VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday and that he demanded Tehran stop sending weapons to Russia.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of sending "kamikaze" drones to Russia which have then been used to devastating effect by Russian forces in strikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure. Iran denies the charge.

"I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine," Kuleba said in a tweet.

Amirabdollahian repeated Iran's denial of supplying weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine, Iranian state media reported.

"We have good ties with Russia and have had defence cooperation since earlier, but our policy towards the war in Ukraine is to respect the territorial integrity of countries, not to send weapons to conflicting parties, stop the war and end the displacement of people," Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.

Iran's drones have become a key weapon in Russia's arsenal during its war in Ukraine and have often been used in the past month to target crucial energy infrastructure. (Reuters)

Argentina reached a deal for the payment of some $2 billion it owes the Paris Club of creditors, Argentina's Economy Minister Sergio Massa said on Friday.

"Today, Argentina successfully completed an agreement with the Paris Club to normalize relations between our country, our companies, and our workers with the countries of the European bloc," the minister said.

The Paris Club, which counts the United States, Japan and Germany among its members, last year gave Argentina more time to repay the debt, allowing Buenos Aires to negotiate a revamp of its program with the International Monetary Fund.

Argentina sealed an agreement with the IMF earlier this year for a nearly $45 billion program to refinance a failed loan from 2018.

Calls to the Paris Club were unanswered outside regular office hours. (Reuters)

G20 countries focused on the utilization of space technology for handling the impact of climate change during the third Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting (Space20), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has informed.

G20 is a multilateral cooperation group that comprises 19 countries and the European Union (EU). Indonesia is holding the presidency of the grouping this year and will host the G20 Summit in Bali in November this year.

"We have to be able to prevent climate change's negative impacts such as by understanding ocean phenomena," the head of BRIN's Aviation and Space Research Organization, Robertus Heru Triharjanto, said during a Space20 press conference here on Thursday.

"We have to prevent pollution and over-exploitation of the ocean," he added.

Space technology, such as the use of satellites, can prove beneficial in monitoring the changes in the ocean that can affect the weather and the rise in sea levels, which has become one of the indicators of global warming.

As part of space technology, remote sensing satellites can also be used to monitor the Earth, explore ocean potential, and monitor activities related to pollution and over-exploitation in the oceans, such as illegal fishing.

Space technology can also prove useful in monitoring drought, providing early warnings, tracking greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, monitoring illegal deforestation, and monitoring changes in forests.

The Space20 meeting also discussed the importance of exchanging data produced through the use of space technology, such as the results of remote sensing, so that everyone can understand climate change and handle it, Triharjanto informed.

Given that everyone is connected through ocean-related issues, it has become important to globally share data with those who do not have satellites so that solutions to climate change can be found together, he said.

Space20 is an international collaborative effort between G20 countries, specifically in the space sector, to develop an economic and environmentally friendly space industry. (antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) affirmed that the 94th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day in 2022 became a guide for the Indonesian nation today.

"The oath spoken by our young warriors 94 years ago still resonates and becomes a guide for the Indonesian nation today," Jokowi said on the official Instagram account @jokowi as monitored in Jakarta on Friday.

The head of state affirmed that the development of physical and digital connectivity across various regions is part of the efforts to strengthen unity and progress of the nation.

"The development of physical and digital connectivity that connects regions to regions, islands to islands, end to end of Indonesia is now our endeavor to further strengthen national unity while pursuing progress," he said.

The Youth Pledge was the decision of the second Youth Congress which was held for two days, on October 27-28, 1928, in Batavia or now known as Jakarta. The congress was held by the Indonesian Student Association (PPPI), which was a youth organization comprising students from all over Indonesia.

The decision of Youth Pledge of the congress affirmed the ideals of the Indonesian homeland, the Indonesian nation, and the Indonesian language.

This decision is expected to become the basis for every Indonesian national association to be published in various newspapers and read in front of meetings of associations. Hence, the Youth Pledge is one of the main milestones in the history of the Indonesian independence movement.

The 94th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day in 2022 is a momentum to reaffirm the spirit of and commitment to unity in diversity, an official earlier noted.

"We must live the spirit and commitment to unity in diversity. How can diversity be a strength, and young people can play an optimal role in building the commitment to unite to build the nation," the ministry’s deputy of youth development, Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, noted here on Wednesday.

The Summit of the Youth Pledge Day commemoration will be held in the new capital Nusantara (IKN), Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, on October 28, 2022, with the theme “Bersatu Bangun Bangsa,” or “United to Build the Nation.”

Sholeh believes that all parties need to synergize efforts for building a nation . Not only young people, but all elements of society must also unite in order to realize the ideals of the nation, he added.

"Everyone has a responsibility to build the nation. We must promote the commitment to the youth pledge in the life of the nation and state. There has to be collective awareness," he said.

Series of events to be held at the Summit of the 2022 Youth Pledge Day comprise a youth camp, mass gymnastics, and a parade, he stated.

"We must support young people, who have innovation and creativity to be able to excel," Sholeh added. (Antaranews)