March 21, 2023 – Page 2 – Indonesia News Gazette

March 21, 2023

Red Havas and Meltwater Establish Global Partnership

NEW YORK, March 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red Havas, the global merged media agency micronetwork, and Meltwater, the global leader in social and media intelligence, announce a new global partnership. The companies have worked together for many years, and now become preferred partners on a global level, with Red Havas using Meltwater solutions in their work with clients around the world, and Red Havas managing media relations and executive thought leadership for Meltwater.

“With the proliferation of social media and alternative media organizations, it’s becoming more challenging for brands to keep up with how and where they’re being mentioned,” said James Wright, Global CEO Red Havas and Global Chair of Havas PR Global Collective. “Meltwater has a long history of providing cutting-edge media insights to global brands. Since 2015, Red Havas has used Meltwater not only to review data, but also to understand what it really means for us and our clients. As communicators and storytellers, we are excited to work with an organization pioneering solutions that augment how our industry operates.”

Meltwater’s specialized suite of solutions spanning media, social, consumer and sales intelligence analyzes billions of data points daily from social media platforms, blogs, and news sites, transforming them into insights that give companies a competitive edge in today’s fast-moving market.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Red Havas and apply its merged media approach to our communications strategy,” said John Box, CEO, Meltwater. “Given its breadth of experience across earned, social and experiential, we’re confident Red Havas will support the growth and positioning of our brand, in our work to offer our customers vital insights that power strategic decision-making opportunities.”

Red Havas operates in 14 markets and has 25 offices around the world.

About Red Havas
Red Havas is part of the Havas PR Global Collective, the PR and communications arm of the Havas Group that comprises approximately 40 agencies around the world and more than 1,300 employees. The Red Havas strategic “Merged Media” model brings together traditional and digital publishing, content, social media, and data within a single infrastructure. For further information, please visit: redhavasgroup.com.

About Meltwater
Meltwater is a global leader in social and media intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion online documents each day, Meltwater enables PR, Communications, and Marketing professionals to make informed strategic decisions and influence the world around them. The Company was founded in Oslo, Norway, in 2001 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 50 offices across six continents. The Company has 2,300 employees and 27,000 corporate customers, including industry leaders in several sectors. Learn more at meltwater.com.

Media Contact:
Jacob Gnieski
Red Havas
E: jacob.gnieski@redhavas.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8791831

March 21, 2023

Indonesia to ditch Visa and Mastercard

The Bank of Indonesia is preparing to phase out Visa and Mastercard while introducing its own domestic payment system, Antara news agency reported on Monday, citing the regulator.

Last week, Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged regional authorities to wean themselves away from foreign payment systems and start using cards issued by local banks. He argued that Indonesia needed to shield itself from geopolitical disruptions, citing the sanctions targeting Russia’s financial sector from the US, EU, and their allies over the conflict in Ukraine.

“Be very careful. We must remember the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia. Visa and Mastercard could be a problem,” he said.

Commenting on the initiative, the central bank’s spokesperson, Erwin Haryono, said that the regulator was in talks with local businesses “and the progress is about 90%,” adding that domestic cards will have many advantages, including lower fees. Also, according to him, “offshore settlements and dependence on foreign payment networks such as US Visa or Mastercard will no longer be necessary.”

Board member of the Indonesian Credit Cards Association (AKKI), Dodit Proboyakti, told RIA Novosti that Indonesia would apply the experience of Russia and its Mir payment system to promote the domestic financial network.

Indonesia’s interbank system, GPN, currently supports only local debit cards and requires some adjustments to properly serve credit cards and international transactions, according to AKKI executive director Steve Marta.

Moscow rolled out its own national card system, Mir, soon after the US first targeted the country with sanctions in 2014, and created the domestic National Payment Card System (NSPK) to smoothly take over all Visa and Mastercard transactions should the US-based companies pull the plug.

