About 10,000 Ukrainian troops remain in Artyomovsk, says DPR advisor

There are currently some 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen in Artyomovsk, known as Bakhmut in Ukraine, Yan Gagin, who is an advisor to acting leader of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin, said on Monday.

"Quite a large garrison of [Ukrainian troops] is still deployed in Artyomovsk - some 10,000 people or, perhaps, somewhat more. Parts of it have already left the city, and some parts have been attempting to leave it, while our artillery has been trying to hit them," the expert told Rossya-1 television.

Earlier on Monday, Gagin also said that the cauldron in Artymovosk was similar to the one Ukrainian troops got encircled into in 2015.

On March 1, founder of the Wagner private military company Yevgeny Prigozhin said that tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops were fiercely resisting Russian forces in Artyomovsk.

Ukraine sustains big losses in Artyomovsk — newspaper

Ukraine’s armed forces have sustained huge losses in Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine), despite the fact that several of their best brigades were deployed to the city, Spain’s El Pais reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, on Friday Ukrainian troops blew up two small bridges linking the only Ukraine-controlled access road to Artyomovsk and erected a floating bridge instead. The newspaper also reported that several small groups of Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the city as reinforcements.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the Ukrainian military admits that several of its best-trained army units have been destroyed near Artyomovsk in recent months. Although data on Ukraine’s losses are classified, some officers acknowledge the losses on condition of anonymity.

Artyomovsk, a major transport hub used as a logistics center for the Ukrainian army in Donbass, is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Fierce fighting continues for control of the city. Acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said on February 16 that Russian forces had taken control of the high ground around Artyomovsk.

📹 Russian Airborne Troops' artillery units in combat action as part of the special military operation (video by Russia's MoD)

120mm 2S9 Nona self-propelled gun crews eliminate AFU manpower and fighting vehicles in all directions.

Reconnaissance units detected a Ukrainian nationalists' platoon strongpoint. Its coordinates were rapidly transmitted to the artillery command post.

The Nona self-propelled gun crews redeployed to their firing positions, neutralized the strongpoints, and eliminated the enemy manpower.

Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation, March 5, in Ukraine:

▪️Russian troops destroyed up to 180 Ukrainian soldiers near Krasny Liman during the day;

▪️In the DPR, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed over 210 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

▪️In the Kharkov region, Russian troops eliminated up to 40 Ukrainian soldiers;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed the control posts of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare equipment in the Avdeevka area;

▪️Losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR and Zaporozhye region per day amounted to 80 troops;

▪️Russian troops destroyed ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Tonenkoe and Avdeevka in the DPR;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces hit the command post of the nationalist "Azov" regiment (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia) in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️Russian troops hit the command and observation posts of units of the brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense in the DPR and Zaporozhye region;

▪️In the Zaporozhye region, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed the warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of the 110th Brigade of Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

▪️Russian air defense systems destroyed 12 UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a day.

Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation, March 6, in Ukraine:

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 45 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored combat vehicles and three pickups close to Kupyansk;

▪️Russian troops destroyed up to 160 Ukrainian soldiers, one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, five armored fighting vehicles, three other vehicles and a Grad multiple rocket launcher system close to Krasny Liman;

▪️In Donetsk region, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed up to 225 Ukrainian troops, five infantry fighting vehicles, nine armored fighting vehicles, five pickups, four other vehicles, a Uragan MLRS rocket and a D-30 howitzer. In addition, an ordnance depot and US-manufactured AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery warfare radar was destroyed;

▪️Russian artillery neutralized up to 65 Ukrainian personnel, two armored fighting vehicles, two pickups, as well as the fighting vehicles equipped with Uragan and Grad MLRS in South Donetsk and Zaporozhye direction;

▪️In Kherson direction, Russian troops destroyed three armored fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer;

▪️A self-propelled launching ramp of Ukrainian Buk-M1 air defense missile system was destroyed in the Donetsk People's Republic. In addition, a guidance radar of the Ukrainian S-300 air defense missile system was destroyed near Andreyevka in DPR;

