Russia presented a broad exposition of military, civilian and dual-use products at the Vietnam Defense 2022 international arms show that opened in Hanoi in Vietnam on Thursday.
The single Russian exposition presented by the state arms seller Rosoboronexport comprises over 400 products developed and manufactured by leading Russian enterprises, including those affiliated with the state tech corporation Rostec.
At its display stand, Rosoboronexport demonstrates a full-scale model of the Orlan-10E unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), as well as a family of Russian-made UAVs, including the Orlan-30, a new product of 2022, the Orion-E reconnaissance/strike unmanned aircraft system and the Kub-E loitering munition.
Visitors to the defense show will also be able to view "a Su-57E fifth-generation fighter, Su-35 and Su-30SME supermaneuverable fighters, an Il-76MD-90A(E) military transport aircraft, a Ka-52 scout/attack helicopter, a Mi-171Sh military transport helicopter and a Ka-28 shipborne anti-submarine warfare helicopter," according to the statement posted on Rostec’s website.
Rosoboronexport also demonstrates Buk and Tor surface-to-air missile systems, the Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile/gun system, Verba and Igla-S man-portable air defense systems suitable for building up air defenses at various levels.6
Electronic warfare, air defense and other systems
Rosoboronexport’s display stand also features electronic warfare systems, including assets designed to fight unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes.
Russia’s armor at the Vietnam Defense 2022 show is represented by T-90S and T-90MS main battle tanks, the Terminator tank support fighting vehicle, the TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system, the upgraded Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, Khrizantema and Kornet-EM anti-tank missile systems.
Simultaneously, Rosoboronexport presents a wide range of naval products: the Gepard-3.9-class frigate, the Project 22160 patrol ship, the Project 21980E special purpose craft, as well as the Karakurt-E and Sarsar small missile ships.
Visitors to the defense show will also be able to find a wide range of missile, artillery and torpedo armament for ships and submarines, air defense assets, communications, sonars, underwater/surface target acquisition sensors and anti-saboteur capabilities.
The Kalashnikov Group features its AK-200 family of assault rifles, the AK-15 and AK-19 automatic guns, as well as the latest 9mm PPK-20 submachine gun, the Chukavin semi-automatic sniper rifle and the 9mm Lebedev pistol.
In addition, Russia has unveiled the Linza armored medevac vehicle at the Vietnam Defense 2022 international arms show. The vehicle is designed to search for, collect and evacuate the wounded from the battlefield and areas of mass casualties and man-made disasters.
Interest in Russia’s exposition
The Russian exposition is very popular among Vietnamese defense and security circles, TASS learnt at Rosoboronexport’s display stand. Today Vietnamese National Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and Public Security Minister To Lam visited the Russian exposition.
The heads of the Vietnamese defense and security agencies displayed interest in Russian innovations and defense products.
Vietnam international defence exhibition 2022 opens
Along with the growing trend of integration in all fields, international defence cooperation has been a focus of the Party and State of Vietnam to strengthen trust between Vietnam and other countries, stated PM at the event.
Vietnam People's Air Force Su-30MK2 fighter jets undertake drills over Hanoi on Nov. 3, 2022. Nhac Nguyen/AFP
According to the host government leader, Vietnam Defence 2022 is a good chance for defence policymakers and defence industry firms to meet and seek partnership towards a world of peace, cooperation and prosperity.
On the occasion, Chinh also highlighted Vietnam’s defence policy, which is for peace, self-defence, and the people.
Following the opening ceremony, PM Chinh and delegates visited booths displaying defence industry products.
The Vietnam Defence 2022 covers an area of over 50,000sq.m, including more than 20,000sq.m of outdoor area. It attracts 174 enterprises from 30 countries.
CC BY 2 / Jernej Furman / Barrel of oil on dollar bills
While Russia is about to announce its response to the oil price cap, earlier statements made by Moscow about refusing to sell crude to countries supporting this measure seem to point toward the prospects of rising oil prices.
The United States and several of its allies moved to introduce one of the latest punitive measures against Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine on December 5 – a price cap on Russian oil.
The measure was adopted by the G7 countries, the European Union and Australia, and entails imposing a cap of $60 per barrel of Russian crude. The limit is slated to be reviewed periodically in order to constantly remain slightly below the bar set by the International Energy Agency.
News about the price cap elicited concerns from experts long before the measure came into play, with some pondering on the effect this restrictive measure may have on the oil markets.
