Minister of Culture Fadli Zon speaks to reporters in Bandung, West Java, on December 14, 2024. (ANTARA/Ricky Prayoga)
VOInews, Bandung : Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has urged filmmakers to collaborate with historians to make historical movies, which are rare in the country.
He made the request on the sidelines of the National Conference of the Indonesian Historian Society (MSI) in Bandung, West Java, on Saturday.
Zon said there are many historical events that could be adapted into interesting films that also educate people. Such films could include biographical accounts of heroes like Diponegoro, Imam Bonjol, and Patimura.
He emphasized that producing historical films must be strengthened, as it offers both business potential and educational value for the younger generation.
Zon pointed to the extraordinary production of historical films in Hollywood, especially those related to World War II, which continues to this day, with some films even winning Oscars.
He added that historical films could diversify the domestic film industry, which is currently dominated by certain genres.
Zon also noted that the influx of foreign films and dramas, which could challenge the emergence of historical films, should be seen as a challenge, not a threat.
"We must motivate ourselves to create good storylines and scenarios," he said//Antara-VOI
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono presents his remarks to open a public discussion on the 75th year of Indonesia-the United States relation in Jakarta on December 13, 2024. ANTARA/HO-Kemlu RI/nbl
VOInews, Jakarta : Indonesia-United States (US) relations on their 75th anniversary have developed as a strategic partnership to advance democracy, peace, and common prosperity, according to Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono.
"Indonesia and the US are strategic partners in advancing democracy, realizing peace, and pushing for prosperity," he stated while opening a public discussion agenda on the 75th year of Indonesia-US diplomacy in Jakarta on Friday.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on Saturday, Sugiono highlighted that the general elections that both countries underwent this year reflected the strong commitment of Indonesia and the US to democracy.
He also described Indonesia's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the US as exhibiting firm relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Sugiono then highlighted his meeting with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Washington, D.C., in November.
He stated that during the visit, the US government declared its support for programs and policy priorities promoted under Prabowo's Asta Cita (Eight Missions).
"Indonesia is ready to strengthen relations between the two countries to fulfill Asta Cita programs, especially in the investment, food and energy resilience, and health and education transformations," Sugiono remarked.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Indonesia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir stated that the US and Indonesia are partners and friends who continue to collaborate on common issues during their 75-year-long diplomatic relations.
"Our partnership is developed by common values and priorities to achieve prosperity and development for our people," Ambassador Lakhdhir affirmed.
On the same occasion, Sugiono, along with Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid and Ambassador Lakhdhir, launched a special commemorative stamp for the 75th anniversary of US-Indonesia diplomatic relations.
Indonesia-US relations were established on December 30, 1949, when H. Merle Cochran, the first US ambassador to Indonesia, presented his credentials to President Soekarno in Jakarta.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various activities have taken place in parallel in Indonesia and the US to commemorate the 75th year of bilateral relations, including public discussions and an orchestra concert in Jakarta, as well as the Indonesian economic forum and cultural festival in the US//Antara-VOI
Automated vehicles at Tuas Port will be getting a 5G upgrade, so they can track the movement of cargo from berths to ships in real time.
VOInews, Singapore : Port operator PSA Singapore is gearing up for the year ahead with more advanced technology. Automated vehicles at Tuas Port will be getting a 5G upgrade so they can track the movement of cargo from berths to ships in real time, with the help of telcos Singtel and Ericsson.
PSA’s moves are in line with plans to build the world’s largest fully automated port in about two decades to meet the rapidly rising demand for global trans-shipment.
Over the next three years, PSA will also be exploring 5G applications in areas such as predictive maintenance, which involves drone-based surveillance and extended reality applications.
This will help the operator to detect potential issues in a more timely fashion and pre-empt equipment failure, improving efficiency and reducing costly downtime.
Such advanced solutions could come in handy in the event of incidents that shocked the sector earlier this year, like the Red Sea attacks.
Firms will have to continue cushioning themselves against geopolitical tensions, supply chain diversification and the impact of technology including artificial intelligence, said Associate Professor Goh Puay Guan from the Department of Analytics and Operations at the National University of Singapore Business School.
He added that uncertainties remain over the resilience of global supply chains, given the promise of tariffs from Donald Trump who will be sworn in as the United States president next month.
Trump late last month pledged big tariffs on the country’s three largest trading partners - Canada, Mexico and China.
He said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamp down on fentanyl and migrants crossing the border.
He also outlined an additional 10 per cent tariff on imports from China. He had previously said he would end China's most-favoured-nation trading status and slap tariffs on Chinese imports of over 60 per cent - much higher than those imposed during his first term.
Companies in the US will stockpile in anticipation of an increase in tariffs, said Assoc Prof Goh.
“In the short term, that may actually cause a spike in imports and therefore, potentially shipping rates will go up in the short term,” he added.
Firms will also have to prepare for changes in government regulations along with the leadership transition in America.
“Potentially with US regulations changing with the new administration, it could also mean that there's a little bit more volatility when companies need to react very quickly to changes in government regulations between countries or changes in tariff structures,” said Assoc Prof Goh//CNA-VOI
FILE PHOTO: Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
VOInews, Ottawa : Canada's federal government has considered making up to $15 billion available as an incentive to encourage major domestic pension funds to invest in AI data centres powered by green energy, the Globe and Mail reported on Thursday.
Ottawa floated the proposal in private consultation with pension funds as part of a suite of potential measures in consideration to be included in its fall economic statement, the report added citing sources with knowledge of the discussions.
Artificial intelligence tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT depend on chips and energy. But a $1 trillion rush to build data centres faces constraints on planning and power globally.
Last month, utilities, power regulators and researchers in a half-dozen countries told Reuters the surprising growth in power demand driven by the rise of AI and cloud computing is being met in the near-term by fossil fuels like natural gas, and even coal, because the pace of clean-energy deployments is moving too slowly to keep up//CNA-VOI