Video Suara Menggelegar Pemandangan Mengerikan Pipa PLTMH di Garut Jebol

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Sebuah video yang memperlihatkan semburan air dalam jumlah besar menjulang ke udara beredar dengan suara menggelegar dari kebocoran pipa Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikrohidro (PLTMH) Cirompang di Kecamatan Bungbulang, Kabupaten Garut, Jawa Barat.

Dari video yang viral di Instagram terlihat, air menyembur ke udara disertai suara yang cukup keras. Terdengar suara beberapa warga yang menjelaskan beberapa saung di sekitar pipa yang jebol rusak terkena semburan air.

Kini sekitar area telah dilakukan pengamanan oleh Polsek Kecamatan Bungbulang an olah tempat kejadian perkara untuk penyelidikan kebocoran pipa PLTMH yang videonya viral itu.

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"Upaya yang telah dilakukan melaksanakan pengecekan TKP, mencari baket (bahan keterangan) terkait awal kejadian tersebut," kata Kepala Polsek Bungbulang Iptu Usep, di Garut, hari Selasa, 29/11/2022.

Ia menuturkan sejumlah personel kepolisian sudah diterjunkan untuk mengecek kebocoran pipa PLTMH Cirompang yang terjadi di Kampung Rancateureup, Desa/Kecamatan Bungbulang, Garut pada Senin sekitar pukul 14.20 WIB.

Peristiwa itu, kata dia, mengakibatkan semburan air kemudian merusak Power House PLTMH Cirompang dan lokasi di sekitaran pipa, meski begitu kondisi masyarakat sekitar dipastikan aman dari peristiwa tersebut.

"Alhamdulillah masyarakat aman," kata Iptu Usep.

Ia mengungkapkan hasil penyelidikan sementara kebocoran pipa tersebut, karena berada di kawasan tanah labil dan juga terjadi pergeseran tanah sehingga pipa tertekan mengakibatkan pipa bocor.

"Hasil penyelidikan dan bahan keterangan yang dihimpun bahwa kejadian tersebut, pipa tersebut berada di atas tanah yang labil, kemudian adanya pergeseran tanah sehingga pipa tertekan yang mengakibatkan pipa bocor," katanya pula.

Dia menyampaikan petugas PLTMH sudah menangani kondisi kerusakan pada peralatan tersebut, dan sementara kegiatan operasional dihentikan.

kebocoran pipa PLTMH tidak ganggu pasokan listrik di Garut

PLN UP3 Garut menyampaikan adanya kebocoran pipa air pada Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikrohidro (PLTMH) Cirompang, Kecamatan Bungbulang, Kabupaten Garut, Jawa Barat, dipastikan tidak mengganggu pasokan listrik ke masyarakat, khusunya di Garut.

"Untuk dampak ini tidak sampai membuat pelanggan padam," kata Manajer Bagian Jaringan PLN UP3 Garut, Said Haryadi saat dihubungi wartawan di Garut, Selasa.

Ia menuturkan kebocoran pipa PLTMH Cirompang di Kampung Rancateureup, Desa/Kecamatan Bungbulang, Garut, dipastikan tidak mengganggu suplai aliran listrik ke masyarakat, terutama di wilayah selatan Garut.

"Aliran listrik tidak terdampak, suplai listrik tetap lancar ke masyarakat," katanya.

Ia menjelaskan alasan tidak terganggunya aliran listrik ke masyarakat karena pasokan dari pembangkit listrik itu sifatnya paralel, jadi masih bisa disuplai dari sumber pembangkit listrik lainnya.

"Karena pembangkit ini sifatnya sinkron atau paralel dengan jaringan PLN 20Kv dari GI," katanya.

Sebelumnya, peristiwa kebocoran pipa mengakibatkan semburan air kemudian merusak Power House PLTMH Cirompang dan lokasi di sekitaran pipa, meski begitu kondisi masyarakat sekitar dipastikan aman dari peristiwa tersebut.

Personel kepolisian sudah diterjunkan untuk mengecek kebocoran pipa PLTMH Cirompang yang terjadi di Kampung Rancateureup, Desa/Kecamatan Bungbulang, Garut pada Senin sekitar pukul 14.20 WIB.

