Long the fixation of religions, philosophy and literature the world over, the conscious experience of dying has recently received increasingly significant attention from science. This comes as medical advances extend the ability to keep the body alive, steadily prying open a window into the ultimate locked room: the last living moments of a human mind.

“Around 1959 humans discovered a method to restart the heart in people who would have died, and we called this CPR,” says Sam Parnia, a critical care physician at NYU Langone Health. Parnia has studied people’s recollections after being revived from cardiac arrest—phenomena that he refers to as “recalled experiences surrounding death.” Before CPR techniques were developed, cardiac arrest was basically synonymous with death. But now doctors can revive some people up to 20 minutes or more after their heart has stopped beating. Furthermore, Parnia says, many brain cells remain somewhat intact for hours to days postmortem—challenging our notions of a rigid boundary between life and death.

Advancements in medical technology and neuroscience, as well as shifts in researchers’ perspectives, are revolutionizing our understanding of the dying process. Research over the past decade has demonstrated a surge in brain activity in human and animal subjects undergoing cardiac arrest. Meanwhile large surveys are documenting the seemingly inexplicable periods of lucidity that hospice workers and grieving families often report witnessing in people with dementia who are dying. Poet Dylan Thomas famously admonished his readers, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” But as more resources are devoted to the study of death, it is becoming increasingly clear that dying is not the simple dimming of one’s internal light of awareness but rather an incredibly active process in the brain.

What is terminal lucidity?

For decades, researchers, hospice caregivers and stunned family members have watched with awe as people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia suddenly regain their memories and personalities just before death. To their family members it might seem like a second lease on life, but for many experienced medical workers, it can be a sign the end is near. Christopher Kerr, chief executive officer and chief medical officer at the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo, N.Y., has studied the lucid visions of several hundred terminally ill people. He says these events “usually occur in the last few days of life.” Such “terminal lucidity” is defined as the unexpected return of cognitive faculties such as speech and “connectedness” with other people, according to George Mason University’s Andrew Peterson, a researcher of bioethics and consciousness who co-authored a study of the phenomenon commissioned by the National Institutes of Health.

This connectedness goes beyond the return of lost communication ability and situational awareness. “One thing that seems to be quite profound for family members who observe lucidity is something we call the ‘old self’ emerging,” Peterson says. “There seems to be clear evidence that they’re aware not merely of their surroundings … but additionally understanding what their relationships to other people are”—be it the use of a nickname or a reference to a longstanding inside joke.

As surprising as these events might seem, they are quite common. “Our study wasn’t a prevalence study,” says Jason Karlawish, a gerontologist at the Penn Memory Center and senior principal investigator of the NIH study. Nevertheless, he adds, “what we found is lucidity was more common than it was the exception in dementia patients, which would suggest that the idea of it being terminal is not entirely correct.” Instead he suggests that episodes of lucidity should be seen as part of the “disease experience” rather than as aberrant events. “We’ve actually found that a variety of these episodes occurred months, even years, before the person died,” Karlawish notes. Even so, many experts including Kerr and Parnia agree that most of these episodes are associated with the approach of death. “It’s almost like they’re preparing themselves to die,” Parnia says.

The potential implications of these widespread, temporary cognitive resurgences are profound. “It suggests there may be neural networks that are remaining, and/or pathways and neural function, that could help potentially restore cognitive abilities to individuals we otherwise think are permanently impaired,” Peterson says.

Nevertheless, research into this phenomenon is still in its early phases. “We don’t actually know what’s going on in the brain during the dying process that may in some way connect to these episodes,” Peterson says. Despite this uncertainty, other research into brain activity near or at the time of death could provide scientists and clinicians greater insight into some of the processes occurring in the diseased and dying brain.

What happens in the brain as people die?

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in May, researchers at the University of Michigan observed a surge of organized brain activity in two out of four comatose people who were undergoing cardiac arrest after being removed from life support. This work built on more than a decade of animal research, including a 2013 PNAS study that revealed a similar surge in synchronized brain activity in rats exposed to a cardiac toxin and a 2015 study in which rats were killed by asphyxiation. In all of these investigations, the researchers found that gamma-wave activity surged within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest and then ceased. Gamma waves are a frequency of brain wave typically associated with wakefulness, alertness and memory recall.

Jimo Borjigin, a neurologist and an associate professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan, was involved in all three studies. The surge of gamma waves in dying subjects was particularly intense in a brain region Borjigin refers to as the “posterior cortical ‘hot zone,’” located near the back of the skull. Some other researchers believe this region may also be essential to conscious experience. The parts of the brain in this area are related to visual, auditory and motion perception—a phenomenon Borjigin believes is involved in the out-of-body experiences reported by people who come close to death and recover. She adds that gamma-wave activation patterns akin to those observed in the comatose people are associated with activities that include the recognition of a familiar image—such as a human face—in healthy people.

In both the human and animal studies, the subjects’ brain showed a spike in activity after the sudden reduction of oxygen supply, Borjigin says. “It starts to activate this homeostatic mechanism to get oxygen back, either by breathing harder or making your heart beat faster,” she adds. Borjigin hypothesizes that much of the surge in more complex brain activity observed in humans and animals undergoing cardiac arrest is also a result of the brain attempting to reestablish homeostasis, or biological equilibrium, after detecting a lack of oxygen. She further speculates that these survival mechanisms may be involved in other changes in cognition surrounding death. “I believe dementia patients’ terminal lucidity may be due to these kinds of last-ditch efforts of the brain” to preserve itself as physiological systems fail, Borjigin says.