March 21, 2023

Traffic congestion likely to occur in Ramadan first week: Police

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Greater Jakarta Police stated that traffic congestion in the capital city might occur in the early morning or late afternoon during the first week of Ramadan 1444 Hijri.”Usually, congestion occurs at 6 p.m. local time, starting at 4 p.m. local time, as employees are catching up to break their fast at home. However, it is only at the beginning of the month, and it will be normal again,” Greater Jakarta Police’s Traffic Director, Senior Commissioner Latif Usman, stated here on Tuesday. Meanwhile, traffic jams in the early morning during Ramadan are since workers tend to commute to work after the Fajr (Subuh) prayer. “(Traffic) also occurs in the morning. Usually, there is a delay in working hours. We will see how are the regulations from each institution,” he remarked. Usman explained that his side has anticipated this by conducting traffic arrangements at highly congested points, especially hours before time to break the fast. “We will place several personnel at vulnerable points,” he remarked. He said the Greater Jakarta Police has mapped several points that are prone to traffic jams during Ramadan, such as the arterial roads connecting Jakarta with its buffer or surrounding areas. “These include at culinary spots, as the traffic flow often slows down when motorists stop by to buy takjil (snacks to break the fast),” he stated. Earlier, Usman said the number of U-turn points might be reduced again to help overcome traffic congestion in the capital city. He explained that the closure of some U-turns was based on several factors, such as their locations not being at the proper place, or being in the proper place, albeit not feasible anymore. His side supported the policy implemented by the Jakarta Transportation Office regarding the closure of 27 turnaround points on some arterial roads. “We are very supportive (of the policy) because they cause traffic slowdowns,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: BI readies Rp195 trillion in cash before Ramadan, Eid al-FitrRelated news: Ministry ready to anticipate cybercrime risks during RamadanRelated news: Jakarta supervising food distribution to markets ahead of Ramadan

Source: Antara News Agency

March 21, 2023

Blackstone Announces Opening of New Office in Frankfurt, Germany

New Yorkand Frankfurt, Germany (BusinessWire)- Blackstone (NYSE: BX), the world’s largest alternative asset manager, today announced that it will open a new office in Frankfurt, Germany. The new flagship location will occupy 1,300 square meters in the OMNITURM in Frankfurt’s financial district and serve as a hub for Blackstone in Germany.The new office will host professionals across Blackstone’s private equity, real estate, and credit businesses, in addition to providing a hub for Blackstone’s private wealth solutions business, which serves investment professionals and individual investors across Europe. Juergen Pinker, Senior Managing Director, will lead on Private Equity, with Jurij Puth, Senior Managing Director, leading on Credit. Blackstone has been an active and significant investor in Germany for more than two decades, with currently more than 7,000 people employed by its portfolio companies in the country. To date, the firm has been involved in transactions worth more than, 17 billion in Germany. The opening of the new office in Frankfurt highlights Blackstone’s conviction in Germany, and its plan to build on its success and expand its activity in the German market going forward. Jon Gray, President and COO of Blackstone, said:”We are very excited to be opening a new office in Frankfurt, and to be expanding our presence in Germany. Germany is an economic powerhouse, a great country to do business in and we look forward to investing here for a long time to come.” Current Blackstone investments in Germany include Leica and Schenck Process. In the past, the firm invested in Scout24, Gerresheimer, as well as Meerwind, the first privately financed offshore wind farm in Germany. The firm also has significant investments in German real estate, particularly logistics assets and commercial real estate where the firm’s current investments total nearly, 7 billion of equity. Notable examples include the Messeturm in Frankfurt as well as the Sumatrakontor in Hamburg’s HafenCity. Through its credit business, Blackstone has provided financing of, 5.6 billion in the DACH region, including for TK Elevator, formerly part of ThyssenKrupp. bout Blackstone Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $975 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, noninvestment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available atwww.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram Contacts Felix Lettau Felix.Lettau@Blackstone.com +44 (0) 7587 020020 Source: Blackstone

