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Commissioner of the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), Alimatul Qibtiyah, at a Ramadhan Study webinar entitled ‘Women and Digital Piety,’ held by Aisyiyah Research and Development Institute (LPPA) on Friday (April 15, 2022). (ANTARA/Tri Meilani Ameliya/FR) - 

Commissioner of the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), Alimatul Qibtiyah, has outlined six methods for preventing online violence.

During a Ramadhan Study webinar entitled 'Women and Digital Piety,’ held by Aisyiyah Research and Development Institute (LPPA) on Friday, she said that people must try and understand how technology works.

Moreover, they must learn and understand the impact of clicking on a link, and be aware that their digital footprint is permanent.

Then, people must be able to control their behavior in the cyber world and look for solutions when they come across negative behaviors.

"To this end, citizens must know the electronic mail address, the hotline number, and the name of institutions that have the authority to handle cybercrime and misbehavior, including sexual violence," she remarked. 

In addition, people need to use their social media wisely.

Such wise behavior comprises not uploading personal content on social media, and not keeping personal videos or photos within devices so that they cannot be utilized by an irresponsible party if they are lost.

Moreover, they must not allow their partners to persuade them to create pornographic content.

"Lastly, or sixthly, people must understand the various forms and types of gender-based violence so that they can avoid the potential of becoming a perpetrator or victim," Qibtiyah said.

During the webinar, she also highlighted four methods that people can utilize to protect themselves from online bullying.

Thus far, bullying is one crime in the digital world that has become increasingly frequent.

"To protect yourself from bullying in the digital world, citizens must not respond (if there is any bullying), and not take revenge. They must keep evidence and report it," she advised//ANT

Participants of the electric motorcycle tour in Pontianak City, West Kalimantan Province. (ANTARA/Dedi/uyu) - 

State-run electricity provider PT PLN (Persero) continues to massively promote the use of electric vehicles by holding a motorcycle tour in Pontianak City, West Kalimantan Province, along with several regional officials and motorcycle associations.

"Through the tour, we expect more number of people to be encouraged to immediately use electric motorbikes since they have been proven to be more efficient and environmentally friendly," West Kalimantan Regional Senior Manager of Commerce and Customer Management of PLN Rizal Azhari stated here on Friday.

Azhari assessed that the trend of using electric vehicles has continued to increase significantly with each passing year, thereby reflecting the high levels of enthusiasm among people to utilize efficient and environmentally friendly transportation mode.

To cover a distance of 60 kilometers (km), a conventional motorbike requires 1.5 liters of fuel that cost Rp11,250 (US$0.78), he noted. Meanwhile, an electric motorcycle can cover the same distance with only two kilowatt per hour (kWh) that cost Rp3,588 (US$0.25).

Hence, electric vehicles are much more economical.

Establishing an electric transportation ecosystem is PT PLN's commitment to supporting the government's program to support safe, green, and smart development, the official emphasized.

"We have provided 112 Electric Charging Stations (SPLU) and Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) at several strategic locations throughout West Kalimantan Province," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Head of the Pontianak City Environment Office, Saptiko, assessed that the electric vehicle tour has a huge impact on the environment by reducing carbon emissions.

Saptiko noted that high levels of carbon emissions will certainly affect climatic conditions since they increased the Earth's surface temperature and caused the ice to melt in the North and South poles.

Land transportation, especially vehicles that use fossil fuel, contribute majorly to the level of carbon emissions, the office head cautioned.

"In addition to providing efficiency, electric motors will improve our air quality. Hence, I urge people to start using electric motors,” he added//ANT

Officers from the Environment Office of Surabaya city and members of Nol Sampah Community hand over eco-friendly shopping bags to visitors at Pucang Market, Surabaya city, East Java province, on April 13, 2022. (ANTARA/HO-Communication and Informatics Office of Surabaya City/uyu) - 

The Environment Office (DLH) of Surabaya City, East Java Province, and the Nol Sampah (Zero Waste) Community intensified the disbursal of non-plastic bags to market visitors as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Coordinator of the Nol Sampah Community, Wawan Some, said here on Friday that the activity was also aimed at disseminating the Surabaya Mayor’s Regulation (Perwali) Number 16 of 2022 concerning Reducing the Use of Plastic Bags in Surabaya City, which took effect on April 9, 2022.