NYU Langone’s Parnia agrees that the brain’s reaction to the loss of oxygen is at least partially responsible for lucid experiences surrounding death. Between 2017 and 2020 Parnia led a study called AWARE II, in which researchers monitored the brain activity of more than 500 critically ill people in the U.S. and U.K. who were receiving CPR. The patients were exposed to audiovisual stimuli while undergoing CPR to test their memory of events after cardiac arrest. Those who survived were later interviewed about how aware they were during the resuscitation process. According to Parnia, one in five survivors reported lucid experiences that occurred after their heart stopped. The AWARE II team also observed an unexpected spike in brain activity during CPR, he says. “Within 20 seconds of cardiac arrest, the brain flatlines,” Parnia says. Yet “usually within five minutes—but it could be longer—we’re seeing a reemergence of a transient period of brain electricity.” He adds that the frequencies of brain activity observed are similar to those associated with conscious experience.

Parnia believes the dying brain loses the usual suppression mechanisms that allow us to focus on individual tasks during our day-to-day lives. “When you die, your brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, so it shuts down,” Parnia says. “This shutting down process takes away the brakes…, and suddenly what seems to be happening is: it gives you access to parts of your brain that you normally can’t access…. All your thoughts or your memories or your interactions with everyone else come out.” But he stresses that the experiences of people undergoing cardiac arrest are lucid, not merely hallucinations. “They’re not delusional,” Parnia says of the resuscitated people he studied, and what they’re experiencing is “not dreams or hallucinations.” Although his previous studies focused on resuscitated critically ill people, Parnia believes that terminal lucidity in people who are comatose or have dementia may be the product of a similar process. He is currently participating in a study on the latter phenomenon.

A full explanation for the conscious experiences of dying people remains elusive. But research increasingly paints a picture of death as an incredibly active and complex process—and, perhaps more importantly, “a humanized one,” as Kerr describes it. As for people with dementia, Karlawish says that rather than assuming their consciousness has been irrevocably changed, “we should still pay close attention to their mind because some aspects are still there, though they may be quite damaged.”

Scientific American

Nigerians are feeling the strain as their new president pushes through a series of unpopular policies that have earned him praise from foreign investors.

Bola Tinubu, who was sworn in on 29 May, has surprised many observers by taking a running start to his tenure of Africa’s most populous country. In little over two weeks he has banished a longstanding petrol subsidy, ejected the country’s central bank governor and ended restrictions on the rate of the naira, Nigeria’s currency.

The steps have fired up markets, sending stocks in what is also Africa’s largest economy to their highest level in 15 years. But they have also increased living costs and drawn criticism from many Nigerians who have faced years of economic mismanagement.

Joseph Essien, 47, a taxi driver in Lagos, said he had stopped working altogether because he was no longer making any profit after the rise in petrol prices. He said he used to spend about 5,000 naira (£8.40) a day on fuel, which would last him for a day of eight hours and then into the next. Last week he was spending about 15,000 naira on fuel that barely lasted him a day.

“Over the weekend I just told myself it wasn’t worth it; I’m just working to pay Bolt [the ride-hailing company] their commission and I’m left with nothing,” he said.

Tinubu, 71, who won as the ruling party candidate in February’s election, last week suspended Godwin Emefiele, the controversial central bank governor, after criticising his botched replacement of naira notes in the lead-up to the election.

Inflation hit an 18-year high and Nigeria’s debt soared to more than $150bn (£118bn) under Emefiele’s watch.

On Saturday, the national domestic security agency arrested Emefiele “for some investigative reasons”, without giving further details.

Rid of its former governor, on Wednesday the central bank floated the naira to foreign exchange buyers, signalling the end of Nigeria’s control of its official rate, which soon dropped by about 40% – the biggest fall in its history.

Countries including the UK had lobbied for that move as essential to boosting foreign investment. A Whitehall source said it meant “short-term pain for long-term stability”.

Nigerians were already reeling from chaos triggered by Tinubu in the first minutes of his presidency when he declared in his inauguration speech, off-script, that Nigeria’s costly fuel subsidy was “gone”. The move sparked panic-buying before pump prices tripled, leaving travellers stranded. Two states have announced three-day office weeks for their civil servants in response, while one has reduced school teaching to three days a week.

Bolt increased its minimum fares earlier this month after the fuel subsidy was dropped but the union for drivers using ride-hailing apps said the increase goes nowhere near covering petrol prices that have roughly tripled.

Drivers went on strike last week in protest, and this week suspended the strike while negotiating with Uber and Bolt. Nigeria’s main workers’ union has also threatened to strike.

Dosunmu Oluwaseyi, 35, the floor manager of a restaurant in the Victoria Island commercial district of Lagos, said she like many had taken to “trekking” to work, choosing shorter, cheaper bush taxi routes and making up the difference on foot.

“Some people stay at work,” she said. “They will not be able to go home every day. By the grace of God they should reduce [the price].”

Ikemesit Effiong, head of research at analyst company SBM Intelligence, said Nigeria was in “national sacrifice mode”. The devaluation of the naira combined with the dropping of the fuel subsidy was already causing inflation, he said.

He added: “The hope is that the end of the subsidy regime frees up enough resources, political trust and transparency permitting, to be channelled towards desperately needed infrastructural and social investment.”

Some have urged Tinubu, an archetypal “big man” with a reputation for lavish spending, to tighten his own belt in these times of need. They suggest shortening his convoys of blackout-windowed 4x4s, which can stretch to more than 60 cars, or getting rid of some of the seven aeroplanes in his presidential fleet.

Charlie Robertson of the emerging markets investment firm FIM Partners praised Tinubu’s policies, saying they had prevented Nigeria defaulting on its debts, which would have led to rampant inflation. “We were heading to [the situation of] Venezuela,” he said. “Millions of refugees pouring across the border desperate for jobs and stability.”

He said the fuel subsidy was “simply unaffordable”, and freeing up the naira would encourage investment in the country and could boost a stagnant private sector, potentially creating jobs. But he added: “This is the easy stuff to do. The hard stuff is to make the country ready for industrialisation and a boom.”

For now Essien, the taxi driver, sits at home with his family, desperately learning the coding language Python. “By the end of this month I hope to be able to get a grasp of an aspect of it, and look for remote jobs,” he said.

The Guardian, UK

The Nigerian naira has closed at N663 to the dollar at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window after what has been the currency’s most eventful week in years. 

The local currency closed on Thursday at N702 to the dollar but recovered on Friday to end trading at N663.

On Wednesday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a circular to the effect that all exchange rates in the country will now follow the “willing buyer, willing seller” arrangement at the I&E window, effectively floating the naira.

Since then, the naira has traded at a record high of N791 per dollar but recovered to close the week at N663.04 to the greenback.

The CBN also ditched the previous official rate of N463 per dollar to adopt the weighted average of transactions at the I&E window.

Currently, the apex bank is quoting N589/$ on its website as the weighted average of transactions carried out at the I&E window on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

This is a recovery from N632.77 quoted by the bank — only 24 hours earlier.

The Cable

A former senator, Dino Melaye, on Friday, appeared before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja as a witness in the petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to challenge the outcome of the February presidential poll.

Melaye, dubbed as a star witness of the petitioners, told the court that the final result of the presidential election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was wrongly computed.

The former senator, who is also the PDP candidate in the forthcoming Kogi State governorship election, is the 23rd witness the petitioners have called so far to challenge the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the disputed election.

Led in evidence by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Chris Uche, Melaye, who told the court that he was PDP’s National Collation Agent, identified himself as a businessman and a politician.

The witness said he refused to sign the final result announced by INEC chairman, Yakubu Mahmood, because of the wrong computation of the figures.

“The results were wrongly computed and announced. That was why I refused to sign. I don’t endorse fraud,” Melaye re-echoed his grouse that he had expressed during the collation of the results in February.

Under cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, Melaye said most PDP agents across the country did not sign the Form EC8As which were the result from the polling units.

“It is not true that all the agents signed results of the election across the federation. Not all of them signed. I may not give you the actual number of our agents that did not sign the results in protest,” he told the court.

Giving another reason for rejecting the outcome of the poll, the witness said that the results brought to the national collation centre by state electoral officers were at variance with the results recorded in the state.

Melaye added that the results declared by INEC were also at variance with the ones computed from copies of the result sheets uploaded on IReV, an online portal designed to receive polling units result sheets real-time.

“My lords, exhibits have shown that result on the IReV was at variance with what was announced.

“What was brought to Abuja by State Returning Officers was totally different from what transpired in the states,” he added,” Melaye said.

The witness also said he became aware of a third-party device deployed to manipulate votes in Tinubu’s favour through an INEC press statement prior to the election.

Under cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Mahmoud, Melaye said he voted at his polling unit in Kogi State, but returned to Abuja thereafter.

He added that he walked out of the national collation centre before the end of the process as the national collation agent of the petitioners when he discovered the fraudulent activities going on at the centre.

Three grouses

Melaye said that he had three major grouses with the conduct of the election, one of which was the refusal of INEC to transmit the election results electronically to its portal.

He said the Electoral Act 2022 mandates INEC to electronically transmit election results from polling stations to INEC’s IReV portal.

The electoral commission’s failure to electronically transmit the presidential election results in real-time from the polling units across Nigeria forms one of the grounds upon which Atiku and other petitiners are challenging Tinubu’s victory.

Under cross examination by Tinubu’s counsel, Akin Olujinmi, Melaye said that the failure of INEC to transmit results from Form EC8As to its IReV was an infringement of the law.

He, however, said that the result captured in Form EC8A could not be changed even where it was not transmitted electronically.

The witness further told the court that as a contributor to the drafting of the Electoral Act, the conduct of the presidential election was not done according to the law.

He said electronic transmission of results from the polling units unto the IReV was a very important aspect of the election process, adding that without that, the election circle could not be said to have been completed.

“Result is transmitted from polling units before you move to the ward collation center,” the PDP stalwart said.

He said his depositions in his statements were based on his personal experience at the national collation centre and information from the party agents across the country who reported to him as the national collation agent of the party.

He also said that some of the reports given by the agents were live feeds of what was happening at their locations real time through the use of technology.

When asked to give the actual scores of Atiku in the election since he claimed the scores were wrongly computed, the witness said that he did not calculate them directly but that they were calculated through his statistician.