Kapolsek Bungbulang Iptu Usep menyampaikan, hasil penyelidikan sementara kebocoran pipa tersebut karena berada di kawasan tanah labil dan juga terjadi pergeseran tanah sehingga pipa tertekan mengakibatkan pipa bocor.

Terkait kerugian, kata dia, belum dapat diketahui secara pasti, namun hasil pemeriksaan di lapangan diperkirakan kerugian sebesar Rp2 miliar.

"Perlengkapan Power House PLTMH Cirompang rusak berat, seluruh kerugian belum terdeteksi, diperkirakan Rp2 miliar," katanya.

PLTMH Cirompang telah beroperasi sejak 17 April 2016 dengan tarif penjualan tenaga listrik sebesar Rp 850/kWh dan rata-rata produksi tenaga listrik sekitar 63.72 juta kWh per tahun, telah memberikan kontribusi pendapatan operasional kepada PT Tirta Gemah Ripah Badan Usaha Milik Daerah (BUMD) Pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Barat.

Kasus Anak Bunuh Orang Tua dan Kakak di Magelang, Polisi: Diduga Diracun Arsenik atau Sianida

Korban ditemukan tewas sekitar pukul 07.30 WIB di dalam 3 kamar mandi yang terpisah. Korban adalah pasangan suami-istri, Abas Ashar dan Heri Riyani, serta anak perempuan pertama bernama Dea Khairunisa. (Suara.com/ Angga Haksoro Ardi)

Polisi menduga satu keluarga korban pembunuhan di Jalan Sudiro, Gang Durian, Desa Mertoyudan, Kabupaten Magelang, dibunuh dengan cara diracun arsenik atau sianida. Organ dalam para korban rusak.

Dugaan itu merujuk pada tanda-tanda kerusakan organ dalam pada korban pasangan suami istri, Abas Ashar (58 tahun) dan Heri Riyani (54 tahun), serta anak pertamanya, Dea Khairunisa (25 tahun).

Kabid Dokkes Polda Jateng, Kombes Pol Sumy Hastry Purwanti mengatakan, pada ketiga korban ditemukan tanda-tanda kerusakan organ yang umum ditemukan pada korban tewas akibat diracun.

Dari 3 jenazah, meninggal tidak wajar. Setelah kita outopsi semua (korban) minum air atau cairan yang ada racunnya. Dari saluran nafas atas, bibir, sampai lambung ada (bekas) merah seperti terbakar sehingga dia (menandakan) meminum zat beracun," kata Kombes Pol Sumy Hastry Purwanti, usau olah TKP, pada hari Selasa, 29/1/2022.

Menurut Kombes Hastry, kerusakan ditemukan pada organ otak, hati, jantung, dan paru-paru. Jenis racun yang digunakan dalam kadar sangat mematikan.

"Tenggorok, lambung, usus, hati, jantung, paru-paru, dan otak. Merah seperti terbakar. Karena prosesnya cepat memasuki pembuluh darah sehingga mematikan. Kadarnya sangat tinggi."

Dari ciri-ciri penyebab kematian dan ditemuknnya tanda kerusakan organ, mengarah pada jenis racun arsenik atau sianida yang memiliki kadar sangat mematikan.

Polisi menduga jeda waktu korban meminum racun hingga tewas hanya membutuhkan waktu 15-30 menit. "Durasinya 15 sampai 30 menit. Kadarnya sangat mematikan karena bisa 3 orang dewasa meninggal meminum cairan tersebut. Zat beracun bisa jenis golongan sianida. Arsenik atau yang lain," ujar Kombes Hastry.

Sebelumnya, Plt Kapolresta Magelang AKBP Mochammad Sajarod Zakun mengatakan, pihaknya telah menahan DD (22 tahun), putra kedua keluarga korban pembunuhan, Abas Ashar dan Heri Riyani.

DD diduga membunuh orang tua dan kakak perempuannya dengan cara mencampur racun pada minuman teh dan kopi. Hasil outopsi polisi menemukan bekas racun pada gelas dan sendok yang digunakan DD sebagai sarana memberikan racun. "Yang bersangkutan beli secara online," kata AKBP Mochammad Sajarod Zakun.

Bukti itu dikuatkan dengan pernyataan DD yang mengakui sudah mencampurkan racun pada minuman yang diberikan kepada orang tua dan kakaknya.

