Musk's Twittergate & Hunter's Laptop: Why FBI Have a Ton to Answer For

©AP Photo / Jae C. Hong

Last Friday, Elon Musk dropped the "Twitter Files" bombshell via journalist Matt Taibbi. He detailed how Democratic operatives and FBI execs censored the "laptop from hell" story and Team Biden's political opponents prior to the 2020 election.

"The first batch of the Twitter Files proved that Twitter executives helped Joe Biden cover up the fact that he lied about not knowing anything about his son Hunter's business dealings. In fact, he not only knew about those dealings but was involved in them," Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and co-host of "Truth Over News" on EpochTV, told Sputnik.

He referred to files originating from Hunter Biden's "laptop from hell" which were made public in October 2020 and then immediately suppressed by Twitter.

On December 2, Musk, who became the owner of the social net platform on October 28, started to release thousands of internal Twitter emails. On November 30, the businessman accused the platform's former leadership of interfering in US elections through content moderation. According to the Musk, the US public deserves to know who was behind the decision to censor the laptop story.

Who is James Baker?

When the bombshell story was published by the New York Post in October 2020, Team Biden and Democrats reportedly asked Twitter to take it down. Judging from the Twitter files, the decision-making process took place behind Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's back.

There were heated discussions between the platform's senior operatives Vijaya Gadde, Yoel Roth, Brandon Borrman and Twitter spokesman Trenton Kennedy as to how to justify marking the Hunter Biden story as "unsafe."

At the time, James Baker, Twitter's deputy general counsel, weighed in and said: "I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked," adding, "it's reasonable for us to assume that they may have been and that caution is warranted."

But that is not all: the same Baker also tried to "vet" the "Twitter Files" which were made accessible by Musk for US journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss. As a result, Baker was sacked by Musk. The businessman announced the exit of the deputy general counsel on December 6, citing "concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue."

So, who is James Baker and why does this name sound so familiar? Baker is a former FBI general counsel. An ardent defender of the bureau's Trump-Russia probe, Baker has been featured in the already debunked story of "collusion" between the former president and the Kremlin, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz's 2018 FISA report, and Special Counsel John Durham's probe.

Baker was personally involved in securing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Donald Trump's aide Carter Page, as part of the bureau's 2016/2017 Trump-Russia probe. It later turned out that the process of getting FISA was awash with errors, violations and even forgery by ex-FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith (who pleaded guilty to the felony in August 2020). Eventually, Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Baker also cooperated with ex-Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, charged by Special Counsel John Durham with lying to the FBI in 2021. Some US legal observers called Baker Sussmann's "go-to, speed-dial contact." On September 19, 2016, Sussmann brought then- FBI general counsel data files allegedly confirming "back-channel" cooperation between the Trump Organization and Russia's Alfa Bank. Later, the bureau shredded Sussmann's research as unsubstantiated. After Baker failed to provide Durham with a crucial text message that proved that Sussmann had lied, the former Clinton campaign lawyer was acquitted by a federal jury in May 2022.

In May 2018, FBI top lawyer Baker resigned. According to the US press, he was reportedly investigated as part of a DoJ review into the potential leaking of classified information to reporters. Twitter hired Baker as deputy general counsel, and he then became instrumental in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story on the platform.

Was Twitter in Bed With the FBI?

Still, Twitter's cooperation with the FBI wasn't limited to hiring an ex-bureau legal counsel. Mahncke pointed out that separate documents apparently prove that the platform's leadership maintained ties with the agency.

"So far the Twittergate emails do not include any direct evidence of FBI interference in the 2020 election or in shutting down Twitter accounts," said Mahncke. "However, Twitter's recently departed Head of Safety, Joel Roth, swore in an affidavit that he was told by the FBI to expect hacked Hunter Biden materials to be released. This then happened with the New York Post story of October 14, 2020 and Twitter used the FBI’s warning as an excuse to censor the story. That fact that the FBI unlawfully intervened in this matter will probably lead to a House of Representatives investigation. There is also the case brought by the attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, Jeff Landry and Eric Schmitt against Biden and the FBI for suppressing free speech. That case has a good chance of success."

The GOP has long been monitoring instances of the FBI acting in the Democratic Party's favor and to the Republicans' detriment. On July 25, 2022, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley accused FBI officials of deliberately disregarding the agency's guidelines to pursue "politically charged investigations" related to the conservatives and Team Trump, in particular.