▪️A US-manufactured AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery warfare radar was destroyed in Zaporozhye direction;

▪️Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down a Su-27 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force in Zaporozhye region. In addition, one Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter has been shot down in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defense facilities shot down a MiG-29 airplane of the Ukrainian Air Force in the DPR;

▪️Russian troops destroyed 15 rocket-propelled projectiles, launched by HIMARS and Uragan MLRS, as well as nine unmanned aerial vehicles in Kharkov region in the LPR, in DPR, Zaporozhye and Sumy regions.

Guru besar Unair temukan senyawa tanaman obat antikanker dan DBD

Guru Besar Fakultas Sains dan Teknologi Universitas Airlangga Surabaya Prof. Dr. Alfinda Novi Kristanti DEA. (ANTARA/HO-Humas Unair)

Guru Besar Fakultas Sains dan Teknologi Universitas Airlangga Surabaya Prof. Dr. Alfinda Novi Kristanti DEA., menemukan senyawa tanaman untuk obat antikanker dan demam berdarah dengue (DBD).

Prof. Alfinda Novi Kristanti di Surabaya, Senin mengatakan senyawa obat antikanker dan DBD terdapat di tanaman gaharu (Aquilaria microcarpa), gambir (Uncaria), dan sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens).

"Pada spesies Aquilaria, ada kandungan chromone yang mirip dengan senyawa golongan 2-styrylchromone di mana kesediaan senyawa ini sangat jarang sehingga harus dilakukan sintesis organik," katanya.

Dari sintesis dengan variasi struktur benzaldehid, Prof. Alfinda menemukan sembilan senyawa golongan 2-styrylchrome. Senyawa ini lalu diuji secara in silico melalui docking experiment menggunakan protein sebagai target obat pengembangan kemoterapi kanker.

"Rangkaian penelitian ini menjadi contoh bagaimana alam telah memberikan ide struktur senyawa untuk dapat dilakukan sintesis senyawa dengan potensi yang lebih baik," ungkap dosen departemen kimia itu.

Selanjutnya, ia beralih pada komponen utama gambir yaitu catechin merupakan senyawa golongan flavonoid. Dari hasil isolasi menunjukkan satu kilogram gambir mengandung kadar catechin sebesar 18 gram dengan tingkat kemurnian 90 persen.

"Senyawa catechin dapat bertindak sebagai antikanker, antiviral, antimikroba, bahkan aktivitas antioksidannya jauh lebih besar dibandingkan dengan vitamin C. Hal ini secara tidak langsung dapat mencegah potensi terjadinya kanker," ujarnya.

Guru besar ke-275 Unair ini melanjutkan pemaparan risetnya terhadap sambung nyawa yang telah dimanfaatkan sebagai pengobatan. Bagian akar Gynura procumbens rupanya jauh lebih aktif dibandingkan daun, namun kelemahannya pemanfaatan akar tersebut harus mencabut seluruh tanaman.

Ia kemudian mendasarkan pada peningkatan biomassa dan kandungan metabolit menggunakan kultur akar adventif tanaman. Selain itu, dilakukan pengembangan potensi tanaman menggunakan nanoteknologi berupa nanokapsul ekstrak tanaman yang dapat meningkatkan aktivitas anti-dengue dan menurunkan toksisitas.

Prof. Alfinda menuturkan komunikasi kimiawi tanaman memberikan dampak positif bagi manusia dengan dihasilkannya senyawa metabolit sekunder. Diikuti perkembangan ilmu sintesis organik, khususnya nanoteknologi terbukti mampu meningkatkan potensi tanaman obat sebagai bahan baku obat.

"Oleh karena itu, riset tentang pemanfaatan senyawa metabolit sekunder pada tanaman sangat penting untuk dilakukan. Untuk mendukung pembangunan ekosistem kemandirian obat di Indonesia," tuturnya.

Meta is subverting the Bolivian government while enabling the far right

FILE PHOTO. People protest in support of former Bolivian interim president (2019-2020) Jeanine Anez outside the women's prison in La Paz, on 25 August 2021, where Anez is being held.
©AIZAR RALDES / AFP

Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator. He has a syndicated column at CGTN and is a freelance reporter for international news agencies including Xinhua News Agency.

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, has blocked a slew of accounts and groups as part of its “Adversarial Threat” program.

The social media giant said it “took down three CIB (coordinated inauthentic behavior) networks – in Serbia, Cuba and Bolivia – targeting people in their own countries across many services across the internet and linked to governments or ruling parties in each state.”

But people in Bolivia took issue with this over freedom of speech concerns. According to a local media report from Kawsuchen News, “1,041 Facebook accounts, 450 Pages, 14 Groups and 130 Instagram accounts were deleted in December 2022. All the banned accounts belonged to supporters of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS-IPSP), the party of government. Those who were banned have not been able to return. The excuse given is to accuse us of ‘coordinated inauthentic behavior.’”

As the report’s author, Oscar Alfaro, pointed out, “the accusation of ‘coordinated inauthentic behavior’ is a concept based on convenience-oriented algorithms. However, such algorithms cannot discern simple social and group behavior. In the case of Bolivia, activists have utilized social media as a platform to provide an alternative to the national media which is dominated by right-wing groups.”

Meta claims it is defending “members of the opposition,” but, in practice, this means allowing these same groups to publish open hate speech and racial discrimination against Bolivia’s minority groups. These are the same groups responsible for the 2020 Bolivian coup that installed the far-right government of (now former) provisional president Jeanine Anez. And Meta is doing so under the guise that, in its view, it is MAS supporters who are posing as “digital warriors,” harassing the opposition and mass-reporting their posts.

Many critics have called Anez’s regime fascist, and it’s not hyperbole. Literal Nazis from Germany found a nest in Bolivia after World War II and planted their seeds in the country, particularly in its eastern portion. That is now the primary home base of today’s political opposition, which has committed a litany of human rights abuses.

For instance, the Sacaba massacre, which left 11 people dead and an estimated 98 wounded after police and soldiers fired on protesters who were decrying the undemocratic ouster of former president Evo Morales and the installation of Anez. There was also the Senkata massacre by Anez’s forces, which also left another 11 dead and an estimated 80 wounded.

For instance, the Sacaba massacre, which left 11 people dead and an estimated 98 wounded after police and soldiers fired on protesters who were decrying the undemocratic ouster of former president Evo Morales and the installation of Anez. There was also the Senkata massacre by Anez’s forces, which also left another 11 dead and an estimated 80 wounded.

That same month, family members carried the coffins of those killed in the attacks through the city of La Paz, and Anez ordered a crackdown on the march. Armed militias also burned the Wiphala, a symbol commonly used as a flag representing the indigenous people of the Andes region, in public plazas during the political turmoil. Anez instituted this violence with “Decree 4078,” which was essentially a license to kill protesters that was so blatant it was even denounced by the Western human rights organization, Amnesty International. With this decree, her regime absolved the country’s armed forces of any liability.

That’s not even to mention the violent events that took place before she took power in the first place. After the forced resignation of Victor Borda, a MAS representative, from the post of president of the lower house of Bolivia’s legislature, protesters tortured his brother and burned his family home down.

I spoke to Oscar Alfaro as a follow-up about Meta’s disturbing decision to defend “members of the opposition,” who are still committing acts of violence and insurrection. He told me that “the accusation of so-called inauthentic behavior makes no sense in a social network that promotes groups. The terms of service don’t forbid having friends with the same political views and use the platform to spread factual information and debunk false news.” (Facebook is notorious for allowing fake news to spread in foreign languages other than English due to a lack of qualified staff and a broken AI system).

