VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - North Korea denied on Friday its weapons were used by Hamas in the attack against Israel, saying the claim made in some media reports was a bid by Washington to divert the blame for the conflict from itself to a third country.

Military experts said this week that photos from the conflict showed Hamas militants may be using North Korean weapons, including possible F-7 rocket-propelled grenades.

There have been reports of Hamas using the F-7 for several years, said Bruce Bechtol, a professor at Angelo State University in Texas, who has done research on North Korea's arms sales.

"This could be new supplies or from previous shipments going back as far as 2009," he said, adding that in any case the weapons likely took an indirect route to Hamas from North Korea through Iran or Syria.

The North's official KCNA news agency called the claims of its weapons being used in the attacks "a groundless and false rumour".

"It is nothing but a bid to shift the blame for the Middle East crisis caused by (the United States') wrong hegemonic policy onto a third country and thus evade the international criticism focused on the empire of evil," it said.

According to European researchers Joost Oliemans and Stijn Mitzer, the F-7 is easily discernible from similar RPGs by the red band around the warhead. Such red bands are visible in photos shared by the Israeli Defense Force, and other social media accounts.

The F-7, as well as small numbers of North Korean Bulsae-2 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), were seen in use by Hamas in 2021 clashes as well, the researchers said at the time.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday said he could not confirm the reports about the source of the rockets being used by Hamas.

The United States' security strategy elsewhere in the world including the Korean peninsula will not be affected by the Israel-Hamas crisis, Kirby added.

North Korea's state media earlier this week blamed Israel for causing bloodshed in Gaza.

The latest Israel-Palestinian conflict began on the weekend with a surprise attack by Hamas, the deadliest by Palestinian militants in Israeli history. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to support implementation of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali in May 2024 from each region in the regional process: the Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and America.

"The 2nd Stakeholder Consultation Meeting (SCM) in Bali plays an important role as the foundation of the 10th WWF in Bali next year. This meeting is expected to link the three processes, namely thematic, political, and regional, as a foundation for the 10th WWF," Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono noted in a statement received on Friday.

Hadimuljono also remarked that results of the 10th WWF in Bali will contribute to shaping the future of water sustainability.

The LOI signing was carried out by Chair of the Secretariat of the 10th WWF National Organizing Committee and Secretary General of the PUPR Ministry, Mohammad Zainal Fatah, with Secretary General of the World Water Council (WWC), Valerie Bistagne, and each representative from each region.

The signing was also witnessed by Minister Hadimuljono and President of the World Water Council (WWC), Loic Fauchon, at the 2nd SCM on October 12-13, 2023, in Bali.

From the Mediterranean region, the signing was represented by President of the Mediterranean Water Institute, Alain Meyssonnier. Meanwhile, the American region was represented by Co-Coordinator of the Americas Regional Process 10th WWF, Benedito Braga.

For the Asia-Pacific region, the signing was represented by Acting Chair of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum Changhua Wu and Secretary General of the Asia Water Council Cho Yong Deok.

Lastly, the African region was represented by Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the African Minister's Council on Water, Tahani Sileet, and Executive Secretary Committee of the African Minister's Council on Water, Rashied Mbaziira.

The minister stated that the thematic process has determined six sub-themes for the forum, namely Water Security and Prosperity; Water for Humans and Nature; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Governance; Cooperation; and Hydro-diplomacy, Sustainable Water Finance, Knowledge, and Innovation.

"While for the regional process, we have decided to divide it into four regions, namely the Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and America. Discussion is needed at the regional level because each region has unique and different challenges regarding water," he revealed.

Furthermore, meetings for the political process will be divided into meetings at the level of heads of state, ministers, parliament, regional governments, and river basin authorities, Hadimuljono stated. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The government has cut down procedures and permits to make it easier for people to open micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

"The government has made it easier for business actors to set up micro and small enterprises (MSEs) through individual companies, which are regulated in the Job Creation Law," director general of General Legal Administration (AHU) at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Cahyo R. Muzhar, informed in a statement issued in Jakarta on Thursday.

