Day: June 27, 2022

State airline company PT Garuda Indonesia has projected quicker recovery in performance that aligns with its peace proposal that was ratified by the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra remarked that ratification of the peace proposal was a new milestone for Garuda in conducting its restructuring mission to become an increasingly sustainable and competitive business entity.

“We continue to optimize this momentum to spur positive business performance growth, especially through focus on speeding up the operational performance, in harmony with the company’s cost structure that is becoming more solid to face future performance challenges,” Setiaputra remarked.

The president director explained that the ratification was in accordance with the support of majority of the creditors based on the voting agenda that took place on Friday (June 17).

Several business obligation settlements’ agreement pertain to operational cash flow, debt value conversion into equity, modification of new long-term payment provisions with a certain tenor period, and the offering of restructuring instruments in the form of new debt and equity securities.

Moreover, the restructuring scheme will adjust to the group of creditors, who have been classified on the basis of value of business obligations and the type of each creditor’s business entity.

“With the achievement of homologation in this PKPU (Postponing Debt Payment Obligations) process, we continue to intensify steps through several corporate strategic agendas to accelerate business performance recovery,” Setiaputra explained.

Furthermore, the work plan also includes adding a fleet by focusing on the profitability of business performance, he revealed.

According to Setiaputra, the plan is also aimed at optimizing flight routes with positive performance, maximizing cargo market share and ancillary revenue, as well as intensifying discussions with the government regarding the support of State Equity Participation (PMN) worth Rp7.5 trillion that will be part of the company’s rights issue scheme in an effort to restore flight operations.

Garuda Indonesia believes in the support of its stakeholders, including loyal customers to employees, who have helped the company reach this point, to provide the best flight services as the country’s proud national flag carrier.

Source: Antara News

Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan received a visit from Lord Mayor of the City of London Vincent Keaveny to explore the potential for green or environmentally-friendly investment cooperation in the transportation sector.

“(For) this visit, he (Vincent Keaveny) came with a delegation of investors, who will later partner with us in Jakarta,” he remarked at the Jakarta city hall on Monday.

Keaveny’s trip was a “payback visit” after Anies Baswedan visited him in London, England, a month ago.

During his visit to London, he witnessed the signing of four memoranda of understanding (MoUs), all of which pertained to the construction of mass transportation.

Meanwhile, at the meeting at the Jakarta City Hall, Governor Anies Baswedan invited several Jakarta-owned enterprises (BUMDs) with potential to cooperate with the City of London: Jakpro (property company), MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), bus rapid transit TransJakarta, and Bank DKI.

The Jakarta governor remarked that both delegations discussed the initial joint work in the field of environment-friendly transportation and investment in Jakarta.

“The City of London is ready to help Indonesia achieve the capital needed for the green transition and infrastructure worth US$500 billion expected by Indonesia,” Keaveny stated.

According to the governor, Jakarta has a target to become a city that produces zero emissions due to which the plan should be accelerated.

“We hope that with this partnership, Jakarta’s development in the sustainable transportation system would occur faster,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Lord Keaveny expressed optimism that potential cooperation between the two cities will provide benefits socially, economically, and environmentally.

He and Governor Anies Baswedan discussed several investment opportunities for cooperation and partnerships, where the UK can share expertise with professionals in Jakarta, he remarked.

Meanwhile, in a press statement, the British Embassy in Jakarta noted that Indonesia is one of the investment magnets, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, and one of the Islamic-based financial centers.

Source: Antara News

The Surya Satellite-1 (SS-1), developed by Surya University under the support and supervision of experts from the National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN’s) Satellite Technology Research Center, will be launched from Japan in October 2022.

“The SS-1 becomes the starting point to develop the confidence that Indonesia is capable, which will produce other satellites,” Head of the BRIN’s Aviation and Space Research Organization Robertus Heru Riharjanto said in a statement issued on Monday.

Meanwhile, the launch of SS-1 from the International Space Station (ISS) is planned for November this year.

The satellite will be launched using one of the two space freighters— the SpaceX Dragon or Cygnus NG18.

The Surya Satellite-1 will be delivered to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba, Japan, on June 29, 2022.

