VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 The current extreme bade weather condition has not yet affected the aviation sector as it has on shipping, yet caution must continue to be exercised to prevent accident, a minister said.

"So far, extreme weather has not impacted aviation but we should always monitor the possibility of the bad weather to disturb flights," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said in Jakarta, on Sunday ( 22 July )

He said, so far, no reports on flight disturbance have been received due to bad weather. But that does not mean that stakeholders in the aviation sector are negligent. They are required to remain vigilant and carry on standard operating procedures that have been in place for long.

"We will still intensively monitor the weather in the air along with the airlines and airport operators every day," said the minister of transportation.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), extreme bad weather is more experienced by the shipping sector characterized by high sea waves and strong winds. ( ant )

The government of North Sulawesi is holding the Enchantment Bunaken Festival in the provincial capital of Manado on July 19-22,2018, to preserve the natural environment and cultural arts on the island of Bunaken.

"This festival will certainly leave a special impression and lead to lasting memories for both local and foreign tourists, who come to visit the Land of Swaying Coconuts," North Sulawesi Tourism Office Chief Daniel A. Mewengkang remarked in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Friday.

He noted that all small and medium entrepreneurs from all districts and cities in North Sulawesi are involved in this festival to showcase various products of excellence from this province. In addition, the leading products from various regions in Indonesia, such as fashion products, batik, weaving, embroidery, various handicrafts, accessories, jewelry, processed foods and beverages, agricultural, plantation, marine, and fisheries commodities, and tourism information are also featured at this festival.

"Through the exhibition of superior products in the Bunaken Festival, there will be interaction between the seller and buyer and also between business actors to establish business communication and expand the marketing network," Mewengkang pointed out.

Primarily, this festival will be a promotional event of the archipelago`s tourism and superior products to the wider community, especially domestic and foreign tourists, as well as buyers and business actors.

He revealed that various events to be held to enliven the festival comprise the race of ornamental boats, cultural carnival competitions, Kolintang race, Maengket race, new dances, and other interesting entertainment events.

Thousands of local and foreign tourists as well as central and local government officials, businesses, and communities of North Sulawesi will attend the Bunaken Festival. (ant)

The historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was just held earlier this week. Previously, Trump also had  held a meeting, which also became one of the historical records, with Kim Jong Un, North Korea's highest leader.

The meeting with Vladimir Putin has been  expected to resolve some issues, such as armed conflict in Syria, the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and also the issue of Russia's involvement in the US presidential election of 2016.

While with Kim Jong-un, Trump also had a one-on-one meeting. Although not all the issues have been cleared, there are at least good intentions to resolve the North Korean nuclear test.

The world is now waiting for the Trump meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The hope is, of course, that both leaders can resolve Iran's nuclear issue and the lifting of the embargo against Iran. From the information revealed by  Iranian Presidential Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, President Trump had proposed 8 meetings in September last year. It was during President Rouhani's visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly session.

At that time the Iranian delegation did not react, as Trump announced he would not extend the Iranian Nuclear deal of  2015. The statement was later even realized by the US withdrawal from the deal in May 2018. Although Trump still opens a chance for a new deal, Iran is not yet willing to renegotiate with the US. Iran is still working with its Asian and European counterparts to look for solutions related to US sanctions that will take effect in a few months. Iran even filed a lawsuit to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) against the US government, which is  considered to impose illegal sanctions,  after the withdrawal from   the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan.

Now the world is hoping that Trump will still meet President Rouhani and Iran is willing to open up to the United States. It’s true Trump is sometimes not very consistent with his remarks. But if the US President is committed to solving problems with Iran, then the world can hope, some big issues in the Middle East can be solved. Such as armed conflicts in Syria and some Arab countries,  as well as Iran's nuclear issue. The question is, when will Trump meet Rouhani?

Indonesia is one of the major emitters of greenhouse gases. This phenomenon is caused by high rates of deforestation and increased industry utilizing fossil fuels. The contribution of the energy sector to greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia is at second rank in land use, land use change, and forestry. The lack of forest protection incentives, sustainable management of forests, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures increases Indonesia's contribution to accelerating global greenhouse gas emissions.

On April 22, 2016 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, as Indonesia's representative, signed the Paris Treaty on Climate Change. Indonesia becomes one of the first countries to directly deposit instruments of ratification. The Paris Agreement is a global one to deal with climate change. The commitments of states are expressed through Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the period 2020-2030, plus pre-2020 action. Under the agreement, Indonesia chose to reduce its 29% emissions by 2030 independently and 41% with international assistance. The Paris treaty will apply if ratified by at least 55 countries contributing at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, forestry and land use are the most significant sectors in climate change control, as forest areas that account for 65% of the country's territory are also a place rich in biodiversity.

On May 17, 2018, in the framework of efforts to reduce emissions and improve forest governance, WWF-Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Province of East Kalimantan to support government efforts in a bid to reduce carbon emissions as per commitment of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) emissions by 29% by self-effort by 2030. Through the World Bank-managed Carbon Partnership Facilities-Carbon Fund program, East Kalimantan Province has the opportunity to reduce emissions from deforestation and performance-based forest degradation.

On July 17, 2018 in Jakarta, Director of Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Monitoring of Reporting and Verification at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry -KLKH, Joko Prihatno said that based on the data, the total emission reduction is only funded and done by the government. In fact, the private sector has also been required to do mitigation action to reduce emissions. So far, many private sectors have taken action on climate change mitigation, generally done in corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Joko hopes, starting this year, complete data have to be entered from various sectors for reporting and sooner submitted to the president and immediately brought to the climate change conference.

Until 2016, Indonesia has achieved emission reduction of 8.7%. The figure is derived from declines in the forestry, agriculture, energy, waste management sectors, and industrial production sectors. Forestry contributed the largest emission reductions, reaching 4.7% of total decline.

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not just the homework of Indonesia. However, with the commitment of Indonesia in the Paris Agreement to do so as much as 29% until 2030, the cooperation of various related stakeholders, both government and private sectors, is necessary. Data collection also needs to be done for national and international interests. It is expected that at the agreed time, Indonesia can fulfill its commitment.