He also said “all the banned accounts were legitimate and lost all memories accumulated over the years, personal photos and videos with no option to download them at this point, which is technically our personal data, and we trusted these platforms like Facebook and Instagram to make just decisions.”

Instead, even though Meta claims to be objective, it is clearly tipping the scale for pro-fascist elements in Bolivia while marginalizing members and supporters of the ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party. This grossly interferes with Bolivia’s internal affairs and helps groups that committed wanton political violence while in power, thwarted freedom of expression and openly massacred pro-MAS activists.

Meta and its companies, like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, are extremely powerful and influential platforms for political groups all over the world. By marginalizing the MAS, Facebook is setting the stage for a potential fascist resurgence, thus, once again, plunging the South American country into years of violence and chaos. Anez and her collaborators are sitting in prison for their crimes against the Bolivian people. They are criminals – proven so by a thorough and public investigation.

Digital platforms, like those hosted by Meta, were extremely useful for organizations seeking to mobilize against Anez. This eventually led to the election of current President Luis Arce, a member of the MAS, and put an end to the pro-Western fascist forces that tortured the plurinational state. Without these tools, or with these tools actively operating against them, the pro-MAS forces will be severely handicapped, and the scales of power could be tipped back towards the criminal far-right elements.

Time and time again, Meta has shown itself to be an enabler of far-right and reactionary forces all over the world, as well as a promoter of fake news, especially in foreign language spaces. It is a platform that has verifiably had a hand in numerous atrocities. It helped spread hate speech in Myanmar, leading to subsequent violence against the Rohingya Muslim population in the country. It also helped enable the organization of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot in Washington, DC, which was essentially a failed putsch attempt by the far-right and provided a vehicle for the anti-vax movement.

It’s for this reason that countries like China and Russia have blocked access to the site, seeing it as nothing more than a destabilization weapon, and even the European Union has implemented legislation to combat its deleterious effects. That’s quite understandable since Meta has revealed itself not to be an objective platform for people to connect but has instead resulted in great and irreversible harm to civil society worldwide. What’s happening now with Bolivia is just the latest example – and it is yet to be seen how badly Meta will damage the South American country’s stability in the future.

Skema Lalu Lintas Versi Polresta Bogor Kota Saat Revitalisasi Jembatan Otista

Skema Lalu Lintas Versi Polresta Bogor. (Ist)

Polresta Bogor Kota telah menyiapkan rekayasa lalu lintas di kawasan yang merupakan jalur sistem satu arah (SSA) menyusul adanya revitalisasi jembatan otista (d/h jalan bangka) yang akan dilakukan setelah lebaran.

Dalam rekayasa lalu lintas nanti, Polresta Bogor Kota telah menyiapkan beberapa skema.

Berikut beberapa skema yang ditelah disiapkan oleh Polresta Bogor Kota terkait rekayasa lalu lintas menyusul adanya revitalisasi jembatan otista

Gambaran Skema Arus (Flow) Usulan Simpang Tugu Kujang dan Simpang Amaris

• Dari Simpang Tugu Kujang s/d Simpang Amaris dibuat 2 arah



• Arus yg dari arah Baranangsiang menuju seputaran lokasi Botani berputar di Simpang Tugu Kujang



• Arus dari arah Jalan Bangka belok kanan selanjutnya dapat ke Baranangsiang atau belok kiri ke Amaris

Gambaran Skema Arus (Flow) Usulan Simpang Amaris, Simpang Harupat dan Simpang Denpom

• Dari Simpang Amaris s/d Simpang Denpom dibuat satu arah berbalik dengan kondisi eksisting



• Arus yang dari arah Jalan Salak tok ada yg belok kiri kearah Amaris, semua belok kanan kearah Denpom



• Di Simpang Denpom arus yang dari arah Amaris semuanya belok kanan kearah Jalan Sudirman dan arus dari arah Jalan Ir. H. Juanda semuanya belok kiri kearah J. Sudirman, tidak adanya masuk ke Jalan Jalak Harupat belok kiri ke Amaris

