Russian forces destroy five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in DPR, LPR

©Defense Ministry's Press Service/TASS

The Russian armed forces destroyed five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR), Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Wednesday.

"Five enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Nevskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic, Novovodyanoye, Serebryanka and Belogorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic," he said.

He added that Russian troops continue their offensive in the direction of Donetsk, more than 100 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) were eliminated in a day.

Russian troops destroyed three 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions, Konashenkov added. "In the areas of the settlement of Pokalyanoye in the Kharkov region, and the city of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye region, three 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers were destroyed at firing positions," Konashenkov said.

Russia’s forces destroy five artillery ammunition warehouses in DPR, Zaporozhye region

"In the areas of the settlements of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye region, Dibrova and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, five warehouses of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed," Konashenkov said.

In addition, a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of a foreign mercenary unit was destroyed near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Russian air defense systems over the past day destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). "Over the day, air defense systems destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Zeleny Gai in the Zaporozhye region, Blagoveshchenka, Petrovka, Kirillovka in the Donetsk People's Republic and Kremennaya in the Lugansk People's Republic," Konashenkov said.

He added that the Russian forces destroyed two US-made AN/TPQ-50 counterfire radars over the past day.

In total, according to Konashenkov, the following have been destroyed since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation: 357 aircraft, 199 helicopters, 2,813 UAVs, 399 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,408 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 968 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3,772 field artillery guns and mortar, as well as 7,920 units of special military vehicles.

Russia’s Aerospace Forces shot down Ukrainian MiG-29, Su-25 aircraft "Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft of the Air Forces of Ukraine in the area of the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People's Republic and the settlement of Novopavlovka in the Nikolaev region," he said.

Delman akan dilarang di Kawasan Monas

Delman di kawasan Monas. Foto: Pemkot Jakpus

Pemkot Jakarta Pusat segera melarang keberadaan delman di kawasan Monumen Nasional (Monas), apalagi pelarangan itu telah ada dasar hukumnya sejak tahun 2016.

Plt Wakil Wali Kota Administrasi Jakarta Pusat Iqbal mengatakan pihaknya bakal membentuk gugus tugas merealisasikan kebijakan tersebut.

Hal itu disampaikan Iqbal saat memimpin rapat koordinasi keberadaan delman, di Ruang Rapat Wakil Wali Kota, pada Selasa (3/1) lalu. Iqbal awalnya menyampaikan, keberadaan delman memang dilarang jika merujuk Surat Edara (SE) Wali Kota Nomor 36 Tahun 2016. Sampai saat ini, SE itu belum dicabut.

"Untuk keberadaan delman memang dilarang dari Surat Edaran (SE) Wali Kota Nomor 36 Tahun 2016 yang berisi larangan pengoperasian delman di kawasan Monas," kata Pelaksana Tugas (Plt) Wakil Wali Kota Jakarta Pusat, Iqbal Akbarudin di Jakarta, Rabu.

Iqbal mengungkapkan, pihaknya secara kolektif bersama Unit Kerja Perangkat Daerah (UKPD) tengah melakukan pembuatan gugus tugas terkait larangan delman di kawasan Monas.

Aturan mengenai pelarangan delman berada di Monas belum dicabut sehingga pihak Pemerintah Kota Jakarta Pusat (Jakpus) mengikuti dan menerapkan aturan tersebut.

"Di SE itu belum dicabut, jadi kita tetap terapkan aturan tersebut," ungkapnya.

Di tahap awal, pihaknya akan menyosialisasikan larangan tersebut kepada pemilik delman maupun asosiasi kusir delman. Selain Monas, kawasan MH Thamrin dan Bundaran HI juga menjadi kawasan bebas delman.

"Kita akan mensosialisasikan kebijakan ini kepada pemilik delman juga pada asosiasi kusir delman," jelasnya.

Diberitakan sebelumnya, Kepala Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta Syafrin Liputo merespons maraknya delman di kawasan Bundaran HI, Jakarta Pusat. Syafrin memastikan pihaknya bakal melakukan penindakan apabila menemukan delman terpakir di lokasi yang bukan semestinya.

"Tentu kami akan melakukan penindakan karena sekarang ada regulasi mereka diperbolehkan di mana saja, titik tertentu," kata Syafrin kepada wartawan, hari Senin, 26/12/2022.

