Day: October 29, 2023

NEW YORK, Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups rallied in New York City in the United States for the third week since the Israeli-Hamas war erupted on October 7.

Protesters occupy Grand Central train station, calling for a ceasefire.

The New York metropolitan area has a population of approximately 20 million, with more than 2 million Jews, making it the largest Jewish community outside of Israel in the world. and has approximately 1.5 million Muslims, making it the largest Muslim community in the Western Hemisphere. Police dispersed and arrested a group of protesters who had taken over Grand Central Station. in Manhattan on Friday It is a group opposing Israel’s attack on Gaza. Protesters asked New Yorkers to resist local politicians who declare unconditional support for Israel. such as Mr. Eric Adams, Mayor of New York, and Mrs. Cathy Hoekle, Governor of New York. Because it is a stance that supports killing people.

Israel reveals Hamas has killed 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians. and took 230 people hostage, while Hamas said that Israel has killed more than 8,000 people in Gaza, half of whom are children.

Source: Thai News Agency

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi posts a message on X, formerly Twitter, stating that Israel’s attack on Gaza has crossed the red line. and may force everyone to take certain actions

and that the US government has asked Iran not to do anything or not to become involved in the conflict Instead, it provides widespread support for Israel. US sends message to troop network that Iran supports in the Middle East This includes Hamas in Gaza. and Hezbollah in Lebanon Instead, they accepted the clear counter-attack on the battlefield.

Source: Thai News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Indonesian diaspora working and studying abroad can help the government realize the vision of Indonesia becoming the global hub for trade of halal products.”The participation of Indonesian diaspora in Osaka provides support for the government to develop Indonesia to become the world center for trade of halal products,” Hasansaid. Minister Hasan made the statement while visiting a bazaar of halal products routinely held every month by Osaka Istiqlal Mosque (MIO) in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday (October 28). In his statement, Hasan noted that the world is currently witnessing an increase in the consumption halal products, adding that Indonesia should be able to make the most of the trend to realize its vision. ccording to the minister, in 2024, the total value of global consumption of halal products is projected to reach US$3.2 trillion. The Indonesian diaspora in Osaka should optimize the opportunities offered by the trend, he added. The bazaar in MIO showcased halal products made and offered by seven Indonesian diaspora in Japan, including clothing, merchandise, fried onions, crackers, cake, a variety of instant foods, Muslim clothing, and cosmetics. Furthermore, the mosque has a mini market of halal products offering food, beverages, and other necessities that conform with the standards of Islam. Some of the products displayed in the mini market were imported from Indonesia, while the rest were produced by the Indonesian diaspora in Osaka. Since mid-2023, the management of MIO has been coordinating with the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in Osaka to install a halal vending machine. “We are providing support and facilitating Indonesian diaspora in Japan, particularly in Osaka, to develop halal food and beverages,” Head of ITPC Osaka R. M. Dicky Farabi said. The Osaka Istiqlal Mosque, with a capacity of 1,500 people, was established on January 12 last year and is the sole mosque in the city. The establishment of the MIO was meant to accommodate the increasing number of Indonesian Muslim diaspora residing in Osaka and its surroundings. In Kansai region, encompassing Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, and Mie, the number of Indonesian diaspora reaches 5,679, with 70 percent of whom are Muslims.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini stated here on Sunday that multisectoral collaboration is a strategy for preventing disability conditions, including visual impairments in Indonesia.Rismaharini said that one of the organizations that always collaborates with the government to treat and prevent blindness and other visual impairments in Indonesia is the Indonesian Ophthalmologist Association (Perdami). “Perdami helps us a lot. Every month, we do free cataract surgery, where Perdami is always active,” she said. She said the government is very focused on handling and preventing cataracts. In the last two years, 5,775 people participated in free cataract surgery facilitated by the Ministry of Social Affairs. ccording to WHO, the global prevalence of visual impairment, influenced by social issues, reaches more than one percent which is higher than the cause of clinical problems at less than 0.5 percent, and community problems at 0.5-1 percent. “This could be due to people’s fear of getting their eyes checked due to expensive medical expenses,” Rismaharini said. Meanwhile, the government is seeking to improve the productivity of people with visual impairments through such endeavors as by making technology-based tools and training blind people to be able to work. “We make tools and train them according to their passion. They do not have to be masseurs because text-to-voice technology can help them work,” she said. The Social Affairs Ministry has provided assistance in the form of computers that can convert text to voice for several institutions and foundations that deal with children with visual impairments. Minister Rismaharini said the government wants visually impaired people to be productive because cataracts and other eye diseases are not only experienced by the elderly but also by young people.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas/NFA) is striving to improve governance to expedite the distribution of the government’s rice aid and ensure its accuracy.”In the end, it (rice aid) will help control the inflation rate. Hence, the evaluation of the execution of the aid distribution is one of the important aspects, so we can ensure that the aid is distributed to all eligible recipients,” Head of the NFA Arief Prasetyo Adi remarked in Jakarta on Sunday. di noted that his agency evaluated the aid distribution process on October 26-28 of 2023 in collaboration with the Indonesian Ombudsman, state logistics agencyBulog, state-owned food company ID Food, the National Police’s Food Task Force, and relevant government agencies from all provinces. The NFA’s Director of Distribution and Food Reserves, Rachmi Widiriani, said that based on the evaluation, three aspects should be improved, namely the accuracy of recipient data, the quality of the aid, and the reimbursement mechanism. “We continue to improve the mechanism of the distribution by taking into account suggestions from various stakeholders. In accordance with the directives of Mr. President (Joko Widodo), we strive to ensure that the aid is received by those in need,” she stated. Regarding the data of eligible recipients, she noted that the NFA had corrected the number of beneficiaries from 21.353 million to 20.66 million. The data correction was based on the validation conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which showed that several factors have been causal to the change of the data, including the death, relocation, and improvements in economy of the registered recipients. Furthermore, Widiriani noted that the NFA would prepare tracking devices for transporters, so the agency can monitor the movement of food distribution on the field to minimize potential damages to the goods during delivery. “In addition, we will prepare a hotline and special unit to handle complaints received from the public. This unit will comprise officials from various ministriesagencies that will act fast to respond to both complaints and suggestions from the public,” she elaborated. Meanwhile, an official from the Indonesian Ombudsman,Yeka Hendra Fatika, affirmed that his party would continue to oversee the implementation of public services offered by government agencies and institutions, including the NFA, Bulog, and ID FOOD. He highlighted the importance of ensuring that the distribution of food aid is free from maladministration since such an activity is part of public services. “Ombudsman is striving to strengthen regulations to solidify the duties and authorities of the National Food Agency, while improving its infrastructure and preventing maladministration,” Fatika noted.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) – Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have agreed to verify the citizenship status of 300 border crossers from PNG who have been living in Yabanda Village, Yafi Subdistrict, Keerom District, Papua Province, for many years, an Indonesian government official said.The verification of citizenship was recommended by the Indonesia-PNG Border Liaison Meeting, held in Vanimo, PNG, on Oct 24-26, Assistant I for the Papua Provincial Government’s Regional Secretary, Suzanna Wanggai, told ANTARA here Saturday. To this end, Consul General of PNG in Jayapura Geoffrey L. Wiri, on Friday (Oct 27), led the joint verification process during which the border crossers would be asked to decide whether to hold Indonesian citizenship or to maintain their PNG citizenship status, she said. Required verification items have also been prepared to enable the PNG settlers to decide, said Wanggai, who currently heads the Papua Provincial Government’s Border and International Cooperation Agency. The PNG settlers have lived in Yabanda Village, which is near to the two countries’ land border, for many years, and many of their children have even gone to schools inside the Indonesian territory, she said. ccording to information she received, the border crossers from PNG remain willing to live in Yabanda Village by considering their children’s education, she added.