Gambaran Skema Arus (Flow) Usulan Simpang Denpom, Simpang Air Mancur & Simpang Warung Jambu

• Dari Simpang Denpom s/d Simpang Warung Jambu dibuat satu arah



• Di Simpang Air Mancur arus dari arah Simpang Denpom dapat melalui Jalan Pemuda – Jalan Dadali – Simpang Warung Jambu atau Jalan A. Yani – Simpang Warung Jambu



• Di Simpang Warung Jambu tidak ada kendaraan yang masuk menuju kearah Simpang Air Mancur



• Arus yang dari arah Jalan RE. Martadinata semuanya belok kiri kearah Warung Jambu tidak ada yang mengarah ke Simpang Denpom

Gambaran Skema Arus (Flow) Usulan Simpang Ahoy dan Simpang Suryakencana

• Arus dari arah Jalan NV. Sidik diputar belok kanan ke Jalan Siliwangi atau belok kiri ke Jalan Surya Kencana



• Dari Simpang Ahoy s/d Simpang Suryakencana diberlakukan satu arah berbalik ke eksisting.

Jembatan Otista di Jalan Otto Iskandar Dinata (Otista), Kelurahan Baranangsiang, Kecamatan Bogor Timur, Kota Bogor akan dibongkar total dan dibangun ulang tahun ini. Polresta Bogor Kota telah menyiapkan rekayasa lalu lintas di kawasan yang merupakan jalur sistem satu arah (SSA) tersebut.

Kasat Lantas Polresta Bogor Kota, Kompol Galih Apria, mengatakan diperkirakan rekayasa arus lalu lintas ilaksanakan setelah Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1444 Hijriyah. "Insya Allah (diterapkan) satu pekan setelah lebaran, tepatnya setelah arus balik pemudik Idul Fitri," kata Galih melalui pesan singkat di Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat, pada hari Sabtu, 04/03/2023.

Dalam video yang diterima media Republika dari Polresta Bogor Kota, ada empat skema arus lalu lintas yang diusulkan. Mulai dari Tugu Kujang dan simpang Hotel Amaris, kemudian simpang Hotel Amaris, Jalan Jalal Harupat dan Denpom, lalu Simpang Denpom, Air Mancur, dan Warung Jambu, hingga simpang Ahoy dan Suryakencana.

Wali Kota Bogor, Bima Arya Sugiarto, menyebutkan, pembangunan Jembatan Otista ini menggunakan anggaran dari Pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Barat sebesar Rp 52 miliar. Jembatan itu akan diperluas karena terdapat bottleneck atau penyempitan jalan, sehingga menyebabkan kemacetan di sekitar kawasan Tugu Kujang.

‘Saudi-US relationship is a Catholic marriage,’ says Wall street banker and former White House official Anthony Scaramucci

As a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia, Scaramucci applauded the Kingdom’s leadership for its policy innovations and reforms. (AN Photo)

The American financier and entrepreneur Anthony Scaramucci has reiterated that he considers the US-Saudi relationship a “Catholic marriage” in the latest episode of “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly current-affairs talk show of Arab News that engages with leading policymakers and business leaders.

Reminded that he had described Saudi-US ties as “crucial” in a 2021 interview with Arab News, and asked what advice he would give to President Joe Biden in order to improve the relationship today, he said: “I called it a Catholic marriage. We can fight with each other, but we are staying permanently married. Whatever the interregnum rubs are between the sovereigns, they are temporary. We need each other.”

In the interview from Abu Dhabi, where he was attending the second Investopia conference, Scaramucci touched on a wide range of topics, lauded the economic opportunities in the Gulf region, and confirmed plans to take the SALT thought-leadership forum to Riyadh.

Elaborating on the Saudi-US relationship, he said: “We’ve figured out a way over the last 80 to 90 years to be interwoven. Our economies, our governments, our intelligence communities, our defense departments are very much entwined. So, I would just ask people in the White House, and also in the UAE and in Riyadh, to just think about these things in long periods of time.”

