LUKENIVIP

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology aims to issue Teacher Professional Education (PPG) certifications to 1.2 million teachers by 2025.

“This year, approximately 598,000 teachers participated in PPG,” the ministry’s director general of teacher and educational staff, Nunuk Suryani, stated on Thursday.

Nationally, there are about 3 million teachers, of whom roughly 1.3 million, or 44.96 percent, are certified.

Approximately 1.6 million teachers remain uncertified. However, only 1.2 million of these are eligible for the PPG certification program due to incomplete undergraduate education.

According to Suryani, 713,582 teachers have yet to participate in the certification program’s selection process. The ministry hopes they will enroll in 2025.

Upon achieving the certification target, the ministry will increase the budget from 50 trillion rupiahs to 70 trillion rupiahs for allowances for certified teachers.

Earlier, Muhammad Nur Purnamasidi, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission X, emphasized that the issuance of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister’s Regulation Number 19 of 2024 on PPG marks a significant step toward accelerating teacher certification.

He noted that this is crucial to prevent the devaluation of the teaching profession relative to other occupations and to address the potential “teacher crisis” in the country.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) conducted a 24-hour weather modification operation (OMC) to manipulate the potential for rain clouds in the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara for the first time in the world.

“The non-stop 24-hour OMC is the first in Indonesia and in the world,” Acting Deputy for Weather Modification at BMKG, Tri Handoko Seto, stated on Friday.

He explained that the weather modification aims to support the acceleration of development in IKN’s several supporting infrastructures, including the Presidential Palace, the IKN VVIP Airport, and the toll road to the IKN central government area (KIPP).

“Including supporting the readiness for all state activities, including the Independence Day ceremony on August 17,” Seto remarked.

The team from BMKG recorded normal rainfall data for 30 years (1991-2020) and gained an understanding of the rainfall pattern in IKN, which is characterized by rain with an intensity of above 150 mm per month throughout the year.

Based on observation, rains can also occur in the morning, afternoon, evening, and early morning in IKN.

Based on these records, the BMKG assessed the need to increase the OMC, which was earlier carried out in the morning and afternoon, to be conducted for up to 24 hours, Seto remarked.

“If it rains all day, the main infrastructure development process in the IKN will not run optimally,” he stated.

He explained that during the July 4-18 period, the OMC success ratio had reached 70 percent, with 29 hours of rain out of a total of 186 operational hours.

During the next period, namely from July 19 to August 2, the success ratio reached 97 percent, with six hours of rain out of a total of 354 operational hours.

Seto said the weather modification operation was conducted for 24 hours non-stop to reduce the potential for rain in the IKN area.

The BMKG weather modification operation was centered at the APT Pranoto Samarinda Airport by flying out two Cessna Caravan 208B aircraft, with the codes PK-SNG and PK SNK, belonging to Smart Cakrawala Aviation to intercept rain clouds entering the IKN area.

From the weather modification operation in the IKN, around 213 flight sorties have been seeded, and 200 tons of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and CaO have been sprayed over cumulus rain clouds, Seto remarked.

Angel Yeast (SH600298), a global leader in yeast manufacturing, is spearheading an initiative that unites universities and enterprises to form an innovative consortium dedicated to advancing synthetic biology technology. This initiative also accelerates the construction of the Xiaoting Synthetic Biology Industrial Park in Yichang, Hubei Province. The goal is to establish an integrated industry chain, starting with yeast production and extending through fermentation of raw materials, bio-manufacturing, and product application. By 2035, this initiative aims to develop a 50-billion-yuan (USD 6.89 billion) industry cluster.

In the era of rapid technology development, synthetic biology has been coined “the third biological science revolution” It makes each cell a “super factory” that can continuously produce specific substances after targeted modification, to be widely used in the manufacturing of food, medicine, biochemicals, new materials and more. At present, yeast is one of the most applicable microbial cell factory platforms with high editability and controllability.

As a global leader in the field of yeast R&D and production, Angel Yeast has been laying out the industry roadmap for synthetic biology to accelerate its development. With this in mind, the Xiaoting Synthetic Biology Industrial Park was unveiled in 2023 and the consortium was founded in May 2024.

“The consortium will focus on tackling the bottlenecks of core technologies, advancing the development of bio-based materials, pharmaceutical intermediates, biomass sugar and more following market-oriented operation strategies, while actively promoting to develop the standards for synthetic biology and layout for acquiring invention patents of the industry,” said Zhang Yan, Dean of the Angel Yeast Research Institute.

The yeast extract production of the project requires more than 100 kilograms of enzymes per day, supplied by Angel Yeast’s enzyme preparation operations. The first phase of the project is now in production to manufacture vitamin K2, pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt, phosphatidylserine and other products.

Preparations for Indonesia’s Independence Day ceremony in Nusantara, the new capital city in East Kalimantan, are over 90 percent finished, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics announced on Saturday.

“Nusantara is ready for the August 17 celebration,” said Usman Kansong, the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Communication.

The government will hold the ceremony in Nusantara’s State Palace. Government officials, local leaders, and ambassadors from various countries are scheduled to attend the event.

Usman said that transportation for the guests has been arranged.

The toll road connecting the province’s capital Balikpapan and Nusantara has been inaugurated. It will reduce travel time by car from 2.5 hours to just one hour.

This year’s Independence Day ceremony will be historic for the Indonesian nation as it will take place in two locations: Nusantara and Jakarta.

President Joko Widodo will lead the ceremony in Nusantara, while Vice President Ma’ruf Amin will lead the one in Jakarta.

Climate change poses a double barrier to the fulfillment of children’s rights, so there is a need for real action and collaboration to reduce its impact, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture.

“The children are the ones who will bear the burden as they grow up amid the climate crisis and various issues in children’s right fulfillment,” said Woro Srihastuti, the ministry’s Deputy for Quality Improvement of Children, Women, and Youth, on Saturday.

A 2021 UNICEF report that placed Indonesia 46th out of 163 countries in the Children’s Climate Change Index has further fueled the ministry’s concern. The ranking means that children in Indonesia are at high risk of experiencing the impact of climate change.

In addition to climate change, Indonesia is highly vulnerable to climate-triggered or hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, forest and land fires, and tornadoes.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 99.35 percent of the 5,400 disasters recorded in Indonesia in 2023 were hydrometeorological disasters.

This vulnerability was worsened by the emergence of health issues, acute respiratory infection, diarrhea, and dengue, Srihastuti pointed out.

There are also problems in accessing education after disaster occurrences and even economic issues such as poverty and food insecurity.

“Considering the complexity of the climate change that has an impact on children, we must encourage the parties, including children and youth, to participate in carrying out real actions,” she said.

She emphasized the importance of providing a safe, inclusive, and fun space for children to play an active role in criticizing and adapting to climate change

The Indonesian government will impose sanctions on digital payment service providers found supporting online gambling transactions.

In his statement released on Saturday, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi said that his ministry has sent warning letters to 21 providers operating 42 digital payment applications.

The letters were sent after the ministry found indications that the 42 applications were being used as payment tools for gambling activities.

In the letter, the ministry asked the service providers to conduct an internal audit of their payment services and report the results within seven working days.

“If their audit reports are not submitted within seven days, they will be subject to administrative sanctions,” Setiadi emphasized.

Indonesia is continuing to take preventive measures for online gambling eradication in society. On June 14, 2024, President Joko Widodo signed a decree establishing the online gambling eradication task force.

The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported in June that it has blocked thousands of bank accounts linked to online gambling activities with a total fund of Rp600 trillion (around US$36.39 billion).

Tiga pertandingan pramusim  Barcelona di Amerika Serikat disaksikan total 196.728 penonton di stadion, ungkap Barcelona dalam lamannya di Jakarta, Kamis.

Jumlah tersebut berasal dari laga Barcelona melawan Manchester City (63.237 penonton), Real Madrid (82.154 penonton) dan AC Milan (51.337 penonton).

Dari pertandingan-pertandingan persahabatan tersebut, Barcelona menang atas Manchester City dan Real Madrid serta kalah dari AC Milan.

Barcelona juga mengungkapkan bahwa selama tur pramusim di AS, mereka menurunkan 27 dari 29 pemain. Dua nama yang sama sekali tidak merumput adalah Diego Kochen dan Alexis Olmedo.

