Trump lauds Russia’s ‘winter fighting’

FILE PHOTO ©AP/Paul Sancya

Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed admiration for the Russian military’s warfighting skills and vowed to end the Ukraine conflict before the end of the year, if elected.

Trump addressed the Russia-Ukraine conflict as part of an hour-long interview, posted on Monday. Advertised as “unfiltered stories of heroic events and current world issues,” the show is hosted by the former US Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan.

“Russia’s a great winter fighter,” Trump told Ryan. “They beat Germany and they beat Napoleon. They’re not easy to beat. And they are a massive military, and Ukraine isn’t. But Ukraine has us giving them a lot of money.”

The US and its allies have channeled more than $400 billion in aid to Kiev since the conflict began in 2022, including over $120 billion in direct military aid, according to estimates from the Kiel Institute, a German think-tank tracking the contributions.

Without going into the details, Trump objected to the US accounting for the lion’s share of the military aid, arguing the European members of NATO needed to “equalize” their contribution.

“That war is much more devastating than people understand,” Trump said in the interview. He also promised to have it “settled” as president-elect and not wait for the January inauguration.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the conflict would not have broken out had he stayed in the White House, instead of being replaced by Joe Biden in 2021. He has also claimed he would end the fighting within 24 hours.

The Shawn Ryan show was not the first time Trump has praised the Russian “war machine,” either. He first brought it up during a Fox News town hall in February, then again in July, recounting a phone call with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

Asked by Ryan what he would spend the $175 billion that the US Congress has appropriated for Ukraine aid, Trump pointed out that the US has over $30 trillion in national debt.

The former president also lamented the fact that the Pentagon has managed to empty the stockpile he had worked so hard to replenish during his time in office.

“These guys gave it all to Ukraine,” Trump told Ryan. “Now we have no ammunition again.”

Durov’s bodyguard, assistant released after interrogation — AFP

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov
©AP Photo/Roman Kulik

He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a personal assistant who always travel with him, added the source, asking not to be named.

French investigators released a bodyguard and an assistant of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov detained in France, the AFP news agency said.

No other details are given.

Durov was arrested at the Le Bourget Airport on August 24. The period of his detention was extended for 96 hours the next day. The Paris Office of Prosecutor charges him in particular with "complicity in illegal drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud.".

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied any political link to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov as the tech tycoon spent a second day in French custody following his surprise arrest at a Paris airport.

Numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of Durov's detention, which a source close to the case said had been extended until Wednesday.

The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to curb the spread of illegal content on Telegram, which has over 900 million users. The company has rejected the accusations.

Born in Soviet times into a family of academics in Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, Durov spent his childhood in Italy before building up Russia's then biggest social network VKontakte (VK) in his early 20s.

He set up Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago, and Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion.

In a post on X to address what he called "false information" concerning the case, Macron said Durov's arrest "took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation".

"It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter," he wrote in a highly unusual comment on a legal case.

Durov holds a French passport in addition to his Russian nationality.

One key question is why Durov flew into France when he would have likely been aware he was wanted in the country. “Perhaps he had a feeling of impunity,” said one source close to the case, asking not to be named.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Baku on a state visit to Azerbaijan on August 18 and 19, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the two had met.

Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.

France’s OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, another source said.

Telegram said in response that “Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe”.

“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act - its moderation is within industry standards,” it added.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Moscow had received no information from France on why Durov was detained, saying “we do not know concretely what Durov is accused of”.

Elon Musk, who leads the Tesla car group and X, formerly Twitter, posted the hashtag #FreePavel on his platform and commented in French, “Liberte Liberte! Liberte?” (Freedom Freedom! Freedom?).

UAE demands France provide Durov with consular help

Abu Dhabi has asked the French government to grant Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov access to the UAE’s consular services following his arrest in Paris, according to a statement from the Middle Eastern state’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Durov was arrested in France last week as part of a broader investigation into the illegal use of his end-to-end encrypted social media app, authorities have said. The Russian entrepreneur holds citizenship in Russia, the UAE, France, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

“The UAE is closely monitoring the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by French authorities at Paris–Le Bourget Airport,” the UAE’s Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday. It added that it “has submitted a request to the Government of the French Republic to provide him with all necessary consular services urgently.”

