Flooding hits Indonesian capital, roads blockedJanuary 17, 2013 - 11:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Flooding has hit parts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, closing offices and blocking roads, after days of heavy rain, according to BBC News. Areas including the central business district (CBD) were inundated. Businesses were closed and traffic grid-locked. Weather officials warn that the rain, which is seasonal, could get worse in the next few days. The governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, has declared a state of emergency. Officials said on Wednesday, Jan 16, that more than 9,000 people were in shelters after being forced to leave their homes. "Days of heavy downpours caused the rivers to overflow and triggered floods up to 3m (10 feet)," National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP news agency on Wednesday. On Thursday many government offices and businesses in Jakarta were forced to close because staff could not get to work. The presidential palace could flood, the Jakarta Post reported, if a drainage canal does not cope with the increased volume of water. Local television pictures showed people wading through almost neck-high water in some parts of the city and floodwater spreading to the CBD - which usually remains untouched when the city floods. This time officials have allowed the waters to pass through the CBD, which in theory should take the pressure off other low-lying areas. State funds are available to help those affected by the flooding following the declaration of the state of emergency, which will remain in effect until January 27. The last severe flooding in Jakarta was in 2007, when at least 40 people were killed and hundreds of thousands forced from their homes. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is due in Jakarta on Friday to meet top leaders and deliver a foreign policy speech. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |