VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): The Indonesian Press Council has urged mainstream media to build public trust by producing more quality news on social media.

Head of the Press Council’s Education, Training, and Professional Development Commission Paulus Tri Agung Kristanto said here on Monday that social media is the first source of information and the most accessed by the public.

Mainstream media becomes a reference to verify the truth of information obtained from social media, he added.

In accordance with the council’s regulations, there are two types of social media accounts that are protected, namely social media directly affiliated with press companies and social media managed by journalists or media workers directly affiliated with press companies.

“Those are protected by the Press Council, and the Council has an obligation to encourage them to build public trust," he said.

However, he reminded that social media accounts managed by journalists or media workers who are not affiliated with press companies and social media managed by content creators are not part of the mainstream media and are not protected under the Council’s regulation.

He said that social media has become a place or forum or platform for the press, which means content produced through it is part of the press.

"It is social media but become part of the mainstream media in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999,” he said, stressing the need to push social media content creators to produce quality content.

According to him, public trust in mainstream media is heavily influenced by platform policies such as Google algorithms.

This year, he said, Google is no longer prioritizing clickbait content so mainstream media and social media must present quality news.

"Mainstream media, including those that use social media to distribute (content) and become their platforms, have to build great news and content to build trust," he said. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The physical preparations for holding the Basketball World Cup or 2023 FIBA World Cup have already reached 97 percent, leaving only small issues that need to be resolved, Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo said.

"Today, we conducted ministry-institution coordination meeting as a preparation to hold the Basketball World Cup in August," he said after leading the coordination meeting here on Monday.

"I already heard directly and I believe that the physical preparation is already 97 percent," he added.

The minister said he believes that Indonesia will be successful as a host for the sports event. This is considering that Indonesia was successful in organizing the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.

"I feel that the Basketball World Cup can proceed well. Perbasi (Indonesian Basketball Association) has experience in FIBA Asia event, so I feel they are used to it," Ariotedjo said.

All that is left are small problems that need to be fixed such as technical and administration issues. He also highlighted that matters such as visas should be prepared and coordinated.

The minister said he expects that officials across different ministries and institutions as well as related stakeholders will continue to prioritize collaboration for the success of the FIBA World Cup.

Moreover, every aspect should be prepared based on existing standards.

"I expect that the Basketball World Cup can be held safely and comfortably," he said.

Given that this would be an international event, he informed that he wants every aspect of the preparation and every detail to be ensured.

"We want collaboration and cooperation to continue to be done well," he noted.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be held from August 25 to September 10. Indonesia is hosting the cup along with Japan and the Philippines.

FIBA will hold a draw for the teams that will compete for the cup on April 29 in Manila, the Philippines. (Antaranews)

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured China on Monday that military bases accessible to the United States would not be used in any offensive action, stressing the arrangement with Washington was designed to boost his country's defences.

China's foreign ministry last week said the United States strengthening military deployment in the Philippines would only lead to more tension in the region, after Manila allowed Washington access to more of its bases.

"China's reaction was not surprising," Marcos told reporters. "The Philippines will not allow the bases to be used in any offensive action," he said.

The Philippines identified last week four more of its bases the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The locations of the bases are significant, with three facing north towards Taiwan and one near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.

EDCA underlines the Philippines' strategic importance to the former colonial ruler the United States, coming at a time of growing concern over China's conduct in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan.

Signed in 2014, it allows U.S. access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence.

"If no one is attacking us, they need not worry because we will not fight them," Marcos said. "What we are doing is we are strengthening our territorial defence, the defence of the Republic."

Marcos' remarks also come ahead of the largest ever joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, which will feature for the first time live fire exercises at sea. (Reuters)

The European Union expressed concern on Monday over Chinese military drills around Taiwan, saying the island's status should not be changed by force as any escalation, accident or use of force there would have huge global implications.

China's military carried out aerial and naval blockade drills around Taiwan on Monday, its last scheduled day of exercises, with a Chinese aircraft carrier joining in combat patrols as Taipei reported another surge of warplanes near the island. read more

"We are concerned by the intensification of military activities of the People's Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan, with incursions in Taiwanese Air Defence Identification Zone and crossing of the median line," EU Commission spokeswoman for foreign affairs Nabila Massrali said.

"The status quo should not be changed unilaterally or by force. Any instability in the Strait resulting from escalation, accident or use of force would have huge economic and security implications for the region and globally," she said.

"It is key to exercise restraint. Tensions should be resolved through a meaningful and open dialogue. The EU and its Member States will continue supporting efforts aiming to preserve peace and stability in the region," she said. (Reuters)