"Untuk racunnya yang berhasil kami identifikasi berdasarkan hasil outopsi dan sisa pada barang bukti yang ada di TKP. Jenisnya arsen (arsenik)."

Satu keluarga ditemukan tewas di rumahnya di Jalan Sudiro, Gang Durian, Dusun Prajenana, Desa Mertoyudan, Kecamatan Mertoyudan, Magelang, Jawa Tengah, pada hari Senin, 28/11/2022.

Korban ditemukan tewas sekitar pukul 07.30 WIB di dalam 3 kamar mandi yang terpisah. Korban adalah pasangan suami-istri, Abas Ashar dan Heri Riyani, serta anak perempuan pertama bernama Dea Khairunisa.

22 Rumah Rusak Diterjang Angin Puting Beliung di Kaltim

Angin Puting Beliung Terjang Penajam Paser Utara. ©2022 Merdeka.com

Sebanyak 22 rumah warga di RT 11, 12, dan 17 Kelurahan Petung, Kecamatan Penajam, Kabupaten Penajam Paser Utara, Kalimantan Timur, rusak akibat dihantam angin puting beliung pada hari Senin, 28/11/2022, sekira pukul 13.30 Wita.

Peristiwa itu terjadi sekitar pukul 13.30 WITA. Ketiga RT yang diterjang puting beliung itu adalah permukiman di RT 11, 12 dan RT 17 berjumlah 22 bangunan. Kerusakan bervariasi, rata-rata puting beliung menerbangkan atap rumah warga.

Dari informasi yang masuk ke jajaran Pusdalops BPBD PPU Senin sekira pukul 14.24 Wita, dari 22 bangunan yang rusak, di antaranya terdapat bangunan sarang walet yang ikut ambruk dihantam angin. Kerusakan yang dirasakan bervariasi, mulai dari atap yang terbang, hingga plafon warga yang rusak.

"Bangunan sarang walet roboh di RT 11. Di RT 12, bagian dapur rumah warga tertimpa pohon tumbang," kata Kabid Kedaruratan dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Penajam Paser Utara, Nurlaila dikonfirmasi merdeka.com.

Sebelum kejadian, BMKH telah mengeluarkan peringatan dini potensi hujan sedang hingga lebat disertai kilat dan petir, serta angin kencang di Penajam Paser Utara.

“Hujan disertai angin ini terjadi sekitar satu sampai dua jam. Banyak atap rumah warga yang terlepas dan terlempar. Juga ada pohon tumbang. Tim sudah bergerak membantu di beberapa titik lokasi,” ungkapnya

Diketahui memang cuaca di Penajam Paser Utara menurut prediksi BMKG akan terjadi hujan lebat disertai angin dan petir pada hari Senin, 28/11/2022. Warga yang tidak pernah menyangka terjadi angin kencang itu pun kaget melihat atap rumah mereka berterbangan.

Warga pun diminta tetap waspada terhadap musibah angin kencang. Sebab prediksi BMKG hujan disertai angin masih akan terjadi beberapa hari ke depan.

Hujan dengan kilat petir dan angin kencang, terjadi di kelurahan Petung sekitar jam 1 sampai jam 2 siang ini tadi. Jadi atap rumah warga terlepas dan terlempar," ujar Nurlaila.

"Jadi setelah kejadian dan laporan masuk ke kami di BPBD, tim langsung ke lokasi bersama tim terkait dan melakukan pendataan korban terdampak. Di lokasi dilakukan pembersihan puing seng dan material pohon tumbang," Nurlaila menambahkan.

Selain merusak atap rumah warga, angin puting beliung juga mengakibatkan pohon bertumbangan menutip akses jalan di Kelurahan Tanjung Tengah.

"Ada tujuh pohon tumbang. Tim bersama warga melakukan penebangan dan pembersihan pohon tumbang di lokasi kejadian," tandas Nurlaila.

G7 no longer dominates G20, Russia’s sherpa says

Russia’s G20 sherpa Svetlana Lukash
©Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

The adoption of the outcome declaration during the G20 Bali summit indicated that the G7 no longer dominates this association, Russia’s G20 sherpa Svetlana Lukash said in an interview for Vedomosti.

"The G7 is, of course, more consolidated (compared to other G20 states - TASS). They gather in advance and make some joint decision like the one how they intend to ignore someone. But they fail, and the declaration shows once again, by the way, that their voice no longer dominates the G20," Lukash said.

