VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Climate change is too complex an issue to be discussed in a social setting despite it already impacting the community, Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG's) Acting Deputy, Urip Haryoko, stated here Tuesday.

"The complexity of climate change, the lack of effective conversation, and the Indonesian people's low literacy (about climate change) result in the issue drowning in social discussions," Haryoko remarked at a webinar on the younger generation's literacy and action on climate change.

The impact of climate change is already being felt by the community in the form of rising temperatures and increasing extreme weather phenomena that are causal to several natural disasters.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had recorded that the year 2020 was one of the hottest years in the world apart from the period between 2016 and 2019.

According to the WMO, the average global temperature in 2020 was recorded at about 14.9 degrees Celsius, or 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than that during the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900.

The 1.2-degree Celsius rise was close to the temperature increase limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by countries worldwide to evade the worst effects of climate change.

Haryoko also pointed to a higher risk of natural disasters due to the La Nina phenomenon in the Indonesian region this year.

Heavier rainfall due to La Nina can trigger hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods and landslides in the country, akin to what occurred last year.

"The BMKG has urged the public to be more prompt in taking anticipatory measures in the event of the upcoming rainy season and the high likelihood of extreme rainfall," he expounded.

To this end, Haryoko stressed that the efforts to increase public awareness of climate change and its impacts are important.

Youngsters can conduct educational activities to increase the people's understanding and concern for climate change and its impact on human survival, according to Haryoko.

"These actions can be taken in the form of edifying the community and promoting a better lifestyle to mitigate the impacts of climate change," Haryoko added.

He pointed out that climate change mitigation encompassed efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; promote greening; prevent forest and land fires; reduce fossil fuel usage and waste; and promote the use of renewable energy. (Antaranews)

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics supports fair law enforcement in the violence and harassment case involving one of the employees at the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI).

Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G. Plate said the incident of violence that occurred in the work environment was a violation of human rights. The minister expressed support to the ongoing legal process, so that perpetrators of the case could be punished to serve as a deterrent effect.

“Harassment is a clear violation of the law and should not occur in the work environment. Related stakeholders must take decisive action to avoid the same case from recurring in future," Plate remarked on Tuesday.

The minister also expressed his commitment to continuing to oversee the cases involving KPI employee called MS in recent years as a victim of bullying and harassment in the KPI office.

The Ministry of Communications and Informatics had handed over the case to the related authorities for further investigation.

"The legal apparatus and authorities had handled the case. As the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, we are also following the developments," Plate stated.

Cases of harassment and bullying at the Central KPI office were revealed after MS made a statement that he experienced bullying and harassment from his co-workers during the period from 2012 to 2020.

After the statement went viral, MS also reported to the Central Jakarta Police about the unfortunate incident that he had to endure over the years.

He has also attended examinations to resolve his case, including fulfilling invitations and investigations conducted by the National Commission on Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM)

On November 29, Komnas HAM finally submitted several recommendations for handling the cases of harassment and bullying within the KPI.

The recommendation calls for the Central KPI to prepare guidelines for dealing with sexual harassment. Komnas HAM also recommends the Ministry of Communications and Informatics to press for an evaluation from the KPI management since the institution comes under the auspices of the ministry. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the newly renovated Pon Market, which was ravaged by a fire in 2018, by signing an inscription at the market located in Trenggalek District, East Java Province, on Tuesday.

The inauguration was a part of his working visit to the province. He was accompanied by Public Works and Public Housing Minister (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Deputy Governor of East Java, Emil Dardak, and head of Trenggalek District, Mochamad Nur Arifin.

He took a 15-minute tour of the market before leaving for the Menak Sopal Helipad.

From there, he continued his trip to the Iswahjudi Air Force Base in Magetan District by helicopter.

Meanwhile, in a written statement, PUPR Minister Hadimuljono said that the renovation made the trade center safer, cleaner, more comfortable, more organized, and more aesthetic.

"It is hoped that the benefits of the quality market infrastructure can be directly enjoyed by the public, especially in ensuring the distribution of basic commodities and helping to improve the real sector as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)," he remarked.

The renovation of the market began on January 10, 2020. After it was completed, the management of the market was handed over to the Trenggalek district government on February 9, 2021.

The concept of the market building—which occupies an area of 5,800 square meters and houses 479 stalls and 310 booths—is a mixture of classic Victorian design and local architecture, depicted through temple accents and exposed brick, the minister noted.

The revitalization of Pon Market was determined in Presidential Regulation Number 43/2019, along with eight other markets.

The other markets included Sukawati Market (Gianyar district), Legi Market (Ponorogo District), Renteng Market (Central Lombok District), and Pariaman Market (Pariaman City), East Klewer Market and Legi Market in Surakarta City, Pancasila Fort Market in Mojokerto City, as well as Kaliwungu Market in Kendal District, he said.

It is hoped that the revitalized markets will help expedite local economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. (Antaranews)

NATO foreign ministers will discuss on Tuesday President Vladimir Putin's possible intent for massing Russian troops on Ukraine's borders, and what the alliance's response should be, as Belarus announced joint military drills with Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to brief his 29 NATO counterparts on the U.S. intelligence picture on the alliance's eastern flank and in Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, during the meeting in the Latvian capital, Riga.

"We don't have any clarity about the intentions (of Russia) but what we know is that there is an unusual concentration of Russian military forces close to Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. 

"We see heavy capabilities, we see armoured units, drones, electronic warfare systems and we see tens of thousands combat-ready Russian troops," he said after visiting NATO troops rehearsing battle skills with camouflaged tanks and live rounds in a snowy woodland north of Riga.

The Western military alliance is alarmed by the Russian military presence on Ukraine's borders, the second build-up this year. In May, Russian troops numbered 100,000 on the Ukraine border, the largest number since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Western officials say.

Belarus on Monday announced joint military drills with Russia on its border with Ukraine and accused NATO of building up offensive capabilities near its borders.

President Alexander Lukashenko, who the West accuses of seeking to divide the European Union by sending Middle Eastern migrants to the Polish border, warned Minsk would not sit on the sidelines in the case of all-out war. nL8N2SK4FI]

"It is clear whose side Belarus will be on," he said, referring to Russia, whose financial and political backing helped him weather huge protests following disputed presidential elections in August last year.(Reuters)