14 pemain Barcelona yang baru pertama kali ikut tur pramusim adalah Vitor Roque, Héctor Fort, Pau Víctor, Diego Kochen, Unai, Marc Bernal, Gerard Martín, Noah Darvich, Guille Fernández, Andrés Cuenca, Toni Fernández, Sergi Domínguez, Quim Junyent dan Alexis Olmedo.

Namun, cuna dua nama yang selalu diturunkan sebagai “starting eleven” pada tiga laga di AS, yakni Marc Casado dan Pau Victor.

Marc Casado dan Pau Victor menjadi pemain dengan total menit berlaga tertinggi selama di AS, masing-masing 241 menit.

“Itu menandakan kedua pemain tersebut yang paling menarik perhatian pelatih (Hansi Flick),” tulis Barcelona.

Pemain tersubur Barcelona pada tiga laga di AS adalah Pau Victor dengan tiga gol (satu ke gawang Manchester City dan dua ke Real Madrid).

Barcelona pun menorehkan empat kemenangan dari empat laga El Clasico menghadapi Real Madrid di Amerika Serikat, yakni 3-0 pada 2017, 1-0 pada 2022, 3-0 pada 2023 dan 2-1 pada 2024. 

Di Amerika Serikat, skuad Barcelona menjalani 10 sesi latihan yang tiga dilakukan di Orlando dan tujuh di Baltimore.

 Suasana riang gembira terlihat pada anak-anak di Kelurahan Samofa, Biak Numfor, Papua. Salah satu dari anak-anak itu adalah Christian, balita yang juga mendapat pembagian makanan tambahan sehat. Mereka adalah anak-anak di pendidikan anak usia dini (PAUD) yang menikmati layanan makanan sehat dari pemerintah daerah setempat untuk mencegah stunting.

Dengan mengenakan pakaian balutan baju kaos putih, kombinasi celana hitam, Christian duduk di bawah tenda sambil menyantap makanan tambahan bergizi, berupa telur, bubur kacang hijau, dan sup sayuran, yang disediakan Pemerintah Kabupaten Biak Numfor dalam mengatasi masalah stunting pada anak. Selain makanan tambahan, anak-anak itu juga menerima vitamin untuk menjaga dan menjamin kesehatan mereka.

Pemberian makanan tambahan itu merupakan salah satu dari sejumlah program pemerintah daerah untuk mengatasi masalah stunting, selain program-program lainnya yang menunjukkan hadirnya negara untuk menjawab kebutuhan warga.

Biak Numfor yang merupakan salah satu kabupaten di Tanah Papua ini tergolong berhasil menangani stunting pada anak melalui kolaborasi berbagai pihak, baik di instansi pemerintah daerah, antara lain dinas pendidikan, dinas kesehatan, dinas perikanan, dinas pemberdayaan perempuan dan perlindungan anak, termasuk dari TNI dan Polri, maupun dari elemen masyarakat di daerah itu.

Data di Pemerintah Kabupaten Biak Numfor menunjukkan bahwa prevalensi stunting, sesuai survei status gizi Indonesia pada 2021 sebesar 34 persen atau 723 anak, kemudian pada 2022 turun menjadi 27,30 persen atau 650 anak, serta di 2023 hingga awal 2024 turun lagi menjadi 6,1 persen atau 485 anak.

Kalau melihat laju penurunan dari tahun ke tahun, sesuai data, maka sangat beralasan jika pemerintah daerah di kabupaten yang wilayahnya berada di kawasan Kepulauan Pasifik itu menargetkan angka stunting nol kasus pada 2025.

 Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK), Kamis, memeriksa seorang saksi yang berinisial BP soal pembelian kapal terkait dengan penyidikan dugaan korupsi dalam proses kerja sama usaha dan akuisisi PT Jembatan Nusantara oleh PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) pada tahun 2019—2022.

“Saksi hadir, penyidik mendalami terkait dengan harga kapal,” kata Juru Bicara KPK Tessa Mahardhika saat dikonfirmasi di Jakarta, Kamis.

Berdasarkan informasi yang dihimpun, saksi tersebut adalah Budi Prakoso (BP) selaku Kepala SBU Marine and Offshore Migas PT Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia (Persero).

Namun, Tessa belum menjelaskan lebih lanjut soal apa saja temuan penyidik dalam pemeriksaan tersebut maupun soal kaitan pembelian kapal tersebut dengan perkara yang disidik oleh KPK.

Dalam penyidikan perkara tersebut, KPK telah memeriksa sejumlah saksi, antara lain, Youlman Jamal selaku Direktur Utama PT Jembatan Nusantara periode 2019—2022

Pada pemeriksaan tersebut, penyidik KPK mendalami soal kronologi terjadinya proses kerja sama usaha (KSU) dan Akuisisi PT Jembatan Nusantara oleh PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) pada tahun 2019—2022.

Sebelumnya, KPK pada hari Kamis, 18 Juli 2024, mengumumkan telah memulai penyidikan dugaan korupsi terkait dengan proses kerja sama usaha dan akuisisi PT Jembatan Nusantara oleh PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) periode 2019—2022.

Tessa menerangkan bahwa nilai proyek yang tengah disidik KPK itu mencapai Rp1,3 triliun dengan estimasi kerugian keuangan negara mencapai Rp1,27 triliun, dengan nominal pastinya masih dalam perhitungan oleh pihak auditor.

Dalam akusisi tersebut, PT ASDP mendapatkan 53 unit armada.

Penyidik KPK juga telah berkoordinasi dengan Ditjen Imigrasi Kemenkumham untuk memberlakukan cegah ke luar negeri terhadap empat orang demi kepentingan penyidikan.

Empat pihak yang dicegah tersebut terdiri atas satu pihak swasta berinisial A dan tiga orang dari pihak internal ASDP berinisial HMAC, MYH, dan IP.

 Indonesia optimistis kerja sama dalam pembangunan nasional dan kawasan dengan negara-negara Afrika akan semakin kuat melalui penyelenggaraan ajang Forum Indonesia-Afrika (IAF) ke-2, ucap Wakil Menteri Luar Negeri RI Pahala Mansury.

Menurut Mansury, negara-negara Afrika menghormati Indonesia yang sedari dulu sudah berinisiatif membela Afrika dengan memperjuangkan kemerdekaan dan berakhirnya kolonialisme melalui Konferensi Asia-Afrika (KAA) pada 1955 yang melahirkan Bandung Spirit (Semangat Bandung).

“Ini juga merupakan satu hal yang kita harapkan bisa membedakan Indonesia dalam hal bekerja sama yang betul-betul untuk berjuang bersama dengan Afrika,” kata Wamenlu dalam Temu Media terkait IAF ke-2 di Jakarta, Kamis.

Mansury mengatakan bahwa pemimpin negara-negara Afrika sangat antusias menyambut digelarnya IAF ke-2 di Bali, September mendatang.

Terlebih, pelaksanaan IAF tahun ini berdekatan dengan momentum peringatan 70 tahun KAA.

Sudah ada setidaknya lima kepala negara atau pemerintahan Afrika dan 13 pembicara panel diskusi setingkat menteri yang mengkonfirmasikan kehadirannya untuk IAF ke-2 di Bali, ucap Wamenlu.

Ia turut optimistis semakin banyak perwakilan pemerintah maupun bisnis dari Afrika yang akan hadir dalam pertemuan itu.

Dengan antusiasme itu, RI menargetkan kesepakatan bisnis sebagai deliverables sebesar 3,5 miliar dolar AS (Rp56,07 triliun) tercapai antara berbagai industri Indonesia dan negara-negara Afrika dalam IAF ke-2, kata dia.

Indonesia juga menargetkan tercapainya kesepakatan antara pemerintah (G2G), termasuk kesepakatan perdagangan bebas (FTA) dengan negara-negara Afrika, serta diresmikannya rancangan besar terkait kerja sama pembangunan antara RI dan Afrika dalam IAF ke-2, ucap Pahala.

Setelah IAF pertama diselenggarakan pada 2018, IAF ke-2 akan digelar pada 1-3 September 2024 di Hotel Mulia, Bali dengan tema “Bandung Spirit for Africa’s Agenda 2063”, dan dengan fokus pada isu transformasi ekonomi, energi dan pertambangan, pangan, ketahanan kesehatan, dan kerja sama pembangunan.

IAF ke-2 akan dilaksanakan bersamaan dengan High-Level Forum on Multi Stakeholder Partnership (HLF MSP) yang juga akan digelar di Bali pada waktu yang sama.