VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

One of Russia's most active volcanoes erupted on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday, shooting a vast cloud of ash far into the sky that smothered villages in drifts of grey volcanic dust and triggered an aviation warning.

The Shiveluch volcano erupted just after midnight reaching a crescendo about six hours later, spewing out an ash cloud over an area of 108,000 square kilometres (41,699 square miles), according to the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey.

Lava flows tumbled from the volcano, melting snow and prompting a warning of mud flows along a nearby highway while villages were carpeted in drifts of grey ash as deep as 8.5 centimetres, the deepest in 60 years.

Pictures showed the cloud billowing swiftly over the forests and rivers of the far east and of villages covered in ash.

"The ash reached 20 kilometres high, the ash cloud moved westwards and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages," said Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey.

"The volcano was preparing for this for at least a year... and the process is continuing though it has calmed a little now," Chebrov said.

About 300,000 people live on Russia's vast Kamchatka peninsula, which juts into the Pacific Ocean northeast of Japan.

The volcano, one of Kamchatka's largest and most active, would probably calm now, Chebrov said, though he cautioned that further major ash clouds could not be excluded. Chebrov said the lava flows should not reach local villages.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, though scientists said the volcano was still erupting 15 hours after the start of the eruption.

DRIFTS OF ASH

The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) issued a red notice for aviation, saying "ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft."

Some schools on the peninsula, about 6,800 km east of Moscow, were closed and residents ordered to stay indoors, head of the Ust-Kamchatsky municipal region Oleg Bondarenko said in a Telegram post.

"Because what I have just seen here with my own eyes, it will be impossible for children to go to school, and in general, the presence of children here is questionable," Bondarenko said.

He said residents' power had been restored and drinking water was being supplied.

Shiveluch has had an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years, the last major one being in 2007.

It has two main parts, the smaller of which -- Young Shiveluch -- scientists have reported as being extremely active in recent months, with a peak of 2,800 metres (9,186 feet) that protrudes out of the 3,283 metre-high Old Shiveluch. (Reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): The culinary industry has a huge potential for development and growth during the holy month of Ramadan, as Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) have been lifted, according to Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno.

“Culinary industry players can optimize this momentum to increase the sales of their products. Certainly, innovation, the right target market, good promotion and services will further improve the sales," he told ANTARA on Tuesday.

Ramadan in Indonesia this year began on March 23.

The minister expects the revenue of the culinary industry to rise by 35 to 45 percent during this year’s fasting month.

"Hence, MSME players should take advantage of these opportunities with the right means and target so they can make this Ramadan a momentum to advance (their businesses)," he remarked.

Furthermore, he estimates that accommodation, transportation, as well as food and beverages will be the three biggest expenses of tourists during the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

The government has scheduled the joint leave period for the holidays from April 19 to April 25, 2023. The number of 2023 Eid al-Fitr exodus travelers is expected to reach 123.8 million.

The potential revenue in the tourism and creative economy sectors, including culinary, is estimated to reach Rp100 trillion (US$6.7 billion) to Rp150 trillion (US$10.01 billion), according to Uno.

The Industry Ministry noted that the culinary industry had recorded positive growth during the period from 2020 to 2022.

In 2022, it grew by 4.90 percent year-on-year (yoy) and became the largest contributor to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the category of the non-oil and gas processing industry, with 38.35 percent, according to the ministry.

"This industry is projected to grow by around 6.25 percent (yoy) in 2023 as compared to 2022. I encourage all travelers to visit tourism destinations and contribute to the regional economy during the 2023 Eid holidays by buying local culinary delights and creative economic products," Uno added. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The Riau Islands Provincial Government is exploring cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the tourism sector.

"We are starting to introduce the potential of Riau Islands through the UAE Ambassador to Indonesia," Governor of Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad stated in Tanjungpinang, Riau, Tuesday.

Ahmad said he and member of the Raja Ali Haji Maritime University (UMRAH) Advisory Council, (Ret) Admiral Marsetio; UMRAH Chancellor Agung Dhamar Syakti; and the Riau Islands Development Acceleration Team had met the UAE Ambassador to Indonesia, Y.M. Abdulla Salem Al-Dhaheri, in Jakarta on April 9.

During the meeting, Ahmad expressed optimism that UAE investors would be interested to invest in Riau, especially in the tourism sector.

Ahmad affirmed that his side will invite Ambassador Al-Dhaheri to visit Riau Islands and request him to give a public lecture at the UMRAH Campus in Tanjungpinang City.

Ahmad also plans to invite Ambassador Al-Dhaheri to several tourist sites in the Riau Islands, such as the exclusive tourist destination of Bawah Island in Anambas District.

He is also upbeat that during the visit to the Riau Islands, Ambassador Al-Dhaheri will also bring several UAE investors to introduce them to the best tourist spots there.

"We can offer many fields of investment, but for now, we will focus on the tourism sector. In addition, we asked UMRAH to explore cooperation with campuses in the UAE. In order to have progress and development for our region, we must build a wide relationship," the governor remarked.

Meanwhile, UMRAH Chancellor Agung Dhamar Syakti stated that Ambassador Al-Dhaheri plans to give a public lecture at UMRAH in mid-May of 2023. The public lecture will discuss issues regarding human resources (HR), health, foreign policy, and women's empowerment.

"The governor also asked us to explore cooperation with campuses in the UAE. There are many things that we can work together in the education sector. For now, we will explore it first," Syakti remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has encouraged people partaking in the 2023 Eid al-Fitr exodus to buy products of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in their hometowns to support the economy in villages.

"Save THR (Eid allowance), so that you can buy MSME products in regions. Thus, finances do not only circulate in cities but also in villages," he stated while delivering a khutbah (sermon) during a tarawih prayer at the Istiqlal Mosque here on Monday.

Uno noted that Indonesia's finances have strengthened after the COVID-19 pandemic, one of which is in the creative economy sector. To this end, the ministry is aiming to multiply the strength.

One of the efforts that the ministry has made is creating a Mosque Exploration Exodus catalog. The catalog includes mosques on exodus routes, such as Trans Sumatra, Java's northern coast (Pantura), Java's southern coast (Pansela), and Trans Java Toll Road.

Hence, mosques can also support MSMEs in regions to improve the community's welfare.

"Mosques become the symbol of ukhuwah Islamiyah and wathaniyah (brotherhood among Muslims and the nation). Mosques are not only centers of worship activities but also muamalah (social affairs)," he remarked.

According to the minister, religious tourism is suitable to become one of the leading forms of tourism in Indonesia, as the country is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, with at least 751 thousand mosques spread across the country.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is helping those mosques by identifying them one by one and identifying their selling points to be used for driving religious tourism and supporting the creative economy of the surrounding community.

In addition, religious tourism is closely related to Indonesia, as it does not only feature the religious aspect but also the history, figures, and historic buildings in Indonesia.

"For example, Istiqlal Mosque, which has architectural, cultural arts, edu-religious, and eco-mosque values with the Green Mosque certification; one of the best in the world," he remarked.

According to Uno, Istiqlal Mosque will be connected to the National Monument after earlier, the mosque had been connected to the Jakarta Cathedral by a tunnel.

He expressed hope that the community would jointly work towards making mosques as tourist destinations that can boost the finances of MSMEs and realize baldatun thayyibatun wa rabbun ghafuur (a nation that gathers the goodness of its nature and the goodness of its people's behavior). (Antaranews)