Scaramucci, who briefly served as the White House director of communications in July 2017 when Donald Trump was the US president, added: “We’ve had a tendency in the world lately to … devolve back into tribalism and to devolve back into a little bit of a rub with each other. It’s sort of ‘my way or no way.’ We’ve got to get back to thinking about more of the spirit of the cooperation and recognizing how much better we are together and how much more prosperous we can be. That would be my general recommendation (to the Biden White House).”

Scaramucci, who briefly served as the White House director of communications in July 2017 when Donald Trump was the US president, added: “We’ve had a tendency in the world lately to … devolve back into tribalism and to devolve back into a little bit of a rub with each other. It’s sort of ‘my way or no way.’ We’ve got to get back to thinking about more of the spirit of the cooperation and recognizing how much better we are together and how much more prosperous we can be. That would be my general recommendation (to the Biden White House).”

As a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia, Scaramucci applauded the Kingdom’s leadership for its policy innovations and reforms.

“As they start to create these reforms and they build more infrastructure, and they move to a zero-carbon emissions standard, and they build these beautiful cities like NEOM, the Kingdom is opening to the rest of the world. It’s a beautiful, hospitable culture in the Kingdom,” he said.

He said Saudi Arabia’s prioritization of its tourism industry has allowed for greater cultural exchange and understanding with the global community.

“I applaud the Kingdom for the reforms (it is) making. And I think the best years for the Kingdom are ahead of itself,” he told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.”

The way Scaramucci sees it, besides simply diversifying the economy toward sectors such as tourism and away from oil and carbon fuels, the Kingdom’s economic strategy aims to create a positive environment for foreign direct investment.

Since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 in 2016, Saudi Arabia has taken multiple steps toward encouraging foreign investment, including allowing foreign companies to list on the Saudi Stock Exchange and granting hundreds of international companies license to operate in the Kingdom in 2020.

Asked where Saudi Arabia stood as a destination for foreign direct investment and what his advice would be for it to reach its full potential, Scaramucci said: “If you study the best governments, they have a low taxation strategy, they have an enabling strategy with private enterprise, and then they stick to the rule of law.

“Ultimately, business leaders want to believe if they cut contracts or they buy property, or they make a capital investment in an area of the world, that it’s safe from a property perspective and it’s safe from a legal perspective.

“(Saudi Arabia is) doing that. And that is why capital is going to flow into the country.”

Scaramucci acknowledged that the Federal Reserve rate increases in the US as well as the Ukraine-Russia conflict have been a dampener of the global investment spirit. “There’s a certain sluggishness that’s going on but it’s more macroeconomic-related than industry or region-specific,” he said.

Speaking about his experience at the Investopia conference, which brought together big names such as former US Secretary of State John Kerry, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq, Scaramucci said: “We have a great partnership with the government. Our groups work very well together, and it’s a very interesting hybrid between a … sort of a public entity, a governmental entity, and a private enterprise. The synergies there are quite good. And so, I am hopeful that it will be a long-lasting relationship.”

As the founder and chairman of SALT, a global networking forum for finance, technology and public policy, Scaramucci is optimistic that conferences of the kind he is associated with could be held in the Gulf region

While he declined to confirm if Investopia x SALT Abu Dhabi was going to be an annual event from now on (“the synergies there are quite good, so I am hopeful that it will be a long-lasting relationship”), he said that were he to take his conference to Riyadh, “they won’t compete with each other.”

Scaramucci said: “They would be separate events, well-spaced in terms of the calendar, and will be (making sure) the flavor of that event (is) more like what the Saudis would like, sort of a Riyadh focus the same way that we do in the UAE.

“It’s very important for us as partners to infuse local elements into the conference. I don’t want to be that Westerner that comes over and sort of arrogantly puts a program together without having a lot of input from the local authorities and from the local idea generation.”

