Tuesday, 3 January 2023

‘Fauci Files’ Will Be Released ‘Later This Week,’ Promises Elon Musk

‘Fauci Files’ Will Be Released ‘Later This Week,’ Promises Elon Musk

‘Fauci Files’ Will Be Released ‘Later This Week,’ Promises Elon Musk




©AFP 2022 / STEFANI REYNOLDS






The next tranche of Twitter Files is likely to include further information about how US government agencies used social media companies to shape Americans’ attitudes to COVID and manipulate public opinion on their handling of the pandemic.







In response to a user who wrote that they were “waiting... for #FauciFiles,” Musk wrote Monday that audiences could expect to see the information “later this week.”




Having been heavily associated with the government’s vacillating and seemingly arbitrary handling of COVID throughout the course of the pandemic, Fauci has become a highly polarizing figure in the US.


Critics of the COVID policies pushed by Fauci point to a number of discrepancies, including his demand that Americans wear masks after initially insisting “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.”


Fauci later claimed that he didn’t actually believe what he was saying, and that he’d been deceiving the US public in an effort to prevent a shortage of masks, but his private correspondence suggested otherwise.







“The typical mask you buy at a drug store is not really effective at keeping out a virus,” Fauci acknowledged in February 2020 email.


Later, Fauci also admitted to manipulating the target percentage of the US population which he claimed would be required to achieve herd immunity.


“When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent,” he told the New York Times in December 2020.


“Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, “I can nudge this up a bit,” so I went to 80, 85.







One topic likely to be encompassed in any newly-released Twitter files is an October 2020 email by Dr. Francis Collins – then Director of the National Institutes of Health – which ordered Fauci to produce a “quick and devastating published take down [sic]” of the Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter published by epidemiologists who opposed the strategy of using widespread lockdowns to combat COVID outbreaks.


Musk turned to Twitter to tell users, "Hope you’re having a great day 1 2023! One thing’s for sure, it won’t be boring.


One Twitter user replied to Musk’s tweet, saying she was,"Waiting… … for #FauciFiles,"





"Later this week," Musk replied.


In what is now called the "Twitter Files," journalists tapped by Musk address various controversies including internal discussions at Twitter regarding the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2022 presidential election and the social media company's decision to ban former President Trump from tweeting after his role in the Capitol invasion on Jan. 6, 2021.








The most recent Twitter File release focused on how both the Trump and Biden administrations leaned on Twitter to moderate content during the COVID-19 pandemic.




Recent tweets from Musk also appear to be growing in numbers as he attacks Fauci.


On Dec. 29, Musk asserted that Twitter employees had an internal "Fauci Fan Club," before tweeting that Twitter’s new policy was "to follow the science, which necessarily includes reasoned questioning of the science."


Evolutionary behavioral scientist Gad Saad appeared to joke about the dogmatic way scientific experts were treated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.







"The science is anything that His Eminence Lord Fauci says it is," Saad said. "His Excellency is science."





Musk responded by observing, "Anyone who says that questioning them is questioning science itself cannot be regarded as a scientist."


The Twitter CEO also mocked Fauci on Friday, calling him "creepy" after the New York Times reported that his home office was decorated with fan portraits of himself


Malika Berhasil Ditemukan Selamat Penculik Yudi Alias Iwan Ditangkap

Malika Berhasil Ditemukan Selamat Penculik Yudi Alias Iwan Ditangkap

Malika Berhasil Ditemukan Selamat Penculik Yudi Alias Iwan Ditangkap




Malika, bocah enam tahun korban penculikan tiba di RS Polri, Kramat Jati, Jakarta Timur, Selasa, 3 Januari 2023.






Iwan Sumarno alias Jacky alias Herman alias Yudi penculik bocah enam tahun berinisial M atau Malika berhasil ditangkap polisi. Iwan ditangkap setelah buron beberapa hari.







Hal itu dibenarkan Kepala Satuan Reserse Kriminal Polres Metro Jakarta Pusat, Ajun Komisaris Besar Polisi Gunarto.


"Pelaku sudah kami tangkap," kata dia kepada wartawan, Senin 2 Januari 2023.


Kata Gunarto, pelaku ditangkap di kawasan Ciledug. Penangkapan dilakukan malam ini. Dalam penangkapan ini, polisi pun menemukan korban. Kata dia, saat ditemukan korban dalam keadaan sehat.



