WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky’s convoy narrowly avoids Russian missile

A Russian missile nearly hit a convoy carrying Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting with the Greek prime minister in Odesa.

The strike landed “very close” to the Ukrainian president’s motorcade in the southern port city, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters.

A Greek official later said it exploded just 300 metres from the Ukrainian president.

“We saw this strike today,” Mr Zelensky told an open-air news conference outside the ruins of the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was partially reduced to rubble in a Russian missile attack last summer.

“You see who we’re dealing with. They don’t care where they strike. I know there were casualties today. I don’t know all the details yet, but I know there were casualties – dead and wounded.”

Neither leader nor any members of their entourages were injured in the attack, which local media reports suggested was carried out with Iskander or Onyx missiles.

The Ukrainian president added: “Please accept my condolences but you see that they don’t care if these are military, civilians or international guests.

“Whoever it is, these people don’t care. They’ve either lost their minds or they’re completely out of control of what their terrorist army is doing. That’s what we’re seeing.”

Mr Mitsotakis said: “When we heard some sirens and shortly afterwards when we were going to our cars we heard a big explosion.

“For us it is the best reminder that there is a real war going on here. Every day. Which does not only affect the front.

“We didn’t have time to go to a protected place, it’s a very impressive experience,” he added.

The sound of air raid sirens followed by the deafening blast were clearly audible from central Odesa on several video clips shared via social media of the impact of the missile.

In one clip, gasps could be heard from a church congregation as the blast interrupted their service.

A photograph showed a plume of smoke blocking out sunlight over the city.

Five people were killed in the Russian attack on port infrastructure, according to a report by Ukrainska Pravda, citing Dmitry Pletenchuk, a Ukrainian naval spokesman.

Sirens sounded across the wider Odesa region at 10.41am local time, with the explosion rocking the city shortly after. Ukraine’s air force declared a ballistic missile warning four minutes later.

It was not clear whether the attack was aimed at Mr Zelensky, who was visiting the port in Odesa at the time.

The Ukrainian president’s aides did not immediately respond to questions over the strike.

Mr Zelensky has been subjected to at least a dozen failed assassination attempts since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to Mikhail Podolyak, his senior adviser.

Russia has not shied away from attacking major Ukrainian cities while overseas dignitaries are visiting.

Notably, a barrage of Russian missiles were aimed at Kyiv as a delegation of African leaders arrived in the capital in the hope of brokering peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. 

Earlier this month, Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, cut her visit to the Ukrainian capital short after she was trailed by a Russian drone.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, condemned the latest strike as “vile”.

“No one is intimidated by this new attempt at terror – certainly not the two leaders on the ground nor the brave people of Ukraine,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Odesa is considered symbolic for Athens after waves of Greeks arrived in the city in the eighteenth century. The Society of Friends, a revolutionary movement, which aimed to free Greece from the Ottoman empire, was later founded there.

Mr Mitsotakis, who has pledged to help rebuild the city, described it as a “vital hub of Hellenism on the shores of the Black Sea”.

Russia later claimed it had hit a hangar housing Ukrainian naval drones. The defence ministry said in a statement: “The goal has been achieved. The target has been hit.” 

05:19 PM

That’s all for today

Thank you for tuning in to today’s live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow bringing you all the latest from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Key moments from today:

Germany has “no need to apologise” for the release of a video call that accidentally leaked details of British “troops on the ground” in Ukraine, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said.

Ukraine has unveiled a new sea drone capable of striking from a distance of more than 1,100km.

Britain is prepared to loan Ukraine all frozen Russian central bank assets in the UK, Lord Cameron has said.

Russia is prepared to lose aircraft in order to continue its advance, a major think tank reported.

The West is “playing with fire” by discussing the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, Moscow has said.

A Russian Shahed drone attack on Sumy has left seven people injured, including a 10-year-old by, reports suggest.

A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse leaving it in flames.

Ukrainian shot down 38 out of 42 Russian drones launched overnight across eight regions of the country, the air force reported.

02:59 PM

Half of shells given to Russia by Kim Jong un are ‘duds’

Half of the 1.5 million artillery shells supplied to Russia by North Korea are duds, a Ukrainian intelligence chief has said.

The shells sent by Kim Jon-un to sustain Vladimir Putin’s war effort are more than half a century old and often do not work, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy chief of Kyiv’s intelligence directorate, has said.

“As of today, taking into account the available statistics, Russia has already imported 1.5 million rounds of ammunition from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea],” he told Ukrainian media. “However, these shells were made in the 70s and 80s. Half of them do not work and the rest need to be either repaired or checked before being used.

“[North Korea] gives away old stuff … ramps up the domestic production and asks for certain technologies in exchange, particularly missile and submarine technologies with the aim of developing its own defence industry. This proves once again that Russia lacks its own production capacity for a rapid and powerful increase in missile production. If it did not, why would it ask North Korea?”

South Korea’s defence minister warned last month that Pyongyang has sent millions of artillery shells to Russia since Kim Jong Un met with Putin at a summit last September.

02:15 PM

No apology needed for leaking British military secrets, says German ambassador

Germany has “no need to apologise” for the release of a video call that accidentally leaked details of British “troops on the ground” in Ukraine, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said. 

Miguel Berger said that the leak was “a Russian hybrid attack” that aimed to “destabilise the West”, and that some reactions helped to achieve Russia’s aims. 

“We have to be careful not to fall into the Russian trap of creating division and regrettably some media and some people have fallen into this trap,” he told the BBC’s Today programme. 

In the leaked video call, the head of the German air force said Britain has “a few people on the ground [operating] in reachback” – a military term that suggests units deployed deep into Ukraine.

Military experts warned that the revelations put British troops at risk, as their role on the ground was previously assumed to be limited.

Former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has hit out at the leak, saying that the incident demonstrated Germany was “neither secure nor reliable”.

01:49 PM

Pictured: Ukraine unveils sea drones

Ukraine has unveiled a new sea drone capable of striking from a distance of more than 1,100km.

The Sea Baby drone, called “Avdiivka” was presented by Ukraine’s security service at an event in Kyiv.

“This is a drone with new, significantly improved seaworthiness and capabilities, which will definitely be able to deliver a payload of more than a ton,” Ukraine’s military counter-intelligence said.

Kyiv has gained the upper hand in the Black Sea in recent months, successfully deploying sea drones to wipe out Russia’s fleet. 

01:29 PM

Britain prepared to loan Ukraine frozen Russian assets, says Cameron

Britain is prepared to loan Ukraine all frozen Russian central bank assets in the UK, Lord Cameron has said.

The British foreign secretary said the assets would be used as surety on the basis that Russia will be forced to pay reparations at the end of the war, the Guardian reported.

Lord Cameron’s comments go further than Europen Union proposals for Ukraine to be given windfall profits from Russian central bank assets held by the West – which are estimated at $4 billion.

“There is an opportunity to use something like a syndicated loan or a bond that effectively uses the frozen Russian assets as a surety to give that money to the Ukrianians knowing that we will recoup it when reparations are paid by Russia,” Lord Cameron told peers.

“That may be a better way of doing it. We are aiming for the maximum amount of G7 and EU unity on this but if we cannot get it I think we will have to move ahead with allies that want to take this action.”

It is the first time the foreign secretary has spoken open;y about details of the proposal, which may prove necessary to implement should US congress continue to delay extending vital aid to Ukraine.

12:55 PM

Russia willing to lose aircraft in order to advance, says think tank

Russia is prepared to lose aircraft in order to continue its advance, a major think tank reported.

Russia is continuing to conduct bombing raids despite having several aircraft shot down in recent weeks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

Late last month, The Ukrainian military reported that Russia had lost a total of 11 jets in two weeks, worth nearly £1 billion. 

Russian Su-34 and Su-35 bombers are conducting more than a hundred raids per day in order to bomb Ukrainian positions, media reports suggest.

Meanwhile Russian forces have deployed “more aggressive” air support on the frontlines to aid their advances in eastern Ukraine, the New York Times reported.

“The Russian command may have decided that the positive effects generated by such air operations outweigh the costs associated with flying such missions,” the ISW said.

12:21 PM

Russia warns West is ‘playing with fire’

The West is “playing with fire” by discussing the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, Moscow has said.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said that Moscow is hearing “many contradictory statements” from the West about sending NATO troops to Ukraine and warned “they are all playing with fire.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month he could not rule out such a possibility, though other European NATO members and the United States said there were no such plans.

“The very fact of this discussion is dangerous,” said Mr Peskov, adding that a leaked recording of German officers discussing aid to Ukraine could lead to a “further degradation of the situation”, Russian state news agency Tass reported.

11:48 AM

Update: Seven injured in Russian drone strike, including 10-year-old boy

A Russian Shahed drone attack on Sumy has left seven people injured, including a 10-year-old by, reports suggest.

Three drone strikes across the city targeted apartments, a pre-school and 10 vehicles, leaving buildings in rubble.

“Seven people have sought medical assistance, including a 10-year-old boy,” regional officials said.

Elsewhere, a 63-year-old woman died as a result of shelling in Ocheretynsk, Donetsk.

The village came under fire at around 9.30am local time this morning, and the woman died on her way to hospital. 

11:36 AM

Moldova to sign security deal with France amid growing Russian threat

Moldova and France will sign a defence cooperation accord on Thursday as part of the West’s efforts to strengthen the former Soviet state’s capabilities amid increasing interference by Russia.

Moldova, a western neighbour of Ukraine, has a tiny defence budget and has long had tense relations with Moscow, which have worsened since Chisinau backed Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The French presidency said in a statement that defence and economic cooperation accords would be signed when President Emmanuel Macron meets his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu in Paris.

The agreement comes after Moldova’s intelligence agency warned that Russia will seek to destabilise the country as it prepares for a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership.

“The details point to strategies for 2024 and 2025 that involve supporting pro-Russian political actors with ties to intelligence services, organized crime groups, and Kremlin leadership,” Alexandru Musteata, the head of the Moldovan intelligence agency, said.

11:10 AM

Russia will destroy US jets in Ukraine, says Moscow

Russia will shoot down American plans in Ukraine, the Kremlin reported.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said that Russia will do everything to ensure that American plans that encroach on Russian territory “burn and crash”. This includes Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Mr Peskov added that that Russia is destroying and will continue to destroy American tanks in its special operations, and the same will happen with American aircraft.

10:49 AM

Nato threats ‘won’t go unanswered’, says Moscow

Russia has warned it will respond to threats made against it by Nato.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow had never wanted conflict with Nato, the US or Ukraine but that threats made against it “would not go unanswered”.

Her comments come after Emmanuel Macron, the French President, faced criticism from Nato and EU partners after he suggested it might be necessary to send ground troops to Ukraine.

Despite the looming threat of nuclear war should Russia continue its imperial expansion into Nato territory, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, poured cold water on the prospect today.

Mr Peskov described the “routinisation” of the topic of nuclear war in the West extremely dangerous, Tass, the Russian state news agency, reported.

10:14 AM

Ukrainian drones strikes Russian lubricant warehouse

A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse leaving it in flames on Wednesday morning.

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, said that no one had been injured and that a fuel tank was on fire in the Kursk region, around 56 miles from the Ukrainian frontier.

Russian Telegram channels published video of a large fire and damage to a building at what they said was an ore refinery in the district, which is known for its iron mines.

Ukrainian attacks have repeatedly hit Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in recent weeks, particularly in the Kursk region.

Ukrainian drones were also downed in Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh regions, according to local authorities.

The drones downed over Voronezh had been trying to attack a military airbase and an oil depot, locals said.

09:33 AM

Kremlin dismisses ICC arrest warrants for officers

The Kremlin has said it does not recognise the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for two Russian officers over their actions in the Ukraine conflict.

“We are not participants” in the court’s founding treaty, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters. “We don’t recognise this,” he added, referring to the arrest warrants issued on Tuesday.

09:18 AM

Ukraine in pictures

Here is a roundup of the latest photographs from the frontline Ukraine. 

08:51 AM

Power in Crimea cut off

Large areas of Crimea have had its power supply cut off after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks overnight. 

Locals reported hearing explosions and sounds of active air defence systems, according to the Odessa-based media outlet Dumskaya. 

The Moldavanka district and part of the city centre are without power.

08:26 AM

Putin’s spy chief scolds Macron for extremely dangerous remark on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence chief has said French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to rule out sending European troops to fight Russian soldiers in Ukraine was extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

Mr Macron said last month that there was no consensus on sending European troops to fight in Ukraine but that nothing should be excluded, though the United States and other European members of the alliance have said there were no plans to do so.

Asked about Mr Macron’s remarks, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the main successor to the KGB’s First Directorate foreign spying section, said they were deeply irresponsible.

“This shows the high degree of political irresponsibility of Europe’s leaders today, in this case, the president of France,” Naryshkin told state television in remarks on Tuesday. “These statements are extremely dangerous.”

“It is sad to see this, sad to observe and sad to understand that the ability of current elites in Europe and the North Atlantic to negotiate is at a very low level,” he said. “They more and more rarely demonstrate any common sense at all.”

08:00 AM

Ukrainian air defence downs 38 of 42 Russian drones

Ukrainian air defence shot down 38 out of 42 Russian drones launched overnight to target eight regions across the country, the air force said on Wednesday.

It is one of the largest Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian regions in the past several weeks.

The air force said the Shahed kamikaze drones were downed over the south, centre, west, and northeast of the country. Air alerts in some regions lasted for more than two hours.

Regional officials in Sumy in the northeast reported several drone hits in different parts of the city but gave no details on the damage or casualties.

In the Kharkiv region a school building was damaged in the attack and a power line was hit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, regional officials said.

Discover more from

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine plans new counteroffensive – ground forces commander

Ukraine plans to reorganize its troops and launch a new counteroffensive this year, the commander of the country’s ground forces has said.

Speaking to ICTV on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Aleksandr Pavlyuk said that the most pressing goal is to stop the Russian advances and to regroup Ukrainian units so that the battered forces could be pulled back from the front line and replenished. It would then allow to “create a strike group and carry out counter-strike actions.”

“I think we will stabilize the situation shortly,” Pavlyuk said, adding that the command is trying to “do everything possible to prepare the troops for more active actions, and to seize the initiative.”

The Ukrainian army has been losing ground in the Donbass where Russian forces seized the heavily fortified city of Avdeevka last month. The loss occurred amid Kiev’s worsening ammunition shortage and the delays in the deliveries of Western military aid.

Ukraine’s last major counteroffensive ended in a failure, resulting in heavy casualties and the destruction of many of the Western-supplies tanks and other hardware.

The much-anticipated operation began in June 2023 and effectively ground to a halt in the fall of that year, as Ukrainian armored units struggled to cross thick minefields and were ultimately not strong enough to break through Russian fortified positions. More than 166,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded during last year’s counteroffensive, according to the estimates by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian war effort has been further hampered by the months of in-fighting in US Congress, with Republican legislators blocking the $61 billion worth of additional military aid.

The Telegraph/RT

Here is what happens every single time a Nigerian “big man” and the common man enter a contest of wills: the ethically bereft Nigerian police is more than likely to fight the battles of the rich and powerful than to side with justice or even common sense. We saw that happen in the case of Mrs Aisha Buhari, who was enraged when a random guy on Twitter body-shamed her. We have also seen instances when Christian and Muslim clerics (this column has addressed several cases) use their almighty influence with the police to arrest and detain people over what should have been treated as mere civil cases.

Recently, the police arrested 25 women who were protesting hardship and hunger in Niger State. You wonder, do the issues against which these women are publicly demonstrating not affect even those officers? The police officers are suffering along with millions of Nigerians, yet their response to the protesters of a joint cause was aggression.

Yes, their stated reason for arresting those women was that they attacked the police. Now, it is not only unbelievable that women ranging between 30 and late 50s would “turn violent” against the police, I also find it quite laughable that the police’s report of the “dangerous weapons” on these women—and this is quoting directly from the police statement—are “a bench and a stick used as barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp, charms, etc.”

Reading that, you question whether those women were truly arrested because they threatened the officers with “dangerous weapons,” or that their public demonstration exploded the political establishment’s insistence that all is well within the country.