But oil markets aside, how might this price cap affect the livelihoods of ordinary people in the countries whose leaders signed up to this initiative championed by the Biden administration and its cohorts?
How Russia Might Respond
The exact ramifications of the Russian oil price cap initiative remain to be seen as Moscow is yet to announce its response to this move.
Current reports suggest that Russia has three options on the table, with the first one being a full ban on all oil exports to any country that adheres by the price cap – the option that high-ranking Russian officials voiced on many occasions as the West was mulling the price cap move.
The other two options involve a ban on oil exports under contract including the price cap clause and the implementation of an indicative price that would define the maximum discount on Russian crude.
How Price Cap Might Affect Oil Markets
Several experts have already speculated that the price cap may indeed prompt Russia to make good of its promise to not sell oil to the countries which impose some kind of price ceiling on this commodity instead of buying it at the market price.
The prospects of Russia, the second-largest crude oil exporter in the world, reducing its oil production in response to the West’s punitive measures would likely push up oil prices, along with causing instability in the oil markets.
The German Commerzbank has suggested that the price of Brent crude might climb to $95 per barrel.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the group of prominent oil exporting countries known as OPEC+ has already agreed to slash oil production by two million barrels per day until the end of the next year.
Last but not least, the decision made by the United States and its allies to impose a price cap on Russian oil appears to contradict the very principle of the free market – the principle that the countries which imposed the price cap claim to adhere to.
At this time, it remains to be seen what effect this development may have on the faith in the free market around the globe as the supposed champion of free market capitalism essentially moves to remove the “free” bit from the formula when it suits said champion’s interests.
How Price Cap Might Affect Ordinary People
While high oil prices may cause petroleum tycoons to pop champagne bottles as they watch their profits soar, many ordinary people might have to deal with less pleasant things like growing energy bills and rising consumer prices. More expensive oil means more expensive fuel (i.e. more expensive transport prices) and more expensive goods whose production involves oil.
Simply put, many people living in the countries which imposed the Russian oil price cap may now be facing the questionable privilege of spending more on goods and services so that their leadership could boast that they are sticking it to Moscow.
The restrictions the United States and its allies imposed on Russian oil imports prior to the price cap have already caused fuel and energy prices to soar in the US and Europe earlier this year, with the Biden administration even forced to tap into the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try and stabilize the situation.
Time will tell if the oil price cap measure will work as its architects apparently intended, but it does not seem like it will improve things for ordinary people living from paycheck to paycheck, to put it mildly.
Api menyembur dari sumur warga di Sampang Madura (Foto: Beritajatim)
Warga Desa Gunung Eleh Kecamatan Kedungdung Kabupaten Sampang Madura digegerkan dengan pengeboran sumur warga namun yang keluar justru air dan aroma gas. Bahkan saat disulu api pun menyembur.
Fenomena seperti ini sebenarnya kerap terjadi di Sampang. Sebab kawasan desa itu pernah menjadi obyek pengeboran minyak dan gas (Migas) oleh dua perusahaan besar pertambangan minyak di sana.
Perusahaan minyak besar yang pernah melakukan eksplorasi minyak di sana yakni PT Medco Energi International pada 2005, kemudian SPE Petrolium pada 2010.
Dua perusahaan itu melakukan kegiatan ekplorasi bahkan sempat mempekejakan warga lokal serta menjadi harapan baru masyarakat di wilayah Desa Gunung Eleh yang terkenal tandus pada kala itu. Namun, kedua perusaahan Migas tersebut kemudian tidak melanjutkan tahap ekspolitasi.
"Kita tidak tahu apa yang menjadi kajian dua perusahaan itu, karena setelah pengeboran selesai keduanya tidak ada kejelasan untuk melanjutkan," kata Tokoh Masyarakat Setempat H. Moh Anwar, pada hari Rabu, 07/12/2022.
Pria yang akrab disapa H. Anwar tersebut juga mengatakan, saat itu dirinya menjabat sebagai anggota legislatif, bahkan sebelumnya juga pernah menjabat sebagai Kepala Desa Gunung Eleh.
Namun, karena memang lokasi pengeboran menjadi objek vital nasional dan dijaga ketat, warga hanya sebatas melihat dari jauh serta tidak menerima informasi lanjutan dari kegiatan itu.