According to the sherpa, the main issues that required consensus for the outcome declaration to be adopted were the situation in Ukraine and the grain deal agreements.

"Those were the two key elements and, at the end of the day, the two key victories by Russia and developing economies," the Sherpa said.

She underscored that the adopted language fully complies with Russia’s interests and "do not allow the voice of the West to dominate."

"Throughout this entire year, the West sought to prove that Russia and its special military operation are to blame for all ongoing crises on food and energy markets. The declaration’s text proves the opposite, though," Lukash underscored.

The Sherpa noted that that the countries have already expressed their positions on the situation in Ukraine, including in the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which "made it possible to avoid making specific assessments of the Ukrainian conflict by the G20 itself.

"Meanwhile, it was "cemented that there is no dominance of the Western concept, which accuses Russia of all negative processes."

The document does contain "condemnation, but not of Russia, but the war itself," the official said. Lukash noted that the Bali declaration "acknowledges the existence of different opinions both regarding the conflict in Ukraine and regarding the role of sanctions."

But, I believe, the G20 has managed to completely balance the language in the interests of the emerging economies as well.

This year’s declaration is different in that the voice of the G7 no longer dominates, ”she said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to Lukash, Russia, together with its BRICS colleagues and other friendly countries, has managed to achieve a balance on all topics.

“Gradually, slowly, but the balance of power is changing.

Maybe it would be possible to somehow do this business faster, preferably, but at least, even though this is happening, it’s already good, ”she added.

Earlier it was reported that at the G20 summit, in bilateral contacts through the Ministry of Finance, they discussed the transition to settlements in national currencies.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is satisfied with the wording of the final declaration of the G20 summit in Indonesia.

Jakarta Banjir 1 Warga Jaksel Tewas Tersengat Listrik, 19 RT Terendam

Sejumlah pengendara berusaha melintasi banjir di jalan Ciledug raya, Jakarta, senin (28/11). Foto: Aditia Noviansyah/kumparan

BPBD (Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah) DKI Jakarta mencatat sedikitnya ada 7 wilayah Rukun Tetangga (RT) di Jakarta yang masih terendam banjir hingga hari Selasa pagi, 29/11/2022, pukul 06.00 WIB.

Jakarta Selatan terdapat 17 RT yakni di Kelurahan Cilandak Timur sebanyak dua RT dengan ketinggian air hingga 1,55 meter akibat luapan Kali Krukut.

Banjir sendiri disebabkan karena hujan dengan intensitas sedang hingga lebat yang melanda sebagian besar wilayah DKI Jakarta pada hari Senin petang, 28/11/2022.

Berikut data wilayah terdampak yang masih tergenang. Di wilayah Jakarta Selatan terdapat dua RT yang terdiri dari:

1. Kelurahan Petukangan Selatan
   
   • Jumlah: 1 RT
   
   
   • Ketinggian: 60 Cm
   
   
   • Penyebab: Luapan Kali



2. Pesanggrahan dan Kali Uangan



3. Kelurahan Cilandak Barat
   
   • Jumlah: 1 RT
   
   
   • Ketinggian: 40 Cm
   
   
   • Penyebab: Curah hujan tinggi dan Luapan Kali Krukut








4. Wilayah Jakarta Timur terdapat 5 RT yang terdiri dari:
   
   Kelurahan Cawang
   
   • Jumlah: 5 RT
   
   
   • Ketinggian: 50 sampai 100 Cm
   
   
   • Penyebab: Luapan Kali Ciliwung

Banjir paling parah terjadi di Kelurahan Cilandak Timur. Ketinggian air berkisar antara 115 sampai 155 sentimeter akibat luapan Kali Krukut.

"Total ada 2 RT yang terdampak," kata Kepala Pelaksana Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) DKI Jakarta Isnawa Adji.

Banjir parah akibat luapan Kali Krukut juga terjadi di wilayah Pesanggrahan. Ada 13 RT terendam di wilayah tersebut. Ketinggiannya berkisar antara 40 sampai 60 sentimeter.

Akibat hujan lebat, menyebabkan kenaikan status siaga Pos Sunter Hulu menjadi Siaga 2 (Siaga), Pos Krukut Hulu menjadi Siaga 3 (Waspada) dan Pintu Air Manggarai menjadi Siaga 3 (Waspada), dan membuat airnya meluap hingga ke permukiman warga serta jalan-jalan di beberapa titik di wilayah DKI Jakarta.

