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With the Chinese economy facing massive challenges, there have been concerns over its growth potential, at least in the immediate future.

Yet a key exception is emerging in the form of domestic tourism.

Last week’s five-day public holiday to mark labour day saw 295 million trips made within China, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This was 28% higher than pre-pandemic figures recorded in 2019.

The Transport Ministry’s figures are also staggering: 92 million rail trips; almost 10 million air trips and 1.25 billion highway journeys.

However, this comes as international arrivals continue to lag, with foreigners currently entering China at barely 30% of 2019 levels. Why the disparity?

The beautiful historical river town of Wuzhen, a short drive from Shanghai, is considered one of China’s top visitor sites for travellers of all types. When we arrive the little pathways and old bridges which cross narrow waterways are filled with visitors.

A popular thing to do in Wuzhen is to pose for photos dressed in traditional hanfu clothing – as if you have really been transported back hundreds of years.

Two women in their 20s, friends since high school, are visiting from Jilin Province in the north east. After arriving, they spend an hour getting their hair done in an elaborate imperial-era style – and they are full of praise for Wuzhen’s classical beauty.

We ask if, following the post-Covid opening up, many of their family and other friends have been travelling much? “Of course, after the pandemic, we’re all visiting other places.”

Nearby a local man who is selling ice-creams also says tourist numbers are “not that bad lately”.

As good as before Covid? “Almost the same,” he replies.

Shopkeeper Wang Ying, who sells traditional snacks, echoes this sentiment with a big smile on her face. “Business is going well, and it’ll only get better.”

All this will be seen as good news for the Chinese government. It’s been saying that a push on domestic consumption can counter the significant faltering portions of the economy.

Major players in the once-mighty property sector are struggling to stay afloat, local government debt continues to rise, and persistent youth unemployment has left highly qualified university graduates uncertain of their future.

Amid all these challenges, the Communist Party has set a target of “around 5%” GDP growth for this year. Apart from the fact that analysts have long questioned the veracity of the country’s official growth figures, economists are also asking how such a target can be reached, in any genuine sense, in 2024 without significant extra stimulus.

One lifeline could be a more buoyant travel scene which could bring broader business opportunities and greater service industry employment.

Schubert Lou, chief operating officer at travel agency Trip.com, told the BBC: “We’ve seen very strong domestic travel demand with search volumes in hotels up 67% compared to last year, and flight volumes up 80%.”

Tourism industry consultant Peng Han from Travel Daily is following the investment trail to see how the business community really views the possibilities in the sector.

“With famous international hotel brands – like Intercontinental, Marriott and Hilton – you just have to look at their growth in China in 2023,” he says. “Then check the performance goals for these large hotel groups in 2024 which have also been set relatively high. This shows that they are very optimistic about the growth potential of the Chinese market.”

But, while the volume of local travellers might be up, Mr Peng does point to the problem of per capita consumption which remains persistently low.

He says general uncertainty about the Chinese economy is putting more emphasis on saving, so people are looking for good value options. They are going on holidays and paying for things but doing so much more frugally.

This is where an increase in big-spending foreigners could help. But they are simply not travelling to China in the numbers they used to.

In 2019, nearly 98 million international visitors came to the country. Last year it was only 35 million – including business trips, students and the like. Mr Lou describes the domestic versus international market as “uneven”.

For many in the tourism industry here specialising in services for foreign travellers, “uneven” would be an understatement. Three years of harsh Covid prevention measures drove down arrivals from other countries, but that alone can’t account for the current situation.

Huang Songshan, the head of the Centre for Tourism Research in the School of Business and Law at Australia’s Edith Cowan University, blames this weakness in part to “the shifting geopolitical landscape globally”.

In the peer-reviewed East Asia Forum, he pointed to a 2023 survey carried out by the Pew Research Centre, writing that, “Most individuals in Western nations hold unfavourable views towards China. The Chinese government’s tightening grip on societal regulations could potentially cause discomfort for foreign travellers in China.”

Official travel advice from some governments echo this sentiment, at times quite harshly.

Washington warns potential travellers to “reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans, and the risk of wrongful detentions”.

Australia advises “a high degree of caution” warning that “Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention or harsh enforcement of local laws, including broadly defined National Security Laws”.

The political environment has also taken a toll on flight availability and price. This is especially the case with connections to and from North America. Last month’s 332 scheduled round trips between China and the US contrasts with 1,506 in April 2019.

As a result, finding a seat on a direct flight can be extremely difficult and those that are available are very expensive.

President Xi Jinping made a speech at a dinner on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco last November addressing this point. “Today, President Biden and I reached important consensus,” he told the crowd.

“Our two countries will roll out more measures to facilitate travels and promote people-to-people exchanges, including increasing direct passenger flights, holding a high-level dialogue on tourism, and streamlining visa application procedures. We hope that our two peoples will make more visits, contacts and exchanges and write new stories of friendship in the new era.”

Washington has since increased the number of Chinese airline flights permitted to land – but only from 35 per week to 50. It is still well short of the 150 weekly trips pre-Covid.