The SS-1 has passed the final stage of construction, namely assembly, integration, and testing. The SS-1 team will transport the satellite via air from Indonesia to Japan.

The construction of SS-1 was supported by stakeholders such as the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Indonesian Radio Amateur Organization (ORARI), PT Pudak Scientific, and PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.

“The completion of this satellite became the proof of consistent efforts from students and supporting parties, including BRIN,” Triharjanto remarked.

The construction of Surya Satellite-1 is expected to motivate satellite developers in universities and showcase the capability of Indonesian human resources in developing space technology.

It is expected that, in the future, nano and micro satellites will not only be developed at BRIN, but in regions across Indonesia, whether by universities or the private sector.

The SS-1 project began in 2016 and was initiated by the Workshop Ground Station with ORARI. The satellite’s mockup model was completed in 2018 under an amateur communication mission.

SS-1 team member Hery Steven Mindarno said that the satellite will serve as an Automatic Packet Reporting System, functioning as a communication media via satellite in the form of short messages.

“This technology can be developed for disaster mitigation, remote monitoring, and emergency communication,” he informed.

In Japan, the satellite will be inspected and integrated with the launcher. SS-1 will have to go through an acceptance procedure to ensure that it has arrived safely and without a glitch during the delivery process.

The SS-1 will also undergo a satellite installation procedure at the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (JSSOD). JSSOD is a launcher module that will utilize the ISS during the process of releasing the satellite into its orbit.

“Until the launching period comes, the satellite must be kept in a clean, powered-down condition, and stored in a clean room so that it can still function well,” Mindarno informed.

Source: Antara News

The Partnership for Governance Reform, or Kemitraan, encourages the implementation of a cluster approach and the involvement of all stakeholders in the efforts to prevent forest and land fires.

“Why use the cluster system? (It is) because to prevent (forest and land fires), observe the typology first. For, example, (observe the) group of affected land users, the second is the similarity in risks, strategies, and necessary prevention tactics,” Kemitraan Executive Director Laode M. Syarif stated during a media gathering here on Monday.

Syarif explained that application of the cluster approach encompassed cluster-based collaborative prevention against forest fire that involves all parties, ranging from local governments, Manggala Agni, Indonesian Military (TNI), police, and corporates, to the community.

According to the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Manggala Agni is tasked with making efforts to prevent forest and land fires.

Syarif believes the cluster approach will respond to different challenges and problems in areas prone to forest and land fires.

He elaborated that implementation of the approach necessitates the government to find a similarity in ecosystem conditions in an area.

After identifying the similarity, he said the government can build collaboration with local governments, companies, and communities to conduct strategies for preventing and handling forest and land fires in accordance with the specific regional conditions.

“We are trying to integrate and coordinate all resources from the various components to do what is called integrated fire management,” Syarif stated.

He also noted that Kemitraan facilitates the strengthening of forest and peat fire prevention through the Strengthening Indonesian Capacity for Anticipatory Peat Fire Management (SIAP-IFM) program with USAID, UNEP, Kishugu from South Africa, and IPB University’s CCROM (Centre for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management).

Efforts were made to implement the program in Ogan Komering Ilir District in South Sumatra; Pelalawan District in Riau; and Pulang Pisau District in Central Kalimantan, Syarif pointed out.

Source: Antara News

The National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN’s) Agriculture and Food Research Organisation has developed noodles made from local ingredients as a food alternative to reduce food imports and boost national food resilience.

“We will continue to research local foods until food diversification is achieved. (The research is conducted) to increase the food’s nutritional and economic value as well as an effort to reduce wheat imports,” BRIN’s Agriculture and Food Research Organisation Head Puji Lestari noted in her statement here on Monday.

Lestari noted that the Organisation’s Food Technology and Process Research Centre continues to explore non-wheat and domestic materials for the noodle ingredients to reduce wheat imports.

Corn, sago, and modified cassava flour are among the domestic foods explored as noodle ingredients by BRIN researchers, she stated.

Meanwhile, BRIN’s plant-based functional food technology researcher R. Cecep Erwan highlighted the popularity of wheat-based noodles owing to their elasticity due to the gluten content.