"Saya yakin di bumi Desa Gunung Eleh ini kaya dengan gas, sebab banyak warga yang mengebor sumur namun malah keluar bau gas yang mudah terbakar," katanya menambahkan.
Seperti yang diberitakan sebelumnya, sekitar pukul 08.00 WIB, 5 Desember 2022, warga Desa Gunung Eleh digemparkan dengan semburan api yang bersumber dari pengeboran sumur milik Sahi warga setempat.
Dalam kejadian itu, satu bangunan hangus terbakar dan seorang warga menjadi korban kebakaran hinga dilarikan ke Puskesmas terdekat.
Saat ini, api berhasil dipadamkan dengan cari ditutup serta arena pengeboran dibatasi dengan pita police line karena masih tercium aroma gas.
Sumur di pekarangan rumah warga Kampung Bhenbeih, Desa Gunung Eleh, Kedungdung, Sampang,Madura, mengeluarkan gas. dan gas tersebut menyemburkan api saat tersulut. hari Senin, 05/12/2022. (Tangkapan Layar)
Salah satu warga, Moh Halil, mengatakan pengeboran sumur itu dilakukan pada 3 hari lalu di pekarangan salah satu warga, Asrowi (60). Sumur itu di bor dengan kedalaman 33 meter.
Awalnya pengeboran berjalan lancar. Air keluar dari lubang pengeboran pada hari Minggu, 04/12/2022, pukul 09.00 WIB. Warga pun gembira menyambut keluarnya air karena desa setempat memang kekurangan air ketika musim kemarau.
"Tapi tidak disangka, pada pagi hari ini sekitar jam 08.00 WIB tiba-tiba sumur tersebut menyemburkan air bercampur gas dengan tekanan agak besar. Yang mengebor itu Sahi, anak dari Asrowi," ujar Halil dikutip dari detikJatim, hari Senin, 05/12/2022.
Warga tahu jika gas ikut tersembur dari baunya yang menyengat. Warga awalnya membiarkan saja semburan gas itu.
Namun api menyembur saat ada salah seorang warga merokok tak jauh dari lokasi. Api dari rokok atau korek rupanya menyulut gas tersebut.
"Awal mula munculnya api itu ketika ada warga hendak merokok, jaraknya dari lokasi pengeboran sekitar 10-12 meter. Semburan api terus membesar dengan disertai angin," tambah Halil.
Warga kemudian berusaha memadamkan kobaran api dengan alat seadanya, namun tak berhasil. Api baru bisa dipadamkan pukul 09.48 WIB setelah petugas pemadam kebakaran datang
Telah terjadi gempa dengan magnitudo: 5.8 SR, 21 km Tenggara KOTA-SUKABUMI-JABAR, pada: 08-Des-22 00:50:57 UTC, Tidak ada ancaman TSUNAMI (Peristiwa ini telah ditinjau oleh seismolog.)
Gempa berkekuatan 5,8 magnitudo mengguncang wilayah Sukabumi, Jawa Barat, pada hari Kamis, 08/12/2022, sekitar pukul 07.50 WIB. BMKG men-tweet kejadian gempa berapakali gempa Sukabumi, 5,8 M kemudian 6,1 dan lalu 5,8, dalam waktu beberapa menit. Kepala Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), Dwikorita membenarkan adanya gempa tersebut.
Koordinator Mitigasi Gempa dan Tsunami BMKG Daryono mengatakan, gempa tersebut disebabkan oleh lempeng indo-australia atau gempa benioff.
Kedalaman gempa 104 Km, dan dirasakan di Rancaekek, Lembang, Bogor, Bandung, Pangandaran, Padalarang, Cianjur, Sumur, Sukabumi, Jakarta Selatan, Garut, Bekasi dan Tangerang.
Daryono memaparkan, gempa ini M5,8 ini dipicu adanya deformasi batuan dalam lempeng (intraslab) pada lempeng indo-australia atau populer disebut sebagai gempa di zona benioff.
"Ground motionnya memang lebih kuat dari gempa sekelasnya dari sumber lain," ujarnya dikutip dari akun twitternya.
Dia memastikan jika gempa tersebut bukan dipicu oleh gempa kerak dangkal Cianjur dan bukan juga masuk dalam gempa megathrust.