The Biden administration is coming under pressure from unions and US airlines to not increase this any further because, they argue, Chinese airlines have an unfair advantage over them as they have state support; don’t face the same onerous Chinese regulations; and, crucially, can fly over Russian airspace, making trips shorter and cheaper.

A letter to the US government from the Chair of the House Committee on China, Mike Gallagher, and the committee’s top Democrat representative, Raja Krishnamoorthi, reads: “Should the US-China passenger carrier market expand without the US government addressing these significant issues, US aviation workers, travellers and airlines will pay a hefty price tag.”

Mr Lou says the frequency of international flight connections is definitely having an impact.

“What we are seeing right now, based on civil aviation data, is that inbound flight capacity won’t get back to even 80% of 2019 [levels] by the end of 2024.”

Then there are other potential turnoffs for those considering travelling in China, like the country’s state-of-the-art phone app payment and booking systems which work very smoothly for Chinese citizens and residents, but which can be an enormous headache if you have just arrived.

There are certain sites, transport options, and purchases which can only be accessed via Chinese electronic apps which are, at times, only available in Chinese.

Professor Chen Yong at Switzerland’s EHL Hospitality Business School is an authority on the economics of tourism in China. He thinks that hurdles relating to payment and booking apps can pose a real problem.

“Technologies such as social network websites, online maps, payment apps, among others, which foreigners have long been accustomed to using, are either unavailable or inaccessible when they travel to China,” he says.

“On the other hand, there are Chinese alternatives to these technologies that remain inaccessible to foreigners due to language barriers and differences in user habits. We need to bridge this divide because it affects the tourist industry badly.”

Back in Wuzhen, the presence of international travellers is much smaller than in years gone by, but there are still a few foreign faces in the crowd.

An Italian couple says the process of linking up to and using China’s payment apps was a challenge but that it was not insurmountable, though they add, with a laugh, that it is “much, much, much easier” if you have a Chinese friend to help you.

Eliseo, from California, says he has had problems making payments to small vendors who don’t accept credit cards and really no longer deal with cash. Another hurdle for him has been his bank at home which has blocked some payments, flagging them as potentially fraudulent coming from China.

Chinese officials have acknowledged that the foreign traveller numbers have been low but they are now trying to turn this around.

One way they’re attempting to attract more foreign visitors is by increasing the number of countries whose citizens don’t need a visa to enter. Trip.com says this resulted in an almost immediate increase in passenger arrivals from Southeast Asia.

In 23 Chinese cities, transit passengers from more than 50 countries are also able to stay for a few days visa free if they have an onward ticket. In Shanghai, hotels above a three-star level have been told that they should prepare to deal with international credit cards and an initial batch of 50 taxis have also started accepting them.

However, Professor Chen says “it would be too optimistic to envision a long-term growth in China’s inbound tourism”.

“The key is to establish a culture that puts service providers in the shoes of foreign tourists. They should imagine themselves being a foreigner who can’t speak or read Chinese and who doesn’t have a Chinese mobile number, payments apps and so on.”

He says that the culture around this can’t be changed overnight.

Yet, in places like Wuzhen – where the local travellers have already returned – the tourism companies are hoping that incredible sites like theirs will eventually be too much for foreigners to resist as well.

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BBCInfluencers like Ranting Gola (left) and Sham Sharma are using their social media presence to promote political parties

Just weeks before the first ballot was cast in this year’s Indian election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at an event in Delhi rubbing shoulders with people known by names like BeerBiceps and Curly Tales.

The event – an awards show, congratulating some of the country’s top social media stars on their work – was an acknowledgement of the power of the influencer which a few years ago may have seemed unimaginable.

And as politicians prepared to battle it out for India’s billion votes, these influencers were being lined up to play a crucial role in reaching the young, the disinterested and the disillusioned.

But even as some celebrate social media’s democratisation of the media – a place where any one can share their views freely – others paint a darker picture, one where threats are rife, and the truth can be set aside for the right pay cheque.

A decade ago, you would have struggled to find anyone calling themselves an “influencer”.

But now, says Vinay Deshpande, co-founder of Rajneethi, a political management consultant firm, “it’s become a profession”.

“I know teenagers who are doing this part-time to earn pocket money.”

Pocket money underplays the earning potential somewhat, however. At the lower end, people can charge around 2,000 rupees ($24; £19) a day, but top influencers can pull in about 500,000 rupees for a post – equivalent to the monthly salary of someone in top-level management.

The creator of the Ranting Gola channel revealed to the BBC that political parties and election management firms have offered as much as “100,000 to 500,000 rupees for a single campaign”.

It is no small amount – but then, it could turn the tide in a candidate’s favour.

Mr Deshpande says they have helped an opposition candidate win an assembly election by pushing out content through a curated list of local influencers with a small but active following.

“Social media content is powerful and can influence the way a person feels about an issue,” Mr Deshpande says. “It gives social currency to a belief or opinion – but this can lead to a lack of critical thinking about an issue,” he adds.

Preethi Aggarwal, 25, is one of those who turns to apps like Instagram, YouTube and Twitter to help her understand the news.

