VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to "hold hands" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and bolster strategic cooperation on their shared goal of building a powerful country, state media KCNA reported on Monday.

Kim made the pledge in a message to Putin marking Russia's National Day, defending his decision to invade Ukraine and displaying "full support and solidarity."

"Justice is sure to win and the Russian people will continue to add glory to the history of victory," Kim said in the message published by KCNA.

Kim called for "closer strategic cooperation" with Moscow, "holding hands firmly with the Russian president, in conformity with the common desire of the peoples of the two countries to fulfil the grand goal of building a powerful country," it added.

North Korea has sought to forge closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, blaming the "hegemonic policy" and "high-handedness" of the United States and the West. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, Second Lady Wury, and the vice presidential entourage, on Monday, embarked on a working visit to Uzbekistan to bolster bilateral cooperation with the Central Asian country.

Vice presidential spokesperson Masduki Baidlowi said that Amin is expected to meet Uzbek prime minister Abdulla Aripov, receive the visit of Samarkand Governor Erkinjon Turdimov, participate in an audience with Uzbek Halal industry actors, and visit Islamic civilization sites during the visit.

He noted that apart from the Uzbek capital Tashkent, the vice president is also expected to visit Samarkand City.

"There are several important agendas, with one of them being to improve bilateral cooperation, primarily in the economic sector, because as per the latest information, Uzbekistan is keen to engage in relations on air transport," Baidlowi stated.

He affirmed that the vice president would respond to all cooperation requests conveyed by the Uzbek side during the visit.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson noted that Indonesia has various interests in export to Uzbekistan, primarily in palm oil commodities and its derivative products.

"I believe that will be in the vice president's visit agenda," he stated.

The vice president is expected to observe artefacts of Islamic civilization at the Islamic Civilisation Centre and visit the resting place of Imam Bukhari, one of the eminent hadith scholars in Islam.

He affirmed that Amin would also discuss the potential to open bilateral cooperation in religious tourism, considering the country's rich history in Islam and science.

The vice president and his entourage departed from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Banten, at 10 a.m. Jakarta time and expected to arrive at Tashkent's Islam Karimov International Airport at 6:15 p.m. local time.

Amin will be in Uzbekistan from June 12 to June 16 before returning to Indonesia on Saturday (June 17).  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has encouraged local governments to improve the quality of public transportation service in accordance with the applicable safety and security standards.

According to a statement received on Monday, Sumadi made the remark while reviewing the implementation of the service at the Bandar Raya Payung Sekaki Type A Bus Station, Pekanbaru City, Riau Province, on June 11, 2023.

“The president’s (Joko Widodo’s) directive is that mass transportation should be improved, so that it can become the community’s first choice when traveling. Hence, we (the Transportation Ministry) have to plan, allocate the budget, implement, and monitor the service well,” he remarked.

The minister stated that Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest population growth in the world, so the massive use of means of private transportation, especially in big cities, causes more traffic jams and pollution.

Hence, all parties should participate in promoting the use of public transportation, he stated.

The Transportation Ministry recorded that the Bandar Raya Payung Sekaki Type A Bus Station served a total of 1,354,917 passengers in 2022, an increase of 26.2 percent, from 1,073,480 passengers in 2021.

The bus station regularly conducts ramp checks or safety inspections to maintain the safety of passengers. During the period from January to May 2023, the condition of 3,435 buses had been reviewed.

After visiting the bus station, Sumadi headed to the Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru City to review the safety aspects of the airport as well as the supporting vehicles operated in the airport, such as fire trucks.

As quoted from the website of Swiss air quality technology corporation IQAir, on June 12, 2023, at 12:25 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB), Jakarta ranked sixth as the most polluted city, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 143.

Earlier, Head of the Jakarta Provincial Environment Office Asep Kuswanto noted that the industry and transportation sectors were the main contributors to air pollution in the region.

Therefore, the Jakarta Provincial Government has striven to increase the number of urban green spaces and conduct vehicle emission tests in the area to improve the air quality, Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono stated. (Antaranews)

VOInews, Jakarta: The activity of Mount Semeru, which has an altitude of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) in Lumajang Regency, East Java, is still happening. Eruption and volcanic earthquakes have occurred over the past week. Mukdas, officer of the Semeru Volcano Observation Post at Mount Sawur in Lumajang, said on Monday that apart from eruptions and flurries, Mount Semeru also experienced one volcanic earthquake and one distant tectonic earthquake.

Mount Semeru is still on alert status or level III. So the public is urged to comply with the recommendations set by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG). People on the slopes of Semeru are also advised not to do activities within a radius of 5 km from the crater of Mount Semeru Fire because it is prone to the danger of incandescent rock ejection. (RRI)