BMKG telah memperhatikan lokasi episenter dan kedalaman hiposenternya. Gempa bumi yang terjadi merupakan jenis gempa bumi menengah akibat adanya deformasi atau patahan batuan dalam Lempeng Indo-Australia yang populer disebut sebagai gempa intraslab atau gempa Benioff.
#Gempa Magnitudo: 5.8, Kedalaman: 104 km, 08 Des 2022 07:50:57 WIB, Koordinat: 7.11 LS-106.99 BT (22 km Tenggara KOTA-SUKABUMI-JABAR), Tidak berpotensi tsunami #BMKGhttps://t.co/OiHiTwvX8x
Seorang warga Padalarang Bandung Barat, Rusdi (27), mengaku merasakan getaran gempa. Saat itu dirinya tengah duduk santai di depan rumahnya. Tiba-tiba kursi yang diduduki terasa bergoyang.
"Saya lagi ngopi di depan rumah. Tiba-tiba kasus kursi goyang, repleks langsung ke luar rumah," kata Rusdi.
Ia menjelaskan, peristiwa gempa bumi tak berlangsung lama sekitar 5 detik. Meski sebentar, dirinya sempat panik khawatir pusat gempa di wilayah KBB, ternyata setelah cari informasi titik gempa di Sukabumi.
"Lumayan panik, khawatir guncangan dekat. Tapi setelah cari di internet kejadiannya di Sukabumi," jelas Rusdi.
Sementara itu di Sukabumi, Sejumlah warga berhamburan keluar tempat tinggal mereka, termasuk warga yang berada di Puskesmas Simpenan, di Jalan Citamiang, Cidadap, Kabupaten Sukabumi.
Warga yang akan melakukan pengecekan kesehatan berhamburan keluar puskesmas untuk menyelamatkan diri sesaat gempa terjadi.
"Terasa gede guncangannya, saya langsung selamatkan diri tadi keluar, ke jalan," kata Dandi (25) warga di Puskesmas Simpenan.
Perjalanan kereta api ke Bandung sempat dihentikan sementara akibat gempa bumi berkekuatan magnitudo 5,8 dengan episentrum sekitar 22 KM tenggara, Kota Sukabumi, Jawa Barat.
Salah seorang penumpang kereta Argo Parahyangan, Henli mengatakan kereta berhenti sekitar pukul 08.10 WIB.
"Saya berangkat dari Jakarta jam 06.40 ke Bandung, 08.10 WIB berhenti di daerah Purwakarta," kata Henli.
Berdasarkan informasi yang disampaikan oleh masinis, ia menyebut kereta berhenti karena adanya gempa.
"Berhenti sekitar 15 menitan. Jam 8.25 WIB kereta jalan normal," ujarnya.
Menurutnya, tak ada kepanikan dari penumpang saat masinis menyampaikan informasi kereta berhenti karena ada gempa.
"Tidak terasa ya (getaran). Masinis dengan tenang menjelaskan. Jadi penumpang pada tenang. Sebagian malah masih tertidur," katanya.
The special military operation is a long process, but it has already yielded significant results, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with members of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) on Wednesday.
"As for the results of the special military operation, some of them may manifest themselves only after a long while. New territories have appeared. This is a significant result for Russia. These are serious questions. Take the Sea of Azov, which has become Russia’s inland sea. That’s very serious," he said.
Putin recalled that even Peter the Great in his day fought for access the Sea of Azov. The most important thing, though, is the people who live in all these territories, he said.
"The results of the referendum showed that the people want to be in Russia and consider themselves part of this world, part of this space, and our common culture, traditions, and language. This is the most important result. Now they are with us. There millions of such people. This is the most important thing," Putin stressed.
Putin says Polish nationalists ‘dream’ of seizing western Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Polish nationalists can’t wait to seize western Ukraine.
"As for the governments of some of our neighbors, Poland, nationalist elements there dream of taking back their so-called historical territories, seizing the western territories that Ukraine gained as a result of a decision by Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin following World War II," the president said at a meeting with the Human Rights Council.
He said "these territories were taken away from Poland and given to Soviet Ukraine."
"But of course, nationalist elements in Poland dream about taking these territories back to Poland and they will seek to do so, say what they will. We see this even from their literature, discussions, speeches," the president said. "That’s what they are ultimately going to do, I don’t have the slightest doubt about that."
"The only real guarantor of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its current borders could be Russia, which helped Ukraine to get these (Western - TASS) territories after World War II - by the decision of Stalin, of course," the head of state said.