Like thousands of others, Ms Aggarwal follows a bunch of “political influencers”, or people who talk about politics on social media to “really understand what’s going on”.

“News can get boring and complicated sometimes. I think these people [influencers] make it fun and easier to understand,” she says, adding the context and their own perspective help her form her opinions.

But the problem is, whose perspective is she getting?

PMO India / YouTubePM Modi congratulated Ranveer Allahbadia (left, known as BeerBiceps) and other influencers at a recent event

YouTuber Samdish Bhatia reveals numerous politicians have reached out to him, especially in the months before this election, offering him millions of rupees to interview them.

“But they wanted me to share questions in advance or get the video approved before it’s published,” he says, adding that he declined the offers because he “likes to maintain editorial control”.

The particular trend for longer form, slightly chummy interviews – where politicians get to show off their human side – is particularly vulnerable to management, says Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

“Many of these interviews are carefully managed by politicians,” Mr Pal says.

But even if they aren’t, a gentler style of questioning can also blur the line between interview and promotion, says Mr Pal.

“If your questions aren’t holding power to account, then the interview just becomes a platform for easy publicity.”

But for Mr Pal, this is just one of the problems he sees with politics on social media.

In a recent research paper, he examined some of India’s top influencers and who they interviewed, finding BJP leaders were featured more often than opposition leaders.

His research also found an overall drop in the number of accounts posting content critical of the incumbent government in recent years, while the amount of pro-BJP content had increased.

“This hints at a growing hesitancy among people to be openly critical of the government whereas there seems to be more confidence in putting up polarising content or content that supports the government’s ideologies,” Mr Pal says.

“And this is dangerous for democracy,” he adds.

Getty ImagesEven in the most remote areas, Indians have access to a mobile phone and internet

Influencers supporting the opposition certainly suggested they were working in a hostile environment.

A number who post content that’s critical of the government declined to speak to the BBC for this piece citing fear of repercussions by the government. They also run their channels under pseudonyms to keep their identities secret.

The Ranting Gola told the BBC that she has often received comments that are abusive or threatening because of the videos she posts and that her Instagram account has been disabled numerous times, even though the platform hasn’t given her a clear reason for doing so.

She also only spoke to the BBC on the condition that her name not be revealed.

The BJP government has denied allegations that it has clamped down on dissent and free speech.

But even pro-BJP YouTuber Sham Sharma told the BBC that freedom of speech could be a problem in India:

0:52YouTuber Sham Sharma talks about the positives and perils of sharing his views online.

But even given these concerns, opposition parties are using the same influencer system to reach voters in what they say is a difficult environment.

“The mainstream media has been taken over by the BJP,” alleges Supriya Srinate, who heads social media for the Congress party.

“Our funds have been frozen; we have no money to advertise,” she adds, referring to action taken by India’s tax department weeks before the elections. Congress leaders have accused the government of political vendetta, but the government has denied the allegation and said that the federal department was doing its job independently.

Influencers, Ms Srinate argues, are a good way to reach voters as a result of these alleged hurdles, explaining the Congress has been working with “volunteers” who believe in the party’s ideology and want to share its work on social media.

Ankit Lal, former political advisor of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), agrees that influencers have helped democratise the publicity landscape.

Akash Banerjee, a former journalist who runs the YouTube channel, The DeshBhakt, argues that influencers are also able to push boundaries more than the traditional media can.

He cites the video ‘Is India becoming a dictatorship?’ – made by popular content creator Dhruv Rathee, who is based in Germany – which takes on the government directly, and has been viewed about 24 million times on YouTube so far. The government hasn’t reacted to the video yet.

“After the video, the term ‘dictatorship’ has popped up more in conversations, and this is something that has never happened before,” Mr Banerjee says.

“Our job as influencers may not be to open the window and check if it’s really raining, but we owe it to the nation to take a look outside the window and let people know if dark clouds are approaching and that they can do something about it by voting.”

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Abdulrahman Mari died in an Israeli prison after 7 October

A few days after Hamas attacked Israel and war erupted in Gaza, Umm Mohamed in the occupied West Bank received a telephone call from her son in an Israeli prison.

“Pray for me mum,” Abdulrahman Mari said. “Things are getting harder here. They might not let me speak to you again”.

It would be the last time she heard his voice.

Conditions deteriorated for Palestinian prisoners in Israel after 7 October last year, when Hamas mounted its deadly assault on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, according to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Commission of Detainees Affairs.

Thirteen Palestinian prisoners have since died in Israeli prisons, “the majority of them as a result of beating or denial of medication”, the commission’s head, Qadoura Fares, told the BBC.

Abdulrahman was one of the first to die.

A carpenter in the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, he had been on his way back home from work in Ramallah in February last year when he was arrested at a mobile checkpoint. He was taken into administrative detention – under which Israel can hold people indefinitely without charge – in Megiddo prison.

His brother Ibrahim said the charges against him were minor, such as taking part in protests and possessing a firearm, but said he was also accused of belonging to Hamas although there were no specific charges about any activities within the group.

Ibrahim is still trying to piece together how exactly his brother died. He has to rely on testimony from Abdulrahman’s former cellmates, as well as reports from court hearings.

