VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chief of the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah is hopeful that Indonesia would host the Asian inter-ulema dialog that will also involve Taliban ulemas.

Abdullah highlighted his expectations at a meeting with former Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla in the capacity as chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) at the Sapidar Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday night.

"We appeal to Mr. (Jusuf Kalla) to gather our ulemas, Taliban and Indonesian ulemas, to speak on Islam's understanding of violence. As the DMI chairman, Mr. (Jusuf Kalla) must have influence and integrity towards ulemas," he noted in a written statement released on Thursday.

Indonesia and Afghanistan have several commonalities, including the presence of ulemas, who still have a place in the Muslim community, he pointed out.

Furthermore, not many differences existed in the cultures and characteristics of the two countries, he stated.

"Indonesia and Afghanistan share similarities wherein ulemas play an important role in the community. Our similar cultural characteristics and the understanding of religion is largely influenced by social and environmental factors. To that end, we appealed to Mr JK to partake in the meeting," he remarked.

Abdullah highlighted the importance of the inter-ulema dialog for Afghanistan since it and most Asian nations have similar characteristics and cultures. Hence, it will not be difficult to unite the perception of Islamic law.

Indonesia's involvement in Afghan’s peace efforts will also forge friendship between the two countries and boost bilateral cooperation.

In response, Kalla spoke of his intent to invite the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) to participate in the dialog.

"Inviting conflicting parties to hold a dialog in Jakarta is one of the options. We will invite the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI)," he remarked. (Antaranews)

South Korea has signed deals with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines for 10 million people and 6 million, respectively, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised briefing on Thursday.

The government had previously arranged to purchase vaccines with four companies, including Janssen and Pfizer and the global COVAX initiative, backed by the World Health Organization, as part of a programme to cover up to 85% of its population.

Chung said the Janssen vaccine will be ready for inoculation from the second quarter of 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine will be shipped in the third quarter.

“We are mobilising the entire national capabilities to bring in the shipments within the second quarter,” said Chung. “The negotiation is underway.”

The government has been facing growing public pressure over their COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans as the country struggled to contain a third wave of the pandemic, reporting its second-highest daily tally of cases on Wednesday. (reuters)

Dubai will start inoculating people with the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech for free from Wednesday, the government said, joining Saudi Arabia which last week became the first Arab country to begin using this vaccine.

The move comes after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain earlier this month rolled out a vaccine by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) to the general public.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention registered the Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for emergency use on the request of Pfizer, state news agency WAM reported, citing the ministry.

The UAE was the first country outside China to roll out the Chinese vaccine to the public, saying earlier this month it had 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.

China has included two candidate vaccines from Sinopharm and one from Sinovac Biotech Ltd in an emergency-use programme launched in July, targeting specific high-infection risk groups such as medical workers and border inspectors.

Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said on Twitter late Tuesday an “extensive vaccination campaign” against COVID-19 would kick off on Wednesday using Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine.

A message on Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) hotline said the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine would be for citizens and Dubai residents 60 years and above, and for individuals with chronic illness over the age of 18.

The second category would comprise front-line staff in public and private sectors, third would be vital-sector workers, and finally, the general public, WAM cited DHA as saying.

Dubai, the financial hub of the UAE, has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, which hurt its key tourism, real estate and trade sectors.

S&P Global warned earlier this year Dubai’s economy was set to shrink 11% in 2020, almost four times the drop in GDP experienced during the global financial crisis in 2009.

Qatar has also granted emergency use authorisation for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, while Oman will receive its first shipment of the same vaccine on Wednesday.

Qatar started the free vaccination drive on Wednesday, Qatari media reported.

Kuwait received 150,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday and expects to receive about 450,000 doses of it in the first quarter, Ghada Ibrahim, head of public relations at the ministry health, said in a video on Twitter.

UAE has recorded 195,878 coronavirus cases and 642 deaths so far from the virus. (Reuters)

The newly appointed Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini said President Joko Widodo mandated her to finish the 2020 Social Assistance by the end of the year.

"Then next year in early January it has to be distributed to run the economy," she said after the handover ceremony in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Her role was previously filled by Coordinating Minister Muhadjir Effendy. He was appointed by the president as Acting Minister of Social Affairs.

After being inaugurated, Risma, the Minister's nickname, said that she would move quickly, including improving data, especially the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS).

According to her, whatever work program to be implemented must have benchmarks so data is very much needed. For example, if the government provides assistance, it should show its impact on the lives of aid recipients.

"There must be a measure," she said.

Apart from improving the data, Risma said that she would also focus on paying attention to other social problems, including on handling people with mental issues who are homeless.

In fact, she admitted that she had coordinated with the Minister of Health regarding this problem.

"Nobody cared for them, now we have to treat it, and I believe it can be handled," said the PDI-P politician.

She will also focus on handling street children.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture said that the Ministry of Social Affairs has a strategic and important role in efforts to overcome social problems.

This is in line with President Joko Widodo's program, namely human resource development, simplification of the bureaucracy, infrastructure development, simplification of regulations, and finally economic transformation.

To realize these five national programs, Muhadjir hopes that all levels at the Ministry of Social Affairs can work optimally and carry out the assigned tasks well.

On that occasion, the former Minister of Education and Culture also reminded the Ministry of Social Affairs to immediately update the DTKS. (antaranews)