Banjir paling parah terjadi di Kelurahan Cilandak Timur. Ketinggian air berkisar antara 115 sampai 155 sentimeter akibat luapan Kali Krukut.

"Total ada 2 RT yang terdampak," kata Kepala Pelaksana Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) DKI Jakarta Isnawa Adji.

"Di Kelurahan Bintaro ketinggian air mencapai 40 cm. Penyebabnya luapan Kali PHB Rengas Bintaro," ungkapnya.

Kemudian ada 1 RT di Kelurahan Bangka yang juga terdampak banjir. Banjir setinggi 40 sentimeter tersebut akibat luapan Kali Lenggong.

Petugas BPBD DKI Jakarta mengevakuasi satu warga di Pesanggrahan, Jakarta Selatan, yang tewas tersengat aliran listrik saat banjir Jakarta akibat curah hujan tinggi.

"Korban tutup usia akibat tersengat listrik karena berusaha mencabut colokan listrik yang sedang terendam air," kata Kepala Pelaksana BPBD DKI Isnawa Adji di Jakarta, Senin, 28 November 2022.

Korban tersebut diketahui bernama Lina Maulida berusia 35 tahun di Kelurahan Bintaro, Kecamatan Pesanggrahan, Jakarta Selatan.

Korban kemudian dievakuasi oleh petugas BPBD dibantu lurah dan petugas RT/RW.

Sementara itu, hingga pukul 21.00 WIB, sebanyak 19 Rukun Tetangga (RT) terdampak banjir di Jakarta.

Russia Has Not Received Response From US and Ukraine Regarding Biolabs Near Its Borders: Envoy

©Sputnik / Go to the mediabank

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said that Russia is concerned about US-controlled tests of infectious agents on military personnel and mental patients in Ukraine.

Russia has not received an exhaustive response from the United States and Ukraine regarding US biological and military activities on Ukrainian territory under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Russia's permanent representative to the Geneva-based UN headquarters, Gennady Gatilov, said.

"We still have not received a proper and meaningful response to the documents and evidence presented, which shed light on the true nature of interaction between the Pentagon and its contractors and the Ukrainian side in the field of military and biological activities," he said.

The diplomat added that Russia's complaint was ignored and its proposal for an international investigation under the auspices of the UNSC under Article VI of the BWC was blocked by the United States.

Earlier, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said that a network of more than 30 biological laboratories had been formed on the territory of Ukraine, which worked in the interests of the Pentagon

According to him, everything for the continuation of the US military-biological program was removed from Ukraine after the start of the Russian special military operation.

Earlier this month, Kirillov recalled that former US President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton had participated in formulating the US drive for global dominance in bioweapons research. He said that Bolton led the US delegation to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention's Fifth Review Conference in November-December 2001.

Later, the US blocked the operation of the UN body's verification mechanism, as well as proposed measures to check bioweapons storage sites, citing threats such verification measures would pose to US "national interests." Bolton also characterized the BWC's verification protocol as "dead," and promised that it's "not going to be resurrected."

Igor Kirillov accompanied his presentation with a fresh trove of documents, including papers related to US efforts to build up the country's military-biological potential.

Ambassador summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry over arrests of Russians in Norway

Russian Foreign Ministry
©Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Norwegian Ambassador to Moscow Robert Kvile was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday over the detention and trials of Russian citizens on charges of allegedly illegal use of unmanned aerial vehicles.

"In connection with the detentions and trials in recent months against Russian citizens on charges of allegedly illegal use of drones, Ambassador Robert Kvile of the Kingdom of Norway was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on November 28. He was told that such practices were inadmissible," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a release.

"It was noted that the sentences against Russians are politically motivated and have nothing to do with the principles of fair and unbiased justice," the ministry added.

Moscow also urged Oslo to stop persecuting Russians on ethnic grounds. "We urged the Norwegian authorities to abandon such Russophobic actions and persecution of Russian nationals on the grounds of their ethnicity," the Foreign Ministry stressed.

Arrests of Russian nationals Last week, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) reported that the district court of Hordaland in Norway had sentenced a 34-year-old Russian national to 90 days in prison after being detained for taking unauthorized pictures with the use of a drone.

