LIVE UPDATES — Wagner Assault Teams Edging Out Ukrainian Troops From Artyomovsk Center

©Valentin Sprinchak/TASS

Assault teams from the Wagner private military company continued combat operations throughout the day to edge out Ukrainian troops from the Artyomovsk central quarters during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

"In the Donetsk direction, the Wagner assault teams continued highly tense combat operations for ousting the enemy from the central quarters of the city of Artyomovsk," the spokesman said.

Russian Airborne Force units are providing support for the Wagner assault teams on the flanks. In particular, they are blocking the redeployment of Ukrainian army reserves to the city and the enemy’s retreat from Artyomovsk, the general said.

"During the last 24-hour period, aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew 12 sorties to provide support for the combat teams in Artyomovsk while missile troops and artillery accomplished 57 firing objectives," Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces destroy over 35 Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk area

Russian forces destroyed over 35 Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the western battlegroup delivered strikes on Ukrainian army units," the spokesman said.

The strikes destroyed "over 35 Ukrainian personnel, two motor vehicles and also a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer," the general specified.

Russian forces eliminate 80 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 80 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery of the battlegroup Center delivered strikes on the Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Terny and Grigorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated "as many as 80 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, and also a D-20 howitzer" in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depot in LPR

Russian combat aircraft and artillery wiped out a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the Krasny Liman direction, aircraft and artillery of the Russian central battlegroup struck the Ukrainian army units in some areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the spokesman said.

"In the area of the settlement of Nevskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 66th mechanized brigade was obliterated," the general said.

Russian forces destroy 300 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk advance

Russian forces destroyed around 300 Ukrainian troops in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s losses in the Donetsk direction in the past 24 hours totaled 300 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, six armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles, a D-20 howitzer, and also a Gvozdika motorized artillery system," the spokesman said.

Operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian southern battlegroup struck the amassed Ukrainian manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Kalinovka, Nikolayevka and Stupochki in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general added.

Russian forces destroy 20 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces destroyed roughly 20 Ukrainian troops and a Msta-B howitzer in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Poltavka, Verkhnyaya Tersa and Omelnik in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.

"As many as 20 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, and also a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in those directions in the past 24 hours," the general specified.

In addition, Russian forces obliterated an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 102nd territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region, Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces destroy 35 Ukrainian troops, howitzer in Kherson area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 35 Ukrainian troops and a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, as many as 35 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles and also a Gvozdika motorized howitzer were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted on the enemy by firepower," the spokesman said.

Russian forces strike 97 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in past day

Russian forces struck 97 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 97 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 124 areas," the spokesman said.

Russian air defenses intercept nine US-made HIMARS rockets in Ukraine operation Russian air defense forces intercepted nine rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities intercepted nine rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. In addition, they destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova, Kremennaya, Pshenichnoye and Rubezhnoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kirillovka and Volnovakha in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 407 Ukrainian warplanes, 228 helicopters, 3,747 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,659 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,082 multiple rocket launchers, 4,576 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,487 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Para Ilmuwan Ungkap Fenomena Black Hole Baru Seperti 'Donat Kurus'

The image of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87 originally imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration in 2019 is seen on the left; and new image generated by the PRIMO algorithm using the same data set is seen on the right, in this combination handout picture. Medeiros et al. 2023/Handout via REUTERS

Para ilmuwan mengungkap foto beresolusi penuh pertama dari lubang hitam supermasif: Gambar luar biasa menunjukkan M87 seperti 'donat kurus' - dan dapat membantu menjelaskan bagaimana fenomena bintang 'memakan' materi.

Ini adalah keindahan yang memesona: pandangan pertama umat manusia pada satu-satunya foto beresolusi penuh dari lubang hitam supermasif yang pernah dibuat.

'Donat oranye' ini, seperti yang telah dijuluki, berada di jantung galaksi Messier 87, 55 juta tahun cahaya dari Bumi dan pada 2019 menjadi lubang hitam pertama yang dicitrakan langsung oleh para astronom

Sekarang, dengan bantuan pembelajaran mesin kecerdasan buatan (AI), ia telah menerima perubahan resmi pertamanya - dan hasilnya mengungkapkan bahwa alih-alih menjadi 'donat kabur', ini sebenarnya lebih seperti 'donat kurus'.

