VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

COVID-19 infections have been spreading in pubs and clubs in Australia's biggest city, including three new cases of the Omicron variant found among people who went on a harbour party cruise, sending officials rushing to trace contacts.

Authorities have been easing restrictions in Sydney since early October when the city emerged from a nearly four-month lockdown to contain the Delta coronavirus variant after the population reached higher vaccination levels.

"We have seen recently increased transmission in larger social venues ... and that is certainly a contributing factor to the increase in cases," Marianne Gale, New South Wales Deputy Chief Health Officer, said in a video posted on Twitter.

Dozens of people who attended a Sydney pub quiz tested positive for the coronavirus and officials are awaiting the results of genomic tests to see if they are infected with the Omicron variant.

Daily COVID-19 infections have been steadily rising as restrictions have eased with New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, logging 420 new cases on Thursday, its biggest rise in about two months, with most caused by the Delta variant.

But the number of Omicron infections has been creeping up since Australia reported its first case about two weeks ago.

Some 50 cases have now been detected including the three linked to the Sydney party boat.

The variant is potentially more contagious than previous ones although initial signs point to a more mild illness. None of the 151 people in hospital in New South Wales for COVID-19 are infected with the Omicron variant.

Australia has fared much better than many countries in containing the pandemic, with nearly 224,000 cases and 2,082 deaths, mostly due to its decision to close borders in March 2020.

But border closures have cut off the flow of skilled migrants causing a sharp slowdown in population growth, prompting businesses to bemoan the lack of workers.

The trend has been worsened by a long-running fall in fertility rates, which hit a record low last year, official data out on Wednesday showed. (Reuters)

New Zealand plans to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes in their lifetime in one of the world's toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry, arguing that other efforts to extinguish smoking were taking too long.

People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes in the Pacific country of five million, part of proposals unveiled on Thursday that will also curb the number of retailers authorised to sell tobacco and cut nicotine levels in all products.

"We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth," New Zealand Associate Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said in a statement.

"If nothing changes, it would be decades till Māori smoking rates fall below 5%, and this government is not prepared to leave people behind."

Currently, 11.6% of all New Zealanders aged over 15 smoke, a proportion that rises to 29% among indigenous Maori adults, according to government figures.

The government will consult with a Maori health task force in the coming months before introducing legislation into parliament in June next year, with the aim of making it law by the end of 2022.

The restrictions would then be rolled out in stages from 2024, beginning with a sharp reduction in the number of authorised sellers, followed by reduced nicotine requirements in 2025 and the creation of the "smoke-free" generation from 2027.

The package of measures will make New Zealand's retail tobacco industry one of the most restricted in the world, just behind Bhutan where cigarette sales are banned outright. New Zealand's neighbour Australia was the first country in the world to mandate plain packaging of cigarettes in 2012.

The New Zealand government said while existing measures like plain packaging and levies on sales had slowed tobacco consumption, the tougher steps were necessary to achieve its goal of fewer than 5% of the population smoking daily by 2025.

The new rules would halve the country's smoking rates in as few as 10 years from when they take effect, the government said.

Smoking kills about 5,000 people a year in New Zealand, making it one of the country's top causes of preventable death. Four in five smokers started before age 18, the country's government said.

Vaping, often seen as a safer alternative to smoking and a useful aid to quitting, is also tightly regulated with sales only allowed to over 18s.

"CRIME WAVE"

Health authorities welcomed the crackdown, while retailers and tobacco companies expressed concern about the impact on their businesses and warned of the emergence of a black market.

"We welcome the New Zealand government’s recognition that excessive excise increases disproportionately impact smokers on lower incomes," tobacco group Imperial Brands (IMB.L) said, adding it was concerned about proposals to reduce nicotine levels and eventually prohibit sales.

"Prohibitions of any kind tend to play into the hands of criminal traders who peddle unregulated illicit products," it also said.

Dunhill maker British American Tobacco (BAT) (BATS.L) and Marlboro maker Philip Morris (PM.N), which has previously said it would stop sales in the country if required by law, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to brokerage Citi, BAT is the market leader in New Zealand, with a 67% share by volume, while Imperial Brands, which sells JPS, Riverstone and Horizon cigarettes, accounts for 21%, generating about 1-2% of its group earnings before taxes.

The government did not detail how the new rules would be policed or whether they would apply to visitors to the country.

"Cigarette smoking kills 14 New Zealanders every day and two out of three smokers will die as a result of smoking," said New Zealand Medical Association chair Alistair Humphrey in a statement.

"This action plan offers some hope of realising our 2025 Smokefree Aotearoa goal, and keeping our tamariki (Maori children) smokefree."

However, the Dairy and Business Owners Group, a lobby group for local convenience stores, said while it supported a smoke-free country, the government's plan would destroy many businesses.

"This is all 100 per cent theory and zero per cent substance," the group's chairman, Sunny Kaushal, told Stuff.co.nz. "There's going to be a crime wave. Gangs and criminals will fill the gap with ciggie houses alongside tinnie houses." (Reuters)

The "Melangkah tanpa Lelah" Book launch in Perpusnas on Thursday (09/11/21) -  

In its implementation, it is not only preservation in the form of printed and recorded works, but also preserves ideas. Like the ideas that were invented by Tjokorda Raka Sukawati who is the inventor of the Sosrobahu flyover construction technique. Sosrobahu facilitates the construction of flyovers without disrupting traffic flow.

The Deputy for Library Resources Development of the National Library of Indonesia, Deni Kurniadi, said the ideas and thoughts were Tjokorda Raka Sukawati's contribution to building the spirit of the nation.

"His thoughts and ideas are a source of inspiration, as well as spirit, patriotism in building a better Indonesian nation," said Deni Kurniadi at the launch of the book Leaving Tirelessly, Tjokorda Raka Sukawati, Inventor of the Sosrobahu Flyover Construction Technique which was held in a hybrid manner, on Thursday (9/12/2021). 

It is said, the leap of world civilization with the development of science and technology has provided a very strong disruption in all aspects of people's lives. "Therefore, a knowledgeable society becomes a benchmark for a nation to be able to respond to global competition, and improve the economy. The presence of a figure like Tjokorda Raka Sukawati is a reflection of a high literacy culture," he continued.

On the same occasion, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, named Tjokorda Raka Sukawati as one of the proud engineers and innovators of Indonesia. "The barrier-free runway technique or sosrobahu is a masterpiece that has been worldwide, and has been applied to various flyover projects at home and abroad," he said.

Basuki explained that the discovery of sosrobahu began in 1976 when the Ministry of Public Works was going to build a toll road from Jagorawi to Tanjung Priok. According to the plan, the project was carried out by a foreign party, but an important decision gave the role of a national company to complete it. It was at that time that Tjokorda was trusted and appointed as the head of project management, and gave birth to the method.

"He has shown that the nation's children are able to build independently with their creative thinking power. This is an example for us in PUPR in particular, and for Indonesian citizens in general," he explained.

The name sosrobahu was inspired by the teachings of Tri Wikrama, namely the incarnation of Vishnu's ability to transform into a big giant with a thousand arms. This is a religious reflection on the creation manifested through his hands.

Currently, continued Basuki, sosrobahu has developed in the second version. Improved performance is increasingly needed to simplify and accelerate the implementation of road construction. "Sosrobahu not only supports flyovers, but also supports our hope that civil engineering innovations will continue to be present in Indonesia," he said.

Meanwhile, a family representative, Tjokorda Gede Abinanda Sukawati, said that the biography of Stepping Without Tired was a mandate from the late Tjokorda Raka Sukawati, and had been prepared several years before his death.

"For me, my father is a very persistent and disciplined figure. Even in his old age, father still continues to work on developing social media technology. With the hope that it can be used for a long time and in various fields," he said.

The man who is familiarly called Abi hopes that readers can get to know the figure of Tjokorda Raka Sukawati from a different side. "Through this book, the deceased hopes that readers can inspire all generations and add insight into the life of his technological inventions. Hopefully this book can have a positive impact on many people," he hoped//VOI-NK

 The Indonesian State Audit Board (BPK) has been elected as Deputy Chair of the 2022 Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations (UN) during the 61st regular session of the panel, held in New York, United States.

According to an official statement released by the board here on Wednesday, BPK deputy chairman Agus Joko Pramono went to the UN Headquarters in person for the election.

Representatives from 12 auditor bodies unanimously approved the Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile as the chair of the panel and the Head of BPK as the deputy chair, the board added.

BPK’s election further emphasizes Indonesia's contribution to the world, especially in international organizations, it said.

The Panel of External Auditors of the UN, the Specialized Agencies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as per the UN General Assembly Resolution 1438 (XIV) on 5 December, 1959, it informed.

It serves as a forum for coordinating and sharing information on the audit methodology and findings from external auditors, it added.

The findings of the panel are handed to the heads of the entities under the UN to be followed up, especially related to attempts in improving governance, according to the press statement.

The heads of entities can also ask the panel to provide opinions or recommendations regarding various crucial problems, it added.

The members of the panel comprise the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Tanzania.

Currently, Indonesia is the only country in history whose audit board holds two strategic positions in the UN.

In addition to the chairman of BPK, Agung Firman Sampurna, who has been anointed the Vice Chairman of the Panel of External Auditors of the UN, Deputy Chairman of BPK, Agus Joko Pramono, is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of the United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee (UN-IAAC), which is the UN’s internal auditor. (Antaranews)