The singer Davido frequently shares a disturbing story about his billionaire father using the police to arrest his people to dissuade him from taking up a singing career. It is telling that we live in a jungle when a father uses supposed instruments of justice to oppress people going about their way just to discipline his own son. When a society gets to the point where accounts of outright power abuse like that are narrated without moral compunction, and the media too reports it as entertainment, then you know how much the people lack a sense of justice.

The same impunity is playing out in the ongoing case of Chioma Egodi who wrote a review of a tomato, and the CEO of the company producing the item Eric Umeofia who was slighted by her temerity enough to use the police to hound her. The high-handedness of the police makes you wonder what exactly is in it for them that they turned themselves into the villains in this story. Had the case not involved a big man, would they have deployed so many resources over it?

If the Nigerian police had a sense of justice or even proportion, they would simply have encouraged Umeofia to pursue a civil case. By running the big man’s errands against a fellow Nigerian, they leave you no doubt which God they truly serve. The way they arrested Egodi, transferred her to the FCT, detained her, and later maintained a standoff at her apartment for over 10 hours, you would think they were dealing with a case of terrorism. Our police (including other security agencies like the DSS) can be unethical. Their professional instincts are too raw; their uncultured self constantly grates the refined surface of democracy.

As for those who suggest Egodi should apologise to Umeofia so the case can die, I hope you have thought through what you are encouraging.

First, given our kind of society, we must always be mindful that certain resolutions create precedents. Ours is a country where inept politicians, forever seeking to distract attention from their serial failures, blame social media for all the vices in the land. If you make the mistake of justifying someone’s oppression because of their social media posts, you may be loading the very weapon that the likes of Femi Gbajabiamila—one of those seeking means to launch a malicious social media agenda regulation—will one day put to your head. A case like this will be their reference point on how far they can go to beat down anyone who ruffles their small feathers. And please, do not think anyone is immune from such oppressiveness. Who would have imagined that the police would one day go crazy over a tomato review?

Second, Umeofia does not seem like the kind of person with whom anyone can reason. In his interview with Arise TV, he swore he would rather die than be persuaded to give up his pursuit of Egodi. One cannot but wonder how bored a CEO must be when he has time and ego to commit to such a trivial matter. A more discreet response to Egodi and the matter would have been long dissolved in one of the endless chatters that flow through social media every moment. In any case, my earnest plea to Umeofia is for him not to die. We need him to live so his intransigence can become a metaphor. His fly that listens to no adviser will end up as a social media meme.

As for the ‘both-sideists’ waiting for me to chide Egodi, please know I do not think she did anything wrong. Yeah, this is merely a needless literalisation of an everyday expression. Even if she had used the word “killing” as the man inferred from her Facebook post, taking it as murdering people is merely an overinterpretation. We frequently use the word “kill” in contexts that have little or nothing to do with literal deaths. When we say, “Lagos traffic is killing people,” does that mean they are dropping dead on the highway? Some of us grew up with parents who, in moments of exasperation, shout, “You this child will kuku not kill me!” Were they talking about actual deaths? The famous Fugees song, “Killing me softly,” was it about murder?

Listening to the people overstretching the meaning of Egodi’s Facebook post just to defend police abuse, you wonder if this is a matter of half-education or just another instance of the Nigerian habit of siding with power. The average Nigerian fetishises power so much that our people will argue against their own best interests. Our police, I admit, is a reflection of our social orientation.

For the rest of us, the proper course of action is to donate money toward Ms Egodi’s legal funds. If you believe in justice and democracy, then please support her case through the courts. No one contests that Umeofia has the right to pursue his case even all the way through to the Supreme Court. Let the courts be the ones to determine that we no longer have rights, not the police playing a villainous role in the whole matter. They should stand down all the muscular displays and treat this as if the two people involved in the case are social equals.

We do not need to like Ms Egodi or her opinions but supporting her right to free speech is a moral duty. When Nigeria gets to the point that we can no longer express ourselves because some high-on-power police officers are going to come barging through our doors, then we might as well have returned to living under military rule. No, this is democracy; we should be free to explore the bounds of our freedom. Nigeria’s democracy might not have done much for us in terms of citizenship, but we still have free speech. The messengers of darkness cannot degenerate our economy, politics, and values and still deny us rights. On this, we must maintain our stand on the resolute ground of principle.

Punch

Some executives disconnect from the job, while others rethink their work.

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.

Last month Modern CEO highlighted the topic of executive burnout, noting that 19 of the CEOs tracked in Challenger, Gray, and Christmas’s annual turnover report died on the job in 2023. We asked readers for their tips to achieve work-life balance. Some wrote in with advice on how to disengage from work, while others shared advice on how to make their jobs more manageable. Here are four insights that stand out:

Take breaks—and delegate

Beth Hollenberg, cofounder and CEO of education technology company Everspring, says her cofounder left the company due to burnout. To avoid the same fate, she and her husband limit conversations about business at home, and she takes what she calls “mini work vacations”— finding time during business trips to do “something offbeat and fun”—such as exploring a local museum, taking a walk, or visiting a bookstore or restaurant. At work, she delegates. “End every meeting with a ‘next steps’ recap . . . delivered by someone other than you,” she advises. “Delegating the tactical management of large projects and issues helps ‘unclutter’ my desk and my thinking, allowing me to focus on the things that are most impactful and that require my unique attention.”

Be present in your adventures

Paul LaPiana, head of brand, product, and affiliated distribution at insurance and financial services company MassMutual, wrote about his passion for outdoor adventure, highlighting a six-day, 1,000-mile dirt bike ride he took last year. “No matter the outdoor adventure, my favorite part is being present in the moment to reset my mind and body. And being outside is a great reminder that we truly are part of something bigger than ourselves,” he says, adding that the reset helps him “stay in the moment” at work, too.

