VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A boy holds waits for a meal provided by a charity, with food in besieged Gaza increasingly hard to find.(Photo: AFP/SAID KHATIB) - 

VOInews, Doha-Qatar : The main UN aid agency operating in Gaza said on Saturday (Mar 16) that acute malnutrition was accelerating in the north of the Palestinian enclave as Israel prepared to send a delegation to Qatar for new ceasefire talks on a hostage deal with Hamas. 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said one in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished, putting more pressure on Israel over the looming famine. 

On Friday, Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar for more talks with mediators after its enemy Hamas presented a new proposal for a ceasefire with an exchange of hostages and prisoners. 

The delegation will be led by the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, a source familiar with the talks said, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to convene the security cabinet to discuss the proposal before the talks start.

Efforts failed repeatedly to secure a temporary ceasefire before Islam's holy month of Ramadan started a week ago, with Israel saying it plans to launch a new offensive in Rafah, the last relatively safe city in tiny, crowded Gaza after five months of war.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, starting a two-day visit to the region, voiced concern about an assault on Rafah, saying there was a danger it would result "in many terrible civilian casualties".

On Friday, Netanyahu's office said he had approved an attack plan on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are sheltering, and that the civilian population would be evacuated.

It gave no time frame and there was no immediate evidence of extra preparations on the ground.

The Hamas offer, reviewed by Reuters, foresees dozens of Israeli hostages freed in return for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, during a weeks-long ceasefire that would let more aid into Gaza.

Hamas also called for talks in a later stage on ending the war, but Israel has said it is only willing to negotiate a temporary truce.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera the group's proposal is so realistic that "no one can object to it" and claimed that mediators had reacted positively.

He said it consists of two stages, with a complete "cessation of aggression" at the start of the second one - something Israel has rejected, vowing to resume its goal of destroying Hamas once any temporary truce expires.

Families of Israeli hostages and their supporters again gathered in Tel Aviv, urging a deal for their release.

At the same time, anti-government protesters, estimated by Israeli media at a few thousand, called for new elections and blocked streets in Tel Aviv//CNA-VOI

The picture of Indonesian state palace in Nusantara Capital City (Archive : Setpres) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : The fifth phase of groundbreaking in Indonesia’s new capital city Nusantara took place to commence the development of projects worth US$3.17 billion of investment in total.

The Nusantara Capital Authority Deputy for Socio - cultural Affairs and People's Empowerment, Alimuddin, noted in North Penajam Paser District, East Kalimantan, on Saturday that the fifth phase of groundbreaking in Nusantara that took place on February 29 and March 1 serves as a testament to the continued development of Indonesia's future capital city. 

He further emphasized that the government would continue to develop the city while protecting the rights of every affected citizen instead of conducting arbitrary evictions//ANTARA - VOI

Logo of OJK office in Jakarta (Archive : OJK) -  

VOInews, Jakarta : The Indonesian Financial Services Authority has asked digital banks in the country to bolster customer protection to attract consumers and increase their third-party funds, considering that many of the banks impose high interest rates. 

The chief executive of banking supervision at the Financial Services Authority, Dian Ediana Rae said recently that the authority is pushing banks to provide complete and clear information, including whether their products are guaranteed by the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation or not.

According to him, financial education is essential so that prospective customers can wisely choose financial products that suit their needs. He underscored that the authority will continue to ensure that the banks implement practices to protect customers personal data and financial transactions, in keeping with the applicable standards//ANTARA-VOI

Press conference of the Trail of Kings event on Lake Toba, North Sumatra (Photo : Birkom Parekraf) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf) invites tourists to participate and enliven the Trail of Kings event on Lake Toba, North Sumatra (North Sumatra).

Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno in his online remarks, Friday (15/3/2024) said that the event which will be held on 4-5 May 2024 at the Pangururan Waterfront, Samosir, North Sumatra promises a trail running experience with a beautiful view of Lake Toba.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Saturday (16/03/24), this event is part of a series of world-class trail running, UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc), the first world series to be held in Indonesia.

"We invite trail runners from all over Indonesia and the world to try out the extraordinarily beautiful and majestic trails through participation in 'Trail of The Kings (Zero Edition)'," said Sandiaga.

Meanwhile, at a press conference in the Gelora Bung Karno area, Central Jakarta, Main Director of the Lake Toba Authority Implementing Agency, Jimmy Bernando Panjaitan, said that this event was targeted to attract 1,500 participants.

Apart from that, it is also hoped that it will be able to promote Lake Toba as one of the five super priority tourism destinations in Indonesia.

"We want to encourage Lake Toba as a location for event-based tourism which must be ecogreen in nature. We want to brand DPSP Lake Toba to become a world-class destination with world-class events," said Jimmy.

Therefore, Jimmy also invited all stakeholders to participate in making this event and other international class events on Lake Toba a success. So, these events can have a positive impact on the economy of the community around Lake Toba.

"We at BPODT humbly hope for support from all parties to carry out this event," he said.

Trail of The Kings (Zero Edition), entitled Live Your Legend, is divided into four competition categories, namely 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 27 kilometers and 50 kilometers.

Participant registration has been open since March 13 2024 on the site run.trailofthekings.id and will close if the participant quota has been met.

This press conference was also attended by the Director of Destination Management, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Florida Pardosi; Deputy Regent of Samosir, Martua Sitanggang; and Head of the North Sumatra Province Culture and Tourism Service, Zumri Sulthony.

Also present were the Assistant Deputy for Sustainable Tourism Development of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Kosmas Harefa; Plt. Deputy for Mental Revolution at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Aris Darmansyah; and Assistant Deputy for Community Sports at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Suyadi Pawiro//VOI