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Atmosphere Daily, atmosphere. dailyhq@gmail. com, Lusaka (2025)

19/10/2025

Study Finds Kids Who Get Smartphones Before Age 13 Face Worse Mental Health Later

A major global study has found that children who own smartphones before the age of 13 are more likely to face serious mental health struggles as young adults.

Researchers from the Global Mind Project analyzed data from over 100,000 people aged 18 to 24 across the world. They discovered a clear trend: the earlier someone got their first smartphone, the poorer their mental health and emotional wellbeing tended to be in later years.

Those who owned smartphones at age 12 or younger reported higher rates of depression, anxiety, aggression, low self-worth, and suicidal thoughts compared to those who received them later. The study also found that nearly 40% of this effect was linked to earlier exposure to social media.

Experts warn that while smartphones themselves are not the problem, early and unsupervised access exposes children to cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and harmful online content during critical stages of emotional development.

The study’s authors say parents should consider delaying smartphone ownership and focus on guided, balanced use instead.

In a world where being connected feels necessary, this study reminds us that sometimes the best way to protect a child’s mind is to slow down their digital journey.

19/10/2025

Copper Prices Hit a 17-Month High, as Zambia and Tanzania Set to Reap Major Benefits

Copper prices have surged to their highest level in 17 months, trading above 10,700 dollars per tonne, driven by global supply shortages and strong demand from the clean energy and electric vehicle sectors. This marks a major turning point for Africa’s copper-rich nations, particularly Zambia and Tanzania, which now stand to benefit significantly from the rally.

For Zambia, the world’s eighth-largest copper producer, the price surge could boost export earnings and strengthen the kwacha, which has already been one of Africa’s top-performing currencies this year. The increase in revenue could also ease the country’s debt pressures and help fund infrastructure and social programs.

Tanzania, on the other hand, is emerging as a new player in the copper market. The country recently launched its first copper processing plant in Chunya, signaling a push toward local value addition. With production levels rising and new mining projects underway, Tanzania could soon join the list of key African copper exporters.

Analysts, however, warn that the benefits will only be fully realized if both nations manage revenues responsibly, improve infrastructure, and ensure that mining profits trickle down to their citizens.

For now, the copper boom offers a bright economic outlook for the region, but only wise management will determine how long it shines.

19/10/2025

Christians in Sudan Report Being Told to Renounce Faith or Starve

Disturbing reports have emerged from Sudan alleging that Christians are being forced to choose between their faith and survival. According to Christian advocacy organizations and media outlets, believers in parts of the conflict-torn nation are being denied food and humanitarian aid unless they renounce Christianity.

The reports suggest that aid distribution in some areas is controlled by groups hostile to the Christian faith, leading to accusations of religious discrimination. Eyewitnesses and church leaders claim that food and relief supplies are being withheld from those who refuse to abandon their belief in Jesus Christ.

While these claims have not been independently verified, human rights observers warn that such actions, if true, would represent a severe violation of religious freedom and international humanitarian law. Sudan, which has faced decades of civil unrest, continues to struggle with deep divisions along ethnic and religious lines.

Christian organizations are calling on the international community to investigate the reports and ensure that aid reaches all people, regardless of faith. They emphasize that no one should be forced to choose between starvation and their spiritual convictions, urging global attention to the plight of persecuted Christians in Sudan.

19/10/2025

Devotional 171: What’s in Your Hand? (Exodus 4:2)
🙏 Prayer – Surrendering What’s in My Hand

Lord,
Thank you for the gifts, abilities, and resources you’ve placed in my life. Forgive me for underestimating their value. Today, I place everything in my hands into yours. Use my ordinary for your extraordinary purposes. Teach me to trust that you can multiply what seems small and bring glory to your name through it. Help me to stop comparing and start surrendering.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Speaker: Ronnie Habasa

18/10/2025

Papua New Guinea Officially Declares Itself a Christian Nation

Papua New Guinea has officially declared itself a Christian nation after Parliament overwhelmingly voted to amend the country’s Constitution. The historic move passed with 80 votes in favour and only four against, marking a new chapter in the Pacific nation’s identity.

The amendment adds explicit Christian language to the Constitution’s preamble, acknowledging God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit as creator and sustainer. It also recognises the Bible as a national symbol and aligns the nation’s fifth constitutional goal with Christian values.

Prime Minister James Marape said the declaration reflects the faith of most citizens, as about 96 percent of Papua New Guineans identify as Christians. He added that the change aims to strengthen moral foundations and national unity.

