Category: General

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Greater Jakarta Police’s Traffic Directorate has prepared service posts on arterial routes that will function as quick rest stops for travelers using motorcycles.”We have established posts along the eastward route from Halim Lama to Kalimalang to Jatiwaringin,” the Greater Jakarta Police’s traffic director, Senior Commissioner Latif Usman, said here on Saturday. Usman informed that a rest area has been set up on the border of Jakarta to the west, toward the Tangerang area. “Likewise, (a rest area is) ready on the route heading to Tangerang from Daan Mogot (West Jakarta),” he said. However, he still appealed to people who want to travel during the Eid al-Fitr exodus not to use motorcycles because of accident risks. “If using a motorcycle, the (travelers) are advised to maintain physical condition and not keep riding in a fatigued state,” he said. Furthermore, the Traffic Directorate has also prepared special monitoring posts for motorcycles during the Eid exodus flow. “At the monitoring posts, we will check and stop vehicles that are not suitable and not liable that are very dangerous for others and the motorists themselves,” he said. Usman added that his side will monitor routes that are usually crossed by motorcycle riders. “Our main target is the route from Kalimalang to the Bekasi border and from the west (Jakarta) to Tangerang through Daan Mogot, and to the tip of Serang,” he said. He advised travelers not to ride motorcycles for the homecoming trip, saying motorbikes should only be used for short distances. “With the free homecoming trip from the police and related agencies in Jakarta, motorbike users are expected to switch to the free homecoming program or ride buses,” he said. The National Police will also conduct the nationwide Ketupat Operation for securing the Eid exodus and return flow from April 18May 1. baca-jugaRelated news: Police chief, ministers discuss 2023 Eid homecoming readinessRelated news: Expect uptick in number of exodus participants this year: Minister

Source: Antara News Agency

Military and police operatives arrested on Saturday morning a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) tagged by the Philippine National Police as the most wanted NPA rebel in Negros. A media release from the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) identified the suspect as 49-year-old Jerry Montefalcon (alias Ka Bulhot), married, and a member of the NPA’s Central Negros 1. He was arrested by 62IB troops and Canlaon City police in Sitio Anatuling, Barangay Budlasan, Canlaon City under a search warrant. Montefalcon is the subject of several warrants issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 64 in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental for murder and illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives, among others. No bail was recommended. He was also involved in various harassments and liquidations of CAFGU Active Auxiliary and civilians in Moises Padilla and La Castellana, both in Negros Occidental, and Guihulngan City and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental. Lt. Col. William Pesase, 62IB commanding officer, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the arrest of Montefalcon indicates the battalion’s relentless efforts to ‘hunt down the remaining NPA members who have killed innocent and unarmed civilians in central Negros.’ ‘We are reiterating our call for them to surrender now and live a normal life again with their families. Otherwise, they will either die in an encounter or languish in jail for the crimes they have committed,’ Pesase said in an interview

Source: Philippines News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Tourism and Creative EconomySandiaga Salahuddin Unohas asked students at Al-Ittihad Islamic Boarding School (Pesantren) in Malang, East Java, to develop educational and inspiring digital content that reflects Islamic values.”Don’t make content that can regress our way of thinking. The content we create must be reliable, honest, and authentic,” Uno said, according to an official statement released here on Saturday. He urged pesantren students (santris) to make quality digital content as part of reviving the people’s economy. The government is seeking to optimize Indonesian human resources that comprise santris in the creative economy sector to realize the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, under which Indonesia is aiming to become an advanced country by the year 2045. “I want to present this, to urge the students to take this opportunity, as Indonesia will become a major economy. We need to stop being spectators and become players to drive the nation’s economy,” he said. Only a small number of santris become entrepreneurs, out of the total five million santris spread across 28 thousand Islamic boarding schools in the country, he added. “With the Santripreneur Go Digital Creative Business Movement program, Insya Allah (God willing), we can create so many entrepreneurs. There were santris who have become President, Vice President, and even district heads. What is lacking from santris are (those who become) world-class entrepreneurs,” he said. He said santris who become world-class entrepreneurs can not only dominate the economy in East Java, the province with the most santris, but also the region and the globe. “We conduct the Santripreneur Go Digital Creative Business Movement training to (encourage) santris to not only have true characters, but also have world-class skills. Hopefully, they will be able to be part of the 4.4 new million jobs creation in 2024,” he said. The Santripreneur Go Digital Creative Business Movement is a program by the ministry that trains santris with new knowledge and skills, especially in entrepreneurship. baca-jugaRelated news: Ministry urges students to become fishery entrepreneursRelated news: VP plants oil palm sprouts with 100 santris in Riau

