VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A discussion about earthquake in Samosir Island, North Sumatra. (ANTARA/HO) - 

The Methodist Indonesia University (UMI) intends to forge collaboration with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)-Medan Office to conduct joint earthquake research in Samosir Island.

The significance of research projects on earthquake potential in the island, located in the middle of Lake Toba, North Sumatra, is so obvious, according to UMI Rector Humuntal Rumapea, here, Saturday.

Rumapea made the statement following his discussion on earthquake issues in North Sumatra with Marzuki Sinambela, a research staff at the BMKG-Medan Office's Earthquake Regional Center.

He drew attention to the significance of bolstering public knowledge of earthquake, earthquake safety, and post-disaster challenges and opportunities in North Sumatra Province.

To this end, Rumapea has encouraged his university's scientists to team up with their counterparts from the BMKG to conduct joint research projects to gain greater clarity on earthquake-related issues in Samosir.

"We are encouraging our lecturers to seek research collaboration opportunities," he noted, adding that they could conduct research on earthquakes as well as hydrometeorological and geophysical hazards.

Meanwhile, Sinambela hinted that the agency will welcome any university offers for research collaboration.

Sinambela also underscored the nature of the so-called "earthquake swarm" in Samosir Island.

He expounded that from the seismological perspective, seismic events in Samosir are "local" in nature that often occur within a relatively short period of time.

The BMKG recorded 253 earthquake events in Samosir during the period from January 24 to June 18, 2021, according to Sinambela.

Some 245 of the 253 earthquake events were categorized as earthquake swarm, while eight others were regarded as moderate earthquakes while their magnitudes varied from 0.9 to 5.2.

Due to a rising trend in natural hazards in North Sumatra, Sinambela deemed having sound knowledge of disasters as being crucial to serve BMKG's reliable information to related stakeholders.

Earthquakes regularly hit various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also called the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Sumatra and various smaller islands off its coastal areas are prone to earthquakes.

Aceh Province, located at the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island, had also experienced the deadliest ever earthquake followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004.

The catastrophe that also affected certain coastal areas in nations, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly claimed some 230 thousand lives//ANT

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah (second from right), Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (right), and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Thahjo Kumolo show a joint decree (SKB) on the revision of the 2021 public holiday agenda in Jakarta, on Friday (June 18, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Manpower Ministry) - 

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah will shortly be issuing a circular letter directed at firms regarding revision of the 2021 Public Holiday and Collective Leave.

“We will follow up by issuing a letter addressed to the companies through governors, district heads, or mayors,” Fauziyah stated in a press release received here on Saturday.

The government concurred on revising the 2021 Public Holiday and Collective Leave in a bid to flatten the COVID-19 transmission rate in Indonesia.

The agreement was stipulated in the joint decree (SKB) of Religious Affairs Minister, Manpower Minister, and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister No. 712 of 2021, No. 3 of 2021 on the second revision of joint decree of religious affairs minister, manpower minister, and administrative and bureaucratic reform minister No. 642 of 2020, and No. 4 of 2020 on the 2021 Public Holiday and Collective Leave.

“The government has decided to revise two public holidays and suspend one collective leave,” Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, stated.

The second revision comprises: the Islamic New Year holiday falling on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, that was revised to Wednesday, August 11, 2021; Prophet Muhammad’s birthday falling on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, that was revised to Wednesday, October 20, 2021; and the government’s suspension of the collective leave of Christmas 2021.

“Those are three points we have decided together along with three related ministries,” he remarked//ANT

The 10th Maritime Security Desktop Exercise organized by the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), Australian Border Force (ABF) and Maritime Border Command (MBC). ANTARA/HO-the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla RI) - 

Nearly 36 countries participated in the 10th Maritime Security Desktop Exercise (MSDE) organized by the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), Australian Border Force (ABF), and Maritime Border Command (MBC).

The four-day event is being held with the objective of honing the capability of regional maritime security personnel in handling various incidents in line with the international law, a spokesman of the Bakamla Col Wisno Pramandita noted in a statement here on Saturday.

Bakamla Head Vice Admiral Aan Kurnia noted in a speech delivered by the agency's Deputy for Policy and Strategy, Rear Admiral Tatit E. Witjaksono that countries in the region faced threats in maritime security.

The increased trade volume and countries' dependency on maritime resources had given rise to a wide range of problems in regional waters.

"This should become a common concern among coastal states in the region, and it will need comprehensive multilateral cooperation," he stated.

Participant countries are members of the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA): Indonesia, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Comoros, India, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, and Malaysia.

Other participants are Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Commander of Australia's MBC RADM Mark Hill noted that the event had brought together operation personnel at various levels from HACGAM and IORA member countries.

Participants have discussed maritime security scenarios and built professional relations with partners from other nations.

The discussion not only prioritized maritime security and safety but also maritime operations that had been adjusted to the COVID-19 preventive measures.

Indonesia and Australia have initiated the Maritime Security Desktop Exercise (MSDE) since 2009 to enhance regional understanding of the implementation of the international law of the sea//ANT

Moscow residents face renewed coronavirus restrictions faced with the Delta variant's rapid spread AFP/Yuri KADOBNOV - 

Russia's capital Moscow on Saturday (Jun 19) reported a pandemic high for new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day, as the city's hospitals are flooded with new patients due to the Delta variant.

The city registered 9,120 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours, according to government figures, a second consecutive high topping the previous day's total of 9,056 cases.

Those figures have ballooned from just 3,000 daily just two weeks ago, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin saying on Friday that the highly infectious Delta variant first identified in India represents nearly 90 per cent of new cases.

The new wave of infections come as Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, the country's worst COVID-19 hotspot after Moscow, is slated to host seven Euro 2020 matches - including a quarter-final on Jul 2 - expected to draw thousands of European football fans.

Having claimed the worst of the pandemic had passed over winter, officials are now scurrying to reintroduce pandemic restrictions and roll out new beds dedicated to coronavirus patients after months of near-normal life.

On Monday, Saint Petersburg announced a tightening of restrictions including no food sales in its Euro 2020 fan zones.

Measures have been more drastic in Moscow, where Sobyanin on Friday shuttered the city's fan zone, banned gatherings of more than 1,000, suspended all mass entertainment events and closed dance halls.

He also extended several measures that he had announced last weekend, like the closure of food halls in malls, zoos and playgrounds, and of bars and restaurants from 11pm to 6am.

Sobyanin, who has taken a leading role in Russia's response to the pandemic, has said the measures are necessary because the capital's hospitals were inundated with COVID-19 patients within days.

Figures released by federal statistics agency Rosstat show that Russia had recorded at least 270,000 virus-related deaths by the end of April//CNA