SAFETY PRIORITIZED IN DECIDING VENUE FOR 2018 IMF-WB ANNUAL MEETING by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 8, 2017 (Antara) - The increased activity of Mount Agung located in Karangasem District, Bali Island, has raised Indonesia's concerns, as preparations for the 2018 Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) are underway.

          The next IMF-WB annual meeting is scheduled to be held in Bali in October 2018.

          Some 15 thousand to 17 thousand people from 189 countries, including country officials, international observers, academics, journalists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, are expected to participate in the annual event.

         Mount Agung has been active since August 2017, but the volcano has not yet erupted, and most parts of the island remain safe.

          The Indonesian government, as the host of the important meeting, however, has prepared an optional venue, as part of the precautionary measures in case the volcano erupts.

          "Everyone's safety is our main priority while taking any decision regarding the venue," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indarwati had noted on the sidelines of the 2017 IMF-WB annual meeting in Washington D.C., the US, last October.

          Any change concerning the next meeting's schedule or venue will be discussed with the IMF and WB, she revealed.
     Moreover, the IMF and WB have been monitoring the developments of Mount Agung that has been active since last August.

          "They are also monitoring the developments of Mount Agung, and at certain points, if the risks could be controlled, we will be able to host the 2018 meeting of (IMF and WB)," the minister had noted on the sidelines of the 2017 IMF-WB annual meeting held in Washington D.C., the US, last October.

NOVEL BASWEDAN CASE REMAINS MYSTERY by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 7, 2017 (Antara) - More than 200 days have passed since Novel Baswedan, senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was attacked with acid that has caused him to lose vision in his left eye, but the perpetrators are still at large and unidentified.

         Until now, both the Jakarta Metro Jaya Police and the National Police's Crime Investigation Department are incessantly investigating the case.

         The National Police does not intend to either slow down the investigation into the case or lose focus in dealing with it, according to Brigadier General Rikwanto, a spokesman of the National Police (Polri)
    He, however, admitted that the investigation has failed to trace the attackers.

         "It remains uncertain as to who the perpetrators are. We do not have strong evidence to name someone as a suspect," Rikwanto told the press on Oct 6, 2017.

         He urged anyone with information on the attackers to report it to the police or the KPK.

         He confirmed that the National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian will, in the near future, report to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) about the ongoing investigation into the unsolved case.

         Earlier, President Jokowi said he will discuss Baswedan's case with Karnavian.

         "Later, I will invite the Police chief. I will call him," President Jokowi stated recently in response to questions posed by the press regarding a suggestion to establish a joint fact finding team (TPGF) to probe the case.

         He said every case has to be dealt with in a clear and transparent manner. "For sure, every case must be open and clear," Jokowi noted.

MOUNT AGUNG STILL ACTIVE, BUT LESS THREATENING by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 6, 2017 (Antara) - Thousands of Balinese evacuees returned home after living more than a month in evacuation centers on the Island, following the decision of the Indonesian authorities to lower the alert status of Mount Agung from Level 4 (dangerous) to Level 3 (high alert) on Oct 29, 2017.   
     "According to the images observed by the drone, the magma activity has dropped for the last nine days, and the volume of ashes ejected from the crater has decreased," Kasbani, head of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG), said in Karangasem District, recently.    
     Located in Karangasem, Bali Island, the 3,142-meter-high Mount Agung has been rumbling since August, but the volcano has not yet erupted.

        In the last two months, the officials had recorded the activity of the volcano to be high. "(However), for the last three days, the tremors were stable from 100 to 200 shocks per day," he remarked. 
   Apart from the tremors, the GPS-based observer and tiltmeter have pictured that the deformations at the crater were slowing down.   
   "There is no pressure (in dropping the volcano's alert status). Our decision is based on some observations on the crater's deformation and other indicators," he explained.

        Since PVMBG declared the highest alert level of Mount Agung, about 144,389 people living in the affected zones in Karangasem, had been evacuated to several regions, including the neighboring districts of Klungkung, Buleleng, Bangli, Gianyar, and Denpasar.  

TECHNOLOGY PLAYS CRUCIAL ROLE IN ATTAINING FOOD SUSTAINABILITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 2, 2017 (Antara) - The world faces a fundamental challenge to sustainably provide a healthy diet to a population of over nine billion by 2050.

          As the most populous region in the world, Asia and the Pacific plays a decisive role in combating several interlinked issues at hand, such as malnutrition, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

          Long-term discussions, however, are needed to tackle the issue of feeding a population of some four billion in the Asian and Pacific region, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla stated while opening the First EAT Asia-Pacific Food Forum organized jointly by the EAT Foundation and the Indonesian Ministry of Health on Oct 30-31.

          "When we speak at the Asia-Pacific forum, it means we highlight the interests of four billion people. If everyone eats thrice a day, then we are speaking about 12 billion plates a day," the vice president remarked.

