VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

PHOTO : BBC

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is set to announce his resignation for health reasons, officials from his party say. He has suffered for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but his condition is thought to have worsened recently. Public broadcaster NHK said the 65-year-old wanted to avoid causing problems for his government. Last year, he became Japan's longest serving prime minister. His current period in office began in 2012. It appears that he will not step down on Friday but continue to serve until a successor is selected by his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In 2007 he resigned abruptly from an earlier term as prime minister because of his struggles with ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition affecting the large intestine, that he has lived with since he was a teenager. PM Abe has a reputation as a staunch conservative and nationalist, and for stimulating growth with his aggressive economic policy known as "Abenomics"//BBC

PHOTO : PERPUSNAS

The head of National Library Muhammad Syarif Bando appreciated Tegal’s Bunda Baca, Roro Kusnabilla Erfa, for the programme to increase the reading culture in her region. One of her programmes at Bunda Baca is literary tourism that could be to inspire the other region to adopt. It was said by Syarif Bando on the webinar with the theme of the participation of Bunda Baca in a new normal adaptation to push the literary culture within the communities, in Jakarta, Thursday, August 27. Syarif Bando said that there are four layers in literature.

"There are four layers in literary based on the UNESCO manifesto. First, we could not declare that we are literated if we do not have access to all new reading resources. UNESCO put the standard that people have to read a minimum of three new books a year. Second, we not only have many books and access but have the knowledge to understand those books. The only way is reading. Third, to have the ability to come up with the ideas, creativity and innovation to change the situation to bring the better. Four, the ability to create high quality of goods and services to sell to the global market" Syarif Bando said. 

Some of the programmes in the Literary Tourism are to visit the schools, local district, improving reading corners and forums, to develop the village literary that involves some 46 reading ambassadors//NK

PHOTO : KLHK

Indonesia secured 103,8 million USD from Green Climate Fund (GCF) for REDD+ program for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation activities. This achievement shows that Indonesia efforts to mitigate climate change have the responses from received global community. This moment could be a good start for Indonesia-GCF relations in the future. In the virtual joint press conference between the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Forestry, Ministry of Finance, Thursday August 27, Minister Environmental Affairs and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said this GCF’s recognition is to acknowledge the Indonesian government commitment to lower the gas emission of deforestation and forest degradation.      

"Indonesia have recognition from the global community for the achievement to reducing the gas emission from deforestation and forest degradation activities. This recognition is approval of the Global Climate Fund (GCF) 103,8 million USD to fund the programme based on the result-based payment scheme from REDD+, namely the reducing gas emission from deforestation and forest degradation. This is testament to Indonesia commitment and achievement in controlling climate change" Minister Siti Nurbaya said. 

The proposal from the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Forestry included the result from REDD+ programme 2014-2016 period with reducing about 20,3 million tonne carbon dioxide. Meanwhile Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that the ministry of finance designed many of funding schemes, to support the programme to reduce the gas emission from deforestation and forest degradation activities.

"The Finance Ministry developed the climate change budget since 2016. This is our tracking commitment from budget side. We do many funding innovation such as green sukuk based on syari’I for many projects based on environmental friendly programme in line with the commitment to the climate change. The first green sukuk in 2018 with 1,25 billion USD and 2019 with 150 million USD. We also have green sukuk retail since 2019 with 1,4 trillion rupiah. That means the international attention to finance the climate change activity related is very big" Minister Sri Mulyani said

Indonesia will use the fund to strengthen the coordination, implementation REDD+ programme//NK

PHOTO : MIDDLE-EAST AFFAIRS

Iran has agreed to give International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to two suspected former nuclear sites. As quoted by BBC.com (26/8), a joint statement said Iran was doing so in good faith to resolve outstanding issues related to nuclear safeguards. The agreement came during a visit to Tehran by the IAEA's Director General, Rafael Grossi. The global watchdog has criticized Iran for not answering its questions about possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at the two locations and blocking inspections. It is not clear what inspectors suspect might have happened at the sites.  But it is thought the activities took place in the early 2000s. That is long before Iran struck a landmark deal with world powers that placed limits on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions//BBC