Para ilmuwan mengatakan perspektif baru lubang hitam supermasif ini akan 'memainkan peran penting dalam kemampuan kita untuk memahami perilakunya' dan dapat membantu menjelaskan bagaimana fenomena bintang 'memakan' materi.

Mereka menyebutnya sebagai 'peluang emas' untuk mempelajari lebih lanjut tentang fisika lubang hitam.

Lubang hitam sangat padat dan tarikan gravitasinya sangat kuat sehingga tidak ada bentuk radiasi yang dapat lolos darinya - bahkan cahaya sekalipun.

Mereka bertindak sebagai sumber gravitasi yang kuat yang menyedot debu dan gas di sekitar mereka. Tarikan gravitasinya yang kuat dianggap sebagai bintang yang mengorbit di galaksi.

Bagaimana mereka terbentuk masih kurang dipahami. Para astronom percaya mereka bisa terbentuk ketika awan gas besar hingga 100.000 kali lebih besar dari matahari, runtuh menjadi lubang hitam.

Banyak dari biji lubang hitam ini kemudian bergabung untuk membentuk lubang hitam supermasif yang jauh lebih besar, yang ditemukan di pusat setiap galaksi masif yang diketahui.

Atau, benih lubang hitam supermasif bisa berasal dari bintang raksasa, sekitar 100 kali massa matahari, yang akhirnya membentuk lubang hitam setelah kehabisan bahan bakar dan runtuh.

Ketika bintang-bintang raksasa ini mati, mereka juga mengalami 'supernova', sebuah ledakan besar yang mengeluarkan materi dari lapisan terluar bintang ke luar angkasa.

Empat penulis studi tersebut adalah anggota proyek Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), kolaborasi internasional yang dimulai pada 2012 dengan tujuan mengamati langsung lingkungan sekitar lubang hitam. Cakrawala peristiwa lubang hitam adalah titik di mana segala sesuatu - bintang, planet, gas, debu, dan semua bentuk radiasi elektromagnetik - tertelan hingga terlupakan.

Medeiros mengatakan dia dan rekan-rekannya berencana untuk menggunakan teknik yang sama untuk memperbaiki citra satu-satunya lubang hitam lain yang pernah ada dalam foto - dirilis tahun lalu yang menunjukkan lubang hitam yang menghuni pusat Bima Sakti, yang disebut Sagitarius A*, atau Sgr A*.

Gambar lubang hitam M87 berasal dari data yang dikumpulkan oleh tujuh teleskop radio di lima lokasi di Bumi yang pada dasarnya membuat piringan observasi seukuran planet.

"EHT adalah rangkaian teleskop yang sangat jarang. Ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat kami lakukan karena kami perlu menempatkan teleskop kami di puncak gunung dan gunung-gunung ini sedikit dan berjauhan satu sama lain. Sebagian besar Bumi ditutupi oleh lautan," kata ahli astrofisika Georgia Tech dan rekan penulis studi Dimitrios Psaltis.

"Akibatnya, rangkaian teleskop kami memiliki banyak 'lubang' dan kami perlu mengandalkan algoritme yang memungkinkan kami mengisi data yang hilang," tambah Psaltis. "Gambar yang kami laporkan di makalah baru adalah representasi paling akurat dari gambar lubang hitam yang dapat kami peroleh dengan teleskop sedunia kami."

Teknik pembelajaran mesin yang mereka gunakan disebut PRIMO, kependekan dari "pemodelan interferometrik komponen utama".

"Ini adalah pertama kalinya kami menggunakan pembelajaran mesin untuk mengisi kekosongan data yang tidak kami miliki," kata Medeiros.

"Kami menggunakan kumpulan data simulasi fidelitas tinggi yang besar sebagai rangkaian pelatihan, dan menemukan gambar yang konsisten dengan data dan juga secara luas konsisten dengan ekspektasi teoretis kami. Fakta bahwa hasil EHT sebelumnya secara kuat menunjukkan bahwa gambar tersebut sebuah cincin memungkinkan kita untuk berasumsi demikian dalam analisis kita."

Para peneliti mengatakan gambar beresolusi penuh dari lubang hitam M87 telah mengungkapkan wilayah pusat yang lebih besar dan lebih gelap dari yang diperkirakan sebelumnya, dikelilingi oleh gas akresi terang yang berbentuk seperti 'donat kurus'.

Lebar cincin pada gambar juga ternyata jauh lebih kecil dari yang diyakini sebelumnya.