Share your self-care

Stéphane Lefebvre, CEO of Cirque du Soleil, and Cesar Carvalho, CEO of wellness company Gympass, both recommended publicizing their self-care routines to set good examples for their employees. “If I’m doing a workout, meditation class, or other wellness activity, I treat it with the same level of importance as a board meeting and put a well-being hold on my calendar, and I encourage my entire team to do the same,” Carvalho says.

Lefebvre says: “As CEOs, our actions set the tone for our organization’s culture. By prioritizing your own well-being and openly discussing the importance of self-care, you inspire your team members to do the same.”

Celebrate your wins

Many CEOs feel pressure to deliver sustained high performance at work, which contributes to burnout. When it comes to stress reduction, though, Lefebvre counsels celebrating small wins. “Acknowledge and celebrate the progress you make in prioritizing self-care,” he says. “Whether it’s completing a meditation session or achieving a personal best in your run, take time to recognize and appreciate these accomplishments.”

Fast Company

Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly abducted dozens of female internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ngala, the headquaters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, a local source told Daily Trust.

A security source, who confided in our correspondent, also confirmed the abduction but said, “what we heard is around 113” were abducted

However, a source from the Babban Sansani IDPs camp, told our correspondent that the incident happened last Sunday, when the women went to fetch firewood in the bush for domestic and commercial purposes.

“They were surrounded by the insurgents in Bula kunte bush in the western part of Ngala town. They freed the old-aged and entered the bush with 319 abled young girls and some young boys.

“But, three of the girls who escaped and returned to Ngala said the boys (insurgents) took them to a bush close to Bukar-mairam village in Chad republic.

“They escaped in the dead of night after the insurgents fell asleep, trekking for two days before they arrived in Ngala.

“Most of the IDP girls abducted were from Babban Sansani camp, and the rest from Zulum and Arabic camps.

“They went to the bush to fetch firewood for sale because the food we are getting from the camp is not enough to feed us. Life is so difficult here,” he said.

Another source from the security said they always warned the IDPs against going to some areas in the bush for fear of attack.

“We always warn them to stay within safe areas, but it’s the economic pressure that forces most of them to go. They have no means of livelihood other than cutting off the tree for sale.

“A small measure of corn flour is sold at N2,200 where can they get the money to buy? We can’t stop them if we can’t feed them,” he said.

This is one of the major abductions that took place in Borno, since the kidnapping of 276 girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, on the night of 14 April 2014.

Daily Trust

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has said that 767 manufacturers shut down operations while 335 became distressed in 2023.

This came against the backdrop of exchange rate volatility, rising inflation and other economic challenges that have worsened the investment climate.

MAN stated this in a statement in which it condemned the recently introduced Expatriate Employment Levy by the Federal Government.

The association said it was struck with disbelief, seeing that the levy runs contrary to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the kernel of his Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform initiative.

According to MAN, the unintended negative consequences on the manufacturing sector are humongous and cannot be accommodated at this time of evident downturn in our economy.

The statement read in part, “The imposition of EEL poses a potential impact on the manufacturing sector and the economy at large.

“This will in turn mark an unwarranted and unprecedented addition to the cost of doing business in Nigeria, especially to manufacturers. The manufacturing sector is already beset with multidimensional challenges. In the year 2023, 335 manufacturing companies became distressed and 767 shut down.”

The statement further noted that capacity utilisation in the sector has declined to 56 per cent amid rising interest rates and scarcity of forex needed to import raw materials and machinery.

It added, “Inventory of unsold finished products has increased to N350bn and the real growth has dropped to 2.4 per cent.”

MAN also said it was concerned that the EEL contradicts our international trade agreements and the obligations contained therein.

It argued that Nigeria is a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, which seeks to promote the free movement of skilled labour across the continent, which is complemented by non-discriminatory measures against fellow Africans.

The association expressed worry that the introduction of the levy could trigger retaliatory measures against Nigerians working across Africa and other nations of the world and may also frustrate regional integration efforts and portray Nigeria as a spoiler among her peers.

“We are equally worried that the imposition of such a levy could have far-reaching implications for our national economy and potentially exert pressure on our national currency could be introduced through a Handbook, rather than a law enacted by the National Assembly.

This levy, if not reversed, might expose the Federal Government to a plethora of lawsuits that would  distract Government from the task of salvaging the current dire situation of our economy,” the statement added.

In its recommendation, MAN urged the president to direct that the implementation of the Expatriate Employment Levy be discontinued.

The Expatriate Employment Levy, a new policy introduced by the Federal Government aims to address wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian Labor force while encouraging skills transfer and the employment of qualified Nigerians in foreign-owned companies.

The new levy is $10,000 for staff and $15,000 for directors. This represents a significant shift from the $2,000 paid by foreign nationals for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card.

However, the introduction of the EEL has been met with strong criticism from members of Nigeria’s Organised Private Sector, who argue that the policy may negatively affect Foreign Direct Investments in the country.

In a statement signed by its Director-General, Chinyere Almona the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it is concerned about the likely perception by foreign investors that the Nigerian government is not accommodating to foreign workers.

The chamber expressed concern that this perception would be harmful to our drive for Foreign Direct Investments inflows.

The statement read in part, “The Expatriate Employment Levy may cause unintended consequences that may trigger the relocation of foreign companies to neighbouring countries that present a more conducive and less expensive environment for business.

