Day: March 3, 2023

Posted on

Pertamina evacuates staff, locals following fire in Plumpang

Jakarta (ANTARA) – PT Pertamina (Persero) evacuated employees and some local residents living near a fuel terminal in Plumpang, North Jakarta, following a fire outbreak at the facility on Friday evening.”The evacuation and mitigation efforts are being held to the employees and local people around the area by coordinating with related parties,” the manager of the communication relations and CSR unit of Pertamina’s marketing operation region III, Eko Kristiawan, informed here. The fire broke out at a fuel receiving pipeline at the Jakarta Fuel Integrated Terminal in Plumpang. Kristiawan said that his unit is still confirming the number of employees and people evacuated to safety. “Pertamina Patra Niaga of Western Java Regional is doing its best to mitigate the incident,” he added. The Fire Department of North Jakarta deployed at least 18 fire trucks and 90 personnel to extinguish the fire at the Pertamina Plumpang Depot at 8:11 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) on Friday. Head of the North Jakarta Fire Department, Rahmat Kristanto, said his team is still trying to extinguish the fire at the location. The fire broke out in a pipe at Jalan Tanah Merah Bawah, Koja, North Jakarta. The related authorities have yet to reveal the cause of the fire. baca-jugaRelated news: BNPB seeks to anticipate forest fires to prevent transboundary hazeRelated news: Eighty one hot spots detected in Indonesia: ministry

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Ministry highlights gender inequality in social forestry

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry has drawn attention to the issue of gender inequality in social forestry, particularly in public forest management.”The progress in social forestry in (the period from) 2015 to 2019 showed that there is gender inequality in public forest management,” assistant deputy of gender mainstreaming on social and cultural aspects at the ministry, Eko Novi Ariyanti, said at a Media Talk hosted here on Friday. Women have much more limited access to land through social forestry compared to their male counterparts, she expounded. She cited Katadata’s 2020 survey, which showed that of the 103 social forestry businesses that the survey’s respondents were involved in, 94 percent were from groups whose members and management boards were predominantly male. Five percent of the respondents were from groups whose members and management boards were predominantly female; 1 percent of the respondents were from groups with a balanced representation of males and females in their structure. “And sometimes, they were only given tasks when sowing and harvesting. Only that. None of the strategic positions,” she highlighted. ender issues in agrarian reforms and social forestry are prevalent in the implementation of public forest management, which is still seeing little participation from women in forest management efforts, she noted. “Not all members of society have the same opportunity and access to take part in forest management,” Ariyanto added. Moreover, social forestry tends to put men from the elite class at an advantage, thus allowing them to establish dominance in the management of forests. Social norms and outlooks also affect women’s participation in forestry management, or the lack thereof. “Women tend to play the domestic role, (as a homemaker) in a household, whereas forest management is identical to the public domain, which is dominated by men,” she added. baca-jugaRelated news: Ministry seeks to improve gender mainstreaming in social forestryRelated news: APEC to redouble efforts to tackle gender inequality in economy

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Elections must be held on schedule: MPR Speaker