"This is a matter for Ukrainian politicians. The ones of the future, of course. Current politicians, I don’t think they understand much about this and they don’t think about it, although some of them, as it seems to us, are already beginning to think," Putin said.
"Any increased involvement of their Western ally and neighbor in Ukrainian affairs today will ultimately be aimed at invading Ukrainian territories, the western part of Ukraine."
He said it would be good if Ukrainian politicians "thought about it and realized what is happening."
"But so be it, it’s up to them," the president said.
Deeply entrenched in Pakistan's society, madrasas are a common option available to educate millions of children, even though some are accused of promoting hateful ideologies and even having links to terror networks.
Sounds of recitation come from carpeted, dimly-lit classrooms occupied by young girls hunched together over low desks with their heads covered, memorizing the Quran. Some as young as five while others are well into their twenties.
This is a regular scene from Jamia Hafsa, a conservative girls-only madrasa (religious school) in Islamabad. Recitation of the holy book is not their only activity, as pupils often make headlines in the local news when they try to enforce Shariah law and threaten other women who they deem “liberal”.
Just last year, Jamia Hafsa girls protested against the Aurat March (Women’s March), calling it “obscene”. They even destroyed a mural made for the march, resulting in outcry from many Pakistani women.
In a more disturbing incident, the pupils of this conservative madrasa created unrest in the city by hoisting a number of white Taliban* flags on their madrasa building, seemingly showing their allegiance to the armed group which returned to power in Afghanistan last year.
Jamia Hafsa is part of the notorious Red Mosque complex - also a madrasa for men - which made headlines in 2007 when it was stormed by the government forces.
The siege turned violent and resulted in the death of 150 people, including madrasa students and army personnel. Government forces were victorious and the madrasa's leader, cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, was arrested while he tried to run away disguised as a woman in a burka (full body veil).
The Red Mosque incident happened because the government could no longer tolerate the radicalization of students that was happening in the complex. Today, Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa are fully functioning again and their leaders deny that any militant activity goes on within its complex. However, strange incidents do seem to arise around it. Moreover, the complex is not just one building situated in the heart of Pakistan's capital - it is part of a much larger network.
Some madrasas within this network are located all over Pakistan, and they have previously been accused of promoting radical ideologies and having links with terrorist networks. This was brought to light by Pakistani physicist and activist Pervez Hoodbhoy, who published "Defeating Religious Terrorism- What Will it Take?"
According to activists like Hoodbhoy, in the 2010's, most of the suicide attacks that occurred in Pakistan involved someone from the Red Mosque madrasa. After government forces, under then-president, General Pervez Musharaf, conducted the siege, the radical madrasa pupils started seeking revenge, attacking military and civilian targets.
Between 2007-2014, there were 3,700 terrorist attacks in Pakistan, some 1,200 schools were destroyed and over 50,000 people were killed. Furthermore, over one million were displaced internally as a result of the ongoing conflict involving insurgent groups and the military.
Nowadays, people, local media and the government avoid speaking up against madrasas because it is a complex and sensitive issue. Activists like Hoodbhoy have mentioned that the government seems to be afraid to get involved, partially explaining why the number of madrasas has grown exponentially in just a few decades.
However, some say that Pakistan's government, under pressure from the international community, has been making efforts to regulate madrassas and bring them under the government's control.
The Explosive Growth of Madrasas
A military spokesman, Major-General Asif Ghafoor, told reporters that more than 30,000 madrassas will soon be brought into the "mainstream" fold and overseen by the Ministry of Education.
"An Islamic education will continue to be provided but there will be no hate speech," Ghafoor said.
From an estimated 150 at Pakistan's independence in 1947, there are now between 30,000 and 50,000 madrasas within the country with an estimated four million students. These madrasas are privately funded and do not fall under the government's jurisdiction.
This growth began in the 1980s when Pakistani society found itself radicalized during the Afghan - USSR war.
General Zia ul Haq, who was the president of Pakistan at the time, used foreign funding given by the United States and Saudi Arabia to open madrasas where students would be taught the strictest forms of Islam and trained to fight a "holy war" against Soviet "infidels". During Zia's long tenure of 11 years, thousands of madrasas sprang up across Pakistan.
The youth was one of the prime victims of this radicalization, whereas intolerance and extremism became the side effects of this phenomenon in Pakistani society.
The Madrasa Youth Today.