The five-member panel led by Haruna Tsammani then discharged Melaye from the witness box after all the respondents had questioned him.

Exhibits tendered

The petitioners also tendered two sets of documents acquired from IReV via a subpoena issued on May 26 at Friday’s proceeding.

The documents are the certified true copies of Forms EC8A series from 13 local government areas of Nasarawa.

The second set of documents are Forms EC40G and Form EC40G(2), which were summaries of polling units where elections were cancelled or disrupted.

All the respondents objected to the admissibility of the documents saying they would advance reasons for their objection at the final address stage.

The documents were, however, admitted in evidence.

The court subsequently adjourned proceedings until 19 June.

Labour Party’s Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) also filed separate petitions to challenge the victory of Tinubu.

PT

National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment of nine candidates to the Court of Appeal bench and 28 other judicial officers.

It said in a statement posted via its Twitter handle Friday that the council made the recommendations at its 102nd meeting, which was held between 14 and 15 June.

The statement signed by the council’s director of information, Soji Oye, said the meeting presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and chair of the council, Olukayode Ariwoola, made the recommendations after considering the report of its Interview Committee.

The report contained a list of 37 candidates recommended for various judicial positions.

They include nine nominees for the Court of Appeal bench and the Chief Judges of Kano, Edo, and Bayelsa states.

They also include candidates for President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Delta State; three judges of the Benue State High Court; five judges of the Delta State High Court; eight judges of the Edo State High Court; four judges of the Katsina State High Court.

The rest are a judge of the Customary Court of Appeal, Benue State, two judges of the Customary Court of Appeal, Delta State, and one judge of the Customary Court of Appeal, Ogun State.

Nine of the nominees, who are for the Court of Appeal bench, were recommended to President Bola Tinubu for validation.

The rest of the candidates for positions of heads of courts and judges of the High Court and Customary Courts of Appeal were recommended to the relevant state governors.

The full list of 37 recommended candidates is as follows:

1. NINE (9) JUSTICES, COURT OF APPEAL

i. Asma’u Musa Mainoma

ii. Paul Ahmed Bassi

iii. Hannatu Azumi Laja-Balogun

iv. Binta Fatima Zubair

v. Hadiza Rabiu Shagari

vi. Peter Chudi Obiora

vii. Okon Efreti Abang

viii. Jane Esienanwan Inyang

ix. Lateef Adebayo Ganiyu

2. CHIEF JUDGE, KANO STATE HIGH COURT

i) Dije Abdu Aboki

3. CHIEF JUDGE, EDO STATE HIGH COURT

i) Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa

4. CHIEF JUDGE, BAYELSA STATE HIGH COURT

i) Matilda Abrakasa Ayemieye

5. PRESIDENT, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, DELTA STATE

i) Catherine Ngozi Ojugbana-Orishedere

6. THREE (3) JUDGES, BENUE STATE HIGH COURT

i) Lilian Ngusuur Terseer-Tsumba

ii) Patrick Eka Oche

iii) Ukande Mvendaga Peter

7. FIVE (5) JUDGES, DELTA STATE HIGH COURT

i) Ossai Rita Ngozi

ii) Aforkeya Obomejero

iii) Adolor Sunny Onorieukuhakpo

iv) Samuel Ifeanyi Okeleke

v) Umuko Aboyowa Godwin

8. EIGHT (8) JUDGES, EDO STATE HIGH COURT

i) Ovenseri Otamere

ii) Obayuwana Osarenren Mathias

iii) Edoghogho Eboigbe

iv) Ojo Maureen Osa

v) Bright Eraze Oniha

vi) Ehinon Anthony Okoh

vii) Godwin Jeff Okundamiya

viii) Osayande Ikwuemosi Awawu

9. FOUR (4) JUDGES, KATSINA STATE HIGH COURT

i) Nuradeen Abdulmumeen

ii) Halima Lawal Bagiwa

iii) Abdullahi Bara’u Faskari

iv) Sanusi Ma’aruf Aminu

10. ONE (1) JUDGE, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, BENUE STATE

i) Iortyer Vihilun Fidelis

11. TWO (2) JUDGES, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, DELTA STATE

i) Gbakeji Michael Emakpor

ii) Uraih Tracy Patricia Ifeanyi

12. ONE (1) JUDGE, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, OGUN APPEAL

Sofowora Oriyomi Abiodun

PT

Police Service Commission has approved the appointments of Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Frank Mba and Bala Ciroma, as Deputy Inspectors General of Police.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, on Friday.

Ani said that DIG Ciroma would replace DIG Ali Janga who retired from service and had represented the Northeast geopolitical zone in the Police Management Team, while DIG Mba would represent the Southeast zone and replace retired DIG John Amadi who before his retirement represented the zone.

“DIG Ciroma, the most senior officer from the zone will henceforth represent the zone. DIG Mba will represent the Southeast zone and replace retired DIG John Amadi who before his retirement represented the zone,” the statement read in part.

The commission also approved the promotion of 14 Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police and 22 Deputy Commissioners of Police to the substantive rank of commissioners.

The PSC said the decisions were high points of the 21st plenary of the commission presided over by its Chairman and former Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase, and was attended by all the members of the commission, including the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the commission, Dr Ifeoma Anyanwutaku.

The new AIGs are former CPs Abubakar Lawal, Alhassan Aminu, Abdul Umar, Shettima Zannah, Ebong Eyibio Ebong, Adepoju Ilori, and Okon Effiong.

Others are former CPs Echeng Echeng, Susan Horsfall, Bankole Lanre Sikiru, Oladimeji Olarewaju, Sani Gwarzo, and Odama Ojeka.

The 22 former Deputy Commissioners of Police promoted to the rank of CPs are Abibo Reuben, Thomas Nabhoni, Wakil Salamai, Enyinnaya Inonachi, Ronke Okunade, and Adekunle Olusokan.

They also include CPs Hassan Yabnet, Festus Oko, Aminu Raji, Omolara Oluntola, Akoh Gabriel, Alamutu Mustapha, Bafda Jahun, Ahmadu Abdullahi, and Mohammed Mu’azu.

Others are former DCPs Bretet Simon, Ihebom Chukuma, Shettima Qurtu, Olatokunbo Olabisi, Yusuf Lawal, Monica Leo, and Abaniwonda Olufemi.

The commission also approved the promotion of 24 Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of DCPs.

They include former ACPs Ezekiel Ibrahim, Project Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Mohammed Shamsudeen, Assistant Director, OPS, Kaduna (NCCSALW); Khan Usman, Networking Admin ICT FHQ, Abuja; Wan Chongs, Commander PMF 19 Portharcourt; and Baba Audu, Area Commander, Exeter Akwa-Ibom State Command.

Punch

A federal capital territory  (FCT) high court sitting in Maitama has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to have access to his lawyers and family.

Hamza Muazu, presiding judge, gave the order on Friday after an application by Joseph Daudu, counsel to Emefiele.

On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, deputy governor, operations directorate.

On Saturday, the DSS announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.

Responding, I. Awo, counsel to the DSS, said the service was not in the habit of rejecting such requests, adding that it was inappropriate.

Awo gave assurance that the DSS would comply with the order of the court and allow the listed lawyers and family members to visit the suspended CBN governor.

The judge said allowing Emefiele access to his lawyers and family is within his fundamental rights.

Meanwhile, both the counsels to the DSS and the office of the attorney-general of the federation requested an extension of time to file their responses to the originating motion.

The court granted the request and adjourned the hearing of the substantive suit to June 19.

The Cable

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskyy urges African leaders to press Putin on release of political prisoners

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to a group of African leaders to ask his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to free political prisoners from Crimea and beyond — saying it could be an important part of their trip to Russia on Saturday.

Seven African leaders — presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt’s prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda — visited Ukraine on Friday as part of a self-styled “peace mission” to both Ukraine and Russia to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war.

The African leaders were traveling to meet with Putin on Saturday in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

The mission to Ukraine, the first of its kind by African leaders, comes in the wake of other peace initiatives such as one by China, and it carried extra importance for the African countries: They rely on food and fertilizer deliveries from Russia and Ukraine, whose war has impeded exports from one of the world’s most important breadbaskets.

“This conflict is affecting Africa negatively,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a news conference alongside Zelenskyy and the four other African heads of state or government, after the leaders met for closed-door talks Friday afternoon.

Ramaphosa and others acknowledged the intensity of the fight and the animosity between Russia and Ukraine, but insisted all wars must come to an end — and that the delegation wants to help expedite that.

“I do believe that Ukrainians feel that they must fight and not give up. The road to peace is very hard,” he said, adding that “there is a need to bring this conflict to an end sooner rather than later.”

The delegation, including Senegal’s President Macky Sall and Presidents Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, represents a cross-section of African views about the war.

South Africa, Senegal and Uganda have avoided censuring Moscow for the conflict, while Egypt, Zambia and Comoros voted against Russia last year in a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion. Many African nations have long had close ties with Moscow, dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union supported their anti-colonial struggles.

The tenor of the press conference soured when Comoros President Azali Assoumani floated the idea of a “road map” to peace, prompting questions from Zelenskyy who sought a clarification and insisted he didn’t want “any surprises” from their visit with Putin.

Zelenskyy then urged them to help free political prisoners from Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

“Would you please ask Russia to liberate the political prisoners?” Zelenskyy said. “Maybe this will be an important result of your mission, of your ‘road map’.”

Zelenskyy expressed thinly veiled frustration about their trip, saying they would have “conversations with the terrorists” on Saturday.

International human rights organizations claim Russia has targeted the Crimean Tatar ethnic group with arbitrary detentions and unjustified prosecutions since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Many have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

“The Russian Federation misuses its legislation for political purposes, in particular to suppress the nonviolent struggle of the Crimean Tatars and their protest against the occupation of Crimea,” the Crimean Tatar Resource Center said in a statement last year.

Ramaphosa, who laid out 10 priorities to help pave the way to ending the war, said he planned to have a bilateral meeting with Putin in part to discuss the Russian leader’s possible attendance at a planned August summit, hosted by South Africa, of the so-called “BRICS” countries, which also include Brazil, China and India.

The International Criminal Court in March issued an international arrest warrant against Putin over Russian abductions of Ukrainian children, which could complicate any trip by Putin to South Africa. Ramaphosa said he alone would decide whether to invite the Russian leader, saying it was still “under consideration.”

Before meeting with Zelenskyy, the African leaders went to Bucha, a Kyiv suburb where bodies of civilians lay scattered in the streets last year after Russian troops abandoned a campaign to seize the capital and withdrew from the area.

The delegation’s stop in Bucha was symbolically significant, because the town has come to stand for the brutality of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Russian occupation of Bucha left hundreds of civilians dead, with some showing signs of torture.

While in Bucha, the visitors placed commemorative candles at a small memorial outside a church near where a mass grave was unearthed.

On their way back to the capital, air raid sirens went off in Kyiv — prompting them to briefly return to their hotel as a “precautionary measure,” Ramaphosa spokesman Vincent Magwenya said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: “Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace.”

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down six Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, six Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles and two reconnaissance drones. It gave no details on where they were shot down.

Germany will deliver another 64 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Friday, to help shield it against Russia’s relentless aerial attacks.

Officials who helped organize the delegation’s talks said the African leaders not only aimed to initiate a peace process but also to assess how Russia, which is under heavy international sanctions, can be paid for fertilizer exports that Africa desperately needs.

They are also set to discuss the related issue of ensuring more grain shipments out of Ukraine, and the possibility of more prisoner swaps.

“Life is universal, and we must protect lives – Ukrainian lives, Russian lives, global lives,” Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema told The Associated Press. “Instability anywhere is instability everywhere.”

The African peace overture comes as Ukraine launches a counteroffensive to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas, using Western-supplied advanced weapons in attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. Western analysts and military officials have cautioned that the campaign could last a long time.

China presented its own peace proposal at the end of February. Ukraine and its allies largely dismissed the plan, and the warring sides look no closer to a cease-fire.

Ukrainian troops have recorded successes along three stretches of the front line in the south and east, Andriy Kovalev, a spokesman for the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in a statement Friday.

According to Kovalev, Ukrainian forces moved forward south of the town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia province, in the direction of the village of Robotyne, as well as around Levadne and Staromaiorske, on the boundary between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk province further east.

Kovalev said Ukraine’s troops also advanced in some areas around Vuhledar, a mining town in Donetsk that was the site of a key tank battle.

It wasn’t possible to independently verify the claims.

Russian shelling on Thursday and overnight killed two civilians and wounded two others in southern Ukraine’s flood-hit Kherson region, where a major dam was destroyed last week, according to the region’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin.

Russian forces over the previous day launched 54 strikes across the province, using mortars, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, drones, missiles and aircraft, Prokudin said.

Floodwaters in the Kherson region have continued to recede, with the average level in flood-hit areas standing at 1.67 meters (about 5 feet) — down from 5 meters (16 feet) last Tuesday, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

** 'From Ukraine with love:' The elite night-time drone units bombing Russian military

The small screen on the soldier's remote control, the only light source allowed, illuminates his piercing stare while his drone, miles away, is moments away from dropping a 35-pound (16kg) explosive on a Russian position.

"This moment we call 'from Ukraine with love,'" his senior officer says.

This secretive night-time strike is being carried out by an elite unit comprising elements from the Security Service of Ukraine -- commonly known as SBU -- and the country's Patrol Police.

The operation was green-lit after the Ukrainian military reported the presence of a launch site from where Russian forces were firing Kornet rockets, missiles intended for use against tanks, towards their troops.

"We know this target relatively recently, it was discovered literally today," an SBU senior officer, who goes by the call sign Bankir, explains.

During the day, the drone unit spent hours scoping out possible night-time launch sites for their mission, as well as figuring out the exact coordinates of their target.

The comprehensive preparation involves flying different surveillance drones toward Russian positions, but also relying on additional intelligence from other Ukrainian units until they have a complete picture of the target.

"Reconnaissance has revealed the enemy's firing position, which is used to destroy the equipment of the defense forces of Ukraine," Bankir explains. "It will be destroyed today," he adds.

Before the launch they drive in complete darkness, turning off their headlights and using night-vision goggles to see the road, and reach a designated launch site.

"We try, we strive," Bankir says. "This has to happen under all of these conditions."

They hide their vehicles and proceed a few hundreds of meters on foot, while Ukrainian and Russian forces trade artillery salvos. Relying only on red light — which they say, is harder for Russian drones to spot from afar, especially when they're not looking — they illuminate the way.

"Go, go, go," one soldier says. The others make a dash for cover.

It's all carefully choreographed to hide their tracks and guarantee their position remains concealed from Russian surveillance and artillery, while they carry out their strike.

On site they prepare the drone -- a large, Ukrainian-made quadcopter — and the explosive they are dropping on the Russian position. The device can carry a payload of up to 45 pounds, but this evening they're making an improvised explosive -- using a shell left behind by Russian forces when they pulled out of Kherson.

"We 3D-printed these fins, and this [pipe] is from a hardware store," a senior officer with the call sign Marat, from the Patrol Police, explains as his men glue the whole thing together. "Now we finish our preparation, the bomb is ready, and we are ready to go."

An offensive in the dark

Night-time missions similar to this one have so far been a defining feature of the initial stages of Ukraine's counter-offensive, especially in the southern part of the country. Ukrainian strikes can shake buildings as far as the city of Zaporizhzhia and explosions light up the skies, despite the city being around 30 miles (48 km) from the frontline.

Ukraine has remained coy about the counter-offensive and is even more reserved when it comes to the tactical details of its probing and pushing operations along the frontlines. But on the Russian side, there is a clear belief Ukraine has a distinct advantage in this area.