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Bambang Soesatyo, has said that the 2024 elections should run on schedule, with the balloting scheduled for February 14.He opined that the Central Jakarta Court’s ruling asking the General Elections Commission (KPU) to halt electoral preparations is in contravention of the Constitution and Law No. 7/2017 on Election. The 1945 Constitution has stipulated that general elections would be held every five years, Soesatyo said in a statement received here on Friday. “The general elections must be held on schedule as stipulated in the Article 22E of the Constitution,” he affirmed. Soesatyo then called upon the election organizers to proceed with the electoral preparations in accordance with the agreed road map. The MPR Speaker made the statement in response to the Central Jakarta Court’s ruling that the KPU must halt the ongoing electoral process. Soesatyo said that the district court does not have the authority to settle electoral disputes, according to Articles 470 and 471 of the Election Law. “Lawsuits or disputes regarding KPU’s decision in the process of political party verification would be handled by the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the State Administrative Court (PTUN),” he elaborated. In addition, the law does not regulate nationwide election delays, but opens the chance to conduct late elections in certain critical situations. “As stipulated in Article 431 of Law Number 7/2017, election delay is possible when there is a riot, security disturbance, and natural disaster,” he pointed out. Soesatyo called upon the Central Jakarta Court to respond to the KPU’s appeal without delay to prevent any disturbance to national stability. “It should give fast response to the appeal so that the case would not spark a polemic, which furthermore would degrade public trust and participation in the 2024 general elections,” he said. Earlier, on Thursday (March 2, 2023), in response to a lawsuit filed by the Prima Party that challenged KPU’s decision to disqualify the party from contesting the 2024 general elections, the Central Jakarta Court ruled that the commission must halt the ongoing process. KPU declared that the Prima Party failed to pass the administrative verification process and would, therefore, be unable to participate in the elections. The court also ordered the KPU to restart the entire election process in the next 28 months. baca-jugaRelated news: Court’s ruling on election delay a big mistake: MinisterRelated news: Bawaslu’s work unaffected by discourses on election system changes

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

MGPA to modify circuit for FIA’s grade 2 homologation

C Lombok, NTB (ANTARA) – Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) will modify the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit so that it can pass the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA’s) Grade 2 homologation, an official has said.The modification will be carried out after the World Superbike (WSBK) event, the president director of state-owned racing promotor Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA), Priandhi Satria, told ANTARA here on Friday. The “2023 WSBK Pirelli Indonesian Round” is being implemented at the circuit in Central Lombok district, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province, from March 3 to 5. “One or two months later (after the implementation of the WSBK), we will focus on completing the FIA’s request so we can get the Grade 2 homologation,” Satria said. He recalled that a number of officials from FIA had visited the circuit in December 2022 to review the condition of the circuit and its supporting facilities, such as the race building, race control room, and paddock. “We will fulfill what they ask, then later (after the modification of the circuit is finished), they will (conduct) another inspection,” he added. The MGPA president director said that the modification is necessary because racing events for two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles have different requirements, for instance, in terms of the position of the tire safety barrier as well as the provision of speed bumps. However, he said that the requested modifications were minor. “One of the (modifications which are deemed) difficult is installing speed bumps at several corners. However, in our opinion, it (the modification) is not too difficult because we only need to design and buy it (the speed bumps), and the cost is not that expensive,” he added. Satria said that his party and the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI) decided to not carry out the modification ahead of the implementation of the WSBK because FIA has not scheduled any four-wheeled vehicle racing events on the circuit. Thus, his party prioritized the improvement of the circuit according to the requests of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) on hosting the 2023 WSBK, he added. The Grade 2 homologation from FIA is required by the circuit to hold international four-wheeled vehicle races whose levels are below Formula 1 (F1), such as Formula 2, Asian Le Mans Series, GT World Challenge, and FIA World Endurance Championship. So far, the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit has received Grade A and B licenses from FIM to hold motorcycle racing events such as WSBK and MotoGP. baca-jugaRelated news: Moderate to heavy rains likely during Mandalika WSBK race: BMKGRelated news: First logistics plane for Mandalika WSBK arrives at Lombok Airport

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Damage to peatlands could erase local people’s identity: Pantau Gambut

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Non-profit organization Pantau Gambut has warned that the destruction of peatlands in Indonesia will not only have an impact on climate change, but could also destroy the identity of local residents.Pantau Gambut campaigner Wahyu Perdana said that food for local residents who eco systemically reside on peatlands, such as sago palms, could disappear due to peat damage. When local food is lost, the culture and identity of local residents are also lost, he said. “Papua has a higher complexity because not only is the land lost, but the identities of many tribes are also lost when (peatlands) are cleared on a large scale,” he said during a discussion on “Food Estate to Build Food Sovereignty” here on Friday. Perdana highlighted that peat is capable of storing a significant amount of carbon, so any burning or clearing of peat can release emissions into the atmosphere. Based on various studies, every one hectare of peat that is cleared releases around 427.2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, he pointed out. “Even though peatlands are degraded and the area of peatlands in the world is no more than 6 percent, their contribution to global carbon emissions reaches 63 percent,” he said. Pantau Gambut highlighted peat damage in Central Kalimantan, including that caused by the Food Estate project. Peat ecosystems that have been damaged cannot be restored easily as the process of peat formation takes a very long time. The simplest peat formation process in Indonesia takes 30 thousand years. Some studies have even said that on average, the formation of peatlands takes up to 100 thousand years. Perdana further explained that the total damage to peatlands due to the Food Estate project in Central Kalimantan reached 3,965.56 hectares in the period from 2020 to mid-2022. The Food Estate project, which was expected to meet national food needs, experienced a crop failure, he noted. He gave an example of cassava, which grows stunted and has a fairly high cyanide content. The project also destroys peatlands. Then, rice planted on Food Estate peatlands is only able to produce 1.5 to 2.9 tons of grains per hectare. Meanwhile, rice planted on mineral soils can produce up to 6.27.3 tons of grains per hectare. “Local sago food can produce around 150300 kilograms of wet starch per stick,” Perdana said. “Based on Balitbang data from the Ministry of Agriculture, one hectare of land can ideally produce up to 150 sago sticks,” he added. baca-jugaRelated news: andgtovt looks to tackle peatland fires with weather modificationRelated news: Indonesia seeks joint ASEAN effort for sustainable peatland managementRelated news: andgtermany assists Indonesia’s peat protection, management

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Avoid contact with sick birds to prevent bird flu: expert

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Association of Indonesian Pulmonologists (PDPI) has urged people to avoid direct contact with sick birds and remain alert for sudden deaths in birds to prevent the transmission of bird flu from birds to humans.”However, if you are forced to come in contact, wash your hands immediately with soap/disinfectant. Before washing your hands, do not touch your face and eyes,” a member of PDPI, Dr. Erlina Burhan, advised at a webinar on precautions against bird flu in Jakarta on Friday. She also urged people to always wear gloves when cleaning poultry cages. “In addition, use gloves and masks when processing and cooking poultry,” Burhan said. She said that people can continue to eat chicken and eggs as long as they have been thoroughly cooked. “People can continue to consume chicken and eggs and other poultry products as long as they are thoroughly cooked, moreover, poultry products are good animal proteins for preventing stunting,” she added. She said that the bird flu virus cannot survive at temperatures above 59 degrees Celsius. Thus, people need to apply proper cooking methods and process poultry until it is cooked. “Do not be afraid to buy and eat poultry products. As long as they are cooked thoroughly they are safe for consumption,” Burhan disclosed. She also advised people to immediately see a doctor if they feel unwell, experience a fever, and have other influenza symptoms, especially after contact with infected poultry in the previous 10 days. ll parties must play an active role in preventing the spread of bird flu, she added. ccording to her, people need to be alert against bird flu, but not panic because, until now, cases of the infectious disease among poultry are still under control. “Once again I emphasize, we may be vigilant but do not panic because there is still no evidence of human-to-human transmission like COVID-19, this is only from poultry to humans,” she pointed out. She explained that bird flu is another name for avian influenza, which is an infectious disease in poultry caused by the type A influenza virus or the H5N1 virus. baca-jugaRelated news: Scientific proof required in reports of bird flu transmission to humanRelated news: Bird flu can develop rapidly into severe lung disease: official

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Ministry invites Japanese investors to take part in IKN development