“The imposition of this levy may likely spark retaliatory actions taken by other countries by imposing levies on foreigners and particularly targeting Nigerian workers. This will in turn affect diaspora remittances from Nigerian workers resident in other countries.”

In the same vein, the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Muda Yusuf, criticised the new policy directive.

The Centre said that the policy could be a major setback for the continental economic integration vision.

The statement read, “There are serious implications for diaspora Nigerians. The policy may trigger reciprocal actions from other countries and this may affect Nigerians in the diaspora.

“There are currently over 17 million Nigerians in various countries around the world doing extremely well in the fields of education, medicine, health, sports, media & entertainment, leadership & politics, finance, science & ICT, transportation, tourism, industry and agribusiness.”

Punch

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) subsidiary in Ghana says it is working with relevant government agencies and customers in the country to resolve the trade-related issues in no time.

On February 4, 2024, the Central Bank of Ghana suspended the foreign exchange (FX) trading licences of two Nigerian-owned banks over “fraudulent documentation” during operations.

The suspension, which is to take effect on March 18, 2023, and last for one month, involves GTBank and First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).

However, in a statement on Tuesday, GTBank assured customers that the suspension would not affect other  services 

“We would like to assure all our esteemed customers and stakeholders that we are currently working with the relevant government agencies and customers with a view to resolving these trade-related issues timely,” GTBank said.

‘’Our customers and stakeholders are our primary responsibility and, Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana would like to clarify that this development does not affect customers’ own deposits and other business segments of our operations.

“All other products and services, Main branches, Agency Banking outlets are available for your convenient use at our regular opening hours and our Mobile Apps and Internet banking are available for your use at any time of the day.

“We further assure our customers that the issue was not a function of willful non-compliance by the Bank, as the Bank has a culture that endeavours to comply with regulations at all times and stringent Anti-money laundering CFT policies which are applied across all our operations.

“We are also in ongoing consultations and discussions with the Central Bank of Ghana to fully resolve all matters raised in the shortest possible time.”

The bank said it remained committed to being a constructive participant in Ghana’s financial markets and to contributing to its developments in the interest of all its customers and stakeholders.

LIKE GTB, FBN ASSURES OF WORKING TO ADDRESS ISSUE 

On its part, FBN Ghana, on Monday, also reaffirmed its willingness to resolve the FX trading licence suspension.

The bank said all branches would be open for operations as usual.

“We refer to the Bank of Ghana’s announcement of the 30-day suspension of our Foreign Exchange Trading Licence effective March 18, 2024,” FBN said.

“We would like to advise our valued customers and esteemed stakeholders that we are working with the Bank of Ghana to remediate the identified trade-related matters.

“FBNBank would like to assure its valued customers that when the suspension kicks in, the Bank’s other business segments and solutions will be fully operational. This will include branch operations, agent banking partners and channels for seamless banking.”

FBN said it will continue to uphold high ethical standards.

The Cable

Cryptocurrency giant Binance has said it will discontinue all its naira services, days after two of its officials were detained in Nigeria.

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange has already told its Nigerian users to either withdraw their naira deposits, trade their assets denominated in the currency or convert their naira holdings into crypto before the discontinuation comes into effect on Friday.

“From 2024-03-08 08:00 (UTC), any remaining NGN balances in users’ Binance accounts will be automatically converted to USDT,” Binance said in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday.

The federal government blocked access to the platform in February, noting that the platform was used to funnel illicit funds to terrorists.

Bayo Onanuga, a spokesman for President Bola Tinubu said Binance could wreck the Nigerian economy if not tamed.

The governor of the Central Bank OF Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso has said that Binance operations in Nigeria have been used to funnel “illicit” funds.

Cardoso also said that $26 billion flowed through Binance Nigeria in one year from unverifiable sources.

The crypto exchange said it will no longer support deposits of naira after “2024-03-05 14:00 (UTC) while the withdrawals of NGN will not be supported after 2024-03-08 06:00 (UTC).”

Binance further said that after March 8 08:00 (UTC), it will convert any remaining NGN balances in users’ Spot and Funding wallets into USDT on behalf of users at a ratio of 1 USDT = 1,515.13 NGN.

It urged users to note that the conversion rate is calculated based on the average closing price of the USDT/NGN trading pair on Binance Spot in the last seven days.

According to the statement, the conversion may take approximately up to 24 hours or longer because USDT tokens will be credited to users’ Spot wallets thereafter, and users can confirm receipt of the tokens via the Convert History page.

It added that if users hold less than 0.00000001 USDT worth of NGN in their Spot and Funding wallets, they will each receive 0.00000001 USDT in their Spot wallets after the conversion.

Binance also announced that it will delist all existing NGN spot trading pairs (i.e., BTC/NGN and USDT/NGN) at 2024-03-07 (March 7) 03:00 (UTC).

It further warned users that all open spot orders with respect to the above trading pairs will automatically be closed when trading ceases in the relevant trading pair.

Binance also called on users to ensure that they have not selected “Hide Small Balances” in all of their wallets to view their assets after trading ceases.

Also according to the statement, Binance Convert will delist NGN and all corresponding pairs at 2024-03-07 02:00 (UTC). Binance P2P had already delisted all NGN trading pairs at 2024-02-28 15:00 (UTC).

Binance Auto-Invest will delist NGN after 2024-03-06 (March 6) 03:00 (UTC). Binance said users may choose to remove the plan(s) beforehand otherwise, the next recurring cycle of the aforementioned token(s) will fail.

