Kiev’s extremism, crimes confirm that special operation must go on — Russian MFA

Ukrainian Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak
©AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

The Kiev regime’s extremist statements and crimes confirm the need to continue the special military operation until all of its objectives have been achieved, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ministry drew attention to "the latest portion of extremist statements by some Ukrainian officials," in particular, Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, who, "while discussing the situation involving the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, openly stated that today the Kiev regime has a unique chance to quickly and painlessly physically 'mop up' a large number of pro-Russian people."

"Such rhetoric and criminal actions by the Kiev regime confirm the need for continuing the special military operation until the tasks of denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine and the elimination of threats to Russia’s security emanating from its territory have been fully accomplished," the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out.

It recalled that Podolyak "also promised to punish the residents of Crimea and Donbass for their wish to pin their future on Russia."

"He is echoed by the mayor of Dnepropetrovsk, renamed to Dnepr, Boris Filatov, who says that Ukraine does not forgive offenses," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Russia's Wire-Guided Anti-Tank System Decimates Ukrainian Troops

The Fagot is a man-portable anti-tank missile system designed for use by infantry units. Thanks to its infrared guidance system, it can accurately target tanks and other armored vehicles, making it a formidable weapon against armored threats.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage showing soldiers from the mobile anti-tank reserve of the Airborne Troops destroying a cluster of Ukrainian infantry using the Fagot man-portable anti-tank missile system.

The paratroopers moved in on the enemy's positions. On arrival in the designated area, the airborne reconnaissance team used thermal imaging equipment to pinpoint the Ukrainian forces.

The Russian reconnaissance team unleashed rockets that struck and obliterated the Ukrainian infantry formations. After destroying the enemy, the paratroopers quickly left their firing position.

📹 Russian Airborne Forces mobile anti-tank unit wipes out Ukrainian troops

The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video showing soldiers from a mobile anti-tank reserve of the Airborne Troops eliminating Ukrainian troops with Russia’s Fagot man-portable anti-tank missile system.

Upon pinpointing a concentration of Ukrainian nationalist formations, the reconnaissance team unleashed rockets, hammering the infantry. After destroying the enemy, the paratroopers quickly left their firing position.

The Fagot is a man-portable anti-tank missile system designed for use by infantry units. Its infrared guidance system makes it possible to accurately target tanks and other armored vehicles, proving that it is a formidable weapon against armored threats.

Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 60 Ukrainian troops and one armored combat vehicle, one ammunition depot, as well as one D-20 and one Akatsyia self-propelled howitzers. In addition, the actions of four Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to 55 personnel, two armored fighting vehicles, as well as one D-20 and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Russian forces destroyed more than 310 Ukrainian troops, four armored fighting vehicles, a Grad MLRS combat vehicle, as well as one Msta-B and one Gvozdika howitzer;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Ukrainian losses during the day amounted to 90 soldiers, two armored fighting vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer as well as two ammunition depots;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 10 Ukrainian troops as well as one fuel depot;

▪️Russian air defense systems also intercepted three HIMARS missiles, as well as three Ukrainian UAVs in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.

Latest statements by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

▪️After the expiration of the INF Treaty in 2026, Russia needs to be prepared for any scenario;

▪️In the context of risks associated with the INF Treaty's expiration, it is important to develop the idea of increasing the creation of a unified and integrated national missile defense system;

🇷🇺 Russian soldiers destroyed a Ukrainian Army position using Sani mortars

The artillerymen used high-explosive fragmentation ammunition against enemy fortifications and personnel. They conducted indirect fire at a distance of about six kilometers, correcting their aim using drones.

▪️It is obvious that Russia needs to increase its tactical missile potential;

▪️Russia must remain vigilant on its eastern borders and have an impressive arsenal of medium-range missiles;

▪️Russia should consider whether its current stance on not deploying intermediate-range missiles in Europe is still justified or if it is necessary to prepare for such a deployment;

▪️The arms race, including in the missile sphere, is becoming uncontrollable.