The Ministry also emphasized that ensuring the welfare of UAE citizens is a key priority for the country.

Moscow has also sent an official letter to Paris demanding consular access for Telegram’s founder, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier.

In a statement on Sunday, Telegram asserted that the app “abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act,” and noted that its “moderation practices are aligned with industry standards and continually improving.” The company emphasized that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”

Telegram is a popular messaging app with nearly a billion users globally. It offers end-to-end encryption, enhancing privacy for both sender and recipient, and generally refuses to provide user data or chat records to law enforcement. Durov has previously stated that this commitment to user privacy has made him a target for national intelligence agencies, claiming in an April interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson that the FBI attempted to recruit one of his software engineers to create a backdoor in the app, which would allow them to spy on Telegram users.

Israel Terrorist bombs school in central Gaza as Cairo talks end without a deal

Israeli Terrorist forces bomb another school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, a day after ordering people to evacuate from areas near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the last functioning medical facility in the area.

Several Palestinians were killed after an Israeli Terrorist airstrike targeted a school housing displaced civilians north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Local sources told Wafa the Al-Ezz Bin Abdul Salam School was targeted, killing and injuring women and children.

There was no agreement on Sunday in the Gaza ceasefire talks that took place in Cairo, with neither Hamas nor Israel Terrorist agreeing to several compromises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources said.

This is not the first time Israeli Terrorist forces have targeted a school-turned-shelter in Gaza. Over the past few weeks, Israel Terrorist has conducted several similar attacks, often justifying them by claiming that Hamas uses the schools for military purposes.

Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations between Israel Terrorist and Hamas in Cairo concluded on Sunday without reaching a final agreement. Despite the lack of progress, talks are expected to continue at a lower level in the coming days.

Hamas rejects new Israeli Terrorist conditions in ceasefire talks in Egypt and insisted that Israel Terrorist be bound by the terms of a proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council.

Another area of disagreement involved the release of Palestinian detainees. Hamas demanded the release of specific individuals, but Israel Terrorist expressed strong reservations about some of the detainees on the list. Israel proposed that if these detainees were released, they should be expelled from Gaza, but this condition was unacceptable to Hamas.

Palestine ministry condemns Terrorist Ben-Gvir’s plans for al-Aqsa Mosque

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says it is concerned by and condemns the Israeli Terrorist national security minister’s promise to build a synagogue in the holy site, and the compound’s storming by Israeli settlers who also performed Jewish rituals.

Terrorist of Itamar Ben-Gvir is trying to push the region towards a state of “perpetual conflict” and is undermining regional and international efforts to end the war on Gaza and “genocide” of Palestinians, the ministry added in a statement.

“The ministry holds the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for the consequences of this incitement by Ben-Gvir and others like him, particularly in turning the conflict zone into a cycle of violence that is difficult to control and may never end,” it said, calling on the Arab and Muslim nations to act.

Donate for Palestine

BANK	Account Number
BANK BCA :	0952397051
BANK BNI	1791507534
BTN :	1501700001999
DIGIBANK : Foreign Currency A.N	2074864818
Confirm	ahahanafiah5@gmail.com

Pahala Bagi Yang Rajin Istighfar

Bagi Muslim yang selalu menjalankan Shalat wajib lima waktu, sehabis shalat selalu menyenandungkan istighfar dan Allah SWT tidak pernah merasa bosan mendengarkan ucapan istighfar umatnya dari membuka mata bangun tidur hingga menutup mata. tidur lagi. Allah SWT telah menjelaskan akan memberikan balasan yang setimpal kepada hambanya yang beristighfar (memohon ampun) dengan berbagai cara. Selain pahala, hamba yang sering istighfar akan diberikan karunia berlebih dari Allah.

Ganjaran Allah SWT bagi hambanya yang beristighfar sebagaimana diterangkan dalam Alquran :

Mendapatkan Kemuliaan di dunia dan akhirat

Surat Hud ayat 3, menerangkan:

وَّاَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوْبُوْٓا اِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَّيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِيْ فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهٗ ۗوَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاِنِّيْٓ اَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ كَبِيْرٍ

Artinya:
"Mohonlah ampunan kepada Tuhanmu kemudian bertobatlah kepada-Nya, niscaya Dia akan memberi kesenangan yang baik kepadamu (di dunia) sampai waktu yang telah ditentukan (kematian) dan memberikan pahala-Nya (di akhirat) kepada setiap orang yang beramal saleh. Jika kamu berpaling, sesungguhnya aku takut kamu (akan) ditimpa azab pada hari yang besar (kiamat)." (QS Hud [11]:3)

Dalam tafsir tahlili Kemenag dijelaskan, dalam ayat ini Nabi Muhammad SAW menyeru kaum musyrikin untuk minta ampun kepada Allah dan bertobat dengan teguh dan terus menerus. Allah niscaya akan mengampuni mereka dan memberi rezeki yang melimpah, kemakmuran, kesehatan, dan kesejahteraan sampai akhir hayat mereka.

Mendapat karunia kebaikan dan rejeki dalam kehidupan

Alquran menjelaskan, bahwa rejeki itu datangnya bukan dari bumi ini, tapi Allah SWT menurunkannya dari langit.

Allah menjanjikan kehidupan yang baik dan berkah bagi hambanya yang rajin beristighfar. Apa itu berkah?

Berkah adalah hidup enak tidak ada gundah gulana, dihubungkan dengan berkat, berarti kelimpahan rejeki.

Dalam Surat Nuh ayat 10-12, Allah menyatakan:

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ غَفَّارًاۙ. يُّرْسِلِ السَّمَاۤءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًاۙ. وَّيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِاَمْوَالٍ وَّبَنِيْنَ وَيَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ جَنّٰتٍ وَّيَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ اَنْهٰرًاۗ

Artinya:
"Lalu, aku berkata (kepada mereka), “Mohonlah ampun kepada Tuhanmu. Sesungguhnya Dia Maha Pengampun. (Jika kamu memohon ampun,) niscaya Dia akan menurunkan hujan yang lebat dari langit kepadamu, memperbanyak harta dan anak-anakmu, serta mengadakan kebun-kebun dan sungai-sungai untukmu.” (QS Nuh [71]:10-12)

Pelepasan dari Azab

Adzab secara leterlek berarti hidup tersiksa. Dan apakah manusia itu mengira bahwa mereka dibiarkan (saja) kerika mereka mengatakan, "Kami telah beriman", sedang mereka tidak diuji lagi?

Dan sesungguhnya Allah telah menguji orang-orang yang sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui orang-orang yang benar dan sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui orang-orang yang dusta.

Ataukah orang-orang yang mengerjakan kejahatan itu mengira bahwa mereka akan luput dari (azab) Kami?

Amatlah buruk apa yang mereka tetapkan itu. Barang siapa yang mengharap pertemuan dengan Allah, maka sesungguhnya waktu (yang dijanjikan) Allah itu, pasti datang. Dan Dialah Yang Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui.

Sehingga istighfar juga menjadi sebab Allah mengangkat azab dari suatu kaum.

Dalam Surat Al-Anfal ayat 33, Allah berfirman:

وَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَاَنْتَ فِيْهِمْۚ وَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ

Artinya:
"Allah sekali-kali tidak akan mengazab mereka selama engkau (Nabi Muhammad) berada di antara mereka dan Allah sekali-kali tidak akan mengazab mereka selama mereka memohon ampunan". (QS Al-Anfal [8]:33)

Kelapangan dalam rezeki dan keturunan

Dalam Surat Hud ayat 52, istighfar juga disebutkan sebagai jalan untuk memperluas rezeki dan memperbanyak keturunan:

وَيٰقَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوْبُوْٓا اِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاۤءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًا وَّيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً اِلٰى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِيْنَ

Artinya:
"Wahai kaumku, mohonlah ampunan kepada Tuhanmu kemudian bertobatlah kepada-Nya! Niscaya Dia akan menurunkan untukmu hujan yang sangat deras, menambahkan kekuatan melebihi kekuatanmu, dan janganlah kamu berpaling menjadi orang-orang yang berdosa.” (QS Hud [11]:52)

Dengan demikian, beristighfar tidak hanya mendatangkan ampunan Allah, tetapi juga berbagai bentuk keberkahan, kemudahan, dan kebaikan dalam hidup di dunia serta di akhirat.

Ampunan dosa dan kasih sayang Allah

Manusia tidak luput dari dosa dan salah, jika berbuat salah dan dosa yang disadari masih bisa memohon maaf dan ampunan. Namun, yang berat adalah berbuat dosa yang tidak disadari.

Maka Allah SWT berjanji akan mengampuni dosa-dosa orang yang senantiasa beristighfar. Dalam Surat Al-Baqarah ayat 199, Allah berfirman:

ثُمَّ اَفِيْضُوْا مِنْ حَيْثُ اَفَاضَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللّٰهَ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ

Artinya:
"Kemudian, bertolaklah kamu dari tempat orang-orang bertolak (Arafah) dan mohonlah ampunan kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang." (QS Al-Baqarah [2]:199).

Dalam ayat ini dijelaskan bahwa siapa yang meminta ampun kepada Allah, tentu Allah akan mengampuni dosanya, karena Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang kepada hamba-Nya. Hal ini seperti diriwayatkan dari Ibnu Jarir dari Ibnu ‘Abbas.

Rocket from Hamas Land In Central Isreal Terrorist State

Streaks of light are pictured as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the Israeli side of the border March 25, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)

Hamas fired a rocket to central Israel landing in an open area in Rishon Lezion, central Israel Terrorist State, the military said on Sunday night.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, saying that it fired an "M90" rocket at Tel Aviv in response to what it said was the "Israeli massacres against civilians."

“Following the siren that sounded in Rishon LeTsiyon, one projectile was identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip and falling in an open area in the area of Rishon LeTsiyon,” the military said in a statement.

Earlier, Hamas’s armed wing – the Qassam Brigades – said its fighters launched an M90 rocket at Tel Aviv “in response to the massacres being perpetrated against civilians and the forced displacement of our people”.

The Israeli Terrorist military said there has been an explosion on a civilian bus near the Palestinian village of Marah Rabah in the occupied West Bank.

“The bus was damaged. There were no casualties,” the military said in a post on X. Israeli Terrorist forces have set up roadblocks in the area and are hunting for the suspects, it added.

The military Terrorist did not provide further details.

Marah Rabah is near the illegal Israeli settlements of Gush Etzion and the city of Bethlehem.

WATCH - Chaotic scenes at Al Aqsa Hospital after Israel orders evacuations

We’re currently in Al-Aqsa Hospital after the people here received the evacuation orders from the Israeli forces.

As you can see, there is panic and fear.

Some Palestinians are getting ready to leave, but to where, they have no idea.

Palestinians evacuate patients from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after the Israeli army ordered an evacuation of an area east of Deir el-Balah, Gaza on Sunday [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu]

This is not only a hospital, it has also been a shelter and refuge for thousands of families.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, says it is considering suspending some services at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after an explosion near the facility “triggered panic” and caused many people to leave the area.

“This situation is unacceptable,” MSF said in a post on X.

“Al Aqsa has been operating well beyond capacity for weeks due to the lack of alternatives for patients. All warring parties must respect the hospital, as well as patients’ access to medical care.”

It added that Israel’s evacuation orders for the area have left “hundreds of thousands displaced people with a so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ of just 41 square kilometres [16sq miles] in which to seek shelter”.