Binance further announced that it will remove NGN from the list of supported payment options on Binance Pay at 2024-03-06 03:00 (UTC).

“We thank you for your support as we continue to build the crypto ecosystem in a way that promotes transparency and long-term, sustainable growth,” the Binance Team added.

The Guardian

Gaza cease-fire talks fail to achieve a breakthrough with Ramadan just days away, Egypt says

Three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages failed to achieve a breakthrough on Tuesday, Egyptian officials said, less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline for a deal.

The nearly five months of fighting left much of Gaza in ruins and created a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with many, especially in the devastated northern region, scrambling for food to survive.

“We must get more aid into Gaza,” U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday. “There’s no excuse. None.”

Aid groups have said it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies within most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, the ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in return for a six-week cease-fire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and an major influx of aid to the isolated territory.

Two Egyptian officials said that the latest round of discussions ended on Tuesday. They said Hamas presented a proposal that mediators would discuss with Israel in the coming days. One of the officials said that mediators would meet Wednesday with the Hamas delegation, which didn’t leave Cairo.

Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, and the remains of around 30 more, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences.

U.S. officials have said that they are skeptical that Hamas actually wants a deal, because the group has balked at a number of what the U.S. and others believe are legitimate requests, including giving the names of hostages to be released.

“It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.

“We have an opportunity for an immediate cease-fire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian aid getting in to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and can set the conditions for an enduring resolution,” Blinken said.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Tuesday that his group demands a permanent cease-fire, rather than a six-week pause, and a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces.

“The security and safety of our people will be achieved only by a permanent cease-fire, the end of the aggression and the withdrawal from every inch of the Gaza Strip,” Hamdan told reporters in Beirut.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected Hamas’ demands and repeatedly vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and all the hostages are returned. Israel didn’t send a delegation to the latest round of talks.

Israel was still waiting for Hamas to hand over a list of hostages who are alive as well as the hostage-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal, an Israeli official said. It wasn’t clear if that information was included in the latest proposal.

The Israeli and Egyptian officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media on the negotiations.

When asked whether Hamas has a list of the surviving hostages, Hamdan said that the matter wasn’t relevant to the talks and accused Israel of using it as an excuse to avoid engaging in the negotiations.

Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu’s War Cabinet and his main political rival, met with senior U.S. officials in Washington on a visit that drew a rebuke from the prime minister, the latest sign of a growing rift within Israel’s leadership.

Mediators had hoped to broker an agreement before Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions linked to access to a major holy site in Jerusalem. Ramadan is expected to begin around March 10, depending on the sighting of the moon.

“The negotiations are sensitive. I can’t say there is optimism or pessimism, but we haven’t yet reached a point at which we can achieve a cease-fire,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. More than 100 of them were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

The attack sparked an Israeli invasion of the enclave of 2.3 million people that Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. Aid groups say the fighting has displaced most of the territory’s population and pushed a quarter of the population to the brink of famine.

The U.N. children’s agency said Monday that at least 10 children have reportedly died in isolated northern Gaza because of dehydration and malnutrition.

“There are likely more children fighting for their lives somewhere in one of Gaza’s few remaining hospitals, and likely even more children in the north unable to obtain care at all,” Adele Khodr, the UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.

“These tragic and horrific deaths are man-made, predictable and entirely preventable,” she added.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday that 15 children have starved to death at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and another six were at risk of dying from malnutrition and dehydration. It wasn’t clear if the children had underlying medical conditions that increased their vulnerability.

Northern Gaza, the first target of Israel’s offensive, has suffered mass devastation. The World Food Program recently suspended aid shipments to the north, citing a security breakdown. An attempt by the Israeli military to bring in aid ended in tragedy last week when more than 100 Palestinians were fatally shot by Israeli forces or trampled to death in a melee.

The United States and Jordan airdropped 36,800 meals over northern Gaza on Tuesday, the second U.S. airdrop since Saturday.

Up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to remain in northern Gaza after Israel ordered the evacuation of the entire region, including Gaza City, in October. Many have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive. The U.N. says that one in six children under age 2 in the north suffer from acute malnutrition.

Israel is still carrying out strikes in all parts of Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 97 people had been killed over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall Palestinian death toll to 30,631. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says it has sunk a Russian patrol ship near Crimea

Ukrainian sea drones hit and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship off occupied Crimea in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday.

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said a special unit called Group 13 had fired Magura V5 maritime drones at the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

It said on the Telegram messaging app that the vessel had sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides, at an estimated cost of $65 million.

"Right now this ship is on the seabed as a result of fire damage by unmanned boats," navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said in televised comments.

Andriy Yusov, a GUR spokesperson, said a helicopter had been on board the vessel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made no direct reference to the reported sinking of the vessel in his nightly video address.

But he said Ukraine had "proven what we are capable of, what our strength is capable of."

"That is shown by the number of downed Russian aircraft and the capabilities of our boys against the Russian fleet. There are no safe havens for Russian terrorists in the Black Sea and nor will there be."

And there would be, he said, "no safe space for them in the sky, given sufficient Ukrainian strength".

Reuters was unable to verify the reports. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Some Russian military bloggers confirmed the account. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported attempts to tow the ship to port but said it eventually sank.

Ukraine has in recent months stepped up attacks in the Black Sea and on Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed in 2014. Kyiv has reported a series of strikes, including the sinking of a large landing ship by naval drones in mid-February.

Pletenchuk said the Sergey Kotov had also been hit in September 2023 and that a similar patrol vessel had been damaged in attacks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

"They have four similar ships, two of them are no longer in service," he said.