Also in November, the cases of three other Russian citizens detained for filming with the use of drones are to be tried by the Vadso district court and in Tromso. The sanctions law forbidding Russian companies and citizens from flying drones over Norwegian territory was passed against the background of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

On November 11, the Norwegian prosecutor's office brought charges against Russian businessperson Andrey Yakunin. According to the indictment, Yakunin was in Spitsbergen from August 3 to September 6, 2022 and repeatedly used a drone. The trial of the businessman will be held on November 29.

German Statesman Slams EU Leaders' Spinelessness, Demands NATO's Dismemberment, Closure of US Bases

©AFP 2022 / JOHN MACDOUGALL

Germany has found itself reaping the consequences of the crisis in Ukraine, facing skyrocketing energy and food costs, recession and the danger of permanent deindustrialization as Washington and Brussels continue to call for more and more sanctions against Russian energy to try to “punish” Moscow for its military operation in Ukraine.

The United States and its allies have spent the entire period since 2014 preparing for a confrontation with Russia in Ukraine, Oskar Lafontaine, a veteran German statesman with over forty years of political experience under his belt, has said.

“Of course, I also mean the conflict in Ukraine, which began with the Maidan putsch in Kiev in 2014. Since then, the US and its Western vassals have been arming Ukraine and systematically preparing it for confrontation with Russia. Ukraine thus became a de facto, if not de jure, member of NATO. This backstory has been studiously ignored by Western politicians and the mainstream media,” Lafontaine told Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten in an interview published Sunday.

“For more than 100 years, it has been the declared aim of US policy to prevent German business and technology from merging with Russian raw materials at all cost. It is perfectly clear that, if you take this history into account, we are dealing with a US proxy war against Russia which has been prepared for a long time,” Lafontaine said.

Crop of Spineless Leaders

Lafontaine, who has worked under Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroder, and served as president of the Bundesrat, minister president of Saarland, minister of finance, and leader of Die Linke and the SPD, blasted the current crop of German and European leaders for going along with policies which have brought Berlin to the brink of disaster.

“It is unforgivable that the SPD in particular betrayed the legacy of Willy Brandt and his policy of détente, and did not even seriously insist on compliance with the Minsk Agreements,” the politician said, referring to the 2015 peace agreements meant to restore peace to the Donbass.

Lafontaine slammed the German government over its limp-wristed response to the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, which he characterized as a “declaration of war on Germany.” It was “pathetic and cowardly” of the federal government to try to “sweep incident under the carpet,” despite evidence that “the USA either carried out the attack directly or greenlit it,” the politician said.

“It was a hostile act against the Federal Republic, and not only against us, and once again makes clear that we must free ourselves from American tutelage,” Lafontaine stressed. The politician pressed his country’s leaders to force the removal of all US military bases and nuclear weapons from German soil, and called for the creation of a European security architecture with France, separate from NATO, which he called an “obsolete” alliance that acts as a “tool to enforce the US’s claim to remain the sole power in the world.”

“To use a hackneyed expression: We are experiencing the birth pangs of the transitional phase from a unipolar to a multipolar world order. And the question arises whether we will have a place of our own in this new world order, or be drawn into Washington’s conflicts with Moscow and Beijing as American vassals,” the politician emphasized.

Recalling his decades of experience in politics, Lafontaine lamented in decades past, German leaders, “at least in some conflicts, had German interests in mind, and did not throw them overboard in anticipatory obedience” to Washington. “You need to have a backbone when you are the head of a country. The image of Chancellor Scholz standing like a schoolboy next to President Biden when he announced that nothing would come of Nord Stream 2 was humiliating.”

Ukraine Disaster

Asked whether he believed Washington has achieved its aims in Ukraine, Lafontaine said that the answer was both “yes and no,” with the principle successes being the ruined relations between Russia and the European Union, and the “sidelining” of Berlin and Brussels “as the US’s potential geostrategic and economic rivals, for the time being.”

“They are setting the policies of EU states even more than before the Ukraine conflict (thanks also to compliant politicians in Berlin and Brussels). They can also sell their dirty fracking-derived gas, and the US defense industry is doing great business,” the politician said.

