VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan when giving the statement to the press (Photo : Setpres) - 

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had approved the proposal of flight information region (FIR) takeover from Singapore to Indonesia.

"Singapore used to have control over the air space above the Riau and Natuna Islands at an altitude of 0-37 thousand feet," the minister remarked on Saturday.

Pandjaitan spoke of having received this report while undergoing health recovery in Singapore on January 11, 2024.

Furthermore, 60 days after the publication of information regarding these changes, the Indonesian airspace, which had earlier been designated as a Singapore FIR, completely returned as an Indonesian FIR.

With the official implementation of the transfer of the Singapore FIR to the Indonesian FIR, Pandjaitan stated that the government's policy regarding aviation services will make Indonesia's air space safer, more competitive, and attractive for the civil aviation industry.

"We hope that the management of Indonesian air space that is safe, effective, in line with national interests, and meets international civil aviation service standards can be achieved," he remarked.

Apart from the FIR agreement, he noted that the defense cooperation and fugitive extradition agreement between Indonesia and Singapore were also implemented.

"This is important, considering that those issues are bilateral issues that have not been resolved between the two countries for a long time," he remarked.

He stated that the diplomatic approach of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long facilitated the establishment of the agreement.

However, he reminded that the agreement should not put aside national interests.

Based on President Widodo's directions, Pandjaitan had also partaken in establishing sound communication with Singapore Senior Minister Teo Che Hean.

"All steps were taken to prioritize strengthening bilateral relations and respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries," he emphasized//ANTARA-VOI

Campbell Stokes, a tool for measuring the duration of sunlight, in Pasaman District, West Sumatra - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno stated that the solar culmination celebration could drive and increase tourist visits to Pasaman, West Sumatra.

"The celebration of the solar culmination point as well as the commemoration of World Meteorological Day in Pasaman can increase tourist visits," he said during his visit to the district on Saturday.

Moreover, Uno remarked that various arts and cultural attractions owned by the people of Pasaman are increasingly attracting tourists to the area that is crossed by the equator line.

He stated that the opportunity for Pasaman to become a national destination is increasingly wide open, considering its existence as a Bonjol equatorial tourist area.

To create a superior destination, Uno said he directly instructed the West Sumatra Tourism Office to map tourist travel patterns in the area.

"The goal is that Pasaman District can contribute to the movement of Indonesian tourists amounting to 1.5 billion by 2024," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of West Sumatra, Audy Joinaldy, stated that the existence of the Bonjol equatorial tourist area is a huge opportunity to increase tourism in Pasaman.

He urged the Pasaman government to propose the intellectual property rights of the "Land of the Equator" to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights before other regions proposed the same.

On the other hand, he admitted that currently, the number of tourist visits to Pasaman is still relatively low as compared to several other areas in the Minang region.

However, he believes that in the not-too-distant future, tourist visits to Pasaman will increase drastically if astrotourism, or astronomy tourism, is introduced and encouraged.

"This can be a learning place for students studying astronomy," he stated//ANTARA-VOI

The FGD on creative economy of IKN - 

VOInews, Jakarta : The Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) is developing the creative economy (ekraf) in Nusantara City by compiling a regional creative economy development road map (Talanpekda).

"We are currently carrying out the process of compiling Talanpekda to develop creative and creative economy in Nusantara City," OIKN Director of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Muhsin Palinrungi stated in Penajam, Saturday.

The Directorate of Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy of OIKN held a discussion forum involving stakeholders, including local governments and tourist destination managers, in the Nusantara City area.

He remarked that the discussion on drafting the Talanpekda was held on Thursday (March 21), and various inputs from stakeholders attending the forum were collected by the facilitation team that had been formed.

The facilitation team will thereafter conduct field visits in six sub-districts in the Nusantara City area to collect supporting data.

"We have carried out several stages to prepare the Talanpekda and are targeting completion in May 2024," he remarked.

Talanpekda is a guiding document for the OIKN Directorate of Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy to plan creative and creative development programs and activities in Nusantara City, the future capital city of Indonesia.

Creative economy development in Nusantara City is a sector that must be prioritized, as it not only contributes to the Indonesian economy but also has a positive impact on the social, cultural, and environmental aspects.

"Creative economy can grow the economy in an inclusive and sustainable manner as well as raise a positive image and national identity in addition to preserving culture and the environment," he affirmed.

He also said that the creative economy can foster creativity that encourages innovation and increases social tolerance among members of all levels of society due to increased understanding between cultures.

Creative economy development in Nusantara City can be more focused and systematic with the Talanpekda, Palinrungi remarked//ANTARA-VOI

Fed Chair Jerome Powell says it needs to see more data before deciding if to cut interest rates. (Photo: AFP/Mandel Ngan) - 

VOInews, Washington, U.S : The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its key lending rate unchanged again on Wednesday (Mar 20), as policymakers continue discussions over when to start rate cuts and launch the next phase in their long-running battle against inflation.

The Fed has raised interest rates to a 23-year high of between 5.25 and 5.50 per cent as it looks to return inflation firmly to its long-term target of 2 per cent.

After making significant progress against rising prices last year, 2024 has been more challenging, with the US seeing a small uptick in the pace of monthly inflation.

At the same time, the unemployment rate has remained low, wage growth has eased, and economic growth for the final quarter of 2023 came in above expectations – all indications that the US economy remains in good health despite higher rates.

After two days of discussions, the Fed will publish an updated summary of economic projections (SEP) alongside its rate decision on Wednesday, which will include policymakers' views of where they expect interest rates to be at the end of this year.

"The pace of disinflation, the slowdown in employment growth, [is] not happening as fast as we thought it did a few months ago," Wells Fargo senior economist Michael Pugliese told AFP. "And so they're gonna fine-tune their policy outlook accordingly."

In recent weeks, officials at the US central bank - led by Fed chair Jerome Powell - have urged caution about cutting interest rates too quickly, and have instead said they will follow a "data-dependent" path.

"The economic outlook is uncertain, and ongoing progress toward our 2 per cent inflation objective is not assured," Powell told lawmakers in Washington earlier this month.

He later confirmed that he still expects cuts to begin this year.

Futures traders currently assign a probability of around 55 per cent that the Fed will start cutting interest rates by Jun 12, according to data from CME Group.

This marks a significant shift from the run-up to the Fed's last rate decision in January, when traders were still widely anticipating the first would come in May//CNA-VOI