"It is because the dissemination is focused on encouraging buyers to bring their own eco-friendly shopping bags," he added.

Information regarding the regulation was disseminated at Pucang Market and Dukuh Kupang Market on April 13, 2022, he informed. The activity will also be conducted in other markets throughout the city.

He said that in addition to handing out non-plastic bags to market visitors found carrying plastic bags, his group will help them to transfer their groceries to non-plastic bags.

While transferring the groceries, the group will educate visitors regarding the importance of reducing plastic waste, he said.

Plastic waste does not decompose easily and the process takes hundreds of years, Some noted. Meanwhile, burning waste involves a high cost as incinerating one ton of plastic waste requires 12 barrels of oil.

It is hoped that, in the future, traders in the market will no longer provide plastic bags, he said.

"Hence, the regulation is also required to be disseminated to buyers," he added.

However, plastic bags without handles can still be used as containers since a number of commodities are still allowed to be packaged in them, head of infrastructure and waste division at the office, Arif Sugiarto, informed.

"Plastic bags with handles are the ones prohibited under the regulation," he clarified.

Traders who sell wet commodities, such as meat or fish, are allowed to provide plastic bags, he added//ANT

FILE PHOTO: Sajith Premadasa, leader of the opposition alliance, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, marches along with other opposition lawmakers towards Independence Square as they shout slogans against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte - 

Sri Lanka's central bank doubled its key interest rates on Friday (Apr 8), raising each by an unprecedented 700 basis points to tame inflation that has soared due to crippling shortages of basic goods driven by a devastating economic crisis.

The heavily indebted country has little money left to pay for imports, meaning fuel, power, food and, increasingly, medicine are in short supply.

Street protests have been held nearly non-stop for more than a month, despite a five-day state of emergency and a two-day curfew.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka's (CBSL) monetary board raised its standing lending facility to 14.50 per cent and its standing deposit facility to 13.50 per cent.

It cited "inflationary pressures that could further intensify... driven by the build-up of aggregate demand, domestic supply disruptions, exchange rate depreciation and the elevated prices of commodities globally". Inflation hit 18.7 per cent in March.

An analyst had expected hikes of up to 400 basis points.

Thilina Panduwawala, head of economic research at Frontier Research, said the hike showed that the CBSL's new governor, P Nandalal Weerasinghe, was serious about addressing the crisis.

"With the monetary policy tightening now finally clear, the stage is set to take the next vital steps with regards to IMF and debt restructuring and clearly communicate this to the international stage," Panduwawala said.

Finance Minister Ali Sabry said earlier that the country must urgently restructure its debt and seek external financial help, while the main opposition threatened a no-confidence motion in the government and business leaders warned exports could plummet.

"We cannot step away from repaying debt because the consequences are terrifying. There is no alternative, we must restructure our debt," Sabry told parliament.

J.P. Morgan analysts estimate that Sri Lanka's gross debt servicing costs will amount to US$7 billion this year, with a US$1 billion repayment due in July.

"We have to go for a debt moratorium," said Sabry, who offered to quit a day after he was appointed on Monday but later confirmed that he was still finance minister.

"We have to suspend debt repayment for some time and get bilateral and multilateral support to manage our balance of payments."

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is running his administration with only a handful of ministers after his entire cabinet resigned this week, while the opposition and some coalition partners rejected calls for a unity government to deal with the country's worst crisis in decades.

At least 41 lawmakers have quit the ruling coalition to become independents, though the government says it still has a majority in parliament.

"The government needs to address the financial crisis and work to improve governance, or we will move a no-confidence motion," Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya opposition group, said in parliament.

Sabry, a former justice minister, said political stability was necessary as the country prepared to start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month.

Earlier on Friday, nearly two dozen associations, representing industries that collectively employ a fifth of the country's 22 million people, together urged the government to quickly seek financial help from the IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

"We need a solution within weeks or the country will fall off the precipice," Rohan Masakorala, director-general of the Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products, told a news conference.

Masakorala said that both merchandise and service exports could drop 20per cent-30per cent this year due to a dollar shortage, higher freight costs and power cuts.

Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves have plunged some 70 per cent in the past two years, hitting US$1.93 billion at the end of March//CNA