VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - About 50 percent of Palestinian residential units have been partially or completely damaged by the ongoing Israeli offensive in the coastal enclave, a Palestinian official said on Sunday (Oct 22). "The Israeli occupation deliberately damaged residential buildings, public facilities, and service facilities," Salama Maarouf, head of the Hamas-run state media office in Gaza, said in a press statement. "As a result of the intensified Israeli airstrikes, more than 165,000 housing units were partially damaged and nearly 20,000 housing units were completely destroyed or uninhabitable," Maarouf said.

As a result, around 70 percent of local residents were displaced from their homes and moved to 220 shelter centers or other places throughout the Gaza Strip. The Israeli airstrikes were triggered by Hamas' large-scale attacks on Israeli military targets and cities on October 7, which have so far killed at least 1,400 people in Israel. The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip rose to 4,651, the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday. (VOI)

VOI, Jakarta - The Budapest Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) in Hungary has collected data on the list of additional overseas voters (DPTbLN) in several areas that are pockets of Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Hungary for the 2024 General Election.

Quoting Antara, Budapest PPLN Chairman Agung Wicaksono in his official release received by Indonesia Window here on Sunday explained that the data collection for additional voters took place on October 8, 2023, October 13, 2023, and October 15-18, 2023.

Agung said that during the data collection, PPLN recorded more than 100 additional voters, mostly Indonesian migrant workers and students who had just arrived in Hungary. He estimated that the number could increase considering that Indonesian migrant workers and students continue to come to Hungary to study and work.

On the sidelines of the data collection event, PPLN Budapest also held a socialization event for Indonesian citizens regarding the stages of the 2024 Election, including voting in Hungary.

"PPLN Budapest is committed to making the 2024 General Election process understandable to all voters in Hungary. This socialization and data collection effort is an important step to ensure the active participation of the Indonesian people in this (democratic) process," Agung said.

In the same official release, Agung detailed PPLN Budapest's socialization and data collection activities in the past two weeks.

"On October 8, 2023, the first event was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Budapest with participants from among students in Hungary," he said.

He added that Indonesian students who have the right to vote and have just arrived in Hungary are the main target of the activity. The event was also supported by the Indonesian Student Association in Hungary.

Then on October 13, 2023, PPLN Budapest collaborated with the Muhammadiyah Hungary Special Branch to socialize the 2024 Election. Members of PPLN Budapest, on the same day, also traveled to Szarvas City to record Indonesian migrant workers as well as provide information on how they could vote during elections in Hungary.

The other agenda took place on October 15, 2023 and October 18, 2023 at the Indonesian migrant workers' dormitory in Budapest.

"This activity is important because many Indonesian migrant workers have just arrived in Hungary. PPLN Budapest seeks to ensure that their voting rights can be accommodated," Agung said.
Not only that, PPLN Budapest also held counseling related to elections and data collection of additional voters in Pecs City on October 17, 2023, Agung added. (VOI)

The Ministry of Health is intensifying the handling of mpox (monkeypox) cases through four measures — surveillance, therapeutics, vaccinations, and risk communication.

This was conveyed by the ministry's director general of disease prevention and control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, when contacted here on Monday.

According to him, the measures have been taken in response to the seven active cases of mpox in Indonesia, which have all been detected in Jakarta.

He said that the efforts to curb cases through surveillance have included epidemiological investigations of confirmed cases so that close contacts can be traced and the source of infection can be identified, and the results of the investigations will continue to be updated.

Another form of surveillance has been the setting up of a reference laboratory to confirm cases and conduct sequencing.

"We are also routinely coordinating with health offices, community health centers (puskesmas), and hospitals and utilizing recording and reporting via the Mpox NAR (New All Record system)," he informed.

Rondonuwu further said that therapeutic and vaccination efforts are being made by preparing the logistics for medicines, treatment, and monitoring isolation, as well as conducting pilot vaccinations for risk groups such as health workers and close contacts.

The Ministry of Health is also intensively carrying out risk communication by sending alerts through circular letters to all health officials in regions and notifying the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding confirmed cases.

"We are also trying to provide communication media, such as FAQs (frequently asked questions) and short videos," he added.

The Health Ministry is also actively collecting global and regional information through trusted official information portals, which will be periodically reported to the relevant stakeholders.

The ministry has so far confirmed seven active cases of mpox in Indonesia. All of them have been detected in Jakarta.

The seven active cases have involved local transmission, though one of the patients has a history of travel abroad. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian runner Saptoyogo Purnomo clinched the first gold medal for Indonesia at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.

He emerged as the winner in the men's 400-meter T37 race with a record of 54.80 seconds, 1.83 seconds ahead of Apisit Taprom (Thailand) and 2.75 seconds ahead of Thamer Ahmed Alzahrani (Saudi Arabia).

Taprom won the silver medal, and Alzahrani took the bronze.

Purnomo's achievement at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games extends his list of achievements.

He recently qualified for a spot in the 2024 Paris Paralympics by winning a silver medal in the men's 100m T37 at the 2023 World Para-Athletics Championships in Paris in July.

With Purnomo's victory, the Indonesian para-athletics team has so far garnered two medals at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games. Earlier, Suparni Yati won silver in the shot-put F20 with the second-best record of 11.12 meters.

Overall, the Indonesian contingent has collected four medals at the games. The other two medals came from para-cycling, with Sri Sugiyanti winning silver in the women's 3,000-meter Indoor Pursuit and Nurfendi taking the bronze in the men's 4,000 m Indoor Pursuit.

The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games will conclude on Saturday (October 28), and the Indonesian contingent will return home the following day.

Indonesia aims to finish in the top 10 at the games with a goal of 19 gold, 23 silver, and 25 bronze medals.

The National Paralympics Committee of Indonesia sent 130 athletes to participate in Huangzhou.

They are competing in 12 sports: athletics, swimming, weightlifting, badminton, cycling, shooting, judo, boccia, chess, lawn bowls, archery, and table tennis. (Antaranews)