VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - The Ministry of Health has reported that based on the domicile of patients, monkeypox (mpox) cases are spread across Jakarta, Banten, and West Java.

"As of today, additional 3 new cases have been recorded, all in Jakarta," Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the ministry, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said while confirming the report here on Tuesday.

The additional cases have increased the number of mpox cases detected in Indonesia to 27 as of Tuesday.

According to the daily report issued by the Ministry of Health, as of October 29, at least 24 mpox cases had been recorded in the country.

Jakarta has registered 18 cases — 9 in South Jakarta, 5 in West Jakarta, 3 in East Jakarta, and 1 in North Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Banten has reported 5 infections: 2 in Tangerang district, 2 in South Tangerang city, and 1 in Tangerang city. As for West Java, only 1 case has been detected in Bandung city.

All the patients are men aged 25 to 48 years, and most also have HIV/AIDS.

Rondonuwu stated that his ministry is continuing to carry out tracing efforts to identify new cases.

"Tracing efforts are getting better. Currently, there are 21 suspected cases awaiting laboratory confirmation results," he informed.

He noted that so far, the Ministry of Health has classified 44 suspects as discarded or not related to mpox.

He said that to handle mpox, the Ministry of Health has made several surveillance efforts. The ministry has also conducted vaccinations since October 23 for the key population, with the total targeted recipients pegged at 477.

Furthermore, the ministry is cooperating with several parties in carrying out risk communication to curb the transmission of mpox in the country.

He also emphasized the importance of implementing a clean and healthy lifestyle as well as ensuring safe sexual activities.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo has said that the Aquabike Jetski World Championship at Lake Toba from November 22–26 could stimulate the development of the water sports industry in Indonesia.

"This event is being held based on the Grand Design of National Sports (DBON) and as part of efforts to develop sports tourism, which is an important instrument for improving the local economy," Ariotedjo informed at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The championship is expected to encourage the growth of local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he added.

"We will involve all (elements) in district/city because this is a national event and each district must be involved," he said.

This is the first time that the jetski racing championship is being held at Lake Toba, and its implementation will involve four districts surrounding the lake — Toba, Karo, Dairi, and Samosir.

Ariotedjo said that the championship is an important opportunity whose potential must be maximized by local governments. The racing event could boost the promotion of Lake Toba tourism internationally, he explained.

He noted that this year's F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) World Championship on February 24–26 generated economic impacts, such as filling up hotel rooms, increasing flights and tourist visits via Silangit Airport, as well as opening new jobs for the local community.

Minister Ariotedjo said he is optimistic that the Aquabike Jetski World Championship will be as successful as the F1 Powerboat Championship at Lake Toba.

"We will focus on this opportunity and how to maximize it so that the local communities are involved and prioritized for the economic benefits," he said.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi discussed cooperation in a number of sectors, including green investment, with Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot during a bilateral meeting here on Tuesday.

In a joint press conference after the meeting, Marsudi said that the Netherlands is the largest European investor in Indonesia, which has invested more than US$15.5 billion since 2013, with an annual average increase of 15.8 percent.

The Netherlands has also been one of the European countries committed to supporting the energy transition in Indonesia, she noted.

"And in the future, Indonesia hopes to strengthen cooperation (with the Netherlands) to develop the semiconductor industry ecosystem in Indonesia," she added.

Marsudi praised the Dutch government's commitment to supporting the energy transition, promoting sustainability, and strengthening cooperation in developing sustainable ports, the shipbuilding industry, as well as solar and wind power plants in Indonesia.

At the press conference, the minister also announced the 2024–2025 action plan for a comprehensive partnership between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

This action plan will serve as a road map for the continuation of partnership and collaboration between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Minister Slot said that the Netherlands has proposed an investment grant of 105 million euros to support sustainable development in Indonesia.

The grant is part of a €300 million cooperation program between the Dutch and Indonesian governments in partnership with Dutch financial institution Invest International.

Slot informed that the program includes loans that will support sustainable and inclusive initiatives in sectors relevant to Dutch expertise, such as climate and energy, agriculture and food, healthcare, water, and infrastructure.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Netherlands' investment in Indonesia reached US$1.22 billion in 2022.

Dutch investment in Indonesia includes the Frisian Flag dairy factory in East Java and a terminal in Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Indonesia on Monday established data and cybersecurity cooperation with Lithuania to improve digital infrastructure.

Indonesia is open to discussing potential cooperation considering Lithuania's superiority in digital infrastructure, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said.

"The Indonesian government wants to develop cooperation in data protection and copyright," he informed in a statement released here on Tuesday.

One of Indonesia's focuses under the collaboration is ensuring zero blank spots on all islands in Indonesia. To achieve this, the digital sector needs to be strengthened through collaboration with other countries.

Blank spots are areas that have no signal due to the absence of telecommunications towers.

Hartarto also expressed the hope that Lithuania would support Indonesia's accession to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including by sharing experiences with Indonesia.

Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuania is ready to support Indonesia's bid to become an OECD member.

"The Lithuanian government is ready to support Indonesia to fulfill all accession requirements as an OECD member. We are ready to help carry out training, send experts, and form a consultation group with Indonesia," said Minister Landsbergis.

Lithuania also expressed interest in collaborating with Indonesia in the dairy sector. The Lithuanian dairy company is ready to fulfill the requirements that apply in Indonesia, he said.

The two ministers also discussed efforts to accelerate the completion of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (IEU CEPA) negotiations, which are currently still on.

Indonesia and Lithuania believe that the IEU CEPA agreement can encourage improved economic relations between Indonesia and the European Union.

Minister Landsbergis also conveyed the plan of the Lithuanian industrialists association to forge cooperation with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

"The signing of the agreement will be a good start for both parties to increase economic cooperation in the future," he said.(Antaranews)