Twitter drops ‘state-affiliated’ labels

©Getty Images / David Odisho

Twitter has removed ‘state-affiliated’ and ‘government-funded’ labels from major media accounts as part of an unannounced update. The move on Friday follows a string of spats between Twitter and several news organizations over the designations.

Twitter had applied the controversial labels to numerous accounts over the last few weeks, including the BBC, Canada’s CBC, and America’s NPR. In response, several outlets threatened to leave Twitter and suspended their activity on the platform, arguing that the tags were an attempt to undermine their legitimacy or suggest a lack of editorial independence.

CEO Elon Musk explained that Twitter was only “trying to be accurate” and even changed some of the labels, switching the BBC’s designation from “government-funded” to “publicly-funded,” while CBC’s tag was reworded as “69% government-funded.”

However, as of Friday, no labels could be seen on any of the accounts mentioned. The tag was also removed from other media outlets, including Russia’s RT and Sputnik, and China’s Global Times and Xinhua. The label was likewise absent from the accounts of journalists associated with the outlets.

Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media,” but NPR — which relies on the government for a tiny fraction of its funding — said it was still misleading.

Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Swedish public radio made similar decisions to quit tweeting. CBC’s government-funded label vanished Friday, along with the state-affiliated tags on media accounts including Sputnik and RT in Russia and Xinhua in China.

Many of Twitter’s high-profile users on Thursday lost the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors.

Before Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter last year, the ‘state-affiliated media’ tag had primarily been reserved for non-Western outlets, mainly in Russia and China. Twitter’s previous management said in 2020 that the designation was meant to inform the public “when a media account is affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor.” Twitter also said at the time that it would stop amplifying such accounts or their tweets through its recommendation systems.

The latest update to the platform has also seen the long-anticipated removal of all legacy blue check marks that previously identified the verified accounts of celebrities, journalists, and prominent politicians. Those wishing to have the icon next to their name must now pay an $8-per-month Twitter Blue subscription fee.

Musk announced the dismantling of the legacy blue checkmark shortly after he closed the deal to purchase Twitter, revealing he wanted to monetize the feature to make the company more profitable. In addition to the basic Twitter Blue subscription, the platform now offers businesses a $1,000-per-month gold verification badge, which also allows them to verify their affiliates.

Celebrity users, from basketball star LeBron James to author Stephen King and Star Trek’s William Shatner, have balked at joining — although on Thursday, all three had blue checks indicating that the account paid for verification.

King, for one, said he hadn’t paid.

“My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t,” King tweeted Thursday. “Just so you know.”

In a reply to King’s tweet, Musk said “You’re welcome namaste” and in another tweet he said he’s “paying for a few personally.” He later tweeted he was just paying for King, Shatner and James.

Singer Dionne Warwick tweeted earlier in the week that the site’s verification system “is an absolute mess.”

“The way Twitter is going anyone could be me now,” Warwick said. She had earlier vowed not to pay for Twitter Blue, saying the monthly fee “could (and will) be going toward my extra hot lattes.”

On Thursday, Warwick lost her blue check (which is actually a white check mark in a blue background).

For users who still had a blue check Thursday, a popup message indicated that the account “is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.” Verifying a phone number simply means that the person has a phone number and they verified that they have access to it — it does not confirm the person’s identity.

It wasn’t just celebrities and journalists who lost their blue checks Thursday. Many government agencies, nonprofits and public-service accounts around the world found themselves no longer verified, raising concerns that Twitter could lose its status as a platform for getting accurate, up-to-date information from authentic sources, including in emergencies.

While Twitter offers gold checks for “verified organizations” and gray checks for government organizations and their affiliates, it’s not clear how the platform doles these out.

The official Twitter account of the New York City government, which earlier had a blue check, tweeted on Thursday that “This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government” in an attempt to clear up confusion.