Peneliti menghasilkan foto tersebut dengan bantuan data dari Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).

Pada tahun 2017, EHT menggunakan jaringan tujuh teleskop yang sudah ada sebelumnya di seluruh dunia untuk mengumpulkan data tentang M87, yang secara efektif menciptakan 'teleskop seukuran Bumi'.

Namun, karena tidak mungkin untuk menutupi seluruh permukaan bumi dengan teleskop, celah muncul dalam data — seperti potongan-potongan yang hilang dalam teka-teki gambar.

Di situlah trik AI baru mereka muncul.

'Dengan teknik pembelajaran mesin baru kami, PRIMO, kami dapat mencapai resolusi maksimum dari rangkaian saat ini,' kata penulis utama Lia Medeiros, dari Institute for Advanced Study di Princeton, New Jersey.

'Karena kita tidak dapat mempelajari lubang hitam dari dekat, detail gambar memainkan peran penting dalam kemampuan kita untuk memahami perilakunya.

'Lebar cincin pada gambar sekarang lebih kecil sekitar dua faktor, yang akan menjadi kendala kuat untuk model teoretis dan pengujian gravitasi kami.'

Lubang hitam M87 diperkirakan berukuran sekitar 6,5 miliar kali massa matahari kita dan memuntahkan pancaran energi yang kuat.

Jet terang ini, yang muncul dari inti M87 dan memanjang setidaknya 5.000 tahun cahaya dari pusatnya, adalah salah satu fitur galaksi yang paling misterius dan energetik.

BAGAIMANA CARA KERJA TELESKOP HORIZON

Tim di belakang Teleskop Cakrawala Acara telah menghabiskan beberapa tahun terakhir menyelidiki lubang hitam seperti yang ada di jantung M87.

Pengamatan ini bergantung pada jaringan antena radio jarak jauh yang terletak di seluruh dunia - termasuk di Kutub Selatan, di Hawaii, Eropa dan Amerika.

Radio ini meniru bukaan teleskop yang dapat menghasilkan resolusi yang dibutuhkan untuk menangkap lubang hitam supermasif.

Messier 87 (M87) adalah galaksi elips raksasa yang terletak sekitar 55 juta tahun cahaya dari Bumi, terlihat di konstelasi Virgo. Itu ditemukan oleh Charles Messier pada tahun 1781, tetapi tidak diidentifikasi sebagai galaksi sampai abad ke-20

Di setiap stasiun radio terdapat hard drive besar yang menyimpan data.

Hard drive ini kemudian diproses di MIT Haystack Observatory di luar Boston, Massachusetts.

Upaya tersebut pada dasarnya bekerja untuk menangkap siluet lubang hitam, juga biasa disebut sebagai bayangan lubang hitam.

Tidak semuanya mencapai pengamat - beberapa jatuh dan beberapa masuk ke orbit di sekitar lubang hitam dan muncul sebagai rangkaian cincin yang mengelilingi lubang hitam, kata para astronom.

Para ahli mengandalkan berbagai model tentang bagaimana materi berperilaku di dekat lubang hitam untuk lebih memahami proses ini.

Tapi mereka masih belum tahu persis bagaimana jet yang lebih besar dari galaksi diluncurkan dari wilayah pusatnya, yang ukurannya sebanding dengan tata surya kita, atau bagaimana materi 'dimakan' atau jatuh ke dalam lubang hitam.

Pada 10 April 2019, para ilmuwan merilis gambar pertama lubang hitam, mengungkapkan struktur seperti cincin terang dengan daerah tengah gelap yang merupakan bayangan lubang hitam, sesuai dengan yang diprediksi.

Sejak itu, tim EHT menggali lebih dalam data yang dikumpulkan yang digunakan untuk mengungkap gambar pertama.

PRIMO, yang merupakan singkatan dari pemodelan interferometrik komponen utama, bergantung pada pembelajaran kamus — teknik yang memungkinkan komputer membuat aturan berdasarkan sekumpulan besar materi pelatihan.

Misalnya, jika sebuah komputer diperlihatkan sejumlah gambar pisang yang berbeda, setelah mendapat pelatihan yang cukup, komputer tersebut pada akhirnya akan dapat menentukan apakah gambar buah tersebut di masa mendatang atau bukan.

Jenis pembelajaran mesin ini sebelumnya telah digunakan untuk membuat karya seni bergaya Renaisans, atau bahkan menyelesaikan beberapa karya Beethoven yang belum selesai.

