VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A record $3.3 billion in aid flowed to the Pacific islands in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a 33% increase on the previous year, according to a report released by the Lowy Institute think-tank on Monday.

The pandemic led to border closures, confronting governments reliant on tourism with economic crisis. It also brought a shift in how aid was delivered, with more loans than grants made, and more direct funding to help deliver critical services.

The Lowy Institute's annual Pacific Aid Map showed Chinese aid to the region dropped to $187 million in 2020, its lowest since the institute began tracking aid flows in 2008.

Australia and New Zealand provided a third of all aid in 2020.

The map tracks development assistance to the Pacific islands, an effort the Institute says increases transparency of money flows, as China and the United States and its allies vie for influence in the strategically important region.

A move by the Solomon Islands to sign a security pact with China in 2022 has alarmed Washington and its allies, including Australia.

Since 2008, Australia has provided 40% of all aid to the region, followed by New Zealand, with 8.6%, Japan, with 8.5% and China, with 8.5%, the report said. Chinese aid, predominantly loans for infrastructure, had peaked in 2016.

The project director of the Pacific Aid Map, Alexandre Dayant, said development assistance remained a diplomatic tool for Beijing, with regional aid focusing on Kiribati and Solomon Islands, which switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing a year earlier.

Dayant said the overall drop in Chinese aid in the region comes amid negative publicity about the cost of Chinese infrastructure loans, and Pacific island nations having more choice.

Australia, which has committed A$600 million in infrastructure loans since 2019, is becoming a prominent Pacific lender and needed to take "considerable care" it did not contribute to the region's debt problems, the report said.

Australia last week said it would spend another A$900 million ($576.99 million) in Pacific aid.

The United States has also pledged $800 million more after hosting a dozen Pacific islands leaders at a White House summit in September. (reuters)

NATO on Sunday called on Moscow to urgently renew the U.N.-brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports via the Black Sea amid a global food crisis.

"President Putin must stop weaponising food and end his illegal war on Ukraine," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. "We call on Russia to reconsider its decision and renew the deal urgently, enabling food to reach those who need it most."

All NATO allies had welcomed the agreement that came about with the help of Turkey, she noted.

"These exports have helped reduce food prices the world over," Lungescu added. (Reuters)

Indonesia would need 17 million technologically literate workers, or workers who are able to use and manage technology, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir said here on Sunday.

"The country needs the younger generation to develop a knowledge-based economy so that many innovations that Indonesia needs to compete with other countries will be created," Thohir remarked.

He said, SOEs continue to encourage the younger generation to hone their creative talents, as Indonesia's digital economy will grow to Rp4,500 trillion by 2030, contributing 30 percent to Southeast Asia's economy.

"You have to prepare yourself because 2030 is eight years away. The younger generation must develop innovation because it will be a strength in the future to compete," he added.

Therefore, he asked university students to not stop developing their potential in the digital sector so that Indonesia's digital ecosystem will keep thriving.

"If you are still playing foreign-made games now, then there must be local games that attract the interest of our own people. Do not let our people be taken advantage of by others. Let's be local creators, as well as lovers of local products so that the ecosystem grows," the minister stated.

The SOEs are committed to supporting the development of the digital ecosystem, he emphasized, and specific duties are given to state-run telecommunications company Telkom and cellular operator and wireless network provider Telkomsel so that they did not overlap.

"If Telkom is assigned to B-to-B (Business to Business) affairs and digital infrastructure, such as cloud data, and fiber optic, then Telkomsel handles B to C (Business to Consumer) by building content such as health, fintech, and others. So you young people must take advantage of what the government is preparing for the future," Thohir said. (antaranews)

The Public Works and Housing Ministry has resumed the operation of Trans Sulawesi National Road section which connects the districts of Mamuju with Majene, West Sulawesi, after being cleared from a landslide that disrupted it. 

Director General of Highways at the Public Works and Housing Ministry Hedy Rahadian stated here Sunday that, currently, one lane of the track which was impacted by the landslide had been opened.

"Thank God, one lane has resumed to function since Saturday, October 29, at 05.43pm local time. The landslide is quite vast, so the cleaning work for the opening of the two lanes will be carried out carefully, and will take time," he said.

He noted that the ministry would immediately prepare a permanent measure to prevent the recurrence of landslides in the future.

"A team of workers have already been on the field to prepare a permanent design for the overall slope setting," he stated.

Landslides that occurred at several locations on the Trans Sulawesi route were caused by downpour showering the area since Thursday, October 27.

The falls of rocks, soil, and even fallen trees occurred on the Mamuju District - Tameroddo on KM. 77+700, KM. 77+800, KM. 78+400, and KM. 84+200. Two directions of the landslide-hit road section had resumed to function as of Thursday at 05.08 pm local time.

However, on Thursday, October 27 at 07.00 pm local time, another big landslide occurred at KM. 84+500 (Sangiang) by covering about 100 meters since the soil and rocks containing water were still moving from the cliff.

Head of the West Sulawesi National Road Center at Public Works and Public Housing Ministry Sjofa Rosliansjah said that seven units of heavy equipment had been deployed to clean up the landslide materials.

"During cleaning, traffic is regulated by an open-close scheme in coordination with the police and equipped with security signs. Road users are expected to be careful. Traffic will be closed when it rains to reduce the risk of accidents (caused by) being buried by avalanches," they said.

Permanent handling will be carried out after a thorough study is conducted to avoid errors that can trigger the recurrence of landslides.

"The measures that will be taken by West Sulawesi National Road Center are mapping topography with longitudinal and transverse sections at the landslide location, conducting a thorough soil (geological) study at the landslide location, conducting soil laboratory testing and analysis, and then determining a ground handling," Rosliansjah added. (antaranews)