Despite the declaration, the freedom of religion clause remains untouched, allowing people of other faiths to continue practicing freely. However, critics have raised concerns about potential marginalisation of minority groups and the blurring of church-state boundaries.

Church leaders across the country welcomed the amendment, calling it a formal recognition of Papua New Guinea’s spiritual heritage. The change has sparked national debate, but for many citizens, it simply enshrines what has long been their reality.

18/10/2025

The Spirit That Slays Prophets!

In 1 Kings 18:4, we read that Jezebel “cut off the prophets of the Lord,” a phrase that carries the weight of bloodshed and spiritual warfare. Jezebel, the Phoenician queen of Israel, did not merely oppose Yahweh’s prophets, she hunted them. Her reign was marked by a systematic attempt to silence the voice of truth, replacing it with the seductive lies of Baal and Asherah. This was not a political maneuver alone, it was a spiritual assault on the covenant people of God. Elijah, the prophet of fire, stood as a lone voice against her tyranny, but even he fled in fear, crying out to God that he was the only one left (1 Kings 19:10). Jezebel’s persecution was fierce, calculated, and rooted in a hatred for the uncompromising truth of Yahweh.

Fast forward to today, and the spirit of Jezebel seems far from extinct. Around the world, Christians are being persecuted for their faith, imprisoned, tortured, and killed simply for naming the name of Jesus. In places like Nigeria, North Korea, India, and parts of the Middle East, believers face daily threats. Churches are burned, pastors are executed, and congregations are scattered. Revelation 2:20 warns of a “woman Jezebel” who calls herself a prophetess and leads God’s servants into immorality and idolatry. This New Testament echo of the Old Testament queen suggests that Jezebel is not just a historical figure, but a recurring spiritual force, one that seeks to corrupt, seduce, and destroy the prophetic witness of the Church.

The persecution of Christians today is not merely political or cultural, it is spiritual. It is the same ancient rage against the voice of truth, the same hostility toward holiness, the same desire to replace God’s Word with counterfeit worship. Jezebel’s tactics have evolved, but her goal remains: silence the prophets, exalt false gods, and defile the altar of the Lord. Whether through violent oppression or seductive compromise, the spirit of Jezebel wages war against those who stand for righteousness.

This raises urgent questions for us all and they are the following:

1. Could Jezebel be at work in our own societies, not just in overt persecution, but in the subtle silencing of truth?
2. Are we tolerating her influence in our churches, our media, our leadership?
3. Have we allowed the fear of rejection or ridicule to mute our prophetic voice?
4. Will we confront her with the fire of Elijah, or will we retreat into caves of silence?

18/10/2025

Guarding Our Hearts Against Idolatry!

In the ancient world, idolatry often involved bowing before carved images, offering sacrifices to statues, or worshiping celestial bodies. Today, the idols may look different, but the spiritual danger remains the same. The Bible’s warnings against idolatry are not relics of a bygone era, they are urgent calls to guard our hearts in every generation.

God’s first commandment to Israel was clear: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Yahweh had entered into covenant with His people, and idolatry was spiritual adultery. In Deuteronomy 4:23, Moses warns, “Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God… Do not make for yourselves an idol.”

Proverbs 4:23 echoes this concern: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Idolatry begins in the heart, when something other than God becomes our source of identity, security, or ultimate joy. The apostle Paul reinforces this in Colossians 3:5, urging believers to “put to death… greed, which is idolatry.” Here, idolatry is not a statue, it’s a mindset, a misplaced affection, a disordered desire.

In the modern world, idols are often subtle. They wear the disguise of ambition, entertainment, relationships, or even ministry. A career can become an idol when it defines our worth. Social media can become an altar where we seek validation. Romantic love can become a false god when we expect it to fulfill what only God can. Even good things, family, success, health, can become idols if they take precedence over our devotion to Christ.

Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). The issue is not possession but priority. What rules our decisions? What consumes our thoughts? What do we fear losing most? These questions reveal the throne of our hearts.

The tragedy of idolatry is not just moral, it’s relational. It distances us from the presence of God. In Ezekiel 14:3, the Lord says of Israel’s elders, “These men have set up idols in their hearts… Should I let them inquire of Me at all?” Idolatry blocks intimacy. It replaces the living God with lifeless substitutes.