'PRIMO adalah pendekatan baru untuk tugas sulit membangun gambar dari pengamatan EHT,' kata Lauer.

'Ini menyediakan cara untuk mengkompensasi informasi yang hilang tentang objek yang diamati, yang diperlukan untuk menghasilkan gambar yang akan terlihat menggunakan satu teleskop radio raksasa seukuran Bumi.'

Dengan PRIMO, komputer menganalisis lebih dari 30.000 gambar lubang hitam yang menghasilkan gas.

Simulasi ini memberikan berbagai contoh bagaimana lubang hitam M87 mungkin mengakresi materi, meninggalkan PRIMO untuk mencari pola umum untuk referensi silang dengan data dari pengamatan EHT.

Ini menghasilkan gambar beresolusi penuh yang baru dirender, yang dibangun berdasarkan detail yang terungkap dalam gambar tahun 2019.

Para ilmuwan berharap hal itu pada gilirannya akan mengarah pada penentuan massa lubang hitam M87 yang lebih akurat, sekaligus memungkinkan mereka untuk mengembangkan pemahaman yang lebih baik tentang horizon peristiwanya.

'Kami menggunakan fisika untuk mengisi bagian data yang hilang dengan cara yang belum pernah dilakukan sebelumnya dengan menggunakan pembelajaran mesin,' kata Medeiros.

APA YANG KITA KETAHUI TENTANG GALAXY MESSIER 87?

Galaksi eliptis Messier 87 (M87) adalah rumah bagi beberapa triliun bintang, lubang hitam supermasif, dan keluarga yang terdiri dari sekitar 15.000 gugus bintang globular.

Sebagai perbandingan, galaksi Bima Sakti kita hanya berisi beberapa ratus miliar bintang dan sekitar 150 gugus bola.

M87 yang mengerikan adalah anggota dominan dari gugus galaksi tetangga Virgo, yang berisi sekitar 2.000 galaksi.

Ditemukan pada tahun 1781 oleh Charles Messier, galaksi ini terletak 54 juta tahun cahaya dari Bumi di konstelasi Virgo.

Galaksi eliptis Messier 87 (M87) adalah rumah bagi beberapa triliun bintang, lubang hitam supermasif, dan keluarga yang terdiri dari sekitar 15.000 gugus bintang globular. Gambar Hubble ini adalah gabungan dari pengamatan individu dalam cahaya tampak dan inframerah

Itu dapat dengan mudah diamati menggunakan teleskop kecil, dengan pemandangan paling spektakuler tersedia di bulan Mei.

M87's most striking features are the blue jet near the centre and the myriad of star-like globular clusters scattered throughout the image.

The jet is a black-hole-powered stream of material that is being ejected from M87’s core.

As gaseous material from the centre of the galaxy accretes onto the black hole, the energy released produces a stream of subatomic particles that are accelerated to velocities near the speed of light.

At the centre of the Virgo cluster, M87 may have accumulated some of its many globular clusters by gravitationally pulling them from nearby dwarf galaxies that seem to be devoid of such clusters today.

Video: Russian MoD Releases Footage of Volga Armored Train Operating in Western Military District

Russian servicemen of the Western Military District’s railway troops have activated the special Volga armored train, which is used to clear and restore the railway in the area of a special military operation in Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video showing the Volga armored train of the Western Military District operating in the area of special military operation.

The armored train crew performs technical reconnaissance and mine clearance, and also restores destroyed tracks.

In addition, the task of the special train is to escort military trains.

Recently, an enemy drone carrying a suspicious load was spotted 200–300 meters from the train. An anti-aircraft gunner quickly shot it down, as the armored train is heavily armed. Its main weapon is a twin 23mm anti-aircraft gun. There are two of these on the Volga. They can engage both air and ground targets, including armored vehicles.

Armored wagons are equipped with the latest weapons and shelters for firing. The personnel are able to operate in the most challenging conditions. The armored train is also monitored from the sky: a drone crew conducts aerial reconnaissance and monitoring of the surrounding environment in the area

Russia must protect its new regions from danger — Kremlin spokesman

The reconstruction of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions is already underway, but this is the least that Russia can do for them; the most important thing is to shield these territories from danger, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday at a meeting with New Media Workshop trainees.

"The reconstruction process is underway, but this is the tiniest fraction of what the country can do for its new regions. The maximum that the country is obliged to do is to shield the new regions from danger," the New Media Workshop's Telegram channel quotes Peskov as saying.

