VOInews, Jakarta: Deputy II Chief of Presidential Staff Abetnego Tarigan hopes that the commemoration of the 65th National Education Day (Hardiknas), which falls on May 2 2024, will provide momentum in accelerating teacher certification.

According to Abetnego, teacher certification is an effort to meet the guaranteed needs for teachers who play a strategic role in creating an inclusive and safe learning ecosystem.   

"Accelerating teacher certification is a necessity so that teachers earn income above minimum living requirements and social welfare guarantees," said Abetnego in a statement received in Jakarta, Thursday.

Abetnego explained that currently, of the 3 million teachers in Indonesia, only 1.34 million teachers have been certified or around 44.9 percent.

If teachers' income is obtained from salaries and professional allowances based on certification, this means that there are still more than one million teachers who are not prosperous.

Apart from that, many teachers still have to find additional income to meet their living needs, and quite a few are even caught in illegal online loans (pinjol).  

"There should be no more stories of teachers having to work as farm laborers or goods couriers after school hours are over, or even stories of teachers being caught in debt," he said.

Abetnego said that the Presidential Staff Office supports the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemdikbudristek) which is preparing a new scheme to accelerate teacher certification.

With this new scheme, there are several adjustments for teachers and prospective teachers who take Teacher Professional Education (PPG), especially in the recruitment, learning and selection processes.

In the recruitment process, continued Abetnego, the government updated in-service teacher data (daljab) which contained teachers' education and teaching experience more accurately.

Meanwhile, in learning, there will be adjustments related to "hybrid" or mixed implementation, travel time and credit units for teachers with certain conditions.

"In the admission selection there are also adjustments that make it easier for daljab (in-service) teachers to take competency tests conducted by the Ministry of Education and Culture," added Abetnego.

He believes that the changes to the PPG scheme, which are currently being discussed in the Minister of Education and Culture's Draft Regulation, will be a leap in breaking down the deadlock in the implementation of certification as mandated by Law (UU) No. 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers.

With this new scheme, KSP hopes that the target of at least 800,000 certified teachers can be achieved this year as an effort to improve quality education.

Source: Antaranews

VOInews, Jakarta: Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi appreciated the Indonesian government's firm and principled stance in supporting Palestine and condemning the crimes of the Israeli Zionist regime, especially during the last six months.

"For me as a foreign ambassador, the honorable Mr. Joko Widodo and Mrs. Retno Marsudi are two heroes who stand on the right side in the current conditions (the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)," said Ambassador Boroujerdi during a media briefing on the theme of International Al-Quds Day. at his residence in Jakarta, Wednesday (3/4) evening.

Quoted from Antaranews on Thursday (4/4), The Ambassador said that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Indonesia, as two important Islamic countries both bilaterally and through international forums, have always supported the Palestinian struggle.

"Both countries have the same principles regarding Palestine and base their position on the full independence and liberation of Palestine," he said.

Ambassador Boroujerdi added that the brave speech of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs in international forums and organizations such as the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council and International Court, shows the continuation of Indonesia's continuous support for the realization of Palestinian independence.

Since the Israeli Zionist regime launched its deadly and genocidal attack on Gaza in October 2023, more than 30,000 Gazans have lost their lives, 70 percent of whom are women and children.

"Every day the international community witnesses the murder of innocent Palestinian women and children without taking effective action to stop these heinous crimes," he said.

According to the ambassador, the lack of serious action by the international human rights community against the forced displacement, ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians by the Zionist regime occurs when the Israeli regime always tries to purify its inhuman face by referring to the Holocaust.

Furthermore, Ambassador Boroujerdi said that although it took the world community seven decades to realize the true nature of the Zionist regime, it was still not too late to take global and international steps to stop the Israeli regime's crimes.

"Effective and timely action by the global and international community to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime can prevent the situation from getting worse and the coordinated action of the Islamic community in support of Palestine can have the greatest impact on the process of Palestinian independence," he said.

VOInews, Jakarta: The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations is pushing for a vote to be recognized as a full member state next month, Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Wednesday, a move opposed by the United States.

"We are seeking admission. That is our natural and legal right," Mansour said, adding that he was pushing for an April 18 vote at the Security Council.

"Everyone is saying 'two-state solution,' then what is the logic of denying us to become a member state?" he added.

Any request to become a UN member state must first pass a vote by the Security Council -- where Israel's ally the United States and four other countries wield vetoes -- and then be endorsed by a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas originally launched the statehood application in 2011. It was not considered by the Security Council, but the General Assembly the following year granted a more limited observer status to the "State of Palestine."

The Palestinian Authority submitted a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asking for the Security Council to reconsider on Tuesday.

Source: AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: The head of the EU's main leftist political grouping has said it is time to "negotiate" an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, rallying behind a controversial call by Pope Francis for Kyiv to raise the "white flag."

"I believe helping the Ukrainian people means now making attempts to end the war," said Walter Baier, the 70-year-old Austrian picked last month by the Party of the European Left as its candidate to head the next European Commission.

Baier underlined that his party -- whose 26 full members include Germany's Die Linke, France's Communists and Greece's Syriza -- had "absolutely condemned the Russian aggression" in its manifesto for June's European elections.

But in a joint interview Monday with the "European Newsroom," which brings together news agencies including AFP, he said the conflict's "frozen" fronts required a new approach.

"I would wish from the European Union... to take diplomatic efforts to start negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and to achieve the withdrawal of the Russian troops," Baier said.

"In this regard, I fully support what Pope Francis was saying. Now it's the time to end the war, and now it's the time to negotiate and stop killing," said the former head of Austria's communist party.

In an interview broadcast earlier this month, the Argentine pontiff urged Kyiv, which has been fighting invading Russian forces for more than two years, to "raise the white flag and negotiate".

The Ukrainian government reacted with fury, even while the Vatican insisted the words "white flag" were intended to mean a cessation of hostilities, not a surrender.

Analysts see no immediate prospect of negotiations to find a breakthrough in the Ukraine war, with Russia's Vladimir Putin emboldened by the erosion of Western support for Kyiv -- while Ukraine is determined to keep fighting to recapture territory.

The Party of the European Left is the larger of two leftist formations in the European Parliament -- along with Now the People whose members include Spain's Podemos and France Unbowed.

Both are part of the 37-strong group of lawmakers called The Left in the EU parliament -- where polls point to a surge by far-right movements following June's vote across the 27-nation bloc.

The EU parliament currently has 705 seats, which will increase to 720 seats after the 2024 elections.

Source: AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to hold talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday, as the countries seek to reinforce security and economic ties in the face of growing Chinese aggression.

Blinken's visit to Manila -- his second since Marcos took office in June 2022 -- is part of a brief Asia tour that also included South Korea.

Washington is keen to improve relations with its regional allies, such as Manila and Seoul, in a bid to deter China and North Korea as tensions rise in the South China Sea over Taiwan and on the Korean peninsula.

Blinken's trip comes ahead of a trilateral meeting in Washington next month between US President Joe Biden, Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Announcing the three-way summit with the Asia Pacific allies, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the leaders would push a "shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific".

During his meeting with Marcos and his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo on Tuesday, Blinken is expected to reaffirm the United States' security commitments to the Philippines.

"What we're trying to demonstrate... is that we are committed to the Indo-Pacific, to this region, despite everything else that's going on in the world right now," a senior State Department official told reporters on Monday.

"I would expect when we're in Manila, the main concern will obviously be China's continued destabilising actions in the South China Sea that are in contravention of international law."

Top US officials have repeatedly said that "an armed attack" against Philippine public vessels, aircraft, armed forces and coastguard would invoke the 1951 US-Philippines mutual defence treaty in which Washington is obliged to defend its ally.

Blinken's visit follows a spate of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, including collisions, in recent months.

Marcos has expressed "great alarm" over the confrontations that have sparked diplomatic sparring between Manila and Beijing.

Source: AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a rare visit to New Zealand on Monday, stressing the need to work with "friends" in the face of the "tumultuous international situation".

The trip marks the start of a diplomatic blitz through New Zealand and Australia, Wang's first visit to either country since 2017.

The whistlestop tour is expected to focus heavily on trade as Beijing looks to lessen the pain from slowing economic growth at home.

Speaking in the capital Wellington before a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart, Wang said the trip was also a chance to shore up diplomatic ties that have come under strain as Beijing adopts an increasingly aggressive stance on issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

"In the face of the current tumultuous international situation, we are willing to strengthen strategic communication with our friends in New Zealand on international and regional issues of common concern," Wang said.

"And we will work together to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world," he added before his closed-door meeting with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

New Zealand is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance alongside the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

But Wellington has been criticised for taking a softer line on China -- putting its trading relationship ahead of its allies' security concerns.

China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, and Chinese consumers have long had an appetite for the country's meat, wine, milk and wood.

Wang said he believed that "China-New Zealand relations will continue to be at the forefront of China's relations with developed countries".

"The relationship between us has developed smoothly and well," he said.

Later this week, Wang will meet Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra.

