VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Bali Acting Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya set an emergency alert status on the island for the next 14 days in response to the recent fire and drought conditions.

"By looking at the development of the existing situation, for community protection, improving preparedness, and easing access, we agreed to establish an emergency alert status for the next 14 days, starting today," he remarked here on Thursday.

Jaya stated that the Bali administration is striving to expedite steps to extinguish fires that are currently occurring. It also continues to distribute aid to areas experiencing clean water crises due to the drought.

"According to the regulations, (the determination of emergency alert status) is the lowest escalation, so we can mobilize (disaster handling) easier and give space for support," he explained.

At the coordination meeting with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Chief of the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) I Made Rentin requested more tools needed for handling the drought during the emergency status.

He also requested BNPB's assistance in applying weather modification technology to produce artificial rain in Bali.

Based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG's) data, three sub-districts in Bali Province had received no rains for 94 days in a row.

"They are Kubu Sub-district, Karangasem District, Kubutambahan in Buleleng District, and Gerokgak in Buleleng. The weather modification technology is urgent to be carried out in Bali," Rentin emphasized.

In response to the request, Chief of BNPB Suharyanto stated that Bali should submit the proposal for additional equipment soon.

He also promised to deploy the air fleet that will conduct weather modification, though he said they are still being used in other regions experiencing disasters, such as Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Riau.

He deemed it crucial to promptly handle disasters in Bali since it is the location for several international events. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - State electricity firm PT PLN established new and renewable energy development cooperation with nine Chinese companies during the Indonesia-China Business Forum (ICBF) in Beijing, China.

According to a press release received here on Thursday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) witnessed the signing of two cooperation agreements between PLN and two Chinese large clean energy companies during his working visit to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 15-18, 2023.

In addition to the inking of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) witnessed by President Jokowi, PLN signed seven other MoUs, with a total valuation of US$54 billion, which include cooperation with the Export-Import Bank of China, Sinosure, and the Bank of China.

Moreover, PLN signed MoUs with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, State Development & Investment Corp. Ltd., Huawei Tech Investment, and China Energy International Group.

In his remarks, President Jokowi said his visit to Beijing aims to strengthen bilateral relations between both nations.

Three priority issues were raised in the ICBF, namely exports, investment, and food security.

"We discussed a number of priority issues with China that include increasing Indonesia's exports, investment, and building food security," the president stated.

Meanwhile, PLN has an important role in increasing investment between China and Indonesia in the energy sector and supporting the government's commitment to accelerating energy transition.

PLN also signed an MoU with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and Trina Solar China in smart grid development.

Smart grid development is considered the backbone of clean electricity in Indonesia.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo, who also accompanied President Jokowi at the Indonesia-China Business Forum, stated that PLN's collaboration with SGCC is expected to boost the development of energy transition in the country.

"Together, we will build a green and smart supergrid transmission line and expand the partnership forward," Prasodjo remarked. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Under the cloudy and rainy skyline of Lisbon this fall, hundreds of Portuguese citizens gathered in the backyard of the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon. The long queue proved that the passion of Portuguese citizens to enjoy Indonesian cuisine remains great.

The "Mercado Culinário Indonésio 2023: Outono", which returned after a hugely successful spring event in May 2023, is now a much-anticipated annual event. Not only locals, but also many diplomatic partners and government agencies in Portugal attend and enjoy Indonesian food and cultural performances.

First introduced in the spring of 2017, this event was initially only held once a year. However, seeing the increasing enthusiasm of the Portuguese people, since 2022 the event has been held twice a year, every spring and fall. In fact, the number of visitors continues to increase, a testament to the fact that Indonesian cuisine is increasingly finding a place in the hearts of the Portuguese people.