Yet the gospel offers hope. Through Christ, we are invited to return, to repent, and to re-center our hearts. “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols,” writes John in 1 John 5:21, a tender plea from a spiritual father who knows how easily we drift.

As we reflect, here are some introspective questions to help identify hidden idols:

- What do I turn to when I’m anxious, lonely, or bored?
- What do I fear losing the most?
- What do I sacrifice time, energy, or money for without hesitation?
- What do I daydream about or obsess over?
- What would make me feel like life is no longer worth living if it were taken away?
- Do I find it easier to trust in people, systems, or possessions than in God’s promises?

18/10/2025

Devotional 170: Rising Again (Proverbs 24:16)

🙏 Prayer – Rising Again Through His Power

Lord,
Thank you for the assurance that even when I fall, your hand is there to lift me up. Teach me to see my setbacks through the lens of your completion — that every rise is part of your divine rhythm. Strengthen me to stand again and again, trusting that you are faithful to finish what you started in me. Let the spiritual law of 7 be evident in my life: that no fall is final, and your grace always has the final word.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Speaker: Ronnie Habasa (Watoto Church)

17/10/2025

Esther Chungu celebrates a proud new milestone!

The beloved artist recently earned her Certificate in Diplomatic Practice, Protocol and Public Relations from the Zambia Institute of Diplomatic Studies.

Esther shared the news with gratitude and joy, showing once again that growth is a lifelong journey. Balancing music, ministry, motherhood, and studies isn’t easy, but she’s proving that passion and purpose can walk side by side.

Her fans flooded social media with congratulatory messages, praising her humility, discipline, and determination to keep evolving.

Esther’s story reminds us that learning never stops and that investing in yourself is one of the best ways to honor your calling.

What are your thoughts on artists going back to school while pursuing their careers?

17/10/2025

Grok Is Being Developed to Identify AI-Generated Content

Can you trust what you see online? 🚨 What if you saw your own face in a video saying or doing things you never did? Deepfake technology is making that scenario increasingly possible.

Elon Musk is taking on the deepfake problem. On October 9, 2025, Musk revealed that xAI is developing new tools for its AI assistant, Grok, to detect AI-generated videos and trace their online origins. This comes as deepfake content, like fake political speeches and celebrity impersonations, is becoming more common and raising concerns about misinformation online.

Musk explained on X, formerly Twitter, that Grok will analyze videos for hidden AI signatures and then search the internet to determine their source. xAI says the system will be able to spot subtle inconsistencies in pixels, compression, and rendering patterns that are almost invisible to the human eye.

By integrating this tech into X, Musk aims to make the platform a hub for real-time content verification, helping users and authorities tell fact from fiction. While Grok's deepfake detection tools are still in development, if successful it could become one of the most advanced AI verification systems ever built.

Are we close to a future where fake videos will not fool anyone?

17/10/2025

Burkina Faso Rejects U.S. Proposal to Take Third-Country Deportees, Calling It “Indecent”

Burkina Faso has firmly refused a proposal from the Donald Trump administration to accept non-citizens deported from the United States, describing it as “indecent” and “contrary to the principle of dignity.” Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré declared, “Burkina Faso is a land of dignity, not deportation.”

This announcement came just hours after the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou suspended most routine visa services, redirecting applicants to its embassy in Lomé, Togo. Burkina Faso’s government called the visa suspension a possible pressure tactic.

Countries such as Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan have already accepted non-citizen deportees from the U.S. under third-country agreements. Uganda, however, has publicly denied having agreed to do so.

Can Burkina Faso’s firm stand inspire other nations to defend their dignity in the face of international pressure?

17/10/2025

Mali Removes French Revolution from Grade 9 Curriculum to Focus on African History

Mali’s Ministry of National Education has officially suspended the teaching of the French Revolution in Grade 9 classrooms, a decision that has stirred widespread discussion across the continent.

The directive, dated October 9, 2025, was issued by the Ministry’s Secretary-General and instructs educators to halt lessons on the 1789 French Revolution, which has long been a central part of the nation’s history syllabus inherited from France.

Officials say the move is part of a broader effort to restructure the curriculum to better reflect African history, values, and heroes. The decision aligns with Mali’s recent steps to reduce French influence, including adopting a new constitution that removed French as an official language.

While some view this as a bold decolonization step, others caution that historical balance should be maintained. Still, the change signals a new era in how Malian students will learn about their identity and the world around them.

A shift from foreign revolutions to African relevance.

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