Malika Ditemukan dalam Gerobak yang Ditarik Penculik di Pinggir Jalan Ciledug



Akhirnya Malika Anatasya yang lama hilang diculik pemulung, berhasil ditemukan oleh pihak kepolisian setelah mengetahui jejak pelaku penculikan bocah usia 6 tahun tersebut.









Menurut Kasat Reskrim Polres Jakarta Pusat AKBP Gunarto, Malika ditemukan di dalam gerobak yang sedang ditarik oleh pelaku, Iwan Sumarno alias Jacky alias Herman alias Yudi.


Iwan diketahui sedang memulung saat ditangkap oleh pihak kepolisian di kawasan Cipadu, Ciledug, Tangerang Selatan, pada hari Senin malam, 02/01/2023.


"Kami tangkap tadi di pinggir jalan. Malika di dalam gerobak yang ditarik pelaku sambil memulung," ujar Gunarto saat dihubungi, seperti dikutip dari Wartakotalive, Senin.


Saat ditemukan, Malika dalam kondisi sehat. Namun kepolisian segera membawanya ke RS Polri Kramat Jati untuk mengetahui kondisi kesehatannya secara fisik dan psikologis.








Dinsos Jakarta Utara Ikut Mencari Keberadaan Malika yang Diculik Seorang Pemulung



Suku Dinas Sosial Jakarta Utara ikut mencari keberadaan Malika Anastasya, bocah berusia 6 tahun yang diculik seorang pria di Gunung Sahari Jakarta Utara.


Tim Pelayanan, Pengawasan dan Pengendalian Sosial (P3S) Suku Dinas Sosial Jakarta Utara ikut mencari Malika di sejumlah lokasi pemulung pada Senin kemarin, 2 Januari 2023.


Komandan Pleton Tim Reaksi Cepat P3S Sudinsos Jakarta Utara Tommy Ariyanto mengatakan pencarian diilakukan setelah Polres Resor Metro Jakarta Pusat merilis identitas pelaku penculikan Mailak adalah IS yang diduga pemulung di kawasan Jakarta Utara.


Tommy mengatakan, anggota Tim Reaksi Cepat telah membagikan foto penculik dan Malika kepada setiap pemulung yang dilakukan saat operasi menyisir para penyandang masalah kesejahteraan sosial (PMKS).








"Kami minta apabila ada yang melihat korban, agar segera melaporkan kepada pihak berwajib," kata Tommy seperti dikutip dari Antara, Senin, 2 Januari 2023.


Salah seorang pemulung yang ditanyai petugas P3S Sudinsos Jakut di kawasan Koja, Udin Syihabudin 46 tahun, mengenali wajah Malika dari foto yang ditunjukkan oleh petugas P3S Sudinsos Jakut di jalan yang ada kawasan tersebut.


"Saya cuma kenal mukanya saja, memang anak di foto itu jalan dua hari lalu di jalan," kata Udin kepada petugas P3S Sudinsos Jakut.


Mendapati informasi dari Udin, petugas P3S Sudinsos Jakut pun langsung bergerak menyisir kawasan Koja yang dimaksud.


Namun, petugas P3S Sudinsos Jakut belum memperoleh hasil dari pencarian Malika korban penculikan pada Senin ini. Selanjutnya, Tommy memastikan anggotanya akan terus menyisir kawasan yang diduga rawan Penyandang Masalah Kesejahteraan Sosial (PMKS) di Jakarta Utara itu setiap hari.



Russian troops destroy Polish-made Krab howitzer in Kherson Region – top brass

Russian troops destroy Polish-made Krab howitzer in Kherson Region – top brass

Russian troops destroy Polish-made Krab howitzer in Kherson Region – top brass










Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces destroyed a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson Region, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.







"A Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer was destroyed near Antonovka in the Kherson Region," Konashenkov said.






Also, four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers were destroyed in firing positions near Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), he added.



Russian troops eliminate over 40 Ukrainian servicemen near Krasny Liman, top brass says



The Russian Armed Forces hit the 13th and the 95th air assault brigades in the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic, while advancing toward Krasny Liman, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Monday.








According to him, more than 40 Ukrainian service members were eliminated, with three armored personnel carriers and two pickups destroyed in the Russian artillery attack.







Special operations, January 1st. The main thing:



The day before, the RF Armed Forces attacked Ukrainian defense industrial facilities involved in manufacturing attack drones. The aim of the attack has been achieved, Kyiv's plan to carry out a terrorist attack against Russia in the near future has been thwarted, says the Ministry of Defense.