As a result, MSF is considering whether to suspend wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain life-saving treatment. From around 650 patients, only 100 remain in the hospital, with 7 in intensive care unit according to the Ministry of Health. 2/4

— Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (@MSF_canada) August 25, 2024

Donate for Palestine

BANK	Account Number
BANK BCA :	0952397051
BANK BNI	1791507534
BTN :	1501700001999
DIGIBANK : Foreign Currency A.N	2074864818
Confirm :	ahahanafiah5@gmail.com

Snowden accuses Macron of ‘taking hostages’

Edward Snowden speaks live during the annual Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, November, 2019.
©Getty Images/Pedro Fiuza/NurPhoto

The detention of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov jeopardizes the basic human rights of speech and association, the former CIA and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has said. The whistleblower added that he’s “deeply saddened” at the move by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Russian tech entrepreneur, who also holds the citizenship of France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, was apprehended shortly after landing at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday and is set to appear before a judge on Sunday evening, according to media reports. French authorities had reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Durov over insufficient moderation on his online platform, which allegedly has allowed it to be widely used by criminals.

NSA whistleblower Snowden also used social media to respond, stating that “the arrest of Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association.”

“I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications,” he said, emphasizing that the move “lowers not only France, but the world.”

The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 25, 2024

Snowden fled the US in 2013 after he leaked a cache of files revealing systematic mass illegal spying on US citizens by the NSA. He became stranded while in transit in Moscow after Washington canceled his passport. Russia ended up granting him asylum and, reportedly, eventually citizenship.

In July, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram’s number of active monthly users had reached 950 million.

US orchestrated Durov arrest – former spokesman

Telegram founder Pavel Durov wouldn’t have “disregarded his own safety” and landed in Paris if he thought the French authorities were serious about arresting him, his former press secretary Georgy Loboushkin has told RT. Loboushkin believes that the order to detain Durov likely came from Washington.

Durov was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday, immediately after arriving from Azerbaijan by private jet. According to French media, prosecutors in Paris plan to charge the 39-year-old with complicity in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses, and fraud, arguing that Telegram’s insufficient content moderation, its strong encryption tools, and its alleged lack of cooperation with police allow criminals to flourish on the app.

“It’s a big mystery why he disregarded his own safety and decided to land in Paris,” Loboushkin told RT on Sunday. “He has shown throughout his history that he is a pretty cautious person in that sense. He has said many times that there is no point in going to jail.”

According to Loboushkin, the Russian-born businessman must have been unaware that a warrant was being prepared for his arrest, or thought – given Telegram’s compliance with local laws and sanctions – that he wouldn’t be in serious trouble.

“I think the attack is coming neither from the EU nor from France,” Loboushkin said. “It’s most likely an attack from the United States, which has been after Pavel Durov for a long time, and Durov has always talked about it.”

“He said, for example in an interview with Tucker Carlson, that he and his employees are under pressure, or at least there’s some kind of surveillance conducted by the FBI,” the former spokesman continued. “I think the root causes are there, so it doesn’t make any sense to discuss the intentions of the French authorities who arrested him, because they don’t play any role here at all.”

In an interview with Carlson in April, Durov said that he drew “too much attention” from law enforcement any time he visited the US, and claimed that American intelligence agents had attempted to recruit one of his employees to install a backdoor in the app that would have allowed them to spy on Telegram users.

Loboushkin is not the only commentator to suggest that the US was behind Durov’s arrest. “The Americans are behind the situation as a whole,” Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of Russia’s Safe Internet League, said on Sunday, alleging that Washington wanted both to restrict the free flow of information and attack TON, a blockchain platform originally developed by Telegram’s creators. With major Russian companies investing in TON, the arrest is essentially “a continuation of the US’ sanctions policy,” Mizulina wrote on Telegram.

American investor David Sacks claimed on Sunday that Durov’s commitment to free speech and user privacy made him a target in Washington. Writing on X, Sacks declared that “using allied countries to circumvent First Amendment protections is the new Rendition,” referring to the US’ use of foreign airports and military bases to transport terror suspects in the years following the September 11 attacks.