          Several challenges lie in the path towards boosting food productivity, including those related to land and the huge population that has put pressure on the agriculture sector.

          However, all these challenges can be addressed by using technology that enables the nation to cater to the food demand, although it is not perfect, according to Kalla.

          The government is finding a way to improve the food quality and productivity by utilizing technology in Indonesia, Kalla remarked.

         Technology could help increase food production. For Indonesia, the increase in food production should be above 3 percent to achieve food security and self-sufficiency.

TAKABONERATE, HIDDEN MARINE PARADISE IN S SULAWESI by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 2, 2017 (Antara) - Besides Raja Ampat, which has been known worldwide as a hidden marine paradise on Earth, there is another hidden marine paradise, which is less known, notably the Takabonerate, which is located in Selayar District, South Sulawesi Province.

         Stretching south of the main island of Sulawesi into the Flores Sea, the Takabonerate National Park is a predominantly rich marine park and is also habitat to several bird species.

         Takabonerate is the third-largest atoll region in the world after Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Suvadiva in the Maldives.

      Apart from atolls, this national park comprises of 21 islands and has 242 species of corals, 526 species of colorful and strange reef fish, as well as 112 species of macro algae.

        The Island of Selayar is a gateway to this extensive 530,765-hectare-national park, of which 220 thousand hectares form an expanse of atolls and lagoons.

        The administration of Selayar Islands had organized the Wonderful Takabonerate Festival, or the Ninth edition of the Takabonerate Island Expedition (TIE), themed "Showcasing the Marine Potentials of Selayar towards a Golden Marine Tourist Destination 2019," from Oct 23 to 27, 2017. 
   Benteng and Takabonerate diving spots are the two locations where the festival was held.

        Among events held in Benteng were a canoe race, a decorated pedicab parade, a duck-catching swimming race, and traditional art and cultural performances, particularly those of the Bajo sea nomad tribe.  

PREPARATIONS FOR WEDDING OF JOKOWI'S ONLY DAUGHTER COMPLETED by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 1, 2017  (Antara) - Kahiyang Ayu, the only daughter of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), will get married to her university sweetheart Bobby Affif Nasution in her hometown Solo, Central Java, on Nov 8 this year.        
    Ayu and Bobby Nasution are both aged 26 and students of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). The duo had dated for a year and got engaged in June 2017.

         "My sister will get married on Nov 8," Gibran Rakambuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, had informed the press at the president's private residence in Solo or Surakarta last September.

         Speaking as the spokesman of his family, Raka was accompanied by Ayu and First Lady Iriana during the press conference.

         The wedding ceremony will follow Javanese traditions, and preparations for the wedding have been completed.

         The Graha Sabha Buana Hall, owned by the Jokowi family and located near his private home in Solo, will serve as the venue for the wedding ceremony, and the food will be provided by catering company Chili Pari owned by Raka.

         "One of the dishes to be served is martabak," Raka said as quoted by tempo.co.

         The 30-year-old entrepreneur is no stranger to the popular Indonesian pancake, as he also owns cafe Martabak Kota Barat, or Markobar, having outlets in several cities across Indonesia.

         Both martabak manis, or sweet pancake, and martabak telur, or stuffed fried pancake, will be served at the wedding. The pancake delights will be prepared at the venue.

         "Guests will be able to witness the cooking process," Raka added.

         Ayu's elder brother said the media will be given access to cover the ceremony, adding that he will set up a media center for the event.

         "Do not worry. We will set up a media center for the journalists. It will be operational in the run-up to the wedding," Raka told reporters.

         Ayu, or Ayang, was born in 1991. She has completed an undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-run Sebelas Maret University in Solo. She has attended a postgraduate degree course at IPB since 2015.

         Bobby Nasution is the third or youngest son of Erwin Nasution, former executive director of state-owned plantation holding company PT Perkebunan Nusantara II, who passed away in January this year.

         He has two elder sisters: Mayang Sari Nasution and Inge Amelia Nasution.

         Bobby Nasution had received his undergraduate degree in agribusiness from the Faculty of Agribusiness and Management at the IPB in 2014.
    Nasution is now a postgraduate student in Business Management Magister of the IPB.  
    Jokowi said he is looking forward to his daughter's wedding and is excited to be a member of a big Batak family, as his future son-in-law is an ethnic Batak from Medan, North Sumatra.

         President Jokowi led the final meeting on the wedding preparations in Solo on Oct 29. Following the meeting, he confirmed that all preparations were completed.

         The meeting was attended by Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Solo Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo, and Commander of the Diponegoro Military Command Major General Tatang Sulaiman, among others.

         "Everything is set, and we just need to distribute the invitations," Jokowi informed the media.

         He revealed that there will be some eight thousand invitees, more than double the number of people invited to his eldest son's wedding held at the same venue in 2015.