One former cellmate, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said: “After 7 October, it was total torture. They beat us for no reason, they searched us for no reason. Even if you look at someone the wrong way.”

He described having seen Abdulrahman heavily beaten in front of him and others.

“At 9am, they came into our cell, and began to beat us. One of the guards began to insult Abdulrahman’s parents, which he didn’t stand for, and he began to fight back.

“They beat him badly, and took him away to another cell upstairs for a week. During that time you could hear him crying out in pain.”

He said he had only found out about Abdulrahman’s death after he left prison a week later.

The Israeli prison service did not directly address the BBC’s questions about Abdulrahman’s death or those of the 12 other named Palestinians that the Commission of Detainees Affairs says have died, saying only: “We are not familiar with the claims described and as far as we know they are not true.”

Getty ImagesIsrael has detained thousands of West Bank Palestinians since 7 October

Professor Danny Rosin, a doctor from the group Physicians for Human Rights, attended the examination of Abdulrahman Mari’s body. His remarks corroborate what Abdulrahman’s cellmate and brother told the BBC.

Prof Rosin’s report mentioned that bruises had been seen over Abdulrahman’s left chest, and that he had several broken ribs. External bruises were also seen on the back, buttocks, left arm and thigh, as well as the right side of the head and neck with no fractures underneath.

It also quoted an additional police report which had mentioned “forceful restraint” being used on Mr Mari six days before his death.

Professor Rosin said in the report that while no specific cause of death had been found, “one may assume that the violence he suffered manifested by the multiple bruises and multiple severe rib fractures contributed to his death”.

He also added that “irregular pulse” or a “heart attack” could result from these injuries without leaving any physical evidence.

Israel currently holds more than 9,300 security prisoners, the vast majority of whom are Palestinians according to the Israeli rights group HaMoked, including more than 3,600 people in administrative detention.

These figures do not include detainees from the Gaza Strip being held in separate facilities by the Israeli military.

Mr Qadoura says the change after 7 October “affected every aspect of the prisoners’ lives”, alleging that prisoners have been subjected to starvation and thirst and some of those with chronic illnesses were denied their medication. Beatings became more regular and more brutal.

“I met a detainee who’d lost 20kg in the last three months,” he said.

“It’s as if the war on Gaza was also a war on Palestinian prisoners. It was all a form of revenge.”

Arafat Hamdan was dead within two days of his arrest

The BBC has previously heard from Palestinian prisoners who described being hit with sticks, having muzzled dogs set on them and having their clothes, food and blankets taken away in the weeks after 7 October.

The Israeli prison service has denied any mistreatment, saying that “all prisoners are held in accordance with the law while respecting their basic rights and under the supervision of a professional and skilled prison staff”.

It said prisons had gone into “emergency mode” after war broke out and it had been “decided to reduce the living conditions of the security prisoners”. Examples it gave included removing electrical equipment and cutting electricity to cells and reducing prisoners’ activities in the wings.

In the West Bank village of Beit Sira, Arafat Hamdan’s father showed where Israeli police officers had kicked the door of his family home and stormed in at 04:00 on 22 October looking for his son.

Police covered his son’s face with a thick black cloth and closed it around his neck with a rope. The mask smelled strongly, he said, and Arafat clearly had a hard time breathing with it on.

“I kept trying to comfort him.” Yasser Hamdan told the BBC. “It’s ok. They have nothing against you. They have nothing against us. I kept telling him that as they tied him up outside the house. Then they took him.”

Two days later a phone call came. Arafat had been found dead in his cell in Ofer prison in the West Bank.

Israeli authorities have not explained how he died. Arafat had Type 1 diabetes and would suffer from low blood sugar levels from time to time.

His father said one of the police officers arresting Arafat had told him to bring medicine with him, but it was unclear if he had been able to.

The BBC obtained a report by Dr Daniel Solomon, a surgeon who was present at the post mortem of Arafat Hamdan at the request of Physicians for Human Rights.

Dr Solomon said it had been carried out in Israel on 31 October but added that the condition of the body, due to prolonged refrigeration, had made it harder to determine the cause of death.

He also noted the absence of any records showing if Arafat’s diabetes medication had been administered and at what dosing.

The report also mentioned the need for other tests beyond the post mortem to determine the cause of death.

“Until now we don’t know how he died. Nothing is clear.” Yasser Hamdan said.

Umm Mohammed said Abdulrahman had become a leader of his group of prisoners before his death

Neither Arafat’s nor Abdulrahman’s bodies have yet been returned. Their families want to arrange their own post mortems, hold funerals, and say a final goodbye.

“He was my flesh and blood. Then he was gone in a moment,” Yasser Hamdan said. Photos of his son were everywhere you looked in his apartment.

Umm Mohamed showed photos of Abdulrahman on her phone, pointing to one and saying: “Look at him. He was so cheerful.”

Over time he had become a leader in his group of prisoners, she said.

“He’d call me when he was making breakfast for them when they were all still asleep. He was always the most active. He would never sit still, that boy.”

She broke down. “Bring him back to me. I want to see him one last time. One last look.”