With the Gulf countries playing host to many of the most influential events in the world, several economic figures believe that the road to the future of commerce and investment could pass through the Kingdom. Does Scaramucci too think the future of investment is shifting east toward countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia?

“I think it is, but it has been over the last three decades. It’s starting to now grow more exponentially as there’s a greater outreach to the international community,” he said.

“I first got to the UAE in 2005. There was a tremendous amount of growth and development, but there’s been exponential growth since then. And so, the next 10 or 15 years here in the region, including Saudi Arabia for that matter, are going to be quite good.”

MasyaAllah, Rumah Sopir Taksi Online Utuh Persis di Belakang Depo Pertamina

Di tengah reruntuhan puing bangunan rumah-rumah warga yang rata tak bersisa, sebuah rumah bercat biru milik driver taksi online, Sutrisno (43) tetap kokoh berdiri.

Kebakaran hebat di Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, mengakibatkan puluhan rumah di sekitarnya hangus terbakar dan hancur. Namun, rumah milik seorang sopir taksi online bernama Sutrisno (43) justru tidak terbakar maupun hancur seperti tetangga di sebelahnya.

Padahal, rumah dirinya itu berada tepat di belakang Depo Pertamina Plumpang yang kebakaran dan hanya terpisah oleh tembok pembatas yang terbuat dari beton.

Setelah kebakaran berhasil dipadamkan, rumah bercat biru milik Sutrisno tetap kokoh berdiri, hanya pintu dan pinggiran asbesnya saja yang rusak.

Ajaibnya, meski rumah-rumah di kanan kirinya hancur berkeping-keping, rumah Sutrisno hanya rusak di bagian pintu belakang serta pinggiran asbesnya saja

"Itu udah kuasa yang di atas, saya enggak tahu. Yang rusak hanya pintu belakang saja, yang lainnya enggak rusak," ujar Sutrisno saat ditemui di rumahnya, kawasan Tanah Merah Bawah, Rawabadak Selatan, Koja, Jakarta Utara, pada hari Minggu, 05/03/2023.

Sutrisno berujar, saat kebakaran tersebut terjadi, ia sebenarnya tak berpikir jika rumahnya akan selamat.

Dirinya hanya fokus menyelamatkan istri dan anaknya yang masih kecil untuk segera mengungsi dan menyelamatkan sejumlah barang-barang berharga.

Pasalnya, sebelum ledakan tersebut mengenai rumahnya dan rumah-rumah di sekitarnya, ia mencium aroma gas yang sangat menyengat.

Sehingga, kata dia, ia langsung memboyong serta istri dan anaknya ke sebuah pasar dekat kawasan tersebut.

"Engga tahu juga (rumah utuh), saya nyelametin diri, saya enggak tahu apa-apa bahkan anak istri langsung dibawa lari ke pasar. Dari pasar terlihat ledakan itu," ujar Sutrisno.

Pria bertopi hitam itu menyebut, ia tak lagi mampu membendung rasa syukurnya itu. Saat situasinya sudah aman, ia kembali ke lokasi rumahnya dan mendapati bahwa rumah bercat biru yang telah ia huni bertahun-tahun lamanya itu utuh dan tak ada kerusakan pada barang-barangnya.

Hanya saja, listrik rumahnya mati akibat korslet usai kebakaran itu.

"Kalau bersyukur sih saya bersyukur, anak istri saya selamat, itu saja. Yang saya pikirin anak istri dulu. Jadi kalau dibilang ajaib, mungkin kebetulan aja pemadaman ke rumah saya dulu," ujar Sutrisno.

Ia hanya kehilangan satu barang berharganya yang menjadi sumber mata pencaharianya sehari-hari, yakni, sebuah mobil yang kerap digunakan untuk mengantar penumpang.

Mobil Sutrisno terbakar di pekarangan rumah tetangganya.

"Saya sehari-hari bekerja jadi driver online mobil. Sekarang belum kepikiran mau kerja apa, jalanin aja," kata dia.