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has invited Japanese business players to invest in the development of Indonesia’s future capital (IKN), Nusantara.”The PUPR Ministry has started the construction of various infrastructures in IKN to show the government’s seriousness in building the IKN,” head of the ministry’s task force for IKN infrastructure development, Danis Hidayat Sumadilaga, said in a statement released on Friday. He said that his side has invited Japanese investors and business stakeholders to take part in the development of IKN because it has been guaranteed by a strong legal basis, namely Law Number 3 of 2022 regarding State Securities. Hence, the Indonesian government has established the IKN Authority (OIKN) to carry out the preparation, construction, transfer, and management of the IKN. OIKN will support investors who participate in the development of IKN through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme. Sumadilaga said that the development of the IKN as an integrated urban ecosystem is being implemented to realize the capital as a smart forest city. He then outlined the details of the IKN development project, including the design of the city; development of land use and zoning; as well as the provision of basic infrastructure, such as roads, sanitation, waste management, and central government facilities. The first phase of IKN development is being implemented from 2022 and is targeted to be completed by 2024. It consists of 63 construction projects, which cost around US$4.5 billion — all of them are funded by the government. s of the second week of February 2023, the government has made contracts with developers for a number of projects with a total cost of US$1.58 billion. The first phase will focus on the construction of the First Planning Area (WP I) of the Central Government Core Area (KIPP), covering an area of 6,671 hectares — at least 49 percent of which will be maintained as a forest area. WP I of the KIPP has been divided into three construction zones, namely Zone 1A for the main government facilities, such as the presidential palace; Zone 1B for education, government, and housing facilities; as well as Zone 1C for health, government, and housing facilities. ll of the construction projects are applying building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS). baca-jugaRelated news: IKN development demonstrates TOD concept: PUPR MinistryRelated news: IKN project boosting investment to North Penajam Paser: official

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Posted on

Over 188,000 entrepreneurs created in two years: West Sumatra

ctually, this is a target for five years. However, in two years, we have already surpassed the target. Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA) – The government of West Sumatra province on Friday claimed it has produces 188,133 entrepreneurs in the past two years through various training programs.”We continue to strive for the community’s welfare improvement, one of which is by creating new entrepreneurs in the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector,” West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah said in Padang. Creating 100 thousand entrepreneurs is one of the flagship programs of the West Sumatra government, which has been included in the 20212026 Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (RPJMD), he added. “Actually, this is a target for five years. However, in two years, we have already surpassed the target,” he said. nsharullah expounded that as of 2022, West Sumatra has trained as many as 188,133 entrepreneurs, including 633 digital talents, 14,902 entrepreneurs from the millennial generation, 2,830 women entrepreneurs, and 153 vocational school entrepreneurs. “We hope these new entrepreneurs will be able to boost the regional economy and improve the community’s welfare,” he said. The West Sumatra government has provided capital facilities to 815 business players and business permit facilities to 80 business players, the governor added. In line with the program of creating 100 thousand entrepreneurs, the number of MSMEs in the province has also increased. Based on data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), West Sumatra is ranked eighth as the province with the highest number of MSMEs in Indonesia. As of 2022, the number of MSMEs in West Sumatra stood at 296,052. The increase in the number of MSMEs is inseparable from the efforts that the West Sumatra government has made, including assisting MSME players in obtaining capital. The improvement of financial access to bank and non-bank institutions for MSMEs and start-up entrepreneurs has been carried out through the facilitation and improvement of understanding regarding access to finance. “The form of facilitation is bringing together MSMEs and banks, including providing education on access to financial services provided by non-bank institutions, such as CSR (corporate social responsibility), fintech, and funds from Islamic financial institutions,” he said. From the results of the facilitation, in 2022, Rp11.74 billion People’s Business Credit (KUR) funds sourced from banks were disbursed to support business and MSME players in West Sumatra. baca-jugaRelated news: Committed to supporting training of disabled entrepreneurs: ministryRelated news: Ministry asks all elements to strengthen vocational educationRelated news: Ministry urges students to become fishery entrepreneurs

 

Source: Antara News Agency

Proudly powered by WordPress