VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The sun sets behind a crude oil pump jack on a drill pad in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S. November 24, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo

VOInews, Texas, U.S : Oil prices edged higher on Thursday due to supply concerns triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Brent crude futures for January rose 28 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to $73.09. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for January rose 28 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $69.03.

Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday, the latest new Western weapon it has been permitted to use on Russian targets a day after it fired U.S. ATACMS missiles.

Moscow has said the use of Western weapons to strike Russian territory far from the border would be a major escalation in the conflict. Kyiv says it needs the capability to defend itself by hitting Russian rear bases used to support Moscow's invasion, which entered its 1,000th day this week.

Meanwhile, U.S. crude stocks rose by 545,000 barrels to 430.3 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 15, the Energy Information Administration said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 138,000-barrel rise.

Gasoline inventories last week rose more than forecast, while distillate stockpiles posted a larger-than-expected draw.

Adding to supply, Norway's Equinor said it had restored full output capacity at the Johan Sverdrup oilfield in the North Sea following a power outage.

Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia, the group known as OPEC+, may push back output increases again when it meets on Dec. 1 due to weak global oil demand, according to three OPEC+ sources familiar with the discussions.

OPEC+, which pumps around half the world's oil, had initially planned to gradually reverse production cuts with minor increases spread over several months in 2024 and 2025.

However, a slowdown in Chinese and global demand, coupled with rising output outside the group, have potentially thwarted this plan//CNA-VOI

A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" forms off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image on Nov 19, 2024. (Photo: Handout via REUTERS/CIRA/NOAA)

VOInews, Washington DC : A powerful storm was clobbering Washington state on Wednesday (Nov 20), knocking out power to hundreds of thousands while wreaking havoc on road travel and causing at least one death and two injuries. 

A woman was killed on Tuesday when a tree fell on a homeless encampment in Lynnwood, just north of Seattle, local fire department officials said on social media. Two people were also injured when a tree fell on their trailer in Maple Valley, southeast of Seattle.

Schools across western Washington canceled classes or postponed the start of school on Wednesday.

The storm with hurricane force winds of 80kmh and gusts around 70mph felled trees and power lines overnight. It knocked out electricity to more than 600,000 homes and businesses in Washington, Southwest Oregon and Northern California, according to the Poweroutage.us.

"The storm is just beginning," said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

"We haven't gotten a ton of rain yet, just 2-3 inches over Southwest Oregon and Northern California," Otto said.

But the storm, called a "bomb cyclone" which happens when the storm rapidly intensifies, is going to stall over Northern California in the next few days, he said.

"The biggest surge is Thursday. We're looking at 10-15 inches of rain by Friday, some places, 20-inches," Otto said, with the main concerns for southwest Oregon and Northern California.

A bomb cyclone rapidly intensifies in 24 hours or less when a cold air mass from the polar region collides with warm tropical air in a process that meteorologists call bombogenesis.

The weather service has issued a plethora of warnings and watches across the Pacific Northwest for high winds, flood watches and warnings, and including blizzard warnings from Northern Washington to the Sierra Nevada Range.

According to the state's department of transportation, the storm was making road travel treacherous. Downed trees and weather conditions were slowing traffic across the state, as the department warned motorists to be cautious while on the roadways//CNA-VOI

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, issuing a press statement on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki evacuees in Jakarta on Wednesday (November 20, 2024). (ANTARA/Asep Firmansyah/rst)

VOInews, Jakarta : The government has stepped up efforts to build temporary housing for people who evacuated to safety following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to ensure their comfort and security amid the approach of the rainy season.

"We are speeding up the work of this temporary housing because of the rainy season and ahead of the Christmas holiday," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, said on Monday.

"The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will immediately build temporary housing," he added.

According to him, based on reports from ministries/technical institutions, the volcano is continuing to erupt, but showing no sign of increased activity.

In addition, the radius for the security area has been reduced, while evacuation services are still being maintained.

The number of centralized evacuees has also shrunk to around 5,117. However, the number of independent evacuees is still high at 6 thousand, the minister informed.

"The number of independent evacuees who join their relatives is higher, more than 6,417 people," he added.

Besides building temporary housing, the government will also assist in the process of independent relocation, home renovation, and preparation for permanent housing.

At a ministerial meeting on Wednesday, Pratikno said that the central and regional governments have mapped out the locations for permanent housing.

"We will further explore the administration and we have discussed it with residents. The dialogue with residents is intensively being carried out to determine permanent housing," he added.

Later, permanent housing will be constructed at several locations, rather than being concentrated in a single area.

Pratikno assured that the data collection process would involve affected residents.

"Once again, the house renovation, independent relocation, the construction of temporary housing, and the construction of permanent housing will be carried out simultaneously," he emphasized//Antara-VOI

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana during a meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday (November 20, 2024). (ANTARA/Hreeloita Dharma Shanti)

VOInews, Jakarta : Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has said that her ministry will propose an increase in its budget ceiling to Rp2.254 trillion (around US$141.72 million) to support its priority programs for next year.

"Considering that the budget ceiling decreased significantly from 2024 to 2025, we are currently planning to propose an increase in the 2025 budget ceiling to Rp2,254,706,954,000," she informed.

She conveyed this during a meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

She informed that the budget ceiling for the Ministry of Tourism for 2025 is Rp1.489 trillion (around US$93.62 million).

Of the proposed Rp2.254 trillion budget, Rp1.837 trillion (around US$115.5 million) is planned to be allocated for work units at the central level, Rp123 billion (around US$7.73 million) for tourism authority agencies, and Rp294 billion (around US$18.48 million) for tourism polytechnics.

Wardhana said that the increase is reasonable because the budget ceiling for 2025 is significantly lower compared to Rp3.182 trillion (around US$200 million) in 2024.

She also outlined the four Quick Wins programs that the Ministry of Tourism is carrying out.

The first program is the intensification of the Proud of Traveling in Indonesia (BBWI) program, which includes campaigns, tourism package integration, transport cost efficiencies, and improvement of tourist destinations' competitiveness.

The second program is Tourism 5.0: Marketing and Calendar of Events, which includes the digitalization of the Calendar of Events and the development of AI Travel Planner Assistance features, as well as organizing and supporting national and international events.

The third program is making airfares affordable, and the fourth program is improving the quality of human resources and business players.

In this regard, she affirmed that her ministry is continuing to collaborate with relevant ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Manpower.

Quality improvement is also being encouraged through the tourism sectoral committee, revitalization of vocational education and vocational training, as well as empowerment of communities in tourism villages//Antara-VOI