“On the other hand, they have not succeeded in ‘ruining Russia’, as (German Foreign Minister Annalena) Baerbock put it…overthrowing (Vladimir) Putin and installing a puppet government in Moscow to get better access to Russian raw materials, as was the case in (Boris) Yeltsin’s time,” Lafontaine said.

“And I have the impression that Washington has now realized that they are biting on granite here. Despite massive arms deliveries to Ukraine and the dispatch of numerous ‘military advisors’, Russia, which is a nuclear power, cannot be defeated militarily. In addition, Western sanctions are proving to be a boomerang: they hurt Western states more than Russia and will cause deindustrialization, unemployment and poverty. Working people in Europe are paying the price for the world power ambitions of a mad elite in Washington and the cowardice of European leaders,” Lafontaine concluded.

New Zealand mosque shootings: Twitter fails to detect newly uploaded videos of terror attack

A spokesperson for the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said Twitter’s automated reporting function did not pick up the content as harmful. (FILE/AFP)

The New Zealand government has called on Twitter to remove newly uploaded footage of the Christchurch terror attack that was circulating again on the social media platform.

The video clips, which Twitter initially failed to recognize as harmful, were filmed by the Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers in two Christchurch mosques in 2019. The clips resurfaced after some Twitter users reposted them on Saturday, UK daily The Guardian reported .

The move prompted the government to raise the issue with the social media company. A spokesperson for the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said Twitter’s automated reporting function did not pick up the content as harmful. Arden’s office said: “Twitter advised us overnight that the clips have been taken down and said they would do a sweep for other instances.”

In 2019, the terrorist livestreamed his attacks on multiple social media platforms alongside his manifesto.

In response, Arden launched the Christchurch Call campaign after the attack, calling on social media companies to counter online extremism and misinformation. Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, supported the initiative.

While Twitter assured the New Zealand government it continued to support the Christchurch Call community, Arden said that “time will tell” about the company’s commitment to removing harmful content.

“We will continue to maintain our expectation that Twitter does everything they can on a day-to-day basis to remove that content but also reduce terrorist content and violent extremist content online, as they’ve committed to,” Arden said to media on Monday afternoon.

Earlier this month, Arden addressed a national security, disinformation and online extremism summit, saying Twitter has been deeply involved in the Christchurch Call campaign “and to date, been a really constructive partner.” However, she said the partnership is in “unknown territory” after Elon Musk’s takeover of the company.

Arden urged Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist, to “stick strongly to the principle of transparency” as social media platforms can be “a force for democracy, a force for connection and for good. But also, if misused, they can do a huge amount of harm.”

Under Musk’s new management, thousands of content moderators and human rights teams have been laid off, and the platform has been struggling to manage harmful content and racist tweets in the lead up to the World Cup.

Recently on Twitter, Musk posted a chart to his 119 million followers explaining that hate speech was down a third from its pre-spike levels in October. No further details were provided.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said Twitter's automated reporting function failed to identify the content as harmful.

Twitter advised the government overnight on Friday the clips had been taken down and it would do a sweep for other instances.

The Prime Minister's office said as a member of the Christchurch Call community of 120 governments and online service providers, Twitter was expected to remove terrorist content published on its platform.

Netsafe's chief safety officer, Sean Lyons, has reminded people they can face criminal charges for interacting with illegal online content.

Lyons said if people saw anything concerning, they should report it immediately to the platform concerned and to the Department of Internal Affairs.

He said the Christchurch terror footage has resurfaced before and can be swiftly dealt with.

He said the Christchurch terror footage has resurfaced before and can be swiftly dealt with.

Meanwhile, new Twitter owner Elon Musk has tweeted hate speech messages have dropped by a third in the last few days compared with a peak of more than 10 million on 20 October.

Hate speech impressions down by 1/3 from pre-spike levels. Congrats to Twitter team! pic.twitter.com/5BWaQoIlip

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2022

The terrorist responsible for killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques in 2019 has appealed to appeal his conviction and sentence

“I would like to tell him, ‘Grow up, be a man and die quietly in jail because that is what you deserve’.”

That was the reaction of Temel Atacocugu, a survivor of the Christchurch March 15 attacks, when asked about the terrorist’s latest attempt to appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people and wounded 40 others when he carried out mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.

The Court of Appeal confirmed on Tuesday the terrorist has since filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence. No hearing has been set at this stage.