Source: Antara News Agency

Top seed Robert Andrew Garcia and David William Peliño scored contrasting victories to arrange a semifinal showdown in the Philippine Satellite Series 2 at the National Squash Center at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila on Friday night. Garcia recovered from two sets down to beat Jonathan Reyes, 4-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7. Peliño, on the other hand, coasted to an 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 victory over Anson Wong of Hong Kong. “My movement is better now. I had an injury in my last tournament. I couldn’t move properly, I couldn’t give my 100 percent on the court,” Peliño said in an interview on Saturday. He lost to Garcia at the National Open last month. Reymark Begornia also secured a semifinal berth after eliminating Wilson Chan of Hong Kong, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7, to advance against South Korean national player Yoo Jae-jin. Yoo survived top Filipino junior Christopher Buraga, 11-6, 11-5, 5-11, 4-11, 11-7. Buraga, No. 9 in the Asian Squash Federation Under-17 rankings, forced the deciding fifth set, but Yoo was the better player despite a hamstring strain in his right leg sustained in the second set. “He led 5-1 in the fifth set and then I caught up to 4-5 until his game got better again and he was up, 10-5. He’s very good at carrying the ball, so I had a hard time, too,” said the 16-year-old Buraga. Garcia, a quarterfinalist at the Professional Squash Association Challenger Cup in Hong Kong last March, bagged the first leg title last week. The third leg is scheduled April 20 to 23. Garcia and Peliño teamed up to rule the doubles at the 2019 Manila Southeast Asian Games. In February, they won the 23rd International Jumbo Doubles for the President’s Cup at Tanglin Club in Singapore and the Philippine Jumbo Doubles Championships

Source: Philippines News Agency

Criticism is legitimate and is protected by law in democratic countries, as long as it does not become defamation or hate speech. Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) has reiterated President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi’s) commitment to respecting the freedom of speech and expression of residents, including those criticizing development progress.”Criticism is legitimate and is protected by law in democratic countries, as long as it does not become defamation or hate speech. Hence, (the authorities) should not avoid criticisms or inputs. President Jokowi and the KSP firmly believe that criticisms must be welcomed,” KSP main expert staff Joanes Joko said, according to a statement released here on Saturday. Joko made the remarks in response to the alleged intimidation of the family of Bima Yudho Saputro–a resident from Lampung who criticized the lack of progress in development in his home province via social media–by the regional authority and local police. President Widodo will always filter all inputs from all parties to improve the public services provided by the government, the KSP official affirmed. He added that KSP will always work with law enforcers in responding to public inputs and criticisms to prevent the recurrence of intimidation and harassment of residents who speak up to criticize the authorities. “Never be tired of loving your hometown, never be tired of loving Indonesia. Continue presenting your inputs or criticisms, and never be afraid if your criticisms are legitimate. KSP, through its appropriate avenues, will provide support,” Joko said, directing his remarks to Saputro. The expert staff said that a resident who presents their criticism means they are not ignorant of the conditions surrounding them, hence, the authority needs to embrace such criticisms and accept their input instead of silencing them. He added that his agency will continue its KSP Mendengar (KSP Listening) program to hear public inputs and criticisms, adding that KSP will never become an anti-critic institution. “Because such criticisms are needed for the common good,” Joko remarked. baca-jugaRelated news: Disbanding parliament, parties will cause more harm than good: MahfudRelated news: Election will mark an important milestone for democracy in Kazakhstan

Source: Antara News Agency

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a research and analysis division of the Economist Group of the UK, has recently announced the ranking of the global business environment for the second quarter of the year, which recognises that Vietnam has the highest ranking among the targeted economies.

The EIU offers many categories on order to evaluate economic management activities over both the previous five years and the next five-year prospects of countries and regions, thereby assessing the quality or attractiveness of the business environment in 82 countries and economies globally.

The nations that improved the most in the EIU’s ranking over the past year included Vietnam, Thailand, Belgium, Sweden, India, and Costa Rica.

Of these, Vietnam is considered to have the greatest motivation, increasing 12 places in the ranking, while Thailand rose by 10 places and India grew by six places.

In the 2023 EIU rankings, Singapore retained its position as the world’s best place to do business for the 15th consecutive year and will continue to be the best place to conduct business over the next five years. Canada and Denmark shared the second place.

Meanwhile, the countries that were most significantly downgraded include China, Bahrain, Chile, and Slovakia. China is the country with the deepest drop globally, falling 11 places from a year earlier./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency