VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - A team from the National Alms Agency (Baznas) is scheduled to leave for Gaza to provide health assistance directly to the victims of Israeli military aggression.

"Inshallah (God willing), in the next batch, the third week of November (2023), we will go to Egypt and will enter Gaza," head for distribution and utilization at Baznas, Saidah Sakwan, said here on Thursday.

The agency has coordinated with the Egyptian International Committee of the Red Cross to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border gate, which connects Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

In carrying out its humanitarian mission, Baznas will provide special assistance in the form of medicines and other health equipment to support the treatment of the Palestinian people.

"We will also bring assistance, which we will specifically dedicate to fulfilling medicines and medical equipment. So, inshallah, we will do that in the next batch," she informed.

She noted that the medicines and supporting equipment would not be sent from Indonesia, instead, it would be procured and prepared directly in Egypt.

"So, we will buy medicines in Egypt, then enter through the Rafah gate, which is facilitated by the Egyptian Red Cross," she said.

A budget of Rp7 billion (around US$442,097) has been prepared for the second batch of Baznas assistance for the Palestinian people, she disclosed.

"We will bring a fund of 5 to 7 billion (Indonesian rupiah) because the needs for the second batch are medicine needs. We have received a listing from the Egyptian Red Cross," she added.

University students who have received scholarships from Baznas will be roped in to ensure the smooth provision of assistance to Palestinians.

"We have 300 university students who are recipients of Baznas scholarships in Egypt, and later, they will be involved to help in preparing the medicine needs," Sakwan said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia stressed the importance of the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) at the AI Safety Summit (AISS) 2023.

"It is the responsibility of humans to ensure that AI development will improve people's welfare now and in the future," Deputy Minister of Communication and Informatics, Nezar Patria, said in a statement received here on Thursday.

Representing Indonesia at the AISS forum in London on Wednesday (November 1, 2023), he observed that if not anticipated, AI can pose several threats to humanity, such as incorrect algorithms and human bias in using AI.

"Especially those related to deep-faking and phishing, legal issues including copyright, job losses, and data privacy," he pointed out.

Indonesia then highlighted three important issues related to the ethical use of AI technology.

First, every party should be responsible in using AI, meaning those who develop and use AI must make short-, medium-, and long-term plans so that AI can continue to benefit society.

"Everyone must be aware of the impact of AI throughout their life cycle," Patria said.

The second is to establish a global and inclusive communication platform that regularly discusses the development, progress, and behavior of AI utilization.

Finally, Patria said, AI users must have good intentions in utilizing AI, and not utilize it for harmful activities that can pose a threat to mankind.

While closing his message, the deputy minister praised the United Kingdom government for organizing the forum, which specifically discussed the topic of AI safety for the first time at the international level.

"On behalf of the Indonesian government, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the UK government. Indonesia believes that this summit will encourage cooperation among invited countries and stakeholders," he said. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - The United States remains focused on the Indo-Pacific despite other global challenges, top U.S. diplomats said on Thursday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to go to Asia after a Middle East trip amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Blinken heads to Israel this week for talks on the Middle East conflict and will stop in Jordan before heading to Japan for a meeting with G7 counterparts and bilateral talks with Japanese officials and stops in South Korea and India. The trip lasts until Nov. 10.

"The Secretary's trip to the region demonstrates our enduring commitment to and focus on the Indo-Pacific, even amidst other global challenges," the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, told reporters in previewing the Asia leg of the trip.

Kritenbrink said Blinken would attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Tokyo and have separate talks with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minster Yoko Kamikawa.

"We anticipate that discussions in those meetings will focus on events in the Middle East, support for Ukraine, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a range of bilateral issues and of course, trilateral cooperation as well with (South Korea)," he said.

Kritenbrink said Japan had been an "outstanding" G7 chair and had "kept the G7 laser-focused on the most pressing issues both globally and regionally."

He did not respond when asked if he was confident the G7 would be able to agree a robust statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Asked what Blinken would tell the Asian countries about his talks last week with Chinese Foreign Minster Wang Yi, Kritenbrink said he believed they wanted to see Washington "responsibly managing our competition with China."

"Our commitment to the Indo-Pacific remains enduring," he said. "And the fundamental focus of our diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific remains strengthening our ties with allies, partners and friends, and growing their collective capacity, our shared capacity to support the rules-based international order."

The top U.S. diplomat for South Asia, Donald Wu, said "efforts to advance democracy and human rights" would be on the agenda in talks between the U.S. and Indian foreign and defense ministers "as well as our expanded cooperation in clean energy, counterterrorism, artificial intelligence, space, and semiconductor manufacturing." (Reuters)

VOI, Jakarta - The Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) urged all parties to strengthen water management to ensure water supply for agriculture and communities amid the combination of El Nino and positive IOD that might trigger drought.

"Until the second dasarian (a ten-day period) of October 2023, El Nino is at a moderate level and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) remains positive,” Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati stated in Jakarta on Thursday.

She said the BMKG and several other World Climate Centers project that El Nino will remain at a moderate level until the period of December 2023-January-February 2024, whereas positive IOD will remain until the end of 2023.

The condition will influence several sectors, such as agriculture, water resources, forestry, trade, energy, and health, she remarked.

“Thus, the government at all levels is expected to take steps to mitigate and anticipate negative impacts that might happen,” she noted.

Karnawati cautioned that in the agriculture sector, food crop production is threatened to decrease due to disturbed planting cycles, crop failure, the lack of resilience in some plants, or the spread of pests that are active during dry conditions.

In the water resources sector, this situation might lead to a decrease in water, whereas in the trade sector, it might trigger an increase in food prices, she stated.

Furthermore, in the forestry sector, it might cause wildfires. In the energy sector, it might lessen hydroelectric energy production.


In the defense sector, the condition increases the risk of health complications due to sanitation and a lack of clean water for consumption and hygiene.

“In regions that experience wildfires, this condition leads to air pollution and triggers acute respiratory infections (ISPA),” she stated.

Karnawati stated that the government can implement some strategies in an effort to mitigate the situation, with the first being strengthening water management.

The second strategy is by intensifying the dissemination of information and guidelines for farmers to adapt to the shift in seasonal patterns and select plants that are more resilient to drought.

The third approach is conducting counseling and training programs to help communities adopt an agricultural practice that is more resilient to droughts.

Under the fourth strategy, forest and land management is strengthened to prevent wildfires triggered by the dry weather.

The fifth strategy entails implementing an ecosystem rehabilitation program and land restoration for lands that have degraded due to droughts and wildfires.

The sixth approach involves setting a logistical preparation plan to ensure the supply of clean water and food, especially in vulnerable areas.

The seventh approach necessitates conducting a community awareness campaign about water conservation practices and ways to reduce the risks of disasters. (Antaranews)