VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal emphasized that as of today Indonesia has no plans to open diplomatic relations with Israel. Moreover, according to him, currently Israel continues to commit atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.

VOINews, Jakarta: Eid in Japan this year is a unique moment because it coincides with the cherry blossoms, adding to the beauty of the holiday atmosphere.
"This Eid we are blessed with bright sunshine and cherry blossoms at their peak. So that the solemnity of worship is accompanied by a bright and happy atmosphere. We are very grateful for this gift for Indonesian citizens in Japan," said Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Heri Akhmadi in Tokyo, Wednesday (10/4).

Cherry blossoms in Japan usually start blooming from late March to mid-April, so the beauty of the flower season which is a symbol of the Samurai country can be enjoyed during Eid al-Fitr 1445 H which coincides with April 10, 2024.
The Indonesian diaspora and other citizens certainly do not want to miss the momentum just like that because next year it may no longer coincide because the Ramadan period is getting ahead of the Gregorian date.

Cherry blossoms grew in abundance in front of the Tokyo Indonesian Mosque and the Tokyo Ambassador House, where Indonesian citizens, diplomats and representatives of friendly countries gathered. Almost all participants of the gathering captured the moment of Eid with the cherry blossoms in the background.

Ambassador Heri hopes that with the friendship, the brotherhood between Indonesian citizens will be stronger and also become a bridge of friendship with Japanese citizens and other citizens.

"To the residents, I convey to keep in touch and strengthen harmony, and continue to maintain the good name of Indonesia," he said.

In addition to being shaded by sakura, the gathering was complemented by Indonesian dishes and religious music by Indonesian musicians.  The warm atmosphere was also felt by one of the Indonesian citizens, Kiara, who has lived in Tokyo for two years.

"The event was really fun and warm. Especially since we are far from home. It's nice to be able to gather with Indonesian people," she said. (Daniel)

Source: ANTARA

VOInews, Jakarta: Greece on Wednesday (10/4) reopened a historic mosque in northern Thessaloniki for the first time in more than a century, allowing Muslims to perform Eid prayers there.

Around 100 people performed Eid prayers at the "Yeni Mosque" or "New Mosque", which witnessed the last gathering of worshippers in the early 1920s, before the war between Greece and Turkey led to a population exchange between the two countries that reduced the number of Muslims in the city.

"We are lucky that this mosque was opened for us," says 66-year-old Ismail Badreddin.

"I have lived in Thessaloniki for four years and this is the first time I have had the opportunity to pray with my Muslim family" at the mosque, said Ali, 23, a Turkish economics student. Greek police guarded the historic mosque during the prayers.

The Yeni Mosque, built by Italian architect Vitaliano Boselli in 1902, was at the time used by members of the Donmeh community, Jews who pretended to convert to Islam.

In 1922, refugees from the Greco-Turkish war were briefly housed in this two-story building, before it was converted into a museum and city gallery.

Greece is a predominantly Orthodox Christian country, and Muslim places of worship are mostly concentrated in the Thrace region in the northeast of the country near the Greek-Turkish border, where Muslim minorities have been settled for centuries.

In Athens, Muslims have been few in number since the Greco-Turkish war before increasing due to the refugee crisis in 2015.

In November 2020, the city's first new mosque officially opened after more than a decade of construction, which had faced strong opposition from the Orthodox Church as well as nationalist groups. (Daniel)

Source: AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: Paris-based environmental engineering firm Kayrros is using satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI) models to accurately monitor leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas produced by fossil fuels. The invisible plumes of odourless gas in the air appear on the company's maps as coloured clouds, in satellite imagery.

Since 2019, Kayrros has detected nearly 10,000 methane concentration events around the world, from the United States to India to Turkmenistan and Algeria, due to harmful practices not being properly managed in fossil industry-based infrastructure.
The leaks occur due to pressure problems in gas pipelines and the opening of valves to avoid the risk of explosion," explains Kayrros data scientist Alexis Groshneri.

Methane has a shorter lifespan than carbon dioxide but greater warming potential, and is a factor in 30 per cent of global warming since the Industrial Revolution. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 40 per cent of methane emissions from the production of fossil energy sources (coal, oil and gas) can be avoided at little cost. However, these emissions must be properly monitored and measured.

Kayrros uses nine satellites operated by governments or official space agencies such as the European and American Space Agencies, which send their images back to Earth at different frequencies, several times a week or every 15 minutes, with greater or lesser resolution, depending on the model.

"We are working with the different sources available to try to improve the observations," Groshenry says.
The downside for mathematicians in green technology is that there is a huge amount of data to process, which is impossible to observe in a single image. That's where artificial intelligence comes in. (Daniel).

Source: AFP