Although the war is over and many young people study in regular, non violent madrasas, there is still a wide gap between a Pakistani youth who studied at a madrasa and a youth who went to a public or private school and college.
Government and private schools teach math, English, science, Islamiyat and social sciences, hence giving pupils a wholesome education and preparing them for the real world.
On the other hand, madrasas focus on making the students memorize the whole of the Quran (they memorize it by heart, they don't always know the translations until much later). The pupils also study the Hadith (life of the Holy Prophet), and various other Islamic books, essentially preparing pupils for the afterlife, focusing on their spiritual knowledge but leaving them with no education in practical or worldly terms.
Even their knowledge of Arabic doesn’t come in handy because Pakistanis don’t speak in Arabic. The national language is Urdu and the business language is English.
There have been some reports in the local media that show how upon graduating from their respective madrasas, youth cannot get real jobs or make a proper living, except for teaching in other madrasas or becoming Mullahs in mosques.
However, even these positions are no longer available, as the supply of these pupils greatly outweighs the demand, so thousands of madrasa pupils coming of age each year are left with no practical means of surviving in today’s capitalist society.
What life choices are they left with? What contribution can they make to society?
Oftentimes these pupils are brainwashed by clerics like Maulana Abdul Aziz who has on many occasions said: "We have created an environment within our madrasas to bring a revolution worldwide. These children are very young and the way you mold them now is the way they will stay all their lives. Progressive thought is dead. Islamic world will dominate not only in Pakistan but in the whole world."
A couple of years ago, Pakistan's then-Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he wanted the madrasas to produce better-qualified students. "Seminary students should also become engineers and doctors,” he said in a public address. He called on madrasas to introduce a core curriculum including subjects like math, English and science.
Why Do Families Send Their Kids to Madrasas?
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, a legislator who served as spokesman for the former provincial government, said the Punjab province recently shuttered some two dozen madrassas as they were seen as militant. He added that many other madrassas were teaching students that Muslims who followed different sects were infidels worthy of being killed.
If some of these madrasas are giving rise to Islamist violence in the country, then why don't people just stop sending their children there?
There are many reasons, and the first is that these students come not only from Pakistan but also from other countries, especially Afghanistan. The boarding, eating, and tuition fee in these madrasas is free of charge, hence, it is aimed at mostly poor families who cannot afford to raise their sons and daughters and provide them with education. Moreover, madrasas also take in orphans.
In a typical rural family in Pakistan, there are many children. Out of this bunch of kids, if 2-3 are sent to a madrasa that means the family has less mouths to feed. Sending these children to a government school would mean buying them uniforms, books, stationery, paying a tuition fee and commuting to and from school each day. That is a financial burden many families cannot afford.
One more important reason for parents sending their kids to a madrasa is the belief that a pupil who graduates from a religious school becomes so pious that on the day of judgment he/she will be able to take ten people to heaven with them. Hence, for many families it is a matter of prestige to have their children enrolled in a madrasa.
Furthermore, families don’t really know what goes on inside the madrasas, as it is a close-knit community and no one from outside is allowed to visit.
According to some reports, once a pupil is taken in by the madrasa he/she cannot leave the premises and can only visit their family once a year. There was an instance where a 13 year old child from Karachi’s madrasa was sent to Afghanistan without the knowledge of his parents, and the father had to petition in the courts for the child to be returned. The court issued notices to the head of the institution, the police and concerned ministries, the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies reported.
In another case, a girl named Zarina from Bunni Behk village was sent to a madrasa not far from her home. "They didn't allow us to leave the madrasa premise, they would beat us if we tried to leave. They made us wear burqas and said to forget our parents. I cried a lot and then ran away. I managed to climb over the wall and ran, but I still get afraid that they will come after me."
Although there are many similar cases of disturbing stories coming out of some of the madrasas, research over the years into madrasas' links with militancy has so far presented a complex picture.
According to some who have studied madrasas, now the majority do not advocate militancy. Instead, they follow a deeply conservative interpretation of Islam similar to that taught in Saudi Arabia.
However, with the rising cases of terror attacks, public lynching, killing of innocent Pakistanis of other faiths and acute intolerance of western ideologies, it remains unclear where all this hate and religious indoctrination comes from? Perhaps these unchecked madrasas and their dogmatic curriculum are a possible reason for the violent cycle of extremism that Pakistan seems to be constantly battling?
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."