Russian troops continue to advance towards Donetsk, Ukrainian troops suffer defeats in the Kupyansky, Krasno-Limansky directions, says the Russian Defense Ministry







The Russian Armed Forces in the South-Donetsk direction managed to repel a counterattack by the Ukrainian army on the Dorozhnyanka settlement in the Zaporozhye region.


Artillery of the Russian Federation destroys the American counter-battery station in Donbass






Ukraine's energy system has suffered unprecedented damage, it may take years to restore it, said Ukrenergo.


Ukrainian troops shelled Svatovo, firing 5 rockets from HIMARS MLRS, says LPR.


DPR reports that Ukrainian forces fired 25 MLRS missiles at Donetsk.









Special operations, January 2st. The main thing:



In Makiivka, DPR, as a result of an attack by Ukrainian troops with a multiple launch rocket system, 63 Russian soldiers died, says the Russian Defense Ministry.


In the Kupyansk and Krasnolimansk directions, Ukrainian troops lost 70 men.


In the South Donetsk direction, the RF Armed Forces destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian military, three armored fighting vehicles.


Military of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk direction carried out offensive operations, Ukrainian losses per day amounted to 70 military personnel and 9 equipment.


Russian missile and artillery forces destroyed two arsenals and two Ukrainian military fuel storage facilities in the Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk regions


Ukrainian troops fired on Donetsk, Makeyevka, Yasinovataya, Rubizhne, reported in the LPR and DPR, provided there were casualties.


The Bryansk region was attacked by a Ukrainian drone that damaged an energy supply facility in one of the districts, the governor said.


More than 70 foreign mercenaries were killed and more than 100 injured in attacks on temporary deployment points of "foreign legion" units in Markovo, Kramatorsk region of the DPR, as well as in the Kharkiv region, according to Russian reports Ministry of Defence


Monday, 2 January 2023

At Least 63 Russian Troops Died in Ukrainian Strike on Makeevka, MoD Says

At Least 63 Russian Troops Died in Ukrainian Strike on Makeevka, MoD Says

At Least 63 Russian Troops Died in Ukrainian Strike on Makeevka, MoD Says




©Russian Defence Ministry Press fice/TASS






Ukraine shelled the area with six HIMARS rockets, while the Russian air defense systems managed to shoot down two of the missiles.







"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed. All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and relatives of the deceased military personnel," the ministry said in a statement.



Ukrainian Orthodox Priest Suffers Knife Attack in Vinnitsa



An archpriest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was attacked by an unknown knife-armed man in the western-central Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa and subsequently hospitalized in critical condition.


"The cleric of the Eparchy of Vinnitsa, archpriest Anthony Kovtonyuk, was assaulted. The priest was stabbed," the eparchy said in a statement.


The incident occurred after the attacker entered the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Vinnitsa and started to cause ruckus, behaving inappropriately. When the archpriest attempted to rebuke the man, the perpetrator stabbed the cleric in the throat, according to the statement.









Ukrainian Drone Damages Power Supply Facility in Russia's Bryansk Region, Governor Says



A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has carried out an attack in the Klimovsky District of Russia's Bryansk Region, located near the border with Ukraine, damaging a power supply facility, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.


"This morning, a Ukrainian UAV attacked the Klimovsky district. There were no casualties. All emergency services are working on the spot. As a result of the strike, a power supply facility was damaged, and there is no electricity in the village," Bogomaz said on Telegram on Monday morning.


Air defenses downed a Ukrainian drone approaching the Russian city of Voronezh, the regional government said in a statement on Monday.


"Last night, air defenses detected and downed a small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle approaching Voronezh, which had been launched from Ukraine," the statement reads.


The regional government added that there were no casualties or damage and the situation remained under control.









Ukrainian military shells DPR territory 14 times in three hours



The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) 14 times in three hours on Monday, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination said on Monday.


According to the mission, the Ukrainian military shelled the city of Donetsk five times between 12:10 pm and 3:10 pm, firing 25 NATO-standard 155 mm artillery shells.


Makeyevka came under Ukrainian fire twice and Gorlovka came under attack three times. Twenty-two 152 mm and 155 mm munitions were fired at the two cities. The Ukrainian army also attacked Panteleimonovka, Yasinovataya, Yakovlevka and Mineralnoye, firing a total of twenty-four 155 mm munitions.