China and Australia have recently resolved a series of simmering trade disputes that saw Beijing impose tariffs and trade barriers on key exports in 2020, retaliating after Canberra barred Huawei from 5G contracts and called for a probe into the origins of Covid-19.

But the two nations continue to spar over human rights and Beijing's growing clout in the Pacific region.

Source : AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: A Tunisian court overturned on Wednesday a journalist's prison sentence for revealing information about the security services, his lawyer said, paving the way for a retrial.

Khalifa Guesmi, a correspondent for Tunisia's most popular radio station, Mosaique FM, was convicted in November and handed a one-year prison sentence that was later increased to five years on appeal.

The Court of Cassation "invalidated the five-year judgement and ordered it to be reviewed", Guesmi's lawyer, Rahal Jallali, told AFP.

Guesmi left prison Wednesday evening, an AFP correspondent reported.

The journalist remains under prosecution, according to his lawyer, under Article 34 of the anti-terrorism, law which "punishes with 10 to 20 years' imprisonment" anyone who publishes information "for the benefit of a terrorist organisation".

Journalists and civil society representatives gathered in Tunis on Wednesday to show support for Guesmi and to call for his immediate release.

Local and international NGOs have launched several calls for his release and condemned the five-year prison sentence as "a sham verdict" and "a major setback for the judicial system".

They have criticised what they say is a marked decline in press freedom in Tunisia since President Kais Saied seized full control of the country in July 2021.

On Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in a post on social media platform X, welcomed what it called "a first step towards justice" for Guesmi and said it "should be followed by his immediate release and acquittal".

Jailed since September 3, Guesmi was found guilty of "participating in the intentional disclosing of information related to interception, infiltration, and audiovisual surveillance or the data collected therein".

He was held for a week in March 2022, after Mosaique FM published on its website information about the dismantling of a "terrorist cell" and the arrest of its members.

Source : AFP

VOInews, Jakarta: The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, Faishal Abdullah el Amudi released food aids for Indonesia ahead of Ramadan on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Head Office of the National Amil Zakat Agency.

“The assistance distributed by KSrelief for this humanitarian action is part of the direction of King Salman (custodian of the two Holy Mosques), to help people in need, especially in welcoming blessed holy month of Ramadan," Ambassador Faishal Abdullah el 'Amudi said in a statement received on Wednesday (6/3) in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Saiful Rahmat Dasuki appreciated and hoped that the assistance could provide relief and reduce the burden of economic difficulties faced by its recipients.

"The Ministry of Religion appreciates the efforts of Baznas and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre in designing the implementation of this program with noble goals," Saiful Rahmat Dasuki said.

The food aid program was initiated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aids and Relief Centre in collaboration with the National Amil Zakat Agency. The aid consisted of 7,965 food packages, each worth one million rupiah and distributed in 4 provinces, namely DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java and Central Java.

On the same occasion, Chairman of the National Amil Zakat Agency, Noor Ahmad stated that this food aid program has entered its third year, with the cooperation of Baznas and the KSrelief Centre. Besides 7965 food aid packages, KSrelief also donated 200 kg of dates and 400 Quran copies with Braille letters.(VOI/DANIEL)

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the development of Indonesia-Australia cooperation in terms of Electric Vehicle Collaboration. This was conveyed when he met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center (MCEC) Australia, Tuesday (5/3/2024).

"I hope the MoU can be implemented immediately through the formation of a joint steering committee and the preparation of a work plan. Specifically related to nickel, I encourage both countries to prioritize collaboration rather than competition," Joko Widodo said in a statement received in Jakarta.

Widodo also emphasized the importance of cooperation in the financial services sector and announced plans to open a representative office of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) in Sydney. He also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) and the National Capital Authority in February.

"I would also like to again invite the Australian private sector to participate in building IKN," he added.

President Joko Widodo also highlighted the importance of expanding market access to create more balanced trade. He also welcomed the import license for meat and cattle from Australia.

"In addition, cooperation in the field of biosecurity for Indonesian products, especially fruits and fisheries, needs to be encouraged, especially related to inspection and quarantine aspects," he said.

In terms of people-to-people relations, Joko Widodo expressed pride in Indonesia's popularity as a destination for Australian students under the New Colombo Plan scheme. The New Colombo Plan is a partnership between governments, universities and the private sector to deepen future generations of Australians' knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region.

In this regard, Joko Widodo also plans to invite more Australian youth to visit and learn in Indonesia, including Indonesian culture and language.

In addition, President Widodo expressed his appreciation for Australia's support during Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN last year. He hoped that cooperation and implementation of infrastructure and energy projects would continue, and welcomed the launch of the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy 2040.