Source: Antara News Agency

Oct. 30

1981 — A Czech soldier who served as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission set up under the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement defects to South Korea across the border at the truce village of Panmunjom. The Czech delegation was staying on the North Korean side of the village that sits in the western section of the Korean border. Czechoslovakia, along with Poland, represented North Korea’s interests on the four-nation commission. Switzerland and Sweden represented the American-led U.N. Command.

1993 — A 7.5-kilometer subway track opens connecting seven stations on Line No. 3 from Yangjae Station to Suseo Station.

1997 — South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Cambodia at the ambassador level.

1999 — A fire sweeps through a beer hall in the western city of Incheon, killing 56 people, mostly high school girls. The students had rented the venue for a party.

2002 — The T-50 Golden Eagle, the first indigenous supersonic aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and U.S.-based Lockheed Martin, successfully completes its maiden flight.

2018 — The Supreme Court orders Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel to pay 100 million won (US$86,000) each to four South Koreans in compensation for wartime forced labor and unpaid work during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has vowed to ensure safety across the South Korean capital as South Korea marked the somber anniversary of the deadly crowd crush in the city Sunday.

Oh attended the main memorial event near Seoul City Hall commemorating the 159 people killed in the crowd crush in the nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022, during Halloween celebrations.

In his Facebook post Sunday, Oh said he’d visited the bustling Hongdae district in western Seoul on Saturday evening, noting the orderly manner in which young people were enjoying the weekend and Halloween festivities.

“Firefighters, police officers and civil servants were on hand to maintain safety and order all across the area,” Oh noted. “And our citizens also displayed a sense of public order, as they avoided crowding in tight areas. I could see with my own eyes that we as a society had overcome great tragedy from last year and had taken a step forward.”

Oh also said he had visited the site of last year’s crowd crush in Itaewon to pay tribute to the victims.

“To ensure we won’t have a repeat of such a tragedy, I will spare no efforts in building a safe Seoul,” Oh said.

After attending Sunday’s memorial event near City Hall, Oh went back to the Itaewon accident site in the evening to check on the streets and pay tribute to the victims.

The association of bereaved families organized a pre-event in Itaewon, attended by the country’s religious leaders for prayers for the victims. They would then march toward Seoul City Hall for the main memorial event, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, and Ihn Yohan, head of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party, were among those from the political circle scheduled to be on hand.

The organizers of the memorial service have told police that 3,000 people will attend the event. The police said they will dispatch officers to guard against possible accidents.

The families of the victims were also set to hold a Catholic Mass at Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, The South Korean government, local internet portal operator Naver Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. will participate in an artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit due in Britain next month, Naver said Sunday.

Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho; Cheun Kyung-whoon, chief technology officer of Samsung Electronics’ Device eXperience Division and president of Samsung Research; and Ha Jung-woo, head of the Naver Cloud Innovation Center, received an invitation from the British government, Ha wrote on his Facebook page.

Officials from the Group of 7 countries, executives from AI companies and AI experts are expected to share their views on the potential risks of AI and discuss countermeasures in the first major global summit on AI safety.

The G7 includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alphabet’s AI-focused unit DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will be among the attendees at the meeting to be held at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, on Wednesday and Thursday (local time).

Source: Yonhap News Agency