A newly created spoof account with 36 followers (also without a blue check), disagreed: “No, you’re not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government.”

Soon, another spoof account — purporting to be Pope Francis — weighed in too: “By the authority vested in me, Pope Francis, I declare @NYC_GOVERNMENT the official New York City Government. Peace be with you.”

Fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to join Twitter Blue as of Thursday, according to an analysis by Travis Brown, a Berlin-based developer of software for tracking social media.

Musk’s move has riled up some high-profile users and pleased some right-wing figures and Musk fans who thought the marks were unfair. But it is not an obvious money-maker for the social media platform that has long relied on advertising for most of its revenue.

Digital intelligence platform Similarweb analyzed how many people signed up for Twitter Blue on their desktop computers and only detected 116,000 confirmed sign-ups last month, which at $8 or $11 per month does not represent a major revenue stream. The analysis did not count accounts bought via mobile apps.

After buying San Francisco-based Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform’s revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or “corrupt” status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others granted verification for free by Twitter’s previous leadership.

Twitter began tagging profiles with a blue check mark starting about 14 years ago. Along with shielding celebrities from impersonators, one of the main reasons was to provide an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts impersonating people. Most “legacy blue checks,” including the accounts of politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, are not household names.

One of Musk’s first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by impostor accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk’s businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.

The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for users of its iPhone or Android apps. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.

SpaceX rocket explosion illustrates Elon Musk's 'successful failure' formula

The spectacular explosion of SpaceX’s new Starship rocket minutes after it soared off its launch pad on a first flight test is the latest vivid illustration of a “successful failure” business formula that serves Elon Musk’s company well, experts said.

Rather than seeing the fiery disintegration of Musk’s colossal, next-generation Starship system as a setback, experts said the dramatic loss of the rocket ship would help accelerate development of the vehicle.

Images of the Starship tumbling out of control some 30km up in the sky while mounted to its Super Heavy rocket booster before the combined vehicle blew to bits dominated media coverage of the highly anticipated launch.

SpaceX acknowledged that several of the Super Heavy’s 33 powerful Raptor engines malfunctioned on ascent and that the booster rocket and Starship failed to separate as designed before the ill-fated flight was terminated.

But SpaceX executives including Musk – the founder, CEO and chief engineer of the California-based rocket company – hailed the test flight for achieving the major objective of getting the vehicle off the ground while providing a wealth of data that will advance Starship’s development.

“Congrats SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!” Musk tweeted. “Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”

SpaceX said that “with a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.”

“We cleared the tower which was our only hope,” said Kate Tice, a SpaceX quality systems engineer.

Nasa chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, saying “every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward”.

At least two experts in aerospace engineering and planetary science who spoke with Reuters agreed that the test flight delivered benefits.

“This is a classical SpaceX successful failure,” said Garrett Reisman, an astronautical engineering professor at the University of Southern California who is a former Nasa astronaut and is also a senior adviser to SpaceX.

Reisman called the Starship test flight a hallmark of a SpaceX strategy that sets Musk’s company apart from traditional aerospace companies and even Nasa by “this embracing of failure when the consequences of failure are low”.

The rocket lifted off in the early morning hours Thursday from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Photo: Reuters

No astronauts were aboard for the crewless flight, and the rocket was flown almost entirely over water from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in south Texas to avoid possible injuries or property damage on the ground from falling debris.

“Even though that rocket costs a lot of money, what really costs a lot of money are people’s salaries,” Reisman said in an interview hours after Thursday’s launch.

Reisman said SpaceX saves more money in the long run, and takes less time to identify and correct engineering flaws by taking more risks in the development process rather than keeping “a large team working for years and years and years trying to get it perfect before you even try it”.

“I would say the timeline for transporting people (aboard Starship) is accelerated right now compared to what it was a couple of hours ago,” Reisman said.

Planetary scientist Tanya Harrison, a fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute, said clearing the launch tower and ascending through a critical point known as maximum aerodynamic pressure were major feats on the first flight of such a large, complex launch system.

