regularly being updated, the Kremlin said.

"The president constantly receives information about what is happening and about the measures being taken through all relevant services. The head of state gave all the necessary instructions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

At Crocus City Hall, flames leapt into the sky, and plumes of black smoke rose above the venue as hundreds of blue lights from emergency vehicles flashed in the night.

Helicopters sought to douse flames that engulfed the large building. The roof of the venue was collapsing, state news agency RIA said.

"A terrible tragedy occurred in the shopping centre Crocus City today," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. "I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims."

Reuters

UN chief to visit Gaza border in new plea for truce

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Egypt's border with Gaza on Saturday to renew pleas for a ceasefire that could bring relief to a territory devastated by more than five months of war between Israel and Hamas.

His trip comes as Israel threatens to launch a major military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, just over the border from Egypt, despite international appeals against such an attack.

A majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are sheltering around Rafah. Though conditions are worse in the north of the strip, the plight of civilians across the territory has deteriorated sharply as the conflict has ground on.

Guterres will visit Al Arish in Egypt's northern Sinai, where much of the international relief for Gaza is delivered and stockpiled, and the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, one of the entry points for the aid.

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He is expected to visit a hospital in Al Arish and meet U.N. humanitarian workers in Rafah.

As hopes for a truce during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have faded and the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become more desperate, the United States and other countries have sought to use air drops and ships to deliver more relief.

But humanitarian agencies say that only about one-fifth of the required amount of supplies has been entering Gaza, and that the only way to meet needs in coastal enclave is to rapidly accelerate deliveries by road.

Israel, which has vowed to destroy Hamas and is worried that the Palestinian militant group will divert aid, has kept all but one of its land crossings into the enclave closed.

This week, a global food monitor warned thatfamine was imminent in northern Gaza and could spread to other parts of the territory if a ceasefire is not agreed.

More than 32,000 people have been killed by Israel's military campaign in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to local health authorities.

Israel launched the assault in response to an attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Guterres, who made one previous trip to Egypt's border with Gaza shortly after the war broke out, is visiting Egypt and Jordan as part of an annual "solidarity trip" to Muslim countries during Ramadan.

While in the Egyptian capital Cairo, he is due to break the daily fast with refugees from Sudan, where war between rival military factions has displaced nearly 8.5 million people, driven parts of the population to extreme hunger, and led to waves of ethnically-driven killings in Darfur.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia pounds Ukrainian power facilities; Zelenskiy seeks air defences, 'political will'

Russia pounded Ukrainian power facilities on Friday in an attack described by Kyiv as the largest airstrike on its energy infrastructure in two years of war, and portrayed by Moscow as revenge for Ukrainian attacks during its presidential election.

The missile and drone attack hit a vast dam over the Dnipro river, killed at least five people and left more than a million others without power, forcing Kyiv to seek emergency electricity supplies from Poland, Romania and Slovakia, Kyiv officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said the strikes proved again that Russian attacks on infrastructure could be halted only with more air defence systems and that required political will from Ukraine's allies.

"Russian terror is only possible now because we don't have enough modern air defence systems which, to be honest, requires enough political will to provide them," Zelenskiy said.

"All our partners know what is needed and who can make truly life-saving decisions."

Military aid to Ukraine from Western allies has slowed in recent months, in particular a $60 billion package from Washington, stalled by political disputes in the U.S. Congress.

The strikes, which Kyiv said caused blackouts in seven regions, revived memories of the winter of 2022-23 when Moscow regularly bombed Ukraine's power grid.

Zelenskiy said repair work had made progress, with the worst outages in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, central Dnipropetrovsk region and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west.

The Russian defence ministry said the airstrike was carried out in retaliation for Ukrainian shelling and cross-border raids last week as Russians took part in a stage-managed election that handed President Vladimir Putin a fifth term.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said: "The goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like last year, to cause a large-scale failure of the country's energy system."

Russia denies targeting civilians, although the war that began with its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed towns and cities.

"STATE OF WAR"

Moscow says Ukrainian power facilities are legitimate targets and such attacks are aimed at weakening Kyiv's military.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a Russian publication on Friday that Moscow saw itself as in a "state of war" because of the West's intervention on Kyiv's side.

The comment marked a rhetorical break from the "special military operation" language that Moscow has used, an apparent move to prepare Russians for a longer and harder struggle.

European Union Council President Charles Michel said Russia's comments about war with Europe showed the importance of the EU's building its own defence industry.

Two people were killed in the western Khmelnytskyi region and three in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, including at least one at the dam, said the local administration and general prosecutor's office. More than 30 people were reported injured.

Ukraine's largest dam, the DniproHES in the city of Zaporizhzhia, was hit eight times, an official from the Ukrainian prosecutor's office said.

The state hydropower company said there was no risk of a breach. The company's director, Ihor Syrota, said both its power blocks and the dam itself had been damaged.

A state ecological inspectorate said that oil had leaked into the Dnipro river which the dam straddles.

"The wide impact of today’s attacks on critical civilian infrastructure is deepening the already dire humanitarian situation for millions of people in Ukraine," the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said around 20 substations and electricity stations had been hit in addition to the dam.

Russia fired 88 missiles and 63 Shahed drones, of which only 37 and 55, respectively, were shot down, the Ukrainian air force said of the attacks.

That represented a worse ratio than usual, possibly reflecting Moscow's widespread use of ballistic missiles that are harder to shoot down and also the proximity of the targeted regions to Russian-controlled areas.

Some 1.2 million people in at least four regions were left without power due to the attacks, presidential aide Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine faces series of retreats – Pentagon

The Pentagon expects Ukraine to make retreats in the conflict with Russia, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Thursday, while urging Congress to resume military aid to Kiev.

The Ukrainian leadership is facing “really hard, tough decisions” due to the US failure to send more arms to the country, Sabrina Singh told journalists during a briefing.

”Ukraine right now is having to make strategic decisions about having to withdraw from certain areas in order to fortify their defensive lines,” she noted.

The government of President Vladimir Zelensky has declared the full takeover of territories that Kiev claims as its own as the only acceptable outcome of its conflict with Russia. The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly rejected advice from Pentagon officials to pull back its forces in certain areas.

In the case of Artyomovsk, which Ukrainians call Bakhmut, Zelensky initially declared the Donbass city a “fortress” and repeatedly sent in reinforcements, instead of pulling his troops back – until Russia took control of the city last May.

Some military experts have argued that the move significantly undermined the Ukrainian push against Russian defensive lines later that year. Kiev’s forces have suffered from high attrition rates in the so-called counteroffensive, with over 90,000 troops lost, and have not achieved their objectives, according to Moscow.

Singh blamed Kiev’s recent setbacks on the battlefield to the failure of the US Congress to authorize an additional $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. The proposal has been stuck in the House for months due to Republican opposition.

The official was commenting on a debate in the EU, sparked by French President Emmanuel Macron, who argued last month that NATO states could eventually send their own troops into Ukraine to prevent a Russian victory. Singh reiterated the White House policy that “there will be no [US] boots on the ground” in the embattled country.

Moscow has warned that the flow of Western arms to Kiev makes the US and its allies parties to the conflict. The weapons will not change its outcome, Russian officials have said.

Reuter/RT