The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:



  • Russian Forces performed a high precision strike temporary deployments of foreign mercenaries in the DPR and in the Kharkov region, eliminating more than 70 foreign mercenaries and wounding more than 100 foreign mercenaries;


  • The Russian Army eliminated up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two Ukrainian armored combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Kupyansk;








  • Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored carriers and two pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;


  • Russian Forces eliminated up to 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed four infantry combat vehicles and five other vehicles near Donetsk;


  • The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and two pick-up trucks in the DPR;


  • Russian troops destroyed two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots;


  • Russian Forces destroyed two US-made M777 artillery systems in the DPR;


  • The Russian Army destroyed a Krav self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson region, as well as four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers in the DPR;


  • Russian air defenses destroyed 15 Ukrainian UAVs.




Suspect in Machete Attack on New York Police Wanted to Join Taliban, Reports Say

Suspect in Machete Attack on New York Police Wanted to Join Taliban, Reports Say

Suspect in Machete Attack on New York Police Wanted to Join Taliban, Reports Say




A police officer walks after the first public New Year's event since the COVID-19 pandemic, at Times Square, in New York, Jan. 1, 2023.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters






A suspect in a machete attack on police officers in New York wanted to join the Taliban, Americain media reported, citing the law enforcement.







Last week, New York city police said that Trevor Bickford attacked the police with machete near Times Square on the New Year's Eve injuring three officers. The perpetrator was arrested after getting shot in the shoulder.


According to the media, the 19-year old man carried a diary where he expressed his wish to join the Taliban and "die as a martyr."


The suspect is in custody and remains under police guard at a hospital where he is treated for a gunshot wound.



3 police officers near Times Square injured in machete attack on New Year's Eve: Officials



An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. The suspect is allegedly a 19-year-old man from Maine, whose online posts indicate recent Islamic radicalization, sources told ABC News.







Investigators are looking into whether the suspect came to the annual ball drop specifically to wage an attack on law enforcement, the sources said.


The incident occurred just after 10 p.m. on Saturday near West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, outside the secure area that had been set up for New Year's Eve celebrations, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a news conference at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital.


"Unprovoked, a 19-year-old male approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete," Sewell said. "The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete."


Trevor Bickford, 19, suspected in the machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve, is pictured here in this undated photo. Handout


One of the officers fired their weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder, Sewell said. The suspect was taken into custody, she said.







The three injured officers were taken to Bellevue, Sewell said. All three officers were released from the hospital on Sunday.



Suspect relatives reported concerns



While a motive remains under investigation, authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the suspect came to New York City specifically to attack police officers at the Times Square ball drop, law enforcement sources told ABC News.


Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine. He took an Amtrak train to New York City on Dec. 29, the sources said.


Federal and local law enforcement investigators are combing through the suspect's online postings, which indicate recent extremist Islamic radicalization, the sources said.








Bickford has no prior arrests. His mother and aunt notified law enforcement in recent weeks about their concerns he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies, the sources said. The report prompted the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to look into the suspect, the law enforcement sources said.


The NYPD counterterrorism bureau is investigating the New Year's Eve attack in conjunction with the FBI.


Should authorities determine the attack was motivated by an Islamist ideology, it would make it the first terror incident associated with New Year’s Eve in Times Square, authorities said.


Prior to New Year’s Eve, the NYPD noted in a pre-event assessment that throughout December "multiple pro-ISIS users disseminated extremist propaganda graphics broadly calling for attacks in advance of the New Year, advocating a wide range of low-tech tactics." Islamist terror groups have long promoted knife attacks.


Both federal and local law enforcement stressed at Sunday morning's news conference the attack appeared to be an isolated incident and there was no longer a threat.








Injured officers in stable condition



One of the injured officers, an eight-year veteran of the NYPD, suffered a laceration to the head, officials said. Another hurt officer had just graduated from the police academy on Friday, and as is traditionally the case, his first assignment was the New Year's Eve detail in Times Square. The rookie officer was also struck in the head, resulting in a skull fracture and large laceration, officials said.


"We are really pleased by the response and how our officers handled this situation," Mayor Eric Adams said. "All three of the officers are in stable conditions and there are no critical threats to New Yorkers at this time."


FBI Assistant Director in Charge Mike Driscoll said the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved to "ascertain what is the nature of the attack." He said that the FBI believes the attacker was acting alone.


The New York Police Department released an image of a knife they said had been recovered at the scene of an officer-involved shooting near Times Square on New Year's Eve.
NYPD


The NYPD released an image of a weapon, saying it had been recovered at the scene. The weapon appeared to be a Gurkha knife, a type of curved blade, according to ABC News contributor Darrell M. Blocker, a retired CIA operative.








Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said, "Let's think about those family members here who are in shock right now, never thinking the first call of the year would be their son, their husband, their family member would be here in Bellevue Hospital."



'Everybody's panicking'



Videos from the scene appeared to show revelers jogging through the rain as they were directed away from the scene by columns of police officers.


"They're all telling us to go towards the viewing area for the ball drop and everybody's running, everybody's panicking," Lyugovski said.


Lyugovski and his brother-in-law, Andrew Dyachkin, of South Carolina, were in New York to watch the Times Square ball drop, they said in a joint video interview.








"Somebody's yelling, 'Calm down, calm down,' because everybody's on edge," Dyachkin said. "Like, I'm sure in the back of all of our minds, now this could be a target for, you know, shooting."


He added, “We thought someone is trying to shoot, you know, as many people as possible. Another mass shooting.”


One of the officers involved in the incident had graduated from the police academy on Friday, Sewell said.


Adams spoke at the officer's graduation ceremony, he said.


"It just goes to show you, it could be your first day or it could be your last day, the actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said.


At Least Seven Al-Shabaab Militants Killed in Fresh Infighting in Galmudug, Somali Authorities Say

At Least Seven Al-Shabaab Militants Killed in Fresh Infighting in Galmudug, Somali Authorities Say

At Least Seven Al-Shabaab Militants Killed in Fresh Infighting in Galmudug, Somali Authorities Say




©AFP 2022 / MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB






The Al-Shabaab* jihadist movement, which has been fighting against the Somali government and terrorizing people since 2006, has suffered a series of defeats over the past few weeks after the newly-elected government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out-war” against the terrorist group.







At least seven militants from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group have been killed during fresh fighting between two groups within the jihadist movement on the outskirts of Harardhere district in the central coastal region of Mudug, Somalia’s federal government said in a statement on Sunday.


The government pointed out that the two groups had disagreed over surrendering to the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) in the wake of a series of defeats suffered by Al-Shabaab in Mudug, a hotbed of terrorist activity.


“The skirmish started after fighters loyal to an Al-Shabaab commander named Muheyadin Daqare left the area and engaged in a battle with other militants,” Somali authorities said, adding that the battle raged on for about an hour.


According to the government statement, the other group has taken a number of militants who were trying to surrender to SAF into custody.







The development came as the newly-elected government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has intensified military attacks against the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab group. The Somali Armed Forces managed to regain control over some strongholds of al-Shabaab in the south and central regions of the country.


In late December 2022, Somali soldiers took control of Runirgoud town, the militants' final stronghold in Middle Shabelle, about 240 kilometers northeast of the capital Mogadishu.


Meanwhile, Kenyan police recently announced that they'd detained a number of al-Shabaab members on the border with neighboring Somalia as they tried to flee to Kenya in the wake of an intensified attack on the militants by the Somali Armed Forces.


Meanwhile, Kenyan police recently announced that they'd detained a number of al-Shabaab members on the border with neighboring Somalia as they tried to flee to Kenya in the wake of an intensified attack on the militants by the Somali Armed Forces.









Somali President Chairs Federal State Leaders to Unite Efforts in Fight Against al-Shabaab



The Al-Shabaab* jihadist movement has been fighting against the Somali government since the mid-2000s. The al-Qaeda*-affiliated group, which managed to take control of some parts of Somalia, has long been terrorizing people not only in the country, but also in other neighboring countries in East Africa.


©AP Photo / Evelyn Hockstein


Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday chaired a meeting in the capital Mogadishu of federal state leaders in a bid to reunite efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab terrorists.


Dubbed the National Consultative Forum (NCF), the gathering was attended by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy PM Salah Jama, and leaders of the country’s five Federal Member States (FMS) of Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, and Jubbaland, in addition to the mayor of Mogadishu.








The focus of the meeting was on how to deal with the general insecurity in the country, mainly caused by the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Al-Shabaab. The meeting came in the wake of the Somali National Army intensifying its attacks against Al-Shabaab, which resulted in some of the territories controlled by the militants being freed.


The NCF gathering also discussed other political issues, including the extension of term limits for federal state leaders, as well as a misunderstanding between the FGS and the FMS.


Al-Shabaab, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Somalia, has been fighting against the Somali government since 2006.


Recently, the organization intensified its terror attacks after the newly-elected government declared an "all-out-war" against the terrorist militant group with the help of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops deployed in the country.