He stressed that the special military operation "will continue until the victorious end."

About what was being done in terms of reconstruction in the new regions, Peskov said: "Tens of thousands of people are working there. Tremendous efforts are being exerted." The residents of Lugansk, he said, "can see for themselves every day new roads repaired and built, and infrastructure created."

Ukrainians question why they are fighting in Donbass town – Bild

Many Ukrainian soldiers are not convinced the town of Artyomovsk – which they call Bakhmut – is worth clinging to, as Russian forces are advancing street by street, the German outlet Bild reported on Wednesday.

“Bakhmut is hell,” wrote freelance journalist Jan Humin, who visited the town last week and wrote about one 28-year-old soldier who was badly injured. The armored ambulance refused to start, so the soldier from western Ukraine had to be evacuated by a jeep on a dirt road, dodging Russian artillery fire.

“The positive energy that surprises you everywhere in Ukraine, even when things are going badly, cannot be felt in Bakhmut,” Humin added. “Few soldiers feel like talking; while the sound of constant impacts is heard, they sit still and wait for what is to come.”

The Russians are “slowly but surely winning” the seven-month battle for the town, with only two roads still connecting the “almost surrounded” Artyomovsk to the Ukrainian rear, according to Humin. The Russians are advancing street by street and “it seems only a matter of time” before they capture the town completely.

“The mood among the military is tense, focused, and worried. Many wonder what they are fighting for in Bakhmut. Is it really still worth defending this devastated city against the repeated attacks of the Russian armed forces,” the Bild correspondent added.

Russia’s interest in taking Artyomovsk is a matter of public record. The town is the linchpin of the Ukrainian army’s entire position in the Donbass, and taking it would allow further advance deep into Ukrainian-held territory, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said last month. Up the road from Artyomovsk lies Slavyansk, where the Donetsk People’s Republic rebellion against the US-backed coup government in Kiev began in 2014.

The Wagner Group private military company has taken point in the storming of Artyomovsk, enveloping the town to the north and the south while also fighting street by street, building by building, to take the urban area. On April 2, Wagner fighters captured the city administration building. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed the fighting in Artyomovsk has “almost destroyed the Ukrainian army.”

The fighting has continued, however, as the government in Kiev has continued to funnel men, ammunition and supplies into the shrinking salient. President Vladimir Zelensky has vowed to hold the town at all cost, even as his Western backers have warned that such efforts were depleting the forces intended for Ukraine’s “great spring counteroffensive.”

Viral Video: "You Just Lied," Elon Musk Tells BBC Reporter In Interview

Twitter CEO Elon Musk blasted a BBC reporter during Tuesday’s “hastily arranged” interview when the journalist failed to cite specific examples of hate speech flourishing on the social media platform.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk accused a BBC journalist of lying when the latter failed to cite examples of hate speech being allowed on the social media platform.

In a wide-ranging interview, the BBC journalist asked Mr Musk how he planned to tackle incidents of hate speech being reported on Twitter amid claims of staff shortage to police hateful content. When Mr Musk asked the journalist to cite some examples of hate speech on Twitter, he declined to do so.

"What hate speech are you talking about? I mean, you use Twitter. Do you see a rise in hate speech? Just a personal anecdote? I don't," Mr Musk said.

Elon Musk tell bbc reporter:"You Just Lied" pic.twitter.com/cZvnQGGnVi

— Ahmad Hanafiah (@Ahmadhanafiah) April 13, 2023

"Honestly, I don't. I don't actually use that feed anymore because I just don't particularly like it," said the journalist on Twitter's 'For You' feature. "And actually a lot of people are quite similar. I only look at my followers."

*I'm asking for one example and you can't give a single one. Then I say, sir, that you don't know what you are talking about. You cannot give me a single example of hateful content, not even one tweet. And yet you claimed that hateful content was high. That is false, you just lied," Mr Musk replied.

Twitter recently labelled the BBC as a "government-funded media",  leading to a sharp reaction from the British public broadcaster. 

"The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee," a statement from the BBC read.

On Wednesday, Mr Musk said on Twitter Spaces, that he did not know "what exactly happened" when content related to a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taken down from the microblogging site.

"I am not aware of this particular situation... don't know what exactly happened with some content situation in India," Mr Musk said. "The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict and we can't go beyond the laws of the country."