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 Foto: Foto udara jalan Tol Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Bocimi), Jawa Barat, Kamis, (13/7/2023). (CNBC Indonesia/Muhammad Sabki)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – PT Waskita Toll Road (WTR) akhirnya buka suara soal longsor yang terjadi di Jalan Tol Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Tol Bocimi) yang terjadi sekitar pukul 20.00 WIB. Longsor terjadi pada KM 64A lajur 1 mainroad jalan tol tersebut.

“Telah terjadi longsor di Jalan Tol Ciawi Sukabumi (Bocimi”) KM 64 arah Sukabumi pada hari ini, 3 April 2024. Kejadian tersebut berdampak pada lajur 1 mainroad jalan tol Bocimi,” ungkap Corporate Secretary WTR Alex Siwu dalam keterangannya, Kamis (4/4/2024).

Alex menjelaskan saat ini PT Trans Jabar Tol selaku pemilik konsesi jalan tol Bocimi tengah melakukan pengamanan di lokasi kejadian. Kemudian pengalihan lalu lintas juga dilakukan di sekitar lokasi kejadian.

Foto: Suasana Jalan Tol Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Bocimi), Jawa Barat, Kamis, (13/7). (CNBC Indonesia/Muhammad Sabki) Suasana Jalan Tol Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Bocimi), Jawa Barat, Kamis, (13/7). Pembangunan Jalan Tol Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Bocimi), ditargetkan sampai Cibadak pada awal Agustus 2023. (CNBC Indonesia/Muhammad Sabki)

“Kendaraan dari arah Ciawi menuju Parungkuda dialihkan keluar di Cigombong. Adapun akses dari arah Parungkuda menuju Ciawi ditutup sementara guna menghindari potensi longsor tambahan,” ucapnya.

Sementara pemicu longsor Tol Bocimi didiga karena gerusan air akibat curah hujan yang cukup tinggi.

“Diduga longsor terjadi karena gerusan air akibat curah hujan yang lebat di sekitar lokasi. Saat ini Manajemen PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk dan PT Waskita Toll Road sedang melakukan peninjauan lokasi untuk memastikan penanganan dan melihat kondisi keseluruhan ruas tol Bocimi,” jelasnya.

Tol Bocimi Seksi II ruas Cigombong-Parungkuda beroperasi mulai 6 Agustus 2023. Tol ini diharapkan bisa mengurai kepadatan kendaraan di jalur utama https://mesinpencarinenas.com/Bogor-Sukabumi.

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 Foto: dok KPPU

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Wakil Presiden RI Ma’ruf Amin menyambut baik dan mendukung target Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha (KPPU) untuk mencetak Sejuta Penyuluh Kemitraan Usaha Mikro, Kecil, dan Menengah (UMKM) dalam lima tahun ke depan (2024-2029).

Target tersebut diyakini dapat membantu akselerasi pencapaian visi Indonesia untuk sinergi produk UMKM nasional yang terintegrasi dari hulu ke hilir serta berorientasi global.

Secara khusus, kemitraan merupakan faktor penting dalam membantu UMKM dan pengembangan ekonomi syariah, sehingga keberadaan Penyuluh Kemitraan akan memastikan kemitraan yang dijalin sejalan dengan ketentuan Undang-Undang No. 20 Tahun 2008 tentang UMKM (UU No. 20/2008).

Hal ini mengemuka dalam pertemuan KPPU dengan Wapres tanggal 28 Maret 2024, di kediaman resmi Wapres, Jalan Diponegoro No. 2 Jakarta. Hadir dalam pertemuan tersebut, Ketua KPPU M. Fanshurullah Asa beserta jajaran Anggota KPPU, yakni Gopprera Panggabean, Hilman Pujana, Mohammad Reza, Moh. Noor Rofieq, dan Budi Joyo Santoso.

Sebagaimana informasi, KPPU memiliki kewenangan tambahan untuk melakukan pengawasan kemitraan berdasarkan UU No. 20/2008. Namun KPPU melihat pelaksanaannya belum berjalan secara optimal karena luasnya lingkup pengawasan, besarnya jumlah pelaku UMKM nasional, serta keterbatasan informasi UMKM dan sumber daya di KPPU.

KPPU menilai dibutuhkan suatu terobosan baru untuk efektifitas pengawasan kemitraan tersebut.

“Penyuluh Kemitraan UMKM akan mampu menjangkau pelaku UMKM kita secara lebih masif di lapangan. Jadi, Anggota KPPU periode kali ini berkomitmen tinggi dalam inisiatif baru ini. Kami mentargetkan adanya Sejuta Penyuluh Kemitraan dalam lima tahun mendatang,” tegas Ketua KPPU, M. Fanshurullah Asa dalam keterangan tertulis, Jumat, (29/3/2024).

Untuk mewujudkan target tersebut, Ketua KPPU menjelaskan strategi KPPU adalah dengan melibatkan organisasi kemasyarakatan (ormas) besar seperti Nahdatul Ulama dan Muhammadiyah serta ormas lainnya, termasuk Pondok Pesantren di seluruh Indonesia yang juga bagian dari ekosistem ekonomi syariah, serta melibatkan perguruan tinggi dengan menjadikan program penyuluh kemitraan ini sebagai bagian dari program Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka.

Menanggapi ide tersebut, Wapres sependapat bahwa kemitraan sangat penting bagi keberlanjutan bisnis suatu perusahaan, tidak hanya membantu proses produksi, tetapi juga bagi ekspansi maupun redistribusi bisnis perusahaan. Untuk itu mendukung peran aktif KPPU dalam menjalankan pengawasan kemitraan tersebut, khususnya melalui program penyuluh kemitraan. Wapres juga mengingatkan bahwa kedepan sebaiknya pengelompokkan atau clustering UMKM dapat dipisahkan menjadi Usaha Menengah dan Besar (UMB) dan Usaha Mikro dan Kecil (UMK), agar pengembangan dan pengawasannya bisa lebih terfokus.

Selain itu, Wapres juga mendukung perlunya amandeman atas Undang-Undang No. 5 Tahun 1999 (tentang Larangan Praktek Monopoli dan Persaingan Usaha Tidak Sehat), karena masih banyak pasal-pasal atau pengaturan yang sudah tidak sesuai dengan perkembangan zaman. Amandemen sangat dibutuhkan guna menjawab tantangan yang ada, serta berbagai bentuk perilaku bisnis yang berkembang sangat pesat, jelas Wapres.

Ketua KPPU mengamini pandangan berbagai pandangan dan arahan Wapres tersebut, termasuk mengenai urgensi amandemen atas Undang-Undang No. 5 Tahun 1999 yang sudah tidak sesuai dengan perkembangan zaman.

“Kami sangat menghargai dan berterima kasih atas arahan dan dukungan Bapak Wapres kepada KPPU selama ini dalam menjalankan amanat kedua Undang-Undang tersebut,” jelas https://mesinpencarinenas.com/Ketua KPPU.

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 Foto: Anggota Dewan Keamanan PBB bertepuk tangan setelah mengeluarkan resolusi gencatan senjata di Gaza selama bulan suci Ramadhan. Ini pun direspons oleh warga Gaza, di mana mereka meminta gencatan senjata permanen dan jaminan keefektifannya menghentikan genosida Israel (AP/Craig Ruttle)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Warga Gaza memberi respons disetujuinya resolusi PBB di Dewan Keamanan (DK) soal gencatan senjata Gaza. Di Deir al-Balah di Jalur Gaza tengah banyak orang yang menuntut gencatan senjata permanen.

“Tak hanya selama Ramadan, kami ingin gencatan senjata diberlakukan diseluruh bulan,” kata warga bernama Suleiman Al-Buhaisi, dikutip AP, dikutip Rabu (27/3/2024).

“Besok adalah hari ke-16 Ramadan sampai sekarang tak ada gencatan senjata. Apakah ada veto atau tidak, bulan Ramadan segera selesai,” ujarnya.

“Kami ingin gencatan senjata selamanya, tak hanya di bulan Ramadan. Karena para warga menderita sepanjang waktu di sini dan dimanapun,” tambah warga lain Hassan Murshid.

Sementara itu, warga lainnya pengungsi Jabaliya mempertanyakan efektivitas dari resolusi yang dibuat PBB. Ia mengatakan yang diinginkan warga hanya kembali ke rumah-rumah mereka.

“Apa manfaat dari gencatan senjata ini. Kami hanya ingin pulang. Kami ingin gencatan senjata yang mengizinkan kami pulang ke rumah,” ujarnya.

“Kami diusir, butuh makan dan kesehatan. Kami jadi sakit. Kami ingin keselamatan,” tambahnya.

Sebelumnya resolusi terbaru diajukan 10 negara anggota DK PBB dan disetujui 14 negara. Sementara Amerika Serikat (AS) abstain.

Resolusi itu berisi gencatan senjata segera selama Ramadan yang dihormati oleh semua pihak dan mengarah pada gencatan senjata yang berkelanjutan dan langgeng. Resolusi pun menuntut pembebasan semua sandera Israel dengan segera dan tanpa syarat serta memastikan akses kemanusiaan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan medis dan kebutuhan kemanusiaan warga Gaza.

Perlu diketahui, resolusi ini juga mengikat pihak-pihak terlibat agar mematuhi kewajiban berdasarkan hukum internasional. Hukum penyediaan bantuan juga akan sejalan dengan kaidah internasional.

Resolusi ini dapat memberi sanksi kepada mereka yang melanggar. Pada Pasal 41 Piagam PBB, sanksi bisa mencakup pemutusan hubungan ekonomi hingga hubungan diplomatik termasuk pada Pasal 42, kekuatan militer bisa dipakai jika diperlukan

Sebenarnya beberapa sanksi pernah dijatuhkan PBB ke negara atau organisasi akibat tidak mematuhi keputusan DK. Mereka yang pernah disanksi antara lain ISIS, Al Qaeda, dan Al Shabab.

Genosida Berakhir?

Sementara itu, sehari setelah resolusi diketok, Israel kembali membombardir bagian selatan Gaza semalaman. Ini terjadi meskipun ada tekanan internasional untuk segera melakukan gencatan senjata.

Pasukan Israel tidak menunjukkan tanda-tanda akan berhenti berperang melawan Hamas. Militer mengatakan jet-jet tempurnya telah menyerang lebih dari 60 sasaran.

Kemarin, bola api dilaporkan menerangi langit malam di kota selatan Rafah, pusat kota terakhir di Gaza yang belum diserang oleh pasukan darat Israel. Sekitar 1,5 juta orang kini berlindung di wilayah perbatasan dengan Mesir itu.

“Suara ledakan juga terdengar dan asap terlihat membubung di Kota Gaza di utara, tempat pasukan Israel menyerang rumah sakit terbesar di kota itu selama lebih dari seminggu,” tulis AFP.

“Kementerian Kesehatan di Gaza yang dikuasai Hamas mengatakan pada Rabu pagi bahwa 66 orang tewas dalam semalam, termasuk tiga orang tewas dalam serangan udara Israel di dan sekitar Rafah,” muat laporan itu.

Pasukan Israel juga mengepung dua rumah sakit di Khan Yunis, di mana kementerian kesehatan mengatakan 12 orang tewas dalam serangan Israel termasuk beberapa anak-anak. Bulan Sabit Merah Palestina telah memperingatkan bahwa ribuan orang terjebak di rumah sakit Nasser di Khan Yunis dan “nyawa mereka dalam bahaya”.

Hingga kini total warga Gaza yang tewas mencapai 32.414 orang di Gaza. Kebanyakan dari mereka adalah wanita danhttps://mesinpencarinenas.com/ anak-anak.

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 Foto: Sejumlah kendaraan bermotor melintas di Kawasan Simpang Jomin, Kab Karawang, Jawa Barat, Selasa, (18/4/2023). (CNBC Indonesia/Muhammad Sabki)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Kementerian Perhubungan (Kemenhub) mengaku tantangan pemerintah pada periode mudik Lebaran adalah pengendara motor atau kendaraan roda dua. Juru Bicara Kemenhub Adita Irawati mengungkapkan, berdasarkan survei yang dilakukan, masyarakat yang berencana melakukan mudik menggunakan motor sebanyak 30 juta orang.

“Ini memang tantangan bersama karena kondisi tak Lebaran dan Nataru motor tidak disarankan untuk perjalanan jarak jauh,” ujarnya dalam acara Forum Merdeka Barat secara virtual, Senin (25/3/2024).

Menurutnya, memang ada beberapa kondisi masyarakat yang tidak memiliki pilihan lain selain mudik menggunakan motor. Namun, Adita mengimbau, bagi pemudik yang akan melakukan perjalanan menggunakan sepeda motor harus memperhatikan kondisi kesehatan sang pengendara dan kendaraannya.

“Banyak istirahat jangan kejar waktu. Kemenhub akan bikin posko di arteri khususnya pemudik yang menggunakan motor, supaya lelah bisa dikurangi,” ucapnya.

Foto: Pemudik sepeda motor mulai memadati Jalan Kalimalang Jakarta TImur pada (18/04/2023) malam. (CNBC Indonesia/Tias Budiarto) Pemudik sepeda motor mulai memadati Jalan Kalimalang Jakarta TImur pada (18/04/2023) malam. (CNBC Indonesia/Tias Budiarto)

Adita menyebut, sejatinya, mudik menggunakan sepeda motor banyak keterbatasan dalam konteks melakukan perjalanan jauh karena ada isu mesin motor yang sebenarnya kurang cocok untuk perjalanan mudik. Selain itu, tingkat kelelahan pengemudi dan kapasitas beban barang.

“Boncengan bisa lebih dari 2 orang 1 motor. Kami ingatkan masyarakat menghindari penggunaan roda dua,” imbuhnya.

Dalam mengurangi pemudik pengendara motor, kata Adita, pemerintah menyelenggarakan program mudik gratis melalui perusahaan BUMN. Selain itu, pemerintah juga bekerja sama dengan kepolisian untuk memberikan pendekatan secara persuasif. Jika kondisi pengendara lelah jangan tidak dipaksakan dan nanti akan ada petugas yang mengingatkan.

“Tahun ini mudik gratis lebih https://mesinpencarinenas.com/banyak,” pungkasnya.

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 Foto: Gempa susulan kembali mengguncang Tuban Jawa Timur dengan Magnitudo 6,5 M. (Sosial Media X @infoBMKG)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Gempa bumi mengguncang wilayah Laut Jawa, Provinsi Jawa Timur pada hari Jumat (22/3/2024). Tercatat, ada 2 guncangan besar. Yakni gempa pertama berkekuatan M5,9 dan disusul gempa kedua M6,5. Di antara kedua gempa tersebut, juga terjadi gempa M5,3 di lokasi sama.

Kepala Pusat Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami BMKG Daryono pun mengaku kaget dengan rentetan gempa itu.

Catatan BMKG, gempa pertama terjadi pukul 11.22 WIB dengan magnitudo 5,9 yang berjarak 37 kilometer arah Barat pulau Bawean. Kedua, terjadi pukul 15.52 WIB dengan magnitudo 6,5 yang berjarak 35 kilometer arah Barat Pulau Bawean. Sebagai catatan, kekuatan gempa pertama adalah hasil pemutakhiran data BMKG. Peringatan cepat BMKG pada saat terjadi gempa, kekuatannya mencapai M6,0.

Keduanya juga mencatat kedalaman yang berbeda. Menurut Daryono, gempa pertama terjadi di kedalaman 10 kilometer, sedangkan yang kedua 12 kilometer.

“Jadi, kalau kita melihat apa yang terjadi di Bawean kami juga surprised,” kata Daryono seperti dilansir CNN Indonesia, Sabtu (23/3/2024).

Ia mengatakan dua gempa tersebut sebagai kejadian luar biasa. Hal ini lantaran gempa itu terjadi di kawasan dengan kondisi sesar yang belum terpetakan oleh BMKG. Lain halnya dengan gempa-gempa yang terjadi di sesar, Cimandiri atau Lembang.

“Tentu saja ini sebuah kejadian luar biasa. Di mana, sesarnya belum terpetakan dengan kredibel. Belum tegas peta seperti kalau kita tahu sesar Lembang ada. Cimandiri jelas. Kemudian sesar Palu-Koro jelas. Ini belum,” jelas Daryono.

Ia melanjutkan BMKG juga belum dapat memastikan potensi gempa susulan yang akan terjadi dalam 24 jam mendatang. Karena itu, dia mengimbau masyarakat untuk terus waspada.

“Kalau kita melihat konsep kegempaan yang saat ini memang kita belum bisa memprediksi gempa. Bahkan ilmu dan pengetahuan dan teknologi seismologi saat ini juga belum mendedikasikan untuk sebuah prediksi gempa,” kata dia.

Sebelumnya, BMKG mengungkapkan, gempa tektonik dangkal tersebut memiliki mekanisme pergerakan geser.

“Berdasarkan laporan dari masyarakat gempa bumi ini menimbulkan kerusakan di Pulau Bawean. Hasil pemodelan menunjukkan bahwa gempa bumi ini tidak berpotensi tsunami,” kata Daryono, dalam keterangan resmi, Jumat (22/3/2024).

Disebutkan, gempa bumi tersebut berdampak dan dirasakan di Pulau Bawean dengan intensitas V-VI MMI (getaran dirasakan oleh hampir semua penduduk, barang-barang/pajangan terpelanting, terjadi kerusakan ringan), daerah Blora, Madura, Gresik, Surabaya, Kab. Banjar dengan skala intensitas III-IV MMI (bila pada siang hari dirasakan oleh orang banyak dalam rumah ), daerah Mojokerto, Banjar Baru, Sampit, Banjarmasin, Martapura, Balikpapan, Tanah Grogot, Malang, Lumajang, Madiun, Nganjuk, Pasuruan, Jepara, Rembang, Demak, Kudus, Semarang dengan skala intensitas II-III MMI (getaran dirasakan nyata dalam rumah. Terasa getaran seakan akan truk berlalu), dan daerah Yogyakarta, Kulon Progo, Kebumen, Temanggung, Blitar dan Solo dengan skala intensitas II MMI (getaran dirasakan oleh beberapa orang, benda-benda ringan yang https://mesinpencarinenas.com/digantung bergoyang).

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 Foto: Prabowo Subianto (Dokumentasi Tim Media Prabowo Subianto)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Presiden terpilih periode 2024-2029 Prabowo Subianto menilai Pemilihan Umum 2024 laiknya sebuah laga. Setelah bertanding, maka semua elemen harus bersatu.

Hal itu disampaikan Prabowo yang juga Ketua Umum Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya setelah bertemu Ketua Umum Partai Nasional Demokrat Surya Paloh beserta jajaran fungsionaris partai tersebut di NasDem Tower, Jakarta, Jumat (22/3/2024).

“Saya kira kita harus berpandangan bahwa pertandingan itu baik, persaingan itu bagus, kompetisi itu kita butuhkan. Rakyat perlu pilihan. Kompetisi, persaingan, pertandingan. Tetapi sesudah pertandingan, sesudah persaingan, saatnya kita kerja sama, saatnya kita bahu membahu untuk bangun bangsa kita,” ujar Prabowo.

Menurut Prabowo, hal itu paling penting. Demokrasi harus dijaga dan Bhinneka Tunggal Ika adalah suatu realita harus kita bela, pertahankan, dan menatap ke depan dengan optimis.

“Kita akan cari putra-putri terbaik dari semua kalangan. Intinya adalah saya sangat berterima kasih, saya sangat menghargai sikap NasDem. Setelah pertandingan kita bersaing, tapi kita tetap bersahabat, kita tetap satu keluarga, kita tetap cinta tanah air. Dan sesudah persaingan, sesudah pertandingan, kita bersatu untuk membangun bangsa Indonesia. Itu yang ingin saya https://mesinpencarinenas.com/garisbawahi,” kata Prabowo.