VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Women and children make up two-thirds of the victims of the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan who were hospitalized with severe injuries, the head of the World Health Organization's emergency response in the country said on Monday.

The Taliban administration said at least 2,400 people were killed and over 2,000 injured in Saturday's quakes which were among the world's deadliest this year, after temblors in Turkey and Syria in which an estimated 50,000 people were killed.

"The earthquake happened around 11 in the morning, when men were out of the houses, so majority of those who are injured and died are women and children who were inside the houses at the time," WHO's Dr Alaa AbouZeid told Reuters in a video interview.

"Two-thirds of those with severe injuries who are admitted in the hospital I have seen yesterday are children and women," he said, referring to his time in Herat following the quake.

He also warned that financing the humanitarian operations remained critical, with global attention and funding shifting away from Afghanistan. That could be attributed to competing or emerging crises around the world, such in the Middle East and Ukraine, and amid concerns over Taliban restrictions on women, diplomats and aid officials say.

AbouZeid said it was "devastating" to see the number of children in hospital in critical condition.

"I have seen a child like 3-4 months old with head trauma, due to the earthquake," he said.

Head trauma can cause long-lasting debilitating effects or disabilities, AbouZeid said. The WHO's response teams were taking the matter seriously, given the impact of such injuries on the victim and their families who would need to support them in the long run, he said.

While the response teams saved many lives, hospitals need to be better equipped to deal with further casualties and similar situations in future, he said.

Afghanistan's healthcare system, largely reliant on foreign aid, has faced crippling cuts in the two years since the Taliban took over and much international assistance, forming the backbone of the economy, was halted.

The U.N.'s humanitarian office has announced $5 million worth of assistance for the quake response, but immediate material support has come from a limited few countries.

"The news diverted to what's going on in the Middle East over the past two days and there was very little attention" towards the existing crisis in Afghanistan, he said. (Reuters)

China on Monday extended an investigation into what it calls Taiwan's trade barriers against it by three months to the eve of the island's presidential election, prompting Taipei to accuse Beijing of attempting to interfere in the vote.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, frequently accuses Beijing of seeking to exert pressure, whether military or economic, to sway the outcome of its elections to ensure an outcome favourable to the Chinese government.

China's Commerce Ministry originally announced the probe into what it says are Taiwan's trade barriers in April, but has now extended the investigation period to Jan. 12, one day before Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Taiwanese government's Office of Trade Negotiations said the extension of the probe "once again proves that China's so-called trade investigation is politically motivated and an attempt to interfere with our elections with economic coercion".

Extending the date to Jan. 12, just before the election, "highlights the political motivations" behind the decision, it added.

It also violated the norms of the World Trade Organization, the office said, of which both Taiwan and China are members.

"We have said many times that any bilateral trade issues should be resolved through consultation between the two sides in accordance with WTO mechanisms. We also once again call on China to return to the right track and not to repeatedly manipulate trade issues politically."

The brief statement from China's Commerce Ministry into the extension gave no details or explanation for why they made the decision.

Taiwan has denounced what it calls Chinese economic coercion before, including China's punishment of Lithuania with trade measures after the European Union member allowed Taipei to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius.

China's government has refused to speak to the government of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who it accuses of being a separatist. She has repeatedly offered talks with China, but says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Tsai's deputy, Vice President William Lai, is the frontrunner to be Taiwan's next president, according to opinion polls. He has also offered to talk to China, thought it also calls him a separatist. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has committed US$5 million in funding for the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum, as a form of real contribution to sustainable development.

"The funding commitment is planned for 2022 to 2025," said Jodi Mahardi, Deputy for Maritime Sovereignty and Energy Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Monday.

So far, such a funding commitment has only come from Indonesia and is expected to be followed by other countries or other international organizations, he added.

Mahardi expressed hope that the increased funding commitment for the AIS Forum will have an even more positive impact, especially during Indonesia's leadership of the region and in island and archipelagic countries.

"We hope this will be a breakthrough for blue economy diplomacy at the global level," he said.

He noted that given Indonesia's abundant natural resources, there is great potential to improve the blue economy to support sustainability.

The AIS Forum was formed based on the Manado Declaration on November 1, 2018, at the AIS Forum Ministerial-Level Meeting.

Since then, Indonesia has contributed to the forum in several ways, including in the establishment of the AIS Secretariat and in program development.

Indonesia contributed US$1 million to establish the secretariat, implement cooperation, and strengthen collaboration between countries in 2019.

"We had created a knowledge-sharing platform along with workshops," Mahardi stated.

He added that the activity also involved youth, innovators, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in efforts to support the development of the blue economy.

The AIS Forum 2023 High-Level Meeting is scheduled to be held on October 11, 2023 in Nusa Dua.

The meeting is aimed at strengthening the AIS Forum's role as a center for smart and innovative solutions and as a forum for mutual cooperation in pushing forward the future agenda, namely global ocean governance. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Archipelagic and Island States Summit (AIS Summit) Forum 2023 increased hotel occupancy in the Nusa Dua resort area by an average of 90 percent, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali revealed.

"Hotel occupancy in Nusa Dua and its vicinity is already full, averaging 90 percent," PHRI Bali secretary Perry Markus stated in Nusa Dua, Badung District, Bali, Monday.

Since several international events are still held in Bali, hotel occupancy is expected to last through the third week of October or until the end of October 2023.

The Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which is in charge of managing the Nusa Dua area, stated that currently, there are 5,579 hotel rooms in the area.

The AIS Forum 2023 Summit will be hosted at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) in Nusa Dua.

ITDC has been managing the exclusive area, spanning 350 hectares, for nearly five decades.

A total of 5,579 hotel rooms were distributed over 14 five-star hotels, three four-star hotels, and three luxury villas equipped with conference and exhibition (MICE) facilities, accommodating a total of 21 thousand delegates.

Markus remarked that MICE visitors spend a lot of money, with an estimated Rp1 million a day per individual that excluded transportation and souvenir purchasing.

Although the AIS Forum Summit was held on October 10-11, 2023, a series of events preceding the summit were held in Bali a week ago.

The AIS Forum has an economic influence on Bali's tourism and other sectors, such as printing and the food and beverage industry.

"International activities held in Bali increase occupancy in Bali, especially conferences and exhibitions," Markus stated.

Furthermore, the AIS Forum was held during the general visiting season that included the low season.

According to General Manager of The Nusa Dua, Gusti Ngurah Ardita, the choice of the luxury area as a location to stay for world leaders increased the providers' trust in the quality of services and facilities of international standard.

"For the AIS Forum Summit, numerous hotels in our area were chosen as the place for the stay of the head of state or delegation leader to demonstrate trust in our region's excellence," Ardita stated. (Antaranews)