It was not difficult to find Indonesia's favorite culinary dish at this event. There are about 50 variants of Indonesian dishes, ranging from Chicken Satay, Fried Rice, Rendang, Soto, Bakso, Gado-gado to market snacks such as bakwan, stuffed tofu, risoles, onde-onde, sticky rice, cimol and many other snacks that arouse the curiosity of every visitor. There is also a wide selection of refreshing traditional drinks such as es soda gembira, es teler, es cendol, es kopyor, es jeli kelapa, bandrek, bajigur and others.

João Filipe from Oeiras, one of Mercado Culinario Indonesio's loyal visitors every year, expressed his love for Indonesian cuisine. "I always try new dishes every time I visit here. It's like visiting a food market in Indonesia without having to fly there."

One of the diplomats from Australia, Jess Healey, was seen refilling her plate several times with satay lontong from the Selera Indonesia booth run by the DWP of the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon. The culinary event reminded her of her vacation to Indonesia last summer. "It's great to be able to experience Indonesian food and warmth like this in Portugal". Heidi from Egypt and Asha from India, who came with their families, enjoyed the meatballs and chicken satay while chatting under the tent provided by the committee.

In addition to culinary promotions, the yard of the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon, which was packed with around 350 visitors, was also decorated with traditional dance performances. Panyembrama Dance, Dayak Enggang Dance, and Dindin Badindin Dance were all presented with passion and warmth. Especially for the Dindin Badindin Dance, the performance was presented by a group of little dancers fostered by the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Portugal, in his speech, expressed his pride. "Our goal is not only to introduce flavors, but also culture. We want to present Indonesia to the people of Portugal."

The Indonesian Embassy's counterpart from the President's office, a number of ambassadors and diplomats from friendly countries such as India, Thailand, Cabo Verde, Timor Leste, Australia, Ireland, Finland, England, Peru, Egypt, and Serbia were present and enjoyed the Indonesian dishes. They expressed their admiration for the diversity of Indonesian cuisine, the interesting presentation of the event, and the typical Indonesian hospitality they felt while visiting the Mercado Culinario Indonesio Outono 2023.

This positive impact is not only felt in the form of attendance and enthusiasm. There is an economic value that grows with the popularity of Indonesian cuisine in Portugal. Demand for Indonesian specialties has increased, encouraging economic cooperation between the two countries through export-import activities.

The two countries, which may be geographically distant, are now closer thanks to culinary and cultural ties. Perhaps this is one proof that food has the power to unite people from different parts of the world.

The Mercado atmosphere became even more festive with the distribution of quiz prizes and door prizes to visitors, ranging from dining vouchers at restaurants, Indonesian souvernirs, Indonesian spa vouchers, to hotel stay prizes.

Surely this excitement will be a special memory that will always be remembered and looked forward to by the loyal visitors of Mercado Culinario Indonesio. (Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon)

VOINews, Jakarta - The 2023 Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia concluded today, Sunday, October 15, 2023. During the 3 days of activities, this international racing event was successful and was closed well by the victory of Francesco Bagnaia from Ducati Lenovo Team.

President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Nicke Widyawati appreciated the support of all parties for the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023.

"We hope Pertamina's support can bring motorsport in the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia event to success and make achievements for Indonesia as an international event organizer," she said.

This event is not only a racing party, but is able to have a positive impact on the economy, including local entrepreneurs and attracting tourists.

Before the race took place, Nicke and a number of Pertamina Group officials also took the time to visit the Pit Lane Walk area at Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. Nicke encouraged several teams, including Pertamina Mandalika SAG Racing Team and VR46 team.

"Earlier I also visited a number of racing teams and they said racing at Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit is always memorable," she said.

Pertamina as the Main Sponsor of Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023, also prepares infrastructure to the availability of fuel for the community during the event, especially in the Mandalika area. This racing competition is also proven to be able to increase tourist interest, to help drive the economy for both local entrepreneurs and the regional economy.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the field of energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuing to encourage programs that have a direct impact on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). All of these efforts are in line with the implementation of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) in all Pertamina's business lines and operations. (Pertamina)