The current challenge in the research is to create a noodle with local ingredients that can be accepted by the market, he revealed.

The BRIN has researched the potential of elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) as a noodle ingredient, Erwan remarked, adding that the yam undergoes the heat moisture treatment (HMT) modification technique by heating it above the gelatinisation temperature of 80-120 degrees Celsius, with water content lower than 35 percent.

“The elephant foot yam starch is processed by the HMT modification technique to change the psycho-chemical and functional aspects as well as characteristics of elephant foot yam starch paste as ingredients of the noodle,” the researcher stated.

Moreover, fellow BRIN researcher Alit Pangestu also developed sago-based noodles. Indonesia has high potential to develop sago-based noodles, as the country has 5.5 million hectares of sago fields, he pointed out.

“The plus point of sago is that (it) has similar characteristics as flour and is gluten-free, so it is more healthy and nutritious,” Pangestu explained.

He noted that from the research, the national industry has mass-produced Sago Mee, the first Indonesia-made sago-based noodles sold in markets.

Source: Antara News

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has instructed district heads and mayors in the province to check and monitor the sales centers of Qurbani or sacrificial animals amid the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.

“In the midst of the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in livestock, we want to ensure that the people of East Java can carry out worship (activities) smoothly,” she said here on Monday.

Parawansa expressed the hope that the FMD outbreak will not disrupt Muslims’ worship activities during Eid al-Adha, including the animal slaughtering ritual. She also said she hoped that the distribution process of Qurbani animals would run safely and hygienically.

According to the governor, the checking and monitoring of Qurbani animal sales centers is a follow-up to a circular issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Religious Affairs Minister’s Circular Number 10 of 2022) regarding guidelines for the implementation of Eid prayer and the slaughter of Qurbani animals for the 2022 Eid al-Adha.

The East Java government also issued the decree of East Java Governor number 188/362/KPTS/013/2022 regarding the emergency status of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak on May 30, 2022.

In addition, Circular Letter No. 524/6359/122.3/2022 was issued regarding the control and prevention of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock in East Java on May 31.

The governor highlighted that it is crucial for regional heads to make policies to prepare Qurbani animal sales centers that are healthy and free of FMD.

“We always strive to provide a sense of security among the community, especially for Muslims who will celebrate Eid al-Adha,” she remarked.

She explained that the circular regulates the implementation of the health protocols for the Eid al-Adha worship and ritual activities, as well as the slaughter and distribution of Qurbani meat.

According to the FMD task force data, as of Saturday (June 25), at least 100,492 animals have been infected with FMD in East Java. The number of active cases has been pegged at 82,056 heads of livestock, consisting of 81,697 cattle, 60 buffaloes, 217 goats, and 82 sheep. Meanwhile, the number of animal deaths due to the disease has been recorded at 563.

Source: Antara News

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is exploring collaboration on research funding with the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

“BRIN is the only government research institution in Indonesia. BRIN is the funding agency as well as the implementing agency,” BRIN Head Laksana Tri Handoko said in a statement accessed by ANTARA here on Monday.

Handoko and his staff recently visited the Dutch Research Council (NWO), which is one of the largest research funding agencies in the Netherlands and is located in Utrecht.

He invited the NWO to collaborate on a research funding scheme, which would help widen opportunities for researchers who have not received funding and provide additional funds to those who have received funding to develop their research.

The NWO invests nearly 1 billion euros every year. It selects and also funds research proposals based on the recommendations of scientists and other experts from the Netherlands and other countries.

NWO executive board member Margot Weijnen said that the council has funded more than 7,200 research projects at universities and knowledge institutions both within and outside the Netherlands.

The NWO encourages national and international cooperation, invests in large research facilities, facilitates the utilization of knowledge, and manages research institutes.

After visiting NWO, the BRIN head and his staff visited a laboratory equipment industry, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (Thermo Fisher), in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Thermo Fisher is a provider of medical equipment, analytical instruments, reagents and consumables, software, as well as services for complex analytical purposes at research, diagnostics, and clinical laboratories.

Handoko invited researchers at Thermo Fisher to collaborate on research with BRIN.

He also said that the infrastructure at BRIN could be used for joint research.

Source: Antara News