Sebagai informasi, kebijakan mengenai operasional delman berbeda-beda di setiap pemimpin. Awalnya, delman dibolehkan beroperasi di Monas, Jakarta Pusat.

Kemudian, pada 2016, mantan Gubernur DKI Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama melarang delman beroperasi di Monas pada 2016. Pelarangan tersebut sehubungan dengan ditemukannya kuda delman yang terinfeksi parasit ganas mematikan. Kala itu, Ahok memindahkan operasional delman dari Monas ke Ragunan dengan alasan lokasi itu berdekatan dengan dokter hewan.

Saat kepemimpinan Kota Jakarta dipegang Anies Baswedan dan Wagub Sandiaga Uno, Pemprov DKI kembali mengizinkan pengoperasian delman di kawasan Monas. Kala itu, Wagub DKI Jakarta Sandiaga Uno mengatakan menunggu hasil laporan dari pilot project pengoperasian tersebut.

"Sekarang masih piloting. Jadi nanti saya minta result dari pilot ini. Karena ini kan menuju liburan ya di Monas. Ini jadi salah satu daya tarik," kata Sandi di Balai Kota DKI Jakarta, Jl Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jakarta Pusat, hari Rabu, 27/12/2017.

Pemprov DKI Jakarta juga saat itu berkoordinasi dengan Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN). Hal itu dilakukan untuk memastikan kondisi kesehatan kuda yang digunakan kusir untuk menarik penumpang.

US House without a speaker after McCarthy loses sixth round

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) sits in the House Chamber during the third round of votes for House Speaker on the opening day of the 118th Congress on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC.
Matt McClain | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Numerous defections from the Republican party on the second day of voting have meant that after six votes, Kevin McCarthy has failed in his bid to become US House speaker.

For a fourth, fifth and sixth time, Republicans tried to vote Kevin McCarthy into the role of House Speaker on Wednesday, falling short on each occasion.

McCarthy lost each round after a sufficient number of Republicans voted for the surprise nomination Byron Donalds, also a Republican, on day two of the House's attempt to elect a speaker.

In addition to the 20 who broke ranks and voted against McCarthy, Republican Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted "present," in the fourth, fifth and sixth vote, signifying further defections could be in progress.

Some Congressional analysts have suggested McCarthy's only path to the speaker role would be if enough Republicans who defected altered their course to vote merely "present," nullifying efforts to impede his path to the gavel.

In both the last three rounds, the numbers remained static with McCarthy securing 201 votes, 20 Republicans voting for Donalds, and Spartz voting "present."

Before a sixth round kicked off, Republican Kat Cammack of Florida nominated McCarthy, describing the deadlock as "groundhog day."

OFFICIAL TALLY -- 4TH ROUND

JEFFRIES: 212
MCCARTHY: 201
DONALDS: 20
PRESENT: 1

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 4, 2023

What happened prior to the vote Wednesday?

The Republican party, which took control of the lower chamber in November, had previously failed to reach a consensus behind McCarthy following three votes Tuesday.

The chaos meant that McCarthy even trailed in votes behind the candidate the Democrats have put forward for House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Early Wednesday, US President Joe Biden weighed in at the White House before jetting off to Kentucky to tote the bipartisan infrastructure plan that he signed off on late last year with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.

Biden said the mess in the House was "embarrassing" and "not a good look," while noting that "the rest of the world is looking."

What is the fallout from Tuesday's failed rounds of voting?

Following three rounds of voting in which McCarthy failed to secure the top job in the House, McCarthy told reporters late Tuesday following closed door meetings: "Today, is that the day I wanted to have? No."

McCarthy added that dropping out of the race for the gavel was "not going to happen."

For the first time since 1923, a nominee for the House speaker was unable to secure the gavel in the first vote.

The longest vote in US history to secure the speaker's gavel occurred before the US Civil War in 1855, which dragged out for two months, with 133 ballots.

Early Wednesday, former US President Donald Trump urged members of his party to rally behind McCarthy to end the chaos that unfolded Tuesday.

Trump weighed in on Truth Social, which provides him with a direct line to his base, to urge those reticent to vote for McCarthy in his party to do so, writing: "Close the deal, take the victory."

Trump added: "Republicans, do not turn a great triumph into a giant & embarrassing defeat."