Clayton went on to point the finger at Musk, with the journalist claiming that he said others have reported seeing a rise in hate speech, not that he saw it himself on his Twitter feed.

Musk snapped back, saying, “You literally said you experienced more hateful content and then couldn’t name a single example. That’s absurd!”

"If we have a choice of either our people go to prison or we comply with the laws, we will comply with the laws..." Mr Musk said.

During the interview, Clayton suggested that the rise in hate speech was attributed to “content that would solicit a reaction, something that is slightly racist, slightly sexist.”

The Chief Twit also challenged that characterization, asking: “So you think if something is slightly sexist it should be banned? Is that what you’re saying?”

Clayton replied: “No, I’m not saying anything.”

The BBC did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

The allegedly “unexpected” interview with the British outlet comes as Twitter faces mounting pressure overseas to crack down on hate speech and illegal content on the platform.

Earlier this year, the European Union warned Twitter that it must hire more content moderation staff to comply with its Digital Services Act.

And last week, Germany’s Federal Office of Justice (BfJ) threatened the company with a $55 million fine for failing to adequately deal with illegal content, including hate speech, personal threats, defamation and anti-Semitism.

“The BfJ has sufficient indications that [Twitter] has violated the legal obligation to deal with complaints about illegal content and that this is a systemic failure in the complaint management of the provider, which is subject to a fine,” the agency said.

Twitter is also facing a lawsuit from the HateAid and the European Union of Jewish Students human rights group, which allege that the company has failed to remove six posts that trivialize or deny the Holocaust.

World Bank steering committee, Yellen urge more reforms at lender this year

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister of Democratic Republic of the Congo Nicolas Kazadi listen as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen holds a roundtable with finance ministers from borrower and shareholder countries to discuss "ways to maintain momentum to evolve the multilateral development banks to better meet current challenges" at the International Monetary Fund Building, in Washington, D.C., U.S. April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

The World Bank's steering committee and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday called for further reforms this year to expand the bank's ability to respond to climate change, pandemics and other crises that are reversing development gains.

Yellen hosted talks with global finance officials to discuss an initial spate of balance sheet changes that will allow the World Bank to lend an additional $50 billion over 10 years while maintaining its top-tier AAA credit rating, and how to deepen those efforts with it and other multilateral development banks.

Yellen said the changes already approved had sharpened the mission of the World Bank, but more "bold action" was needed to ensure it could work to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity and better meet 21st century challenges like climate change, fragility and pandemics.

"We should use the rest of the year to undertake additional reforms through a staged implementation approach that can be agreed upon by the Board and implemented on a rolling basis."

The bank's steering committee - officially known as the Development Committee - met later in the day, where members welcomed the bank's "Evolution Roadmap" and said they looked forward to additional efforts aimed at achieving "major milestones" by the October annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"They expect the Board of Executive Directors and World Bank Group management to finalize a work plan with detailed actions to be taken," the committee's chair said in a statement.

Members underscored their commitment to "ensuring that the World Bank Group has adequate financial capacity to respond to development challenges and support its expanded mission." They called for ambitious approaches to increasing private capital, facilitating investment and leveraging the public sector.

The members also looked forward to exploring additional recommendations made by an independent panel last year, including making the bank's emerging markets database more accessible to private investors, optimizing the balance sheet for the low-income lending arm, and exploring a voluntary channeling of IMF Special Drawing Rights.

Zambian women she met during her visit in January understood how climate change reduced agricultural yields, Yellen said. "We've all seen how threats to global health can disrupt entire societies and economies, and how fragility and conflict can lead to significant displacement and migrant flows," she said.

Yellen said upcoming events could be leveraged to keep momentum strong for the evolution of the World Bank. Those included the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact to be hosted by France in June, the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in India in September, the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Morocco in October, and the United Nations COP28 climate conference to be held in Dubai in November and December.

She said Ajay Banga, the U.S. nominee to replace World Bank President David Malpass, who will step down on June 1, was "the right leader to take the baton from President Malpass and accelerate our work to evolve this institution."

Malpass told the committee he felt the bank had responded with "vigor and speed" to Yellen's call for reforms.

"There was ... wide recognition that progress toward these goals requires a sharper focus on sustainability, resilience, and inclusiveness as part of our mission," he said.

Development Committee members thanked Malpass for his leadership of the WBG during a historically challenging period, including an unprecedented surge in financing in response to multiple crises.