Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi gestures during a press conference in Jakarta on Jan. 11, 2021. Lutfi was Indonesia s ambassador to the United States based in Washington, DC until December 2020. - Courtesy of the Trade Ministry
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): When a country recalls its ambassador from a foreign post, it is usually to express displeasure or protest with the host country. But in the case of Indonesia and the United States, the stakes are not always so straightforward.
Earlier this week, the US Embassy in Jakarta confirmed that Ambassador Sung Kim, who had just presented his credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in October, was vacating the post. He had been called upon to serve as acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs under the new US administration under Joe Biden.
Electronic waste. - Shutterstock
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): Adopting a circular economy in Indonesia’s key sectors might add between Rp 593 trillion (US$42.2 billion) and Rp 638 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, a report finds, stating that doing so will also support the government’s efforts to recover the economy after the Covid-19 crisis.
The report, launched on Monday (Jan 26), specifically highlights the potential to tap circular economy practices in five key Indonesian industries, namely textiles, retail, electronic manufacturing, construction and food and beverage, which collectively contributed 33 per cent of Indonesia s GDP and employed 43 million workers in 2019.
Villagers walk through an inundated residential area in Banjar regency, South Kalmantan. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
WITH no end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic that has infected, sickened and killed nearly a million people, and with looming ecological disasters, some of them man-made, the last thing we need is a government that pays little regard to science. Unfortunately, this could be the grim reality in Indonesia today.
Within the first weeks of 2021, Indonesia has had to deal with a new spike in coronavirus cases across Java, deadly earthquakes in Mamuju and Majene, both in West Sulawesi, and the worst flooding to hit South Kalimantan in decades.
The writers say that from the SMEs viewpoint, leaving WhatsApp could affect their businesses through a migration to messaging apps which are not yet equipped with business features.
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): WhatsApp s new privacy policy that no longer allows user to opt out of sharing their data with the parent company Facebook has sparked controversy and a massive migration to rival messaging apps around the world.
According to the new policy, WhatsApp will automatically share user data like phone numbers, address books, pictures and the content of some messages with Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp. The new policy was to come into effect on Feb 8.
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Afghan women attend a consultative grand assembly, known as Loya Jirga, in Kabul in 2019. Reuters
Afghan women attend a consultative grand assembly, known as Loya Jirga, in Kabul, Afghanistan April 29,2019. (Reuters/Omar Sobhani)
IT was a balmy day in November 2020 as I was sitting on a crowded train, my mouth full of bread and hot steamy chai as I struggled to take a sip. I took a glance at the people who picked me up and would bring me to meet the commander.
I was in one of the conflict areas in South Asia. The journey continued over a nine-hour car ride on a muddy road. I wondered what kind of people I would meet, what they would think of me and how I should start the conversation.