VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Women walk past a building damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 21, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko - 

The mayor of Mariupol made a new appeal on Friday (Apr 22) for the "full evacuation" of the southern Ukrainian city in which President Vladimir Putin says is now controlled by Russian forces.

"We need only one thing - the full evacuation of the population. About 100,000 people remain in Mariupol," Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on national television.

Boichenko, who is no longer in Mariupol, did not provide any update on any fighting in or around the city on the Sea of Azov. But he said, without giving details, that Russian forces' "mockery" of those left in Mariupol continued.

Boichenko told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that Putin alone can decide the fate of the civilians still trapped in Mariupol.

Under heavy bombardment, citizens who did not flee during nearly two months of siege and fighting have suffered without electricity, heating or water.

Boichenko has said tens of thousands of residents have been killed. The figure cannot be verified. Russia denies targeting civilians.

Putin said on Thursday Russian troops had "liberated" Mariupol, which would make it the biggest city to fall into Russian hands since the start of what Moscow calls a "special military operation."

But a contingent of Ukrainian fighters is still holding out in the underground bunkers of the Azovstal steel complex, alongside hundreds of civilians in desperate conditions, according to Ukrainian authorities.

A small convoy was able to leave the city on Wednesday, reaching the Ukraine-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said separately that Ukraine was not attempting to establish any humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian cities and towns on Friday.

"Due to the danger on the routes today, Apr 22, there will be no humanitarian corridors," she wrote on Facebook.

"To all those waiting to be evacuated: Be patient, please hold on!"//CNA

Illustration : one of digital platform in Indonesia - 

Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency Angela Tanoesoedibjo emphasized that the role of women, supported by digitalization, is an important factor in nation building.

This was conveyed by Angela in the National Webinar with the theme "Women Inspire and Empower in the Digital Age", Thursday (21/4/2022) which was organized by the PKK Motivating Team (TP) of South Sumatra Province.

Angela explained, throughout 2021, Indonesia's digital economy will experience enormous growth. The Southeast Asia 2021 economic report states that throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021 there will be an increase of 21 million new digital consumers.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Friday (22/04/22), the Ministry of Trade has predicted that Indonesia's digital economy will grow to Rp 4,531 trillion in 2030 with the e-commerce sector as the main driver. Seeing the growth of the digital economy in Indonesia and its future potential, Indonesian women need to take an active role in increasing literacy in utilizing technological advances.

"Technology will continue to develop. Today we have seen new types of capital such as Fintech, there is also Hyper Targeting Marketing, or more customized promotions, or big data analysis that can provide more productive insights and market predictions that are more efficient for our business. Then there is the use of AoT to collect data, cloud, lockchain technology, NFT, and Metaverse and so on," said Angela.

Seeing these technological developments, Angela said, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy through its programs is committed to increasing public literacy, especially women in utilizing technological developments. Given that 64.5 percent of MSMEs in Indonesia are managed by women.

"The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy continues to be committed to supporting HR development with upskilling, reskilling, and entrepreneurship programs in the tourism sector. In addition, we also carry out onboarding programs and business assistance to digital platforms in order to help business actors adapt to the use of technology and become ready to compete in the digital era , said Angela.

In addition, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also supports business actors in business management training, especially in financial management, facilitating access to capital and facilitating IPR protection (intellectual property rights) as the main obstacle for creative economy business actors.

Angela reminded that technology will continue to develop so that digital literacy for women is very crucial. Not only in big cities, but to remote areas of the country so that economic equality can occur.

"I believe that by increasing digital literacy for women, Indonesian families will be more prosperous," said Angela//VOI

Ministry of Trade's international trade negotiations director general, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, at the ‘Evolution of the Pepper Industry: Expanding the Global Consumption Through its Value-Added Products and Innovation’ webinar. (ANTARA/ HO Biro Humas Kementerian Perdagangan/FR) - 

The Ministry of Trade has urged the International Pepper Community (IPC) to continue efforts to improve the global pepper industry, the ministry's international trade negotiations director general, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, has stated.

The efforts include holding innovative programs and conducting scientific research to maintain the stability of global pepper prices, Witjaksono, who is also the Indonesian national liaison officer (NLO) for IPC, noted in a statement issued on Friday.

"It is expected that the IPC Secretariat can produce innovative programs and scientific research on new ideas to utilize pepper, specifically in large industry," he said.

The price of pepper has remained relatively stagnant compared to other commodities, such as palm oil, whose prices have experienced a decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he informed.

He then urged the IPC to conduct a comprehensive analysis and reformulate activity programs to maintain the stable price of pepper.

He made the remarks at the ‘Evolution of the Pepper Industry: Expanding the Global Consumption Through its Value-Added Products and Innovation’ webinar, which was organized to commemorate IPC's 50th anniversary and International Pepper Day.

A logo design was also unveiled at the event and an award placard was presented to PT Haniori as the winner of the 2020 IPC Award from Indonesia in the category of ‘Excellence in Export of Value-Added Pepper and Pepper Products.’

IPC is an international organization whose membership comprises pepper-producing countries of the world. It was established in 1972 and, ever since 1976, its office has been located here.

The IPC’s permanent members currently comprise India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, its association members comprise Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. The organization's main function is to carry out coordination to advance the pepper industry and trade in member nations//ANT

Screenshot of the #AkudanKaoPeduliBumi webinar which coincides with 2022 Earth Day held by the Health Ministry along with Kao Indonesia on Friday (April 22, 2022). (ANTARA/HO-Kao Indonesia/FR) - 

The Health Ministry expands the Healthy Community Movement (Germas) through a Pentahelix partnership with the private sector, community, and the public in commemoration of 2022 Earth Day.

People's empowerment is important to be carried out in order to fix health and environmental issues, Health Ministry's official, Anas Ma'ruf, noted through a press statement on Friday.

One of the ways to support this is through the clean water and sanitation program via the People-Based Total Sanitation (STBM) approach, the official remarked during the #AkudanKaoPeduliBumi webinar that coincides with 2022 Earth Day.

This approach is taken through collaboration with the Ciliwung Caring Community (MATPECI) in maintaining cleanliness of the most important river that crosses Jakarta.

The community-based work program involves micro communities, such as Karang Taruna, Indonesia's youth organization, and integrated health services posts (Posyandu).

"Various activities that we conduct along Ciliwung River include cleaning the river bank, planting trees, dispersing fish seeds, and conducting eco-edu-tourism," MATPECI Founder Usman Firdaus noted.

Meanwhile, Ma'ruf lauded Kao Indonesia's initiative in providing real contribution to improve the people's quality of life, specifically in promoting environmental health that directly involved the people.

The company's Corporate Communications Manager, Wisik Restu, noted that the collaboration is the enterprise's commitment to improving Indonesians' quality of life through a variety of sustainable education, health promotion, and environmental activities.

In 2022, the company continues its environment and health promotion education by targeting 15 thousand primary and middle school children in five major cities in Indonesia.

It also invites and disseminates information on the 13th International Environment Painting Activity themed, "Let's Make Our Environment Sustainable Together."

The company expects that by focusing its activity on the younger generation, it can turn them into the agents of change, Restu affirmed.

These youngsters can then be able to influence the people around them to start taking real actions for the sake of health and the environment, she stated//ANT