“It’s part of the testing process,” she said in an interview. “There are a lot of accidents that happen when you’re trying to design a new rocket. The fact that it launched at all made a lot of people really happy.”

She said the risks of a single flight test were small in comparison to the ambitious gains at stake.

“This is the biggest rocket that humanity has tried to build,” she said, adding that it is designed to carry “orders of magnitude” more cargo and people to and from deep space than any existing spacecraft.

Whereas Nasa is working on a mission to retrieve samples of Martian soil and minerals measured in kilograms being collected by the Mars Perseverance rover, Starship will carry back many tons of rock, as well transport dozens of astronauts and entire lab facilities to and from the moon and Mars, Harrison said.

Musk has billed Starship as crucial to SpaceX’s interplanetary exploration goals as well as its more near-term launch business, with commercial satellites, science telescopes and eventually paying astro-tourists expected to use the fully reusable rocket system for rides to space.

Citing SpaceX’s rapid pace of development since its 2002 founding, leading to dozens of commercial missions a year with its workhorse rocket for low-Earth orbit, the Falcon 9, Harrison said, “it wouldn’t surprise me if we had humans on Mars with Starship in the next decade.”

New Zealand ships its last livestock as ban takes effect

Cattle feed in a field in Golden Bay, South Island, New Zealand March 29, 2016. REUTERS/Henning Gloystein/File Photo

New Zealand's last exports of livestock by sea have been completed and live exports have ceased, its agriculture minister said on Friday, as it fully implemented a ban on export shipments of animals on the grounds of their welfare.

The government announced in 2021 that shipping animals offshore, largely for building herds in trading partners like China, would be halted but farmers would be given two years to transition out of the profitable export business.

"Our position on the map means that the journey to northern hemisphere markets will always be a long one and this brings unavoidable animal welfare challenges," Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said in a statement announcing that live exports had ceased.

Live exports by sea have contributed about 0.32% of New Zealand’s primary sector export revenue, which includes farming and mining, since 2015.

The total value of live animal exports in 2022 was NZ$524 million ($322.78 million).

New Zealand said in 2020 it was reviewing live exports when it introduced interim measures following the capsizing of a ship bound for China that killed nearly 6,000 cows and 41 of the 43 crew members.

Putin extends congratulations to Russia’s Muslims with Eid al-Fitr holiday

©Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his Eid al-Fitr greetings to Russian Muslims on Friday and praised the contribution of Muslim organizations to maintaining dialogue between ethnicities and religions.

"This holiday, which is especially revered by Muslims across the globe and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, bears an important spiritual meaning as it embodies people’s aspirations to achieve moral progress, show mercy and feel compassion," reads Putin’s message posted on the website of Russia’s Spiritual Assembly of Muslims.

"It is with great satisfaction that I note how the adherents of Islam in our country show deep respect for their centuries-old paternal, historical, religious and cultural traditions, and that they are introducing the youth to (these traditions)," Putin added.

According to the Russian president, the Muslim Ummah (the Arabic word for "community" - TASS) has been leading an exemplary life of good deeds and benevolent undertakings. "It has been actively developing interaction with public and social organizations while tirelessly paying attention to educational and charitable initiatives," Putin maintained.

The head of state also highlighted the role of Muslim fighters in the special military operation, who he said have been protecting Russia, taking part in combat operations with courage and displaying admirable esprit de corps. Putin also praised the valuable contribution of Muslim organizations to maintaining interethnic and interreligious communication and the patriotic education of Russia’s next generation.

Melihat dari dekat Persiapan Masjid Istiqlal yang akan gelar Sholat Idul Fitri besok

Masjid Istiqlal/wikipedia

Masjid Istiqlal, Jakarta Pusat kembali menyelenggarakan salat Idul Fitri 2023, sebagaimana hasil dari pemerintah dalam Sidang Isbat yang resmi menetapkan Hari Raya Idul Fitri jatuh pada esok hari, 22/04/2023. Berikut sejumlah persiapannya.

Berbagai persiapan pun dilakukan pengelola Masjid Istiqlal untuk menyambut puluhan ribu umat Muslim yang akan melakukan salat Id di masjid terbesar di Asia Tenggara tersebut.

Guna menunjang penyelenggaraan salat Idul Fitri, petugas keamanan dan pengurus Masjid Istiqlal telah menyiapkan akses pintu masuk dan kantong-kantong parkir di sekitar area masjid.

Bagi para warga yang hendak melaksanakan salat Id di Masjid Istiqlal, diimbau untuk datang sebelum Subuh sebab bagian dalam masjid Istiqlal sudah dipenuhi jemaah sejak pukul 05.00 pagi.

Pengelola Masjid Istiqlal mulai mempersiapkan lokasi salat Idul Fitri alias salat Ied. Kepala Bagian Hubungan Masyarakat dan SDM Masjid Istiqlal Ismail Cawidu mengatakan, pihaknya telah menyiapkan 70 orang untuk mengamankan salat Ied besok.

Ismail Chawidu selaku Kabag Umum dan Humas MAsjid Istiqlal menjelaskan sejumlah persiapan yang telah dimatangkan oleh pihaknya meliputi sejumlah agenda yang dimana pada malam hari ini, 21/04/2023, terdapat gelaran takbir nasional bersama Kementerian Agama (Kemenag).

Persiapan untuk salat Idul Fitri esok hari pun pihaknya telah menyiapkan ketersediaan tempat yang dimana kapasitas Masjid Istiqlal tersebut dapat menampung sekitar 200.000 jemaah.

Sejumlah upaya pengaman juga dikerahkan demi kelancaran ibadah salat Idul Fitri tahun ini, sekitar 70 personel Kodim akan bersiaga di sekitaran area Masjid Istiqlal.

Diketahui, imam yang akan memimpin salat Idul Fitri esok hari yaitu Imam Ahmad Muzakkir Abdurrahman dan Profesor Asep Saepudin Jahar sebagai khatib dalam pelaksanaan salat Idul Fitri besok, 22/4/2023.

“Dari segi aspek pengamanan, kami sendiri di Istiqlal ada 70 orang pengamanan kami. Nanti di-support sama kepolisian dari Sawah Besar dan Kodim, itu sudah saya pastikan,” kata dia saat ditemui Tempo di Masjid Istiqlal, Jakarta Pusat, Jumat, 21 April 2023.

Menurut Ismail, dirinya akan mengkonfirmasi ulang kehadiran Duta Besar dan Wakil Menteri yang rencananya salat Ied di Istiqlal. Sore ini, pengurus masjid baru menggelar rapat dengan Kementerian Agama.

Ismail menambahkan sudah ada Pasukan Pengamanan Presiden atau Paspampres yang meninjau Masjid Istiqlal. Akan tetapi, belum bisa dipastikan agenda Presiden Joko Widodo alias Jokowi di Istiqlal besok.

“Kemudian kemarin juga sudah ada dari pasukan pengamanan presiden yang datang ke sini untuk meninjau lokasi,” ucapnya.

Masjid Istiqlal dapat menampung jemaah salat Ied hingga 200 ribu orang. Angka ini adalah kuota penuh Istiqlal hingga ke sisi selasar dan lantai lima masjid.

Pengurus masjid, tutur Ismail, juga tak menetapkan syarat khusus kepada jemaah mengingat kebijakan Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (PPKM) sudah dicabut. Meski demikian, dia tetap mengimbau masyarakat untuk memakai masker saat gelaran salat Ied.

“Karena kita sudah tidak ada lagi PPKM, maka kami tidak melakukan pembatasan kepada masyarakat yang akan melaksanakan ibadah di Masjid Istiqlal. Cuma tetap kami mengimbau supaya membawa masker,” ujarnya