On August 8, 2022, the bureau conducted a sweeping raid of Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former US president Donald Trump, which triggered suspicions among US legal observers that the raid wasn't justified. In September 2022, an FBI whistleblower submitted a complaint to the Office of Special Counsel alleging that the federal agency and Department of Justice (DoJ) misused SWAT teams to make misdemeanor arrests of MAGA supporters involved in the January 6, 2021 protests in DC.

"The FBI will have a ton to answer for," Techno Fog, a nom de plume for a US lawyer, writer and blogger, told Sputnik. "As you observed, the FBI's wrongful acts always seem to disadvantage Republicans. The latest information only proves that. The challenge for House Republicans will be getting any type of new information from the FBI, which is known for stonewalling and obstructing Congressional investigations. Remember, this is the same FBI who misled and stalled Congress about much of the Russiagate investigation. It took us until this past year, due to prosecutions from Special Counsel Durham, for the public to find out just how bad FBI leadership behaved during that inquiry."

What's Next? Will Heads Roll? Following Taibbi's dump, US mainstream media has chosen to act precisely as they did two years ago when the Hunter Biden laptop story emerged: they tried to pretend that the Twitter Files are not a big deal. For its part, Biden's White House branded the disclosure "not healthy" and claimed that "it won't do anything to help a single American improve their lives."

"As you've seen, there's been a strategy across the US media to largely ignore the latest Twitter story," Techno Fog said. "Those media companies who have picked up on the story aren't reporting the merits, but are instead downplaying the story and attacking both Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi."

Still, some of the Twittergate consequences have already been felt, according to Techno Fog. First, the Twitter employees involved in the decision to remove Hunter Biden's story have mostly been sacked. Second, GOP Representative James Comer from Kentucky tweeted on December 6 that he is requesting former senior Twitter employees Vijaya Gadde, Yoel Roth and James Baker appear before the House GOP Oversight Committee in the 118th Congress.

"These individuals were critical to Twitter's decision to censor legitimate facts ahead of an American election," Comer underscored.

More to follow, according to the lawyer: "the Twitter story might spur investigations by the incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives, who are already looking forward to investigating members of the Biden administration for suppressing speech on social media."

Commenting on the other potential consequences of the Twittergate for former Twitter seniors, Mahncke outlined two major issues.

"First, there is the question of whether these former executives will be able to claim their golden parachutes of millions of dollars of severance pay, not to mention whether Baker breached any of his duties when he apparently acted against the express instructions of Musk," the investigative journalist said. "Second, there is the question of whether their actions amounted to undeclared in-kind contributions to Biden’s 2020 campaign. The first is largely a civil matter and the parties will probably reach some kind of private deal. The second is far more interesting as it involves the public domain and the intricacies of campaign finance law. I do not know the answer but I know that a number of highly experienced campaign finance lawyers are working on that question right now."

While the Biden administration branded Elon Musk's bombshell dump "unhealthy," the apparent collusion between the Democratic officials, FBI operatives and Big Tech to censor their opponents and suppress the truth appears to be far unhealthier for US democracy and its already polarized society. Apparently, a comprehensive investigation into purported 2020 election interference and potential government corruption could help "a single American improve their lives."

Secarik Pesan Di Motor Pelaku Bom Bunuh Diri di Mapolsek Astanaanyar

Motor yang diduga milik pelaku bom bunuh diri di Mapolsek Astanaanyar Kota Bandung. [Ist]

Sebuah motor yang berada di sekitar Polsek Astanaanyar Kota Bandung menarik perhatian, lantaran diduga merupakan motor pelaku bom bunuh diri yang tewas saat ledakan terjadi pada hari Rabu pagi, 07/12/2022.

Pada bagian batok kepala motor Suzuki Shogun berwarna biru tersebut tertempel logo ISIS dan juga ada secarik kertas yang tertempel menggunakan isolasi hitam di bagian leher depan motor tersebut, bertuliskan:

"KUHP = HUKUM, SYIRIK / KAFIR,” tulis pelaku pada secarik kertas.

Selain itu, pelaku juga menyerukan untuk memerangi para penegak hukum. Apalagi pada hari Rabu, 07/12/2022, DPR mengesahkan RKUHP menjadi KUHP.

“PERANGI PARA PENEGAK HUKUM SETAN,” tulisnya.

Selain itu, di bagian akhir tulisan juga tertulis surat dan ayat Alquran bertuliskan 'QS - 9:29.'

Sebelumnya, aksi bom bunuh diri terjadi di sekitar Polsek Astanaanyar, Kota Bandung terjadi pada hari Rabu, 07/12/2022, sekitar jam 08.15 WIB.

Berdasar informasi, pelaku bom bunuh diri tersebut berupaya merangsek masuk Polsek Astana Anyat saat anggota tengah melaksanakan apel pagi. Akibat peristiwa tersebut pelaku meninggal dunia dan beberapa anggota dilaporkan terluka.

Karopenmas Divisi Humas Polri Brigjen Pol Ahmad Ramadhan membenarkan adanya kejadian tersebut.

"Dugaan bom bunuh diri," kata Ramadhan.

Sebuah ledakan terjadi di sekitar Polsek Astana Anyar, Bandung, Jawa Barat. Berdasar informasi yang beredar peristiwa ini dilaporkan terjadi pada hari Rabu, 07/12/2022, sekitar pukul 08.20 WIB pagi tadi.

Di sisi lain, berdasar informasi yang beredar juga disebut ledakan diduga berasal dari aksi bom bunuh diri.

Kabid Humas Polda Jawa Barat Kombes Pol Ibrahim Tompo saat dikonfirmasi membenarkan kabar tersebut.

"Iya di Astanaanyar," kata Tompo.

Kapolri Datang ke Kantor Polsek Astanaanyar

Kapolri Jenderal Polisi Listyo Sigit Prabowo tiba di kantor Polsek Astanaanyar, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, untuk meninjau situasi pasca ledakan bom bunuh diri yang terjadi Rabu pagi.

Kapolri tiba di lokasi sekitar pukul 12.50 WIB menggunakan iring-iringan mobil polisi dari arah utara atau arah Pasteur. Adapun mobil Kapolri langsung masuk ke ruas Jalan Astanaanyar yang ditutup sementara untuk masyarakat.

"Tolong mundur di belakang garis polisi," kata seorang anggota Brimob yang berjaga di dekat mobil kapolri.

Kapolri langsung menyalami pejabat-pejabat di lingkungan Polda Jawa Barat. Kemudian Listyo masuk ke area Polsek Astanaanyar setelah anggotanya melakukan sterilisasi.

Sebelumnya, Kapolda Jawa Barat Irjen Suntana menyatakan selain pelaku yang tewas, ada 11 korban akibat bom bunuh diri. Dari 11 orang itu, satu anggota polisi tewas akibat bom, sedangkan 10 orang lainnya mengalami luka-luka.

Suntana mengatakan polisi bakal melakukan olah tempat kejadian perkara (TKP) setelah sterilisasi lokasi selesai. Untuk itu ia pun memohon masyarakat untuk menunggu polisi mengungkap peristiwa itu maupun identitas pelaku bom bunuh diri.

"Sedang kami dalami, nanti kita identifikasi kan dengan hasil sidik jari, sedang kita identifikasi," ujar Suntana.

"Sedang kami dalami, nanti kita identifikasi kan dengan hasil sidik jari, sedang kita identifikasi," ujar Suntana.

Viral Aksi Heroik Penjaga Perlintasan KA Tanpa Palang di Lamongan Selamatkan Pemotor

Penjaga perlintasan kereta api di Lamongan [Foto: Tangkapan layar Instagram]

Video rekaman CCTV yang memperlihatkan detik-detik seorang penjaga perlintasan kereta api (KA) yang ada di Desa Sumlaran, Kecamatan Sukodadi, Lamongan, Jawa Timur, menyelamatkan seorang pengendara sepeda motor, viral di media sosial.

Penjaga tersebut sampai rela tersungkur demi menghalau pemotor itu agat tak melintas.

Dalam video berdurasi singkat yang diunggah oleh akun instagram @berita_lamongan_, tampak seorang pengendara motor yang akan melintasi rel. Dalam waktu bersamaan, ada KA yang tengah melaju.

Mengetahui hal itu, penjaga perlintasan tak berpalang itu langsung berlari dan mendorong mundur pengendara beserta motornya. Pasalnya, saat itu diduga mesimln motor mati tepat di tengah perlintasan.

Namun saat berlari mendekat, sang penjaga perlintasan terjatuh dan tersungkur.

Karena posisi kereta sudah dekat, ia pun berusaha berguling menjauhi rel dan nyaris tersambar KA yang melaju kencang.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BERITA LAMONGAN (@berita_lamongan_)

Namun saat berlari mendekat, sang penjaga perlintasan terjatuh dan tersungkur.

Karena posisi kereta sudah dekat, ia pun berusaha berguling menjauhi rel dan nyaris tersambar KA yang melaju kencang.

Beruntung, si penjaga beserta pengendara motor selamat dari kejadian itu. Hanya saja, penjaga perlintasan diketahui mengalami luka-luka karena terjatuh.

Unggahan tersebut pun ramai komentar dari warganet. Tak sedikit yang mengapresiasi aksi heroik si penjaga perlintasan KA.

"Bapaknya luka-luka bagian kaki. Sekarang masih menjalani perawatan di rs, minta doanya agar bapaknya gak kenapa-kenapa ya gaes," ujar fitri***

"Bapak-bapak itu ingat tanggung jawabnya meskipun nyawa taruhannya," kata fniam***

"Kenapa masih ada perlintasan KA tanpa palang pintu di lamongan? Di bojonegoro jalan kecil pun sudah ada palang pintunya," komen yasin***

"Respek banget sama penjaganya, panjang umur orang baik," ujar lintang***

"Panjang umur orang baik, semoga penjaga perlintasan kereta senantiasa diberi keselamatan oleh Allah," imbuh rahma***

Putting ZNPP under IAEA’s control impossible — Rosenergroatom

Zaporozhye NPP
©Sergei Malgavko/TASS

Putting the Zaporozhye NPP under the control of the IAEA will be impossible, because that organization does not have the authority to manage nuclear power plants, Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of the Rosenergoatom concern, said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Tuesday.

"The idea of putting the power plant under the control of the IAEA and, in fact, under the control of Ukraine, raises a legitimate question: how can the power plant be placed under the control of the IAEA? Such a procedure is not described anywhere: either in the IAEA Charter or any other international regulatory documents. This is impossible in principle," Karchaa said, while commenting on statements by Ukrainian politicians that the ZNPP should be placed under the control of Kiev and the IAEA.

Karchaa explained that the IAEA did not have the mandate to manage nuclear power plants.

"The IAEA has many mandates, it is an organization in charge of nuclear safety, and not of operating nuclear power plants. There are no such provisions," he pointed out.

Situation around ZNPP

On December 2, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told the international conference Mediterranean Dialogues in Rome that an agreement on establishing a security zone around the ZNPP could be reached soon. Earlier, the head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said that the safety model discussed with Grossi required a stop to any shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

On November 17, the IAEA adopted a new resolution on the ZNPP to call on Russia to immediately relinquish its "baseless claims" of ownership of this nuclear power plant. Russia and China voted against the resolution, while India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia abstained.

The Russian Permanent Mission in Vienna said the IAEA’s resolution had gone beyond the agency's mandate.The 6-gigawatt Zaporozhye NPP - the largest nuclear power plant in Europe - is located in the city of Energodar. In March 2022, the facility was put under the control of Russian forces. Since then, the Ukrainian army has systematically shelled both the residential areas of Energodar and the territory of the nuclear plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.

Blasts heard in southern Ukraine’s Odessa Region — TV

Blasts were heard in southern Ukraine’s Odessa Region on Tuesday night, the country’s state-run Freedom television reported.

According to Ukrainian media, explosions were also reported in the Sinelkovsky District of the Dnepropetrovsk Region.

An air raid alert was issued in Ukraine’s regions of Kiev and Cherkassy in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the country’s official air raid alert service.

No warning was issued for the Ukrainian capital itself.

Earlier, air raid alert was issued in Ukraine’s regions of Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava and Kirovograd, as well as in the Kiev-controlled areas of the Zaporozhye Region.

Shortly after midnight Moscow time, air raid sirens also sounded in the eastern Ukrainian Kharkov Region.

Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday that explosions rocked the city of Dnepr and its outskirts. Also, air raid warning was issued for Odessa and Nikolayev, but later lifted.

Vladimir Rogov, who heads the "We are Together with Russia" movement, said explosions were also heard in the Kiev-controlled city of Zaporozhye late on Tuesday

Power outages to continue in Ukraine at least till March — energy company CEO

Blackouts in Ukraine will be practiced at least till March, Sergey Kovalenko, director general of YASNO electricity supply company, said on Tuesday.

"There are many questions when we finally drop outage schedules and ensure 100% electricity supplies. At the end of March, under the basic scenario, which will be quite good for us, if we survive the winter and early spring with stabilization schedules," Ukraine’s TSN ndews agency quoted him as saying.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said on December 6 that power shortages in Ukraine’s grids amounted to 19% and the practice of blackouts will be continued.

According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, the most difficult situation with electricity supplies is in seven Ukrainian regions, namely Vinnitsa, Kiev, Zhitomir, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Khmelnitsky, and Cherkassy regions.

An air raid warning was issued across entire Ukraine on Monday. Explosions and power outages were later reported from several cities and regions.

US Congressman Gosar Calls Washington's Support for Kiev 'Immoral'

©AP Photo / Matt York

Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, in response to the shelling of a church by Ukrainian troops in the city of Donetsk, called Washington's support for Ukraine "immoral", adding that the Kiev regime is "authoritarian".

"Our continued support of this war in Ukraine is immoral. The deaths continue and Ukraine (in addition to comprising nazi regiments) has become an authoritarian regime not worthy of any support. I support peace talks, not death and destruction. Not bombing churches," Gosar tweeted.

On Monday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the Church of Nativity of Christ in Donetsk was shelled by Ukrainian troops.

In late October, the US congressman invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for peace talks in the state of Arizona. Two weeks later, Gosar said he would continue opposing additional US aid to Ukraine.

Paul Gosar believes Washington is not acting in its self interest during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Paul Gosar has called on Washington to cut foreign aid to Ukraine, which he argued is being used to fund a conflict that the US should have “no involvement in.” On Capitol Hill, a number of Republican lawmakers have condemned President Joe Biden’s open checkbook for Kiev.

“NO MORE Foreign Aid, especially not to fund a war that we should have NO involvement in,” Gosar tweeted on Monday. “Biden and his crime family may owe Zelensky, but America doesn't owe him a damn thing,” the lawmaker added.

A staunch anti-interventionist and a member of the Republican Party’s unofficial ‘America First’ caucus, Gosar has emerged as one of the loudest critics of the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy. The Arizona congressman voted against a $40 billion military and economic aid package for Kiev in May, and against a spending bill offering Kiev another $12 billion last month.

“The border is open, fentanyl is killing hundreds of thousands and inflation is raging,” he wrote as his colleagues voted to pass the latter bill. “Yet the left and the establishment right just voted to send another 12 billion to Ukraine? This is more America Last policy.”

Gosar’s mentioning of Biden’s “crime family” owing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensy a favor is likely a reference to the theory held by some US conservatives that Zelensky aided Biden’s 2020 election win by refusing a request by former President Donald Trump to reopen a corruption investigation into Biden’s son’s lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm.

NO MORE Foreign Aid, especially not to fund a war that we should have NO involvement in.

Biden and his crime family may owe Zelensky, but America doesn't owe him a damn thing.

— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) October 9, 2022

Gosar bukan satu-satunya anggota Partai Republik yang meminta kedua belah pihak untuk menutup aliran dana dan senjata ke Ukraina. Perwakilan Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene menyatakan minggu lalu bahwa bantuan AS ke Kiev telah “membunuh ribuan dan ribuan orang (dan) secara drastis meningkatkan biaya hidup di seluruh dunia,” sementara Perwakilan Florida Matt Gaetz menulis pada hari Minggu bahwa “mempertahankan Ukraina sebagai pencucian uang internasional Mekkah tidak sebanding dengan ancaman perang nuklir.

Blame Your Woes on Putin: How Russia’s President Became ‘Scapegoat’ For West’s Failings

©Sputnik / Aleksei Babushkin / Go to the mediabank

In yet another example of the ‘blame game’ spawned by the collective west, Britain’s Conservative party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, recently drew ridicule after claiming that nurses going on strike and demanding inflation-matching pay rises was “exactly what Putin wants to see.”

'Blame Putin' has increasingly become a go-to mantra for the so-called collective west, as it struggles with its economic woes and policy failings. Why bother to dig deep into the reasons behind one's own shortcomings when there is a readily designated scapegoat - Russia's President Vladimir Putin?

In one latest incident, more ridiculous than offensive, the chairman of the British conservatives, Nadhim Zahawi, found himself mocked after comments made in connection with the strike action mulled by the UK’s nurses. After years of diminishing real-term wages, the latter were seeking to rectify this by locking in an increase in pay that goes 5 percent above inflation. The nurses threatened to go on strike on December 15 and 20 unless the government complied.

Nadhim Zahawi, refusing to look any further, opted deflect blame, saying that strikes by UK nurses was “exactly what Putin wants to see.” The lame attempt to link the government's failings with economic and political fallout from NATO’s ongoing proxy war against Russia in Ukraine immediately set Zahawi in the crosshairs, with commentators suggesting that “Putin Derangement Syndrome is getting out of control."

