VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Singapore and Malaysia will next week launch a quarantine-free travel lane at their land border crossing, one of the world's busiest, for people vaccinated against COVID-19, the two countries said on Wednesday.

The plan, effective Nov. 29, expands an already announced move to start a travel lane for flights between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport from next week.

The land travel lane in the first phase will apply to citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders of the country they are entering, to allow people to visit families on the other side of the border, the office of Singapore's prime minister said in a statement.

The lane will be progressively expanded.

Malaysia announced the creation of the land border travel lane separately on Wednesday.

Singapore, with a population of 5.45 million, relies heavily on Malaysians living in the southern state of Johor to staff businesses ranging from restaurants to semiconductor manufacturing.

Many Malaysians used to commute daily from across the border prior to the pandemic. (Reuters)

 The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan will visit Doha next week for two weeks of meetings with leaders of the Taliban, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.

"They’ll discuss ... our vital national interests when it comes to Afghanistan," said Price. "That includes counterterrorism, that includes safe passage for U.S. citizens and for Afghans to whom we have a special commitment and that includes humanitarian assistance and the economic situation of the country.”

The U.S. envoy, Tom West, earlier this month attended a meeting of the so-called extended Troika, comprising Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States to discuss Afghanistan. The group had also met with senior Taliban representatives.

West was also part of the U.S. delegation in meetings with Taliban officials in Doha in October, the first such talks between Washington and the Taliban after United States' chaotic end to its two decade-long war in Afghanistan on Aug. 31.

An abrupt withdrawal of most foreign development support after the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15 from Afghanistan's Western-backed government has sent the economy into freefall. There is a shortage of hard cash and Taliban leaders are under Western sanctions.

With winter approaching, deeply impoverished Afghanistan has emerged from all-out war into a humanitarian crisis. Millions face growing hunger amid soaring food prices and a drought. (Reuters)

The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its "Summit for Democracy" next month, according to a list of participants published on Tuesday, a move that infuriated China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory.

The first-of-its-kind gathering is a test of President Joe Biden's assertion, announced in his first foreign policy address in office in February, that he would return the United States to global leadership to face down authoritarian forces led by China and Russia.

There are 110 participants on the State Department's invitation list for the virtual event on Dec. 9 and 10, which aims to help stop democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide. The list does not include China or Russia. read more

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the government would be represented by Digital Minister Audrey Tang and Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto ambassador in Washington.

"Our country's invitation to participate in the 'Summit for Democracy' is an affirmation of Taiwan's efforts to promote the values of democracy and human rights over the years," the ministry added.

China's Foreign Ministry said it was "firmly opposed" to the invite.

"U.S. actions only go to show democracy is just a cover and a tool for it to advance its geopolitical objectives, oppress other countries, divide the world and serve its own interests," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.

The invite for Taiwan comes as China has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever relations with the island, which is considered by Beijing to have no right to the trappings of a state. read more

Self-governed Taiwan says Beijing has no right to speak for it.

Sharp differences over Taiwan persisted during a virtual meeting earlier this month between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While Biden reiterated long-standing U.S. support for the "One China" policy under which it officially recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei, he also said he "strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the White House said.

Xi said that those in Taiwan who seek independence, and their supporters in the United States, were "playing with fire", according to state news agency Xinhua.

Rights groups question if Biden's Summit for Democracy can push those world leaders who are invited, some accused of harboring authoritarian tendencies, to take meaningful action.

The State Department list shows the event will bring together mature democracies such as France and Sweden but also countries such as the Philippines, India and Poland, where activists say democracy is under threat.

In Asia, some U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea were invited, while others like Thailand and Vietnam were not. Other notable absentees were U.S. allies Egypt and NATO member Turkey. Representation from the Middle East will be slim, with Israel and Iraq the only two countries invited. (reuters)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) lauded the increase in state revenue in mid-November 2021 that is in line with the improvement in several domestic economic indicators, such as consumer confidence, retail sales, and manufacturing industry production.

"Report from the finance minister said the achievement of taxes is very good, and customs clearance is also very good. The Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) has exceeded more than 100 percent, growing by 18.2 percent (yoy)," Jokowi stated at the 2021 Bank of Indonesia (PTBI) Annual Meeting here, Wednesday.

Despite a rise in state revenues and having surpassed the achievement during the corresponding period in 2020, Jokowi reminded all parties to exercise caution on account of the uncertainty due to the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic that is still far from over.

"We remain optimistic but still have to be careful," he emphasized.

In addition to state revenues, Jokowi drew attention to several indicators in the domestic economy that also continued to improve and even outdid the achievements before the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the consumption side, the trend of public consumption has revived, as was reflected in the improvement in the retail sales index. Meanwhile, the improvement in consumer confidence from the Consumer Confidence Index (IKK) sits at the optimistic level.

On the production side, manufacturing activities continued to expand, as reflected in Indonesia's Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) in October 2021, at 57.2 points or higher than 51 recorded during the period before the pandemic.

"Data shows that demand already exists and is getting better. With the growth in demand, manufacturing facilities, factories, and industries must boost their production to meet the demand," Jokowi affirmed.

Other attendees at the PTBI Annual Meeting were Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) Wimboh Santoso, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, and other relevant officials. (Antaranews)