VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The top U.S. general cautioned on Sunday it was still unclear how Russia might react to the latest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and called for vigilance among U.S. troops as he visited a base in Poland aiding Ukraine's war effort.

"The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Warsaw following a visit to a base hosting U.S. troops. Reuters was asked not to publish the name of the base or describe its location.

Milley said he was not suggesting U.S. troops in Europe were at any increased threat, but said they had to be ready.

"In the conduct of war, you just don't know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next." (Reuters)

Hurricane Fiona was barreling toward Puerto Rico on Sunday, threatening to slam the U.S. territory with life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, while already knocking out a third of the island's fragile power grid.

The storm was about 80 km south of the city of Ponce with maximum sustained winds near 130 kilometers per hour, clearing the threshold for Category 1 hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center said in an update at 11:00 a.m. (1500 GMT).

Some 551,333 utility customers were without electricity out of 1.47 million on the island of 3.3 million people, the Puerto Rico government said. Ports have been closed and flights out of the main international airport canceled, with Fiona set to move near or over Puerto Rico as early as Sunday afternoon.

Torrential rains and mudslides were also forecast for the Dominican Republic as the storm progresses northwestward. The Turks and Caicos Islands could face tropical storm conditions on Tuesday, the NHC said.

"Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours while Fiona moves near Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and over the southwestern Atlantic," it said.

U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Sunday, a move that authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide emergency protective measures. 

The rains have increased in intensity since Sunday morning, along with strong wind gusts, residents said.

"It has been raining heavily since 10:00 a.m. At the moment, we still have electricity service," said Kimberly Ortiz, who lives in Ciales, a town in the center of the island. "In Ciales, we have felt some wind gusts."

A wide swathe of Puerto Rico was forecast to see 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) of rain while parts could be hit by up to 25 inches (63.5 cm), according to the NHC.

"These rains will produce life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher terrain," the NHC said.

Puerto Rico's grid remains fragile after Hurricane Maria in September 2017 caused the largest blackout in U.S. history. In that category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost electricity with 80% of power lines knocked out.

Authorities have opened more than 100 shelters and closed beaches and casinos, and residents were urged to seek shelter.

There has been one death reported so far tied to Fiona, in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Authorities said one man as found dead on Saturday after his house was swept away by floods there. France will recognize a state of natural disaster for Guadeloupe, President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter on Sunday. (Reuters)

Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono said that Prof Azyumardi Azra died of heart attack in Serdang Hospital, Selangor, Malaysia, on Sunday.

A medical certificate issued by the hospital said that the cause of Azra's death was acute inferior myocardial infarction, the ambassador said here on Sunday.

"So, it's written in the medical certificate that the cause (of Azra's death) is acute inferior myocardial infarction," he said.

Prof. Azyumardi Azra had received resuscitation from the team of doctors before he passed away at the coronary care unit (CCU) of the hospital at 12:30 local time .

Azra's wife, Ipah Farihah with their second son Firman El Amny Azra, accompanied him at his last moment.

Currently the family with the assistance of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Kuala Lumpur are coordinating the return of the remains of Prof. Azra to Indonesia.

Azra, Chairman of the Indonesian Press Council, had been treated at the Serdang Hospital, since last Friday.

He was in Malaysia to attend an International Islamic Cosmopolitan Conference organized in Selangor, on September 17, at the invitation of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Force (ABIM).

ABIM President Muhammad Faisal Abd Aziz had earlier said Prof Azyumardi Azra would be one of the speakers at the conference.

Several other speakers came from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei Darussalam.

The conference was officially opened by Chairman Emeritus of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) Anwar Ibrahim. (antaranews)

The Ministry of Social Affairs has disbursed the fuel cash assistance to as many as 16,243,960 beneficiary families as of Saturday night.

According to data from the ministry received here on Sunday, the Ministry of Social Affairs, through state-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia, has conducted the aid disbursement to beneficiaries in 494 cities and districts.

The ministry has targeted to distribute the cash assistance to 20,650,000 beneficiary families and has submitted the data to PT Pos Indonesia.

Fuel cash assistance is one of the government's social assistance packages after diverting fuel subsidies.

The government readied a total budget of Rp12.4 trillion to provide fuel cash assistance for 20.65 million beneficiary families. Each beneficiary family receives Rp150 thousand per month for a period of four months, and the disbursement is conducted in two phases, so each beneficiary family receives Rp300 thousand in September and another Rp300 thousand in December.

The government is targeting to disburse the fuel cash assistance to at least 18,585,000 beneficiary families or 90 percent of the target, by the end of this week.

The target was conveyed by Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini at a press conference with President Joko Widodo and Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah at the Merdeka Palace here on Friday.

On that occasion, the minister also informed that the government had increased the allocation for social assistance that will be disbursed to orphans, single elderly and people with disabilities in December 2022.

"We received an additional budget from the Ministry of Finance of around Rp400 billion to be used in December (2022). We will give the assistance to the targeted 946,863 orphans. Each child will receive Rp200 thousand per month," she informed.

In addition to orphans, the government is also preparing assistance for 334,011 single elderly people aged over 80 and 98,934 people with disabilities, she added. (Antaranews)