"Why is the war happening at night? It's as clear as day," Russian military blogger Vladimir Sladkov wrote on his Telegram channel. "(Western) equipment has excellent night optics."

The Russian-installed head of Zaporizhzhia civil-military administration, Vladimir Rogov, shares a similar view.

"There are several reasons (why Ukraine is attacking at night)," he posted on his Telegram. "The first is to reduce the efficiency of our aviation; the second is to avoid losses from accurate hits by the shock company of kamikaze drones of our 42nd division; and the third is to make the most of the advantages of using Western-supplied equipment and instruments."

The United States has been supplying Ukrainian forces with night-vision technology since at least 2018, which is not usually available to most regular Russian soldiers.

Recently donated armored vehicles -- such as Leopard 2 tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles -- also have advanced night-vision capabilities, in most cases better than those available on older Soviet equipment still employed by Russian forces.

A successful hit

As the Ukrainian drone approaches its Russian target, the mission enters its most critical phase. The device is loud and once it closes in on Moscow's soldiers, they'll be able to hear it, even if they may be unable to see it.

Moments later, text messages intercepted by Ukraine's SBU reveals Moscow's soldiers have caught on. "Enemy bird spotted," one soldier texts. "Understood!" another responds.

Knowing a drone is in the air means Russian soldiers will try to bring it down. "They're firing at it," Marat says. "They cannot see the drone, but they're shooting towards the sound."

T he unit also expects Russian forces to try and take them out, launching flares into the air to illuminate the entire surrounding area.

"They try to see any anomalies and our presence here, now, is an anomaly. If they have a clear picture of that area, they will see that something has changed. Cars appeared, there was some movement," Marat explains. "If they see us, they will try to get us."

Luckily, on this occasion, the unit was not spotted, but there have been times where they have come under intense Russian artillery fire.

"It happens very often," Marat says. "Therefore, we try to change the place of launch, time, frequency of the radio signal every time."

Thorough planning means they have only lost four drones since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion last year -- far fewer than other units, which in some cases burn through several devices a day -- and they have yet to lose a single team member.

"Team safety comes first," Marat adds. "Then, the safety of the drone."

Immediately after the target is hit, the focus shifts to getting the drone back to base, using a previously mapped out route, hoping to avoid air defenses.

"It's coming back now," the pilot says. "It's traveling at 14 meters per second."

Minutes later it's finally out of danger. "I want a smoke," the pilot says as he sighs in relief.

As soon as it lands, the unit quickly packs everything up and moves out, leaving no trace of its presence. Drone footage recorded the following day reveals a destroyed target, another successful mission.

Still, the men say, their job is not done just yet, not while Russian forces continue to occupy Ukraine. "We really want to take revenge for all the evil they have done to us," Bankir says.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin predicts fate of F-16 in Ukraine

Any F-16 fighters the West sends to Kiev will be destroyed just like the tanks they have already delivered, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. In case they are based outside of Ukraine, that may lead to open war with NATO, he added.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Putin described how the much-heralded Ukrainian offensive, using Western heavy equipment delivered for the purpose, was actually going.

“Tanks are burning. Among them are the Leopards. They burn. So will the F-16s. There is no doubt,” the Russian president said.

Kiev has repeatedly demanded F-16s from the US and its allies. Ukrainian pilots are already being trained on the fourth-generation jets, though none have yet been delivered. The US-made fighter requires very specific airfield conditions, however, which Ukraine may not be able to provide. 

In case Kiev gets some F-16s and stations them at bases outside Ukraine, “we will need to look at how and where we can hit those assets used in combat operations against us,” Putin said at SPIEF. “This is a serious danger of further dragging NATO into this armed conflict.”

Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO that sending weapons to Kiev only prolongs the conflict and risks open confrontation. The US and its allies insist they are not a party to the hostilities, but only supplying Ukraine with money, weapons, ammunition, equipment, intelligence and advice in order to “defeat Russia.”

Though the F-16s do not pose a serious challenge to the Russian air force, Moscow has raised concerns with the UN Security Council over their possible deployment because the planes are capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs. Earlier this month, one influential US think-tank advocated giving such weapons to Ukraine. 

** Russia always retaliates after Ukrainian strikes — Putin

Russia always responds militarily to Ukrainian strikes, but it seldom presents its retaliation as breaking news, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

"We hit military targets with high-accuracy long-range and high-yield weapons and succeed in this respect. It's enough to see arms depots, warehouses and barracks housing personnel, including foreign mercenaries destroyed. There always follows a retaliation. We just avoid presenting it as breaking news very often, but this retaliation is sensitive and the enemy knows this," Putin said.

Kiev must understand that in case of continued attacks on Russian territory, Moscow will consider creating a "sanitary cordon" in Ukraine, he warned.

"If these attacks on our adjacent territories continue, we will consider creating a 'sanitary cordon' on Ukrainian territory. They just have to realize where they are heading for," he said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the largest annual economic and business event in Russia, is running on June 14-17. The theme of this year's forum is "Sovereign Development as a Basis for a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations". The event is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

** Conflict to remain permanent while Ukraine aspires to join NATO — Medvedev

Russia’s conflict with "Nazi Ukraine" will be permanent and if regime change occurs in Kiev, new authorities will not ask to join NATO, Deputy Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

On his Telegram channel he reiterated remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who ruled out Ukraine joining the alliance during the conflict but stressed that doors would remain open for Kiev. "What does this mean from a practical point of view? We don’t need Ukraine in NATO. In any case, until any remnant of this country remains in its present state," he wrote.