Why does Tuesday's failed vote matter?

The chaos in the voting Tuesday is indicative of a larger problem confronting the Republican Party.

For example, the cover of Wednesday's New York Post, part of the newspaper empire of Rupert Murdoch and a staunch supporter of conservative causes, featured two of the Republican defectors who voted against McCarthy, Republicans Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, with the words "Grow up!"

What happens next?

The house reconvened at 8 p.m. local Washington time (1 a.m. GMT on Thursday) in an effort to dissolve the impasse, but adjourned for a second day with resolving the matter. Voting will resume until a candidate reaches the magic number of 218 votes.

Today's cover: House adjourns with no speaker after Kevin McCarthy falls short https://t.co/oZDHMep8jE pic.twitter.com/fnSrEdHZ1u

— New York Post (@nypost) January 4, 2023

"I don't think voting tonight is productive," McCarthy said on Wednesday, exiting a lengthy closed-door meeting with key holdouts. "I think people need to work a little more. I don't think a vote tonight would make any difference. But a vote in the future could.'

McCarthy can only afford four dissenting votes from his own party to secure the speakership.

On Tuesday, the dissenters in his own party rallied around Andy Biggs of Arizona and Jim Jordan of Ohio in the first round before coalescing around Jordan in the final two rounds.

Some Democrats have expressed to the media their readiness to vote for what they described as a moderate Republican who would be ready to reach a middle ground regarding issues such as government funding and debt ceiling.

Alun-alun Kota Bogor jadi Wisata Macet, Dishub Sebut Sopir Angkot Ngetem Jadi Biang Keladinya

Kondisi kemacetan di depan pintu masuk Alun-alun Kota Bogor yang berada di Jalan Kapten Muslihat. Foto/Adi/Pojokbogor

Semenjak pagar di depan Alun-alun Kota Bogor dibuka, kini Jalan Kapten Muslihat, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, jadi wisata macet lantaran angkot yang ngetem.

Akibat angkot ngetem di Alun-alun Kota Bogor, kemacetan di Jalan Kapten Muslihat pun tak terhindarkan.

Bahkan dari pantuan pojoksatu.id, Bogor pada siang, hari Rabu, 04/01/2023, kemacetan menjular dari pintu masuk Alun-alun Kota Bogor hingga ke jalan Merdeka depan Museum Perjuangan.

Tak hanya angkot yang melakukan pengeteman, sejumlah ojek online pun nampak terlihat parkir di depan Alun-alun Kota Bogor, sehingga menambah kemacetan.

Menanggapi hal itu, Kepala Bidang (Kabid) Lalu Lintas Dishub Kota Bogor, Dody Wahyudin mengakui, kini jalan Kapten Muslihat menjadi tempat kemacetan baru semenjak Alun-alun Kota Bogor dibuka secara normal.

Dia tak menampik, banyaknya angkot ngetem membuka polemik baru untuk lalu lintas di Jalan kapten Muslihat.

“Alun-alun Kota Bogor sudah dibuka normal, jadi secara otomatis menimbulkan kembangkitan dan kemacetan baru,” ujar Dody kepada pojoksatu.id, Bogor saat ditemui di kantornya.

Di depan Alun-alun Kota Bogor, lanjut Dody, sebenarnya sudah disiapkan celukan yang fungsinya adalah untuk menaik dan menurunkan penumpang.

Sayangnya, celukan tersbut tidak dibarengi dengan kesadaran dari sopir angkot.

Para driver menggunakan celukan itu untuk pengeteman atau menunggu penumpang.

“Jadi harapan kami adalah sebenarnya adalah kesadaran dari masyarakat pengguna atau pemakai angkutan umum baik itu sopir atau pun masyarakat, yang akan naik angkutan umum itu naik dan turun pada lokasi atau titik yang sudah ditentukan,” ucap Dody.

Dody juga mengungkapkan, pihaknya sudah mulai membuat protap penempatan petugas pada titik-titik yang emang menjadi titik kemacetan baru.

“Jadi kita pun sudah mengantisipasi itu, tapi memang semua harus kembali kepada kesadaran masyarakat tentang berlalu lintas,” ungkap Dody.

Karena, masih kata Dody, kalau hanya mengandalkan dari petugas ada keterbatasan baik itu sumber daya manusia (SDM), tenaga dan lain lain sebagainya.