Source: Antara News Agency

March 21, 2023

Ministry conducts health protocol assessment before Eid homecoming

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Health Ministry is evaluating health protocols at public places in order to anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases triggered by a new variant ahead of the 2023 Eid al-Fitr homecoming.”The ministry is evaluating the health protocols even though Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said healthy people are allowed to take off their masks in a closed room,” the ministry’s head of communication and public service bureau, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated in Jakarta, Tuesday. Tarmizi emphasized the need to follow health protocols in public places to ensure the health of individuals interacting with one another. Those who are ill or symptomatic still need to comply with the applied health protocols. “However, in order to revoke the health protocols regulation, we need to make sure the condition first, especially ahead of the 2023 Eid al-Fitr homecoming. We must prevent a spike in cases,” she noted. Tarmizi remarked that the surge in COVID-19 cases was not triggered by homecoming activities but rather by new variants that had surfaced in Indonesia and several other countries. In 2021, the number of COVID-19 cases increased due to the Alpha variant, followed by the Delta variant and the Omicron variant due to which almost 60 thousand daily cases had been recorded. Two big waves that occurred in other countries were caused by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants around July to August as well as the BQ.1 and XBB variants, she pointed out. Meanwhile, an epidemiologist from the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia (FKM UI) Iwan Ariawan still recommends the provision of health protocols by wearing masks in public places, although currently, there are no binding sanctions against those not using them. “Masks are still recommended. Those, who are comfortable wearing masks, can continue to wear them because masks are useful for preventing influenza, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases,” he remarked. In addition, Ariawan recommends health workers and the public accessing healthcare facilities to continue to wear masks. “In health facilities, people still need to wear a mask because there are threats of various other diseases,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: Papua calls for health protocol implementation despite PPKM revocationRelated news: Jakartans asked to wear masks while celebrating New YearRelated news: Police call for health protocol compliance during New Year revelry

Source: Antara News Agency

March 21, 2023

Ministry conducts home-to-home tracking of TB cases: Official

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Health Ministry is tracking active tuberculosis (TB) cases to the neighborhood level (home-to-home) to look for people with symptoms, as a form of early prevention and to break the transmission chain.”If we can detect TB earlier, we hope at least 90 to 95 percent of the transmission can be stopped,” the ministry’s head of the communication and public service bureau, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, noted in Jakarta, Tuesday. Tarmizi pointed to the still relatively high number of TB cases in Indonesia, with an average case finding rate of around 443,235 in 2021 and increased to 717,941 cases in 2022. Temporary data for 2023 also showed that 118,438 cases were found. This figure puts Indonesia in the second place, with the most TB cases in the world based on data from the 2022 Global TB Report (GTR), she remarked. In particular, TB cases in children have also experienced a significant increase, from 42,187 cases in 2021 to 100,726 cases in 2022 and 18,144 cases until March 2023, Tarmizi remarked. “We also provide TB treatment for children, who have had contact with patients. We are also conducting active screening at homes to look for people with cough symptoms and then carrying out examinations. We do not wait for people to come to the community health center (puskesmas),” she stated. baca-jugaRelated news: andgtovt builds cross-sectoral collaboration to eliminate TB by 2030 ccording to Tarmizi, the ministry has also deployed cadres to health workers at the puskesmas level to help TB patients reach their homes. Tarmizi said that TB cases in Indonesia were already a serious problem before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “Then during COVID-19, we admitted that we were more focused on handling the pandemic. However, after the condition is getting better, we hope we can focus on TB handling,” she remarked. During the 2023 COVID-19 Handling Award on Monday, President Joko Widodo reminded the public and all stakeholders to be aware of TB cases. He advised that efforts to tackle several diseases and big agendas in Indonesia must be handled through the mutual cooperation method, akin to the approach followed by the country to handle COVID-19. “For example, (handling) tuberculosis, (reducing) stunting, increasing food production, and reducing the poverty rate. We must work hard to solve those problems just like we did with COVID-19,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: Minister asks labor stakeholders to help eradicate TB in workplace Related news: andgtreater likelihood of acutely symptomatic TB among younger children

Source: Antara News Agency

March 21, 2023

Social Affairs Ministry lacks budget for acute kidney injury aid

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Social Affairs Ministry currently do not have the budget to provide aid to acute kidney injury patients, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini stated here on Monday.Rismaharini remarked that to handle acute kidney injury, the aid has to be delivered several times, and this requires a large sum of money. “If I have to do it, I have to request help from Kitabisa, Benih Baik (Indonesian online fundraising platforms) for (covering) the costs. We do not have the money to do it continuously,” she remarked. To this end, the minister had already reported this matter to Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy. The ministry has already received the aid recipient data from Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. To this day, the Social Affairs Ministry’s budget for operations in centers that it manages is only around Rp300 billion, or US$19.54 million. Meanwhile, the budget for disaster handling had already been reduced to almost 50 percent. s a result, Rismaharini said she has to be careful in spending the budget, especially since her ministry’s centers had changed as compared to the previous years, with the presence of a multiservice scheme. In particular, the ministry’s centers have become rehabilitation centers for various groups, such as mental health patients, abandoned children, and children facing legal troubles. She also noted that the budget was currently used for patients outside Java that were unable to cover their living expenses, so that they can receive health services in Jakarta. Moreover, the unexpected occurrence of the Kanjuruhan tragedy also caused the compensation budget to tank to negative, so in providing aid, the minister could only rely on the budget from the centers. Earlier, Effendy stated that the aid for child patients of atypical progressive acute kidney injury was being processed by the Social Affairs Ministry. The government ensures that kidney injury victims receive attention. baca-jugaRelated news: Ministry to spend state budget-sourced US$544.17 million for food aidRelated news: andgtovt sends aid worth Rp862.36 mln to landslide-hit NatunaRelated news: Ministry readies data on prospective food aid recipients

Source: Antara News Agency

March 21, 2023

Australia-Indonesia Health Partnership covers 231 villages in C Java

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Inclusive COVID-19 vaccinations were conducted for vulnerable communities in 231 villages in Central Java under the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP).Based on the AIHSP press release received in Jakarta, Tuesday, the partnerships established since August 2022 have reached 74,394 people, including 14,332 elderly people, 797 people with disabilities, 58,666 members of underprivileged families, 1,409 people living far from health services, as well as other vulnerable groups. “AIHSP supports local governments and partners in the field, such as Save the Children and Migrant Care, in encouraging multi-stakeholder collaboration based on community assets that enable program sustainability,” Central Java AIHSP Provincial Coordinator Dr Hartanto Hardjono stated. In this activity, AIHSP reaches out to vulnerable communities in Sentul Village, Cluwak District, Pati Regency, through an inclusive vaccination service called the VACCINE Program. Pati Regency is one of the other Central Java regions — Sragen, Magelang, Cilacap, Brebes, Pekalongan, and Pekalongan City — to have also been targeted under a similar program. Based on reports from the Ministry of Health as of March 19, 2023, the results of vaccination doses 1 and 2 in Central Java for the elderly over 60 years ranged from 2,546,760 people, or 69.18 percent of the total target of 3,681,475 people. This means that three out of 10 elderly people in the local area have not received the complete vaccine. In addition, seven out of 10 elderly people in Central Java have never received the booster vaccine 1. baca-jugaRelated news: Ministry explores remote areas to boost access to health services Hardjono said the program also aims to provide inclusive health access in ensuring the availability of health facilities for the elderly, persons with disabilities, women and children, as well as those with difficulty in accessing facilities, infrastructure, and information about related services. “This is done through collaborative work with civil society organizations, community-based and religious organizations, organizations of people with disabilities, and other local actors, who are our program partners,” he stated. Inclusive COVID-19 vaccination was conducted in Sentul Village in collaboration with the Pati District Health Office, the Cluwak Health Center, the village government, and community-based organizations, such as Roro Mendut, AGRA, PPDI, and DECOP. “We are very open to cooperating with any party. So far, our obstacle in the field has been to mobilize targets, as people do not really feel the need for vaccinations anymore. We are very helpful if there are parties that help us improve vaccination results,” Head of the Cluwak Health Center Sunarto stated. Nationwide, the collaborative work by AIHSP along with Save the Children, Migrant Care, and local governments has been carried out by 23 districts and cities in five provinces in Indonesia, which, as a whole, had succeeded in providing inclusive COVID-19 vaccination services to 161,833 people. From the total figure, there are 34,510 elderly people, 4,352 people with disabilities, and 97,654 of the total are members of pre-prosperous families. baca-jugaRelated news: Boosting health service access : Minister Related news: HKN: Ministry stresses improving health access through technology

Source: Antara News Agency