VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The draft government regulation on e-commerce will prioritize domestic products, Director General of Domestic Trade of the Trade Ministry Tjahya Widayanti stated.

"The draft regulation on e-commerce has yet to be finalized. However, it will prioritize domestic products," Widayanti noted here on Wednesday.

The draft regulation on electronic-based national trade system (SPNBE) has been discussed since 2015. Widayanti remarked that despite its priority on domestic products, the regulation will not explicitly mention the required percentage of domestic products that should be offered in online trading.

"However, we will prioritize domestic products to be sold on the e-commerce platform," she stated.

She admitted that the number of domestic products offered in e-commerce are limited, so the government has continued its efforts to increase online selling of domestic products.

"During the `Harbolnas` (national online buying day) recently, we have set a certain time to sell only domestic products," she added.

Widayanti could not as yet confirm whether the government would provide incentive for online platforms that sell domestic products, saying that they had yet to conclude the discussion on the draft regulation.(ant)

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000.

UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others.  

Linguistic diversity(link is external) is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life. (unesco)

Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.

The 16th ASEAN-Russia SOM in Bali (20/2) discussed the review and future direction of the ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership. ASEAN-Russia agreed to redouble the efforts to implement the Plan of Action 2016-2020

 Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Helmy Fauzi made assurance that no Indonesian had fallen victim to a suicide bombing that occurred in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday night, Feb 18.

"There is no Indonesian casualty from that incident," Ambassador Fauzi stated at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, as quoted from a statement received here on Tuesday.

The suicide blast occurred behind the Al-Azhar Mosque in Gamaleya District, Darb Al-Ahmar, Cairo, on Feb 18, at around 10 p.m. local time.

The eight casualties resulting from the bombing were three policemen who died; three civilians, one of which is a student from Thailand; and two police personnel, who were wounded.

Among the victims, two policemen had busted the bomber before he eventually pulled off the bomb`s trigger. The local police have identified the bomber as Al- Hasan Abdullah, 37.

All wounded civilians are currently being treated at the Husein Hospital, Cairo, while the policemen are receiving treatment at the Police Hospital.

Gamaleya District, also known as Darosah, is a densely populated area inside the Al-Azhar complex. Apart from being a place to live for Al-Azhar University`s foreign students, one of the famous bazaars in Cairo, Khan El Khalil, is located in the area. (ant)