“Kami bangun sama-sama supaya titik kemacetan di Alun-alun Kota Bogor ini bisa dihilangkan, atau kita hindari dari dampak dampak yang akan terjadi,” tutup Dody.

With Iran in mind, new Israeli leaders cozy up to Putin

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)

Ramallah - The new Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to restore close ties with Russia in a bid to counter Moscow’s increasingly friendly relationship with Iran, analysts say.

At least one observer believes Russia’s support for Iran could pose a future threat to Israeli security operations against Iranian targets in Syria.

On Jan. 3, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, asked his Cabinet colleagues to avoid commenting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He said that the new government will talk less about the war, meaning Israel will avoid denouncing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a shift away from the stance adopted by former prime minister Yair Lapid.

“It’s clear that the relations between Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin are much warmer for many years than those between Lapid and former Israeli premier Naftali Bennett with Putin,” Ksenia Svetlova, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and former member of the Israeli parliament, told Arab News.

Netanyahu is also believed to be unhappy with President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine’s failure to oppose pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN last week.

Putin has worked with Netanyahu for 12 of the 22 years he has been at the helm in the Kremlin, and the two have a close relationship.

The Russian president called Netanyahu to congratulate him on winning the Nov. 3 election and again after the Israeli leader won a confidence vote on Dec. 29.

Israeli experts told Arab News that the Netanyahu government will work to develop close ties with Moscow, but at the same time maintain strategic links with the US, which expressed displeasure over the Cohen-Lavrov call.

Israeli political analyst Yoni Ben Menachem said that Putin expects Netanyahu to shift Israel’s Russia policy away from the approach taken by Lapid, who attacked Moscow in his UN speech and media statements.

Israel fears Moscow may prevent it from continuing to bomb Iranian targets in Syria. Russia might provide anti-aircraft missiles to Iranian forces that would pose a threat to Israeli warplanes.

Russia now enjoys “a very close relationship” with Iran to the extent that it may end the freedom given to the Israeli airforce to bomb Iranian targets in Syria, Ben Menachem said.

There are 1 million Russian Jews in Israel who speak Russian. Most are over 18 and vote and influence Israeli elections.

Previous Israeli governments included ministers and deputy ministers of Russian origin, such as Avigdor Lieberman, Yuli Edelstein and Sophia Lander.

On Dec. 31, Netanyahu spoke with Zelensky and asked him to oppose pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN. Zelensky said he would agree if Tel Aviv provided Ukraine with advanced weapons. Netanyahu rejected the offer and told Zelensky that Israel could not supply Ukraine with more than humanitarian aid for fear of spoiling Tel Aviv’s ties with Moscow. Ukraine was absent from the voting session and avoided voting against Israel.

Zelensky hoped to receive air defense systems from the Lapid government, but these failed to arrive. It is unlikely Netanyahu will supply the systems.

“In any case, Israeli-Russian relations would be better between Netanyahu and Putin than they used to be between Lapid and Putin,” Svetlova told Arab News

Alexander Grinberg, an expert on Russia-Israel affairs, told Arab News: “I am sure that Netanyahu will be able to balance Israel’s position and its relations with Russia with the continuation of the war in Ukraine, as the position of his predecessor Yair Lapid in support of Ukraine was personal and emotional, nothing more.”

He said Netanyahu’s position on Russia was consistent with the Israeli army, Military Intelligence Directorate, and the rest of the Israeli security apparatus regarding Israel’s security interests concerning Tehran, whether in Syria or inside Iran.

“The Israeli people stand against Russia on the war in Ukraine, while the political and security leadership cooperates closely with Putin,” he said.

Biksu Penghasut Kebencian Agama di Myanmar Dapat Penghargaan Nasional dari Junta Militer

Biksu Wirathu/Net

Penghargaan nasional yang diberikan oleh junta militer Myanmar kepada seorang biksu atas jasanya bagi persatuan negara pada hari Selasa, 03/01/2023, menjadi ramai diperbincangkan.

Lantaran biksu bernama Wirathu itu, sangat terkenal sebagai penghasut kebencian agama dan dijuluki "Buddhist bin Laden".

Wirathu adalah salah satu dari ratusan orang yang menerima penghargaan dan gelar kehormatan “Thiri Pyanchi" atas pekerjaan luar biasa untuk kebaikan dan persatuan Myanmar.