He made the statement during a focus group discussion (FGD) themed "Starting Business," which was held as part of a series of activities of the 61st Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) in Bali.

The policy that makes it easier for people, especially MSEs, to open new businesses has been implemented as part of the Job Creation Law.

Overlapping regulations and complicated procedures have been cut. Now, businesses can be set up by simply submitting a statement regarding their establishment, he said.

So far, if anyone wanted to set up a company, they needed to fulfill many conditions and procedures; therefore, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is trying to make it easier to set up a company, including by establishing an individual company.

According to Muzhar, President Joko Widodo has called for ensuring the ease of doing business, especially for micro and small businesses.

Individual companies, he said, are one option for micro and small business actors to set up a company.

The ministry's coordinator of legal entities at the AHU, Laila Yunara, said that to establish individual companies, business actors need to be Indonesian citizens, at least 17 years old, and require a maximum capital of Rp5 billion (around US$318 thousand).

"The advantages of individual companies are the separation of assets and the freedom to determine the amount of capital. Apart from that, the method is also easy, namely filling out the form, and the registration fee is only Rp50 thousand (US$3). After that, the individual company immediately gets legal entity status and, at the same time, obtains taxpayer identification numbers (NPWP) for corporations," she explained.

According to Yunara, an individual company can also change into a capital partnership company if there is more than one shareholder or it no longer meets the MSE criteria.

"Before becoming a capital partnership company, an individual company changes its status through a notarial deed and is registered electronically," she said.

An applicant, via a notary, would need to fill out a statement electronically stating that the format of the company and information regarding the supporting documents submitted are in accordance with the provisions of the laws and regulations.

"The applicant is fully responsible for the correctness of the format and information," Yunara said.

AALCO, which was founded in 1956, is an international cooperation forum that seeks to support the development of its 47 member countries by providing assistance with legal issues.

The institution has made a major contribution to the economic development of the Asia-Africa region, including Indonesia, which is the largest economic power in Southeast Asia.

The 61st yearly AALCO meeting, which will be held on October 15-20, will feature conferences and business and investment exhibitions, as well as a series of discussions involving the youth to discuss issues in the legal and business infrastructure, including the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector.

This forum is expected to promote legal development in Indonesia for the business world and bridge the information gap between policymakers and business actors. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has said that job creation is one of the essential factors for realizing the 2045 Golden Indonesia vision.

Under the 2045 vision, Indonesia is targeting to increase its per capita income to US$30,300, among other things.

"I am formulating it on the creation of jobs and affordable living costs to achieve 2045 Golden Indonesia," he said while delivering a speech as a key speaker at the "Blue Ocean Strategy Fellowship" event in Jakarta on Thursday.

Job creation in the tourism and creative economy sectors is being achieved through tourism villages, whose number has continued to increase every year, Uno informed.

According to him, tourism villages do not only serve as tourist destinations, but also have an impact on improving the economy and opening up job opportunities, especially for local communities in tourism areas.

The number of tourism villages in 2021 stood at 1,831 and increased to 3,419 in 2022 and 4,573 in 2023.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is targeting the creation of 4.4 million jobs in the tourism and creative economy sectors in 2024.

"If we saw that many people lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, then the tourism sector is an opportunity to restore jobs," he noted.

The minister further said that the creative economy sector also plays a role in the national economy. In 2022, its contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP) reached Rp1,134.9 trillion (around US$72.24 billion).

The role of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the youth is also deemed important for advancing Indonesia's economy. The youth are considered to have the potential to become a hope for the future to support the nation's economic sustainability.

To this end, Uno urged the youth to continue to improve their competence so they are able to compete.

"We must invest more in human resources so that big opportunities can be attained, as well as to avoid the middle-income trap," he added. (Antaranews)