But while this last instance of the “blame game” may seem ludicrous, in effect, throughout the past few months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been labeled as responsible for a plethora of grievances and policy shortcomings plaguing the so-called collective west.

Putin’s ‘War’

In an impassioned verbal outburst at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in late September, US President Joe Biden lashed out at President Vladimir Putin for Russia's “war on Ukraine”.

According to Biden, Russia "invaded its neighbour," and "shamelessly violated" the core tenets of the UN charter by launching a special military operation in Ukraine. He also referred to the then upcoming referendums to join Russia in the Donbass republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions a "sham." The rhetoric had come from the president of a country that was itself complicit in violating the UN charter, as when it attacked Yugoslavia in 1999.

Furthermore, Washington had been determined to fan the flames of the Ukraine conflict, helping stage a coup in Ukraine in 2014 and aiding the overthrow of the elected government there. At the UNGA Joe Biden blamed "Putin's war," totally disregarding the fact that Russia had been forced to act to stop an invasion by the Ukrainian forces in February-March 2022.

In July, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey signed an UN-brokered deal to secure a humanitarian corridor via the Black Sea to allow exports of food and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly said, however, that the deal is not effective in bringing grain and fertilizer to developing countries, as European nations take a big share of the deliveries. Russia noted that sanctions continue hindering its grain and fertilizer exports even though the deal is supposed to guarantee their free flow to global markets.

The Russian President weighed in on the 'blame game' he had found himself at the heart of.

As Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko during a televised meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in May 2022 underscored, western sanctions had served to give both countries the impetus to focus on self-development, he added that the elites of the West were deluded about the causes of their economic woes.

"On the economy, thanks are really due to them (in the West) as they have given us such a push to our own development... What is happening over there is that they really underestimated it by reading their own media. They got inflation yet the truth is 'Putin is to blame', 'Putin is to blame for everything'," Lukashenko said.

Vladimir Putin menanggapi dengan menyindir, "Kami akan berbicara serius dengan mereka."

Ekses APG Semeru Jalur Curah Kobokan Ditutup Total

Jalur Curah Kobokan di Tutup Akibat Erupsi Semeru, 4/12/2022)

Akibat Awan Panas Guguran (APG) Gunung Semeru pada hari Minggu, 04/12/2022, Jalur penyeberangan Curah Kobokan untuk sementara waktu ditutup total, Personil Polres Lumajang bersiaga, bersinergi dengan Personel TNI dan BPBD berikut sejumlah stakeholder, meminta warga yang hendak menyebrang agar tidak melewati jalur tersebut.

Hasil koordinasi dengan pihak BPBD Kabupaten Lumajang, akses curah kobokan tdk bisa dilalui karena pada posisi kisaran jembatan kajar kuning tertutup endapan material APG... dan ini suhunya cukup tinggi diatas 400 drajat celcius..jadi perlu bapak ibu ketahui dg suhu yg masih tinggi itu membutuhkan waktu 2 minggu menuju normal tetapi ini tergantung ketebalan endapan APG nya..jadi dihimbau agar tdk dilakukan pembukaan akses ini karena sangat berbahaya jika melitasi area tersebut.

“Untuk sementara waktu, sambil menunggu perkembangan lebih lanjut, jalur penyeberangan di Curah Kobokan ditutu demi keamanan,” kata Kapolres Lumajang AKBP Dewa Putu Eka D, S.I.K M.H melalui Kasubsipenmas Aidpa Eko Budi Laksono dihari yang sama.

Hingga saat ini, pihaknya terus berkoordinasi dengan sejumlah pihak, guna terus memantau kondisi terkini. Tegas Eko sebagai dasar pengambilan langkah dan tindakan selanjutnya, menyikapi situasi yang ada.

Sebagai informasi, mengutip laporan Badan Geologi Kementerian Energi, dan Sumber Daya Mineral ( ESDM ), sumber awan panas guguran, berasal dari tumpukan material di ujung lidah lava yang berada sekitar 800 meter dari puncak gunung Semeru.

Disisi lain, Eko mengimbau masyarakat agar tidak panik. Terus berkoordinasi dengan petugas yang sudah berada di lapangan dalam ranah informasi terkini.

Menurutnya, jangan serta merta menerima informasi yang belum tentu benar adanya.

“kepada masyarakat juga kami sangat mengimbau, agar tidak memberikan informasi hoaks. Tunggu informasi resmi dari PVMBG yang akan diteruskan oleh BPBD atau pihak berkewenangan di Kabupaten Lumajang,” pungkasnya.