Lantaran biksu bernama Wirathu itu, sangat terkenal sebagai penghasut kebencian agama dan dijuluki "Buddhist bin Laden".

Wirathu adalah salah satu dari ratusan orang yang menerima penghargaan dan gelar kehormatan “Thiri Pyanchi" atas pekerjaan luar biasa untuk kebaikan dan persatuan Myanmar.

Tetapi gelar yang diberikan sangat bertolak belakang dengan kontribusi Wirathu selama ini.

Ia telah lama dikenal karena retorika nasionalis anti-Muslimnya, terutama terhadap minoritas Muslim Rohingya.

Pada 2013, ia tampil di sampul majalah Time sebagai "The Face of Buddhist Terror".

Wirathu menyerukan pemboikotan bisnis milik Muslim dan pembatasan pernikahan antara umat Buddha dan Muslim.

Menurut kelompok HAM, seruan Wirathu telah memicu permusuhan terhadap masyarakat dan menjadi dasar untuk tindakan keras militer pada tahun 2017 yang memaksa sekitar 740.000 Rohingya melarikan diri ke perbatasan Bangladesh.

Di masa pemerintahan Aung San Suu Kyi, Wirathu pernah dipenjara tuduhan atas penghasutan.

Setelah kudeta yang dilakukan oleh junta militer, Wirathu akhirnya dibebaskan dari segala tuduhan September 2021.

Russia cannot view Italy as guarantor of peace process around Ukraine

©Russian foreign Ministry press service/TASS

Russia cannot view Italy as a guarantor of the potential peace process around Ukraine due to Rome’s biased stance against Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

The diplomat was asked to comment on the reports that Rome was poised to act as a guarantor of peace settlement in Ukraine. In particular, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that at a press conference on December 29, 2022.

"Obviously, with regard to the biased position taken by Italy, we cannot view it either as ‘an honest broker’ or a possible guarantor of the peace process," Zakharova said in her response to a media question published on the ministry’s website.

Zakharova pointed out that "many countries pledge their readiness to take part in resolving the Ukraine crisis, and some even openly offer us their mediation services."

"Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and other heads of state and government, politicians and public figures have spoken about it," she continued. "Some are sincere in doing so, but others are motivated by their self-interest, trying to wedge themselves into the negotiation process for foreign policy benefits."

"However, we find it strange to hear proposals for mediation from the countries that since the very beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine have taken an unambiguous and very aggressive anti-Russian position, not only supporting the bloody Kiev regime, but also providing it with substantial military and military-technical assistance and intentionally pumping the cutting-edge weapons into Ukraine," Zakharova said.

According to the diplomat, "Along with a wide range of weapons and military equipment, Italy also supplies Kiev with anti-personnel mines."

Zakharova pointed out that "not only do those irresponsible actions multiply casualties, including among the civilian population in Donbass, and drag out the end of the conflict, but they also risk dragging NATO countries into direct military confrontation with Russia."

"Nevertheless, Kiev’s Western handlers, with Italy regrettably among them, have no intention of stopping and, on the contrary, are stepping up their supplies," she said.

"It would be better if European pseudo-peacemakers halted their military boost of Kiev and focused their efforts on working more firmly and demandingly with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who has repeatedly reiterated his total aversion to a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and even signed a decree on September 30, 2022 to reject negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman concluded.

Russian MoD Holds Briefing on Special Military Operation in Ukraine

• The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupyansk direction;



• Russian troops eliminated a Ukrainian sabotage group the Kharkov region;



• The Russian Air Force shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 and an Su-25 in the Kramatorsk region, the DPR and in the Nikolaev region;



• Russian forces eliminated over 100 Ukrainian servicemen in the Donetsk direction;



• The Russian Army eliminated five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the LPR and DPR;









• Russian forces destroyed two US-made counter-battery radars in the DPR;



• Russian troops destroyed five Ukrainian warehouses with artillery ammunition in the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;



• Ukrainian troops lost more than 150 soldiers killed and wounded in the Krasny Liman direction;



• The Russian Army destroyed three Ukrainian 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers in Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions;



• Russian troops repelled counterattacks by Ukrainian forces in the South Donetsk direction;



• Russian forces eliminated more than 180 Ukrainian servicemen in the DPR and the Zaporozhye region.