"Therefore, for Nazi Ukraine the conflict will be permanent. And a new political regime in Kiev (if there is one) will definitely not ask for NATO membership," Medvedev asserted.

AP/CNN/RT/Tass

United Nations, United States ring alarm on West Darfur violence

The United States and United Nations have said the situation in Sudan's region of West Darfur could herald a repeat of past mass atrocities there as fighting in Sudan reached its third month.

The war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out on April 15 but quickly spread westward, hitting cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Activists said El Geneina, on the border with Chad, has been particularly badly hit. Fighting has killed 1,100 people and sent more 270,000 refugees across the border to Chad. Homes and hospitals have been destroyed.

The United States blamed the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias fo the violence. But army aircraft and drone attacks had impeded humanitarian efforts, it said.

The situation there was "an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

In the early 2000s, Sudan's army relied on Arab militias to put down a rebellion by armed Darfuri groups. Those militias, known as the Janjaweed, formed the origin of the Rapid Support Forces, which evolved into a force that was legalized in 2017.

Then-president Omar al-Bashir and aides are wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity after 300,000 people were killed and millions displaced.

"Darfur is rapidly spiraling into a humanitarian calamity. The world cannot allow this to happen. Not again," U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement on Thursday.

A letter from several U.S. and Sudanese activist and civil society groups called on RSF commanders to be held accountable for failing to rein in their soldiers and for the army to be held accountable for not protecting civilians.

The U.S. statement said army aircraft and drone attacks had impeded humanitarian efforts.

The U.N. refugee agency said it had heard reports of "shocking incidents of sexual violence," including by fighters entering civilian homes and stopping them at checkpoints as they tried to flee conflict zones.

Human trafficking, particularly in East Sudan, was on the rise, it said.

Reuters

• There are lots of English language words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. 
• A baseball bat and the nocturnal animal bat are good examples of a "homonym."
• An airy wind and "to wind down" are homographs, too.

It's no secret that the English language can be tricky. For anyone learning the language, it's difficult to grasp all the drastic differences a single word can have. 

People most get tripped up on words that are too similar. When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms. When they are just spelled the same but sound different and have different meanings, then they are homographs. 

Here are some of the most popular homonyms and homographs in the English language. 

Bat

When used as a noun, a bat could be a winged, nocturnal animal or a piece of sporting equipment used in baseball. It can also be used as a verb when a player goes up to bat during a baseball game. 

Compact

When used as an adjective, "compact" means small, but when used as a verb, it means to make something smaller. It can also be used as a noun when talking about a small case for makeup.

Desert

As a noun, "desert" is a dry, barren area of land where little rain occurs. When used as a verb, the word means to abandon a person or cause. 

Fair

The word "fair" has a few meanings when used as different parts of speech. When used as an adjective, it can describe someone as agreeable, but it can also describe someone who has light skin or hair. As a noun, a "fair" is typically a local event that celebrates a certain person, place, or historical moment. 

Lie

"Lie" could mean to lay down and to tell something untruthful when used as an adjective. If used as a noun, it is a false statement. 

Lead

The word "lead" could be the verb that means to guide someone or something, while the noun version of the word pertains to the metal. 

Minute

The word "minute" can be a measure of time or a measurement of how small something is. 

Refuse

To decline or accept something is the verb form of "refuse," while garbage is the noun form. 

Project

The word "project" has several meanings as a verb. It could mean to plan, to throw, or to cast an image on a surface. As a noun, it is a task or piece of work. 

Second

Like the word "minute," "second" is another measurement of time, while it can also denote the placement of something after the first. 

Fine

The word "fine" has several meanings, including two different adjectives. First, it can be used to describe something as high quality and second, it can describe something especially thin. As a noun, "fine" means a payment for a violation. 

Entrance

When pronounced slightly differently, the word "entrance" has multiple meanings. As a noun, an entrance is a point of access and entry. It could also be used to describe a dramatic arrival, like a bride at her wedding. However, as a verb, to entrance means to bewitch and delight. 

Clip

The verb form of "clip" can actually get quite confusing. The word can actually mean to cut something apart or to attach together. The word even has a noun form, which is an object that helps attach two things. 

Overlook

To overlook means to fail to notice something, but when the word is used as a noun, it is a place where you can look down and see from a higher vantage point. 

Consult

"Consult" is another one of those tricky words that have two different meanings and they are opposites of each other. "To consult" can mean to seek advice or to give professional advice.

Row

As a noun, a "row" means a fight or disagreement. It could also refer to how something is organized into a line. As a verb, "to row" means to propel a boat forward. 

Discount

As a noun, "discount" is a reduction in price and can also be used as a synonym to "on sale." But when used as a verb, the word means to underestimate someone or something and give them no value.  

Wind

"Wind" can be a gush of air.

A subtle difference in pronunciation completely changes the word "wind." It can refer to a flow of air or it can mean to turn. 

Contract

When used as a noun, "contract" is a written or verbal agreement, but when used as a verb, it means to acquire or to get. 

Object

As a noun, an "object" is anything that you can see or touch. It could also be a synonym to a "goal." When used as a verb, it means to express your disapproval — typically used in courtrooms. 

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