VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The coronavirus pandemic and rise in cost of living have pushed close to 70 million more people in developing Asia into extreme poverty as of last year, the Asian Development Bank said, eroding efforts to combat deprivation.

In a new report released on Thursday, the ADB said an estimated 155.2 million people in developing Asia, or 3.9% of the region's population, lived in extreme poverty as of last year, 67.8 million more than would have been the case without the health and cost-of-living crises.

Developing Asia consists of 46 economies in the Asia-Pacific and excludes Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

"Asia and the Pacific is steadily recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the increased cost-of-living crisis is undermining progress toward eliminating poverty," said ADB Chief Economist Albert Park.

Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $2.15 a day, based on 2017 figures.

Inflation in most countries has soared to multi-year highs last year, driven by a rebound in economic activity and a surge in supply chain disruptions.

Price increases affected everyone but poorer people were hit the hardest because they had to spend more on food and fuel, making it difficult for them to save money and pay for essentials including health care and education.

"By strengthening social safety nets for the poor and fostering investment and innovation that creates opportunities for growth and employment, governments in the region can get back on track," Park said.

Developing Asia was on track to grow 4.8% this year from a year earlier, faster than the previous year's 4.2% expansion, the ADB said in July.

But while economies in developing Asia were expected to make progress in addressing poverty, the ADB said 30.3% of the region's population, or about 1.26 billion people, will still be considered economically vulnerable by 2030. (Reuters)

Taiwan will spend an extra T$94.3 billion ($2.97 billion) to buy weapons next year including fighter jets to bolster its defences against China, the government said on Thursday, and will get a further boost from new F-16 fighter jet tracking systems.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past three years to assert those claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen already announced on Monday that overall proposed defence spending for 2024 would be set at T$606.8 billion, a 3.5% increase from the previous year.

About half of the T$94.3 billion additional spend would be used to purchase fighter jets, and the remainder will go into bolstering naval defences, the government's statistics department said after a cabinet meeting to discuss the budget.

The United States on Wednesday approved a possible $500 million sale to Taiwan of infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets, as well as other equipment.

Taiwan deputy defence minister Po Horng-huei told reporters the search and tracking systems were the same as those used by F-35 and F-22 fighters, among the most advanced the United States operates.

"These will help to target the J-20 stealth fighter over the Taiwan Strait in the future," Po said, referring to the new generation of Chinese jets.

It will allow Taiwan to more effectively deter Chinese air activity, he added.

China, which routinely denounces any foreign arms sales to Taiwan, urged the United States to immediately cancel the planned sale, its foreign ministry said.

Taiwan's defence budget will have to be approved by parliament, where Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party has a majority. The island's defence spending for next year will amount to 2.5% of its gross domestic product.

Tsai has overseen a military modernisation programme to make the armed forces better able to face China, including upgrading a fleet of F-16 fighter jets and developing submarines.

Tsai said on Monday the first prototype indigenous submarine was expected to be unveiled next month as scheduled.

Taiwan has been converting 141 F-16A/B jets into the F-16V type and has ordered 66 new F-16Vs, which have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its J-20 stealth fighters. (Reuters)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discussed overcoming political divisions with predecessor Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday, in his first meeting as premier as he prepares to form a cabinet from a crowded 11-party alliance that includes fierce rivals.

Srettha sailed through a parliamentary vote to become premier on Tuesday and will head a tricky coalition that includes parties backed by the military, which has repeatedly manoeuvred to topple governments led by his Pheu Thai Party.

Thursday's meeting underscores a fragile detente in Thai politics, with Prayuth the architect of a 2014 coup against the last Pheu Thai government as chief of the ultra-royalist army. Prayuth stayed in charge for the next nine years.

"Existing divisions will be difficult to overcome. One conversation will not finish it off. It will take time," Srettha said of their meeting.

"I understand his intentions, that he wants to overcome divisions and he cares about the country."

Asked by reporters what advice Prayuth gave, he said "for me to be calm, be patient and protect the nation and monarchy."

Real estate tycoon Srettha was thrust into politics just a few months ago and has no experience in government. He sought to temper expectations on Thursday of a cabinet line-up soon.

Speculation has been rife that Srettha's surprisingly smooth ascent to the top job is part of a secret deal between warring elites in Thailand that included Tuesday's dramatic homecoming of Pheu Thai's billionaire figurehead, Thaksin Shinawatra, after 15 years in self-exile.

Thaksin, 74, was hospitalised with high blood pressure on his first night in prison, where he serving an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.

He and Pheu Thai have denied the existence of a deal with their rivals in the military and conservative establishment.

Media has also been speculating about who will get the key cabinet posts, some suggesting Srettha himself would take on the additional role of finance minister.

The new government will then have to deliver their policy objectives to a joint session of parliament before they can start work in late September.

The new administration faces the crucial task of reviving Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which the central bank forecast will grow at just under 3.6% this year. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) established cooperation in applying technology to convert waste into new and renewable energy with the Swedish government's Swedfund International AB.

The waste-conversion cooperation agreement document was inked by PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono and the CEO of Swedfund International AB Maria Håkansson at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday (August 23).

"The PUPR Ministry commits to applying sustainable environment-oriented principles in constructing infrastructures, including by utilizing Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) technology to convert waste into a source of renewable energy," Minister Hadimuljono noted in a statement received here on Thursday.

Hadimuljono remarked that waste generated in Indonesia could be used as a highly potential source of energy, adding that the country had not capitalized on the potential, as most of its waste simply ended up in landfills.

"Hence, we established this cooperation by taking into account the Swedish government's reliable expertise, technology, and capability of processing domestic waste and converting it into a source of renewable energy," he stated.

The cooperation agreement will be implemented by the PUPR Ministry through its Directorate General of Cipta Karya.

Earlier, the PUPR Ministry had formulated a way to use RDF technology to convert waste into a source of renewable energy to substitute the use of coal for operating power plants. The technology is being applied at the Kebun Longok Landfill, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

The application of RDF technology utilizes a land of seven thousand square meters at the eastern complex of the landfill, owned by the Municipal Government of Mataram, with a total processing capacity of 120 tons of waste per day.

By applying RDF, the landfill is projected to be able to produce about 15 tons of converted waste that can be used to operate the Jeranjang Power Plant.  (antaranews)