Sutrisno berujar, tak ada amalan apapun yang selama ini dilakukannya. Ia menyebut semua terjadi atas kuasa Tuhan.

Sementara itu, pantauan Wartakotalive.com di lokasi sekira pukul 16.00 WIB, rumah Sutrisno nampak berdiri kokoh meski tembok rumahnya sedikit retak.

Dari pantaian di lokasi sekitar pukul 16.00 WIB, rumah Sutrisno nampak berdiri kokoh meski tembok rumahnya sedikit retak.

Tak ada barang yang angus karema terkena api kebakaran, bahkan jemuran yang hari itu digantungkan di atap garasi rumahnya masih utuh tanpa rusak sedikitpun.

Sementara rumah di sekitarnya rata, hanya tersisa puing-puing bangunan saja.

Tulsi Gabbard Slams US 'Warmongering Elite' for Waging 'Proxy War' in Ukraine

©AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite

Not limiting her criticism to the Democratic Party, Tulsi Gabbard also called out the “warmongers from both parties in the Congress” who seem content to send billions of dollars overseas to fuel the conflict.

Former US congresswoman and ex-presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has verbally slammed the Democratic Party establishment and US President Joe Biden himself over the conflict in Ukraine.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Gabbard told the audience that she parted ways with the Democratic Party because it fell “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers, led by the queen of warmongers herself, Hillary Clinton, and embodied by President Joe Biden."

She accused Biden of pushing the United States to "the precipice of nuclear war,” which may well lead to the destruction of “the world as we know it,” and insisted that the Democratic Party is “focused on filling the pockets of their bosses in the military-industrial complex.”

She pointed at the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, stating that Biden and “warmongers from both parties in the Congress” have already sent over $100 billion to fuel what she described as a “proxy war” waged by the US and NATO through the regime in Kiev against Russia.

“Last week, it was another $500 million. Yesterday, it's another $400 million of our taxpayer money — continuing to escalate this war that could at any moment spark a direct conflict between the US and NATO and Russia, the world's most nuclear-armed country,” Gabbard lamented.

Tulsi also blasted the “warmongering elite” in the United States which does not seem to care about the potentially catastrophic consequences of their actions. As she put it, this elite have the means to protect themselves and their families in case of a nuclear attack and they are fine with leaving the rest of the American people to perish in the ensuing armageddon.

"The reality is, though, it doesn't need to be this way. Our future is in our hands. But we have no time to waste to protect our children, to protect our loved ones, to protect this country that we love,” Gabbard said. “We have to lift our voices and stand up to these cowardly warmongering positions in both parties and stop them from destroying us all."

This is Tulsi Gabbard's Speech in March 2022 released by Foxnews

TULSI GABBARD: When I look at these issues, I think about what is in the best interests of the American people, is what we're doing going to be good for the American people or not. And clearly this continued escalation of this conflict and this war is not in the best interests of the American people or the world, frankly, which is why Zelinskyy's statement last night on ABC News, for the first time that I'm aware of, opening the door, a window of opportunity where he's open to the fact of saying, hey, yeah, maybe we'll set this NATO membership thing aside, and he's willing to talk with Putin directly to negotiate the outcome or the status of these disputed territories really extending an olive branch.

Nothing that the Biden administration has done has helped to make this situation better has helped to deescalate the situation, which is why the only conclusion that I can draw about why they have been completely silent and not engaging at all on this window of opportunity that President Zelenskyy opened last night, is that what is happening before our eyes right now is exactly what they want to see continue. Why is that? Because it's good for the military industrial complex. It makes these politicians look tough and really, you know, it allows them to have this proxy war with Russia, something that Hillary Clinton laid out just recently. Really, what their aims are this war machine, this power elite in Washington is they want to turn Ukraine into another Afghanistan turn into killing fields where this long term insurgency is supported, and they bleed out and cripple, kill as many Russians as possible for who knows, who knows how long, and they're really showing their real aim in the fact that they're not taking action right now to end this conflict.