Reuters was unable to confirm the earlier strikes.

Train and highway traffic was temporarily stopped and later resumed on a bridge spanning the Kerch Strait and linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland, Moscow-installed officials in Crimea said.

Russia controls close to one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. Zelenskiy said in November Kyiv had seized the initiative in the Black Sea and forced back Russia's fleet.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev loses 500 troops in Avdeyevka area over past day — Russia’s top brass

The Ukrainian military lost roughly 500 troops in battles with Russian forces in the Avdeyevka area near Donetsk over the past day, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, reporting on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Units of Russia’s Battlegroup Center continued seizing more advantageous sites and positions in the Avdeyevka area over the past day in their well-coordinated operations. They inflicted damage by firepower on the personnel and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 24th, 31st, 47th and 61st mechanized brigades near the communities of Netailovo, Novosyolovka Pervaya and Toretsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it specified.

"They also repulsed three attacks by Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Kirovo, Berdychi and Shumy and ten counterattacks near the communities of Tonenkoye, Pervomaiskoye and Orlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The enemy lost as many as 500 personnel, 4 armored combat vehicles, including a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and an M113 armored personnel carrier of US manufacture, 4 motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer," the ministry reported.

Russian forces destroy 300 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces destroyed roughly 300 Ukrainian troops and four enemy armored vehicles in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"The Ukrainian army lost as many as 300 personnel, 2 tanks, 2 armored personnel carriers and 3 motor vehicles. In counter-battery fire, the following targets were destroyed: an US-made M198 howitzer, two D-20 howitzers, an Msta-B howitzer, two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems, a D-30 howitzer and a Grad multiple rocket launcher," the ministry said.

Russian forces eliminate 230 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the south Donetsk area, eliminating roughly 230 enemy troops and a UK-made air defense system over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the south Donetsk direction, units of the Battlegroup East inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the 102nd and 128th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Malinovka in the Zaporozhye Region. The Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to 230 personnel, 2 tanks, 2 armored combat vehicles, 6 motor vehicles, an Msta-B howitzer and a UK-made Stormer surface-to-air missile launcher," the ministry said.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian S-300, Buk anti-aircraft missile launchers in DPR

Russian forces destroyed S-300 and Buk anti-aircraft missile launchers of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Russian forces destroyed a missile launcher of an S-300 surface-to-air missile system near the settlement of Mayaki in the DPR and a missile launcher of a Buk anti-aircraft missile system near the community of Vozdvizhenka in the DPR," the ministry said.

Over the past 24 hours, operational-tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a Ukrainian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) control post near the settlement of Novokalinovo in the DPR and struck enemy manpower and military hardware in 104 areas, it said.

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian MiG-29 warplane over past day

Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet and intercepted four rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 plane near the settlement of Lyubomirovka in the Nikolayev Region. During the last 24-hour period, they intercepted four HIMARS rockets," the ministry said.

Russian air defense systems also destroyed 112 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular, near the settlements of Peschanoye, Nikolskoye, Staromikhailovka and Lastochkino in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Romanovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, it specified.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 576 Ukrainian warplanes, 267 helicopters, 14,305 unmanned aerial vehicles, 479 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,360 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,233 multiple rocket launchers, 8,299 field artillery guns and mortars and 19,365 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

Reuters/Tass

Even if you’re not the boss’s favorite, getting into your manager’s good graces can improve your morale and productivity, and ultimately, boost your career.

But it takes a lot more than being a hard worker who meets deadlines to be a standout employee. 

If you want a relationship that goes beyond “we get along fine,” you’ll need to connect with your boss on a personal level, say Gensler’s co-CEOs and global co-chairs Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins, who help manage the design and architecture firm’s more than 7,000 employees across the world.

Hoskins has noticed that younger employees — Gen Zers and millennials —are especially good at establishing strong, empathetic relationships with higher-ups. 

“Many of Gensler’s younger employees will find 15 minutes on my calendar just to grab coffee and talk, whether it’s about work or life outside of work, our hobbies and interests,” she says. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy those conversations.”

Having that informal one-on-one time with your manager allows for more casual, free-flowing conversation, which can help build trust and give them ideas on how to better support your career goals. 

“In these kinds of conversations, most bosses are thinking, ‘What I can offer or say to help this person unlock some of their thinking about their careers, or try something new?’” she says. “These conversations can end up being really meaningful and productive.”

To develop a stronger rapport with your boss, start by scheduling the occasional coffee chat —Hoskins says you don’t need more than 15 minutes — and come prepared to ask about their interests and hobbies, in addition to current work projects they’re excited about. 

As for what not to talk about, Alison Green, in her widely read advice blogAsk A Manager, says it’s smart to avoid discussing religion, politics or money troubles with your manager. More casual conversations about your personal lives are fine, Green says, but you shouldn’t go into detail about your relationship problems or what you discuss with your therapist.

If it’s hard to find time on their calendar for a check-in, Cohen says you can still build a strong personal relationship with your boss with small gestures. 

For example: You can ask how their week is going at the top of a meeting, express appreciation for their contributions and celebrate them on special occasions, like their birthday or work anniversary.

“A lot of people are intimidated by their bosses, but a good leader likes to hear from their employees, hang out and have open lines of communication,” he says. “That’s really important for building a positive work environment.”

What most employees don’t realize, adds Hoskins, is that “as much as you want your boss to like you, they want you to like them too. So don’t be afraid to be seen, to build a close relationship with them.”

CNBC