VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tohoku Power Electric Co.'s Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant is seen in Onagawa town, Miyagi Prefecture, September 7, 2011. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo - 

TOKYO : Japan's Tohoku Electric Power said on Wednesday it will delay the restart of reactor No. 2 at its Onagawa nuclear station due to additional safety construction works, keeping all its nuclear power plants shutdown since the 2011 earthquake.

Japan is gradually bringing nuclear power back to its energy mix in a move to reach carbon neutrality goals and to reduce imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) which it imports from elsewhere including from Russia.

Tohoku, whose Onawaga plant was closest among Japan's nuclear stations to the epicentre of the magnitude-9 quake in March 2011, received a regulatory approval to restart the No. 2 reactor in 2020 but has seen a delay in completion of safety construction measures.

On Wednesday, it said it expected a delay of several months in finishing safety construction measures earlier targeted for February. Timing of the reactor restart, set for May, will also be changed, Tohoku said, without providing a new timeline.

The station was swamped by the 2011 tsunami, but survived with its cooling system intact, saving its reactors from the threat of meltdowns similar to those that occurred at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi plant to the south.

Japan's Hokuriku Electric Power on Sunday reported a small oil leak from its Shika nuclear power station, which was shaken by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, but said external radiation levels were not affected and there were no adverse impacts on the environment or human health.

Days before the magnitude 7.6 quake, which has killed over 200 people in the Hokuriku region, Japan's nuclear power regulator lifted an operational ban on Tokyo Electric Power's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's biggest.

Resumption of the plant, offline following the Fukushima disaster, needs consent from the local governments of Niigata prefecture, Kashiwazaki city and Kariwa village, where it is located, and its timing is unknown//CNA-VOI

Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat Setya Utama in a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta - 

Voinews, Jakarta - The Presidential Palace begins discussions on preparations for holding the independence ceremony in the Indonesian Capital City (IKN) on August 17, 2024.

Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat Setya Utama in a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Tuesday (9/1), said that the discussion was carried out in a large meeting involving all ministries and institutions, police and military representatives at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta.

He explained that in the first meeting he had discussed the details of the ceremony.

"Well, what we talked about earlier has started to get into the details. And we are committed to carrying out all the independence month series which are usually held in Jakarta at IKN. So there are provisions that must be implemented that the organizer is at IKN and we will do it there. Of course the preparations have to start now", Setya Utama said.

Setya Utama explained that the government has around 8 months to prepare for holding the Independence ceremony in the Indonesian capital//VOI

President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo meets with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday morning (10/1/2024) at Malacanang Palace, Philippines.(Photo: Screenshot of RTVMalacanang YouTube LIVE Broadcast)

VOInews, Jakarta: President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo met with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday morning (10/1/2024) at Malacanang Palace, Philippines in the framework of bilateral meetings between the two countries. In his official statement, President Joko Widodo said Indonesia and the Philippines agreed to strengthen border cooperation and discussed the importance of revising border patrol agreements and cross-border agreements.

"In the field of politics and security, we agreed to strengthen border cooperation and I have conveyed, the importance of encouraging the acceleration of revisions of border patrol agreements and border crossing agreements and the completion of the contiguous shelf boundary as well as strengthening defense cooperation including strengthening defense equipment," President Joko Widodo said in an official statement broadcast live on the RTVMalacanang YouTube account, which was monitored from Jakarta, Wednesday (10/1/2024).

Regarding economic cooperation, President Joko Widodo said the two countries agreed to continue to open market access and safety measures related to Indonesian coffee products.

"To increase trade, we agreed to continue to open market access and Indonesia asked for Philippine support related to special safeguard measures for Indonesian coffee products," President Joko Widodo said.

President Joko Widodo also appreciated the Philippines' trust in Indonesian SOEs in building important infrastructure in the Philippines.

"I appreciate the Philippines' trust in Indonesian SOEs in building important infrastructure in the Philippines and the Groundbreaking of the North-South Commuter Rail Project is important to be accelerated," he continued.

Furthermore, on regional cooperation, President Joko Widodo said that Indonesia and the Philippines see the importance of strengthening the unity and centrality of ASEAN and must uphold the principles of international law and maintain a positive image for peace, stability and prosperity.

Mahendra Siregar during a press briefing held by the Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) Mahendra Siregar said that the stability of the national financial services sector is well maintained, supported by strong capital, adequate liquidity, maintained risk profile, so that it is expected to be able to face the potential slowdown in global economic growth.

Mahendra at the Services Sector Assessment Press Conference OJK Finance and Policy Results of the December 2023 Monthly Board of Commissioners (RDK) Meeting which was held virtually in Jakarta on Tuesday explained, Economic indicators show moderation in economic growth in several countries, especially in the European Union and China. 
 
"Slowing economic growth pushed inflation down closer to the inflation target, thereby providing room for the central bank to be more accommodative. In the US, the Fed indicated that it would reduce the policy interest rate by 75 bps in 2024 with the market assessing that the US economy is still quite resilient and is not expected to experience a recession", Mahendra Siregar said. 
 
According to Mahendra, the market is still paying close attention to future geopolitical developments, such as the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea as a result of the Palestine-Israel conflict, as well as the holding of general elections covering 50 percent of the world's population, especially in several major countries such as the US, European Union, India and Taiwan.

He added that, in general, sentiment on global financial markets tends to be positive in December 2023//VOI