VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned the German Embassy Head on December 20 to deliver a protest over information on the diplomatic institution's members being present at the secretariat of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

"At the meeting, the German Embassy head confirmed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the presence of an Embassy staff at the organization's secretariat," the Ministry noted in a statement received here, Monday.

However, the diplomat clarified that the members was present there on their own initiative and without orders from or the knowledge of their superiors.

"The head of the German Embassy representative has apologized and expressed regret over the incident," the ministry stated.

Earlier, information circulated on the FPI's claim of representatives of the German Embassy having paid a visit to them for the objective of "staying in touch" at the organization's central secretariat in the Petamburan area, Central Jakarta.

The news came shortly after six FPI members died in clashes with the police.

"(The staff's arrival) does not reflect the policy of the German Government and Embassy and strongly rejects the impression that the arrival of the embassy staff is a form of German support for the organization," head of representative of the German Embassy affirmed.

In its statement, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the German Embassy had requested the diplomatic staff involved to return to their country as a form of responsibility for their actions and provided clarification to the German government. (antaranews)

Anies Baswedan, Jakarta Governor,  again extended the transitional Large-Scale Social Distancing (PSBB) measures in the capital city until January 3, 2021.

"We will monitor the mobility of the population and control it, so that there is no transmission, both from outside to Jakarta and vice versa. Hence, it is necessary for us, especially families in Jakarta, to refrain from holidaying outside home, especially out of Jakarta," he noted in a statement here on Monday.

The transitional PSBB was extended on the basis of no sign of a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases since mid-November 2020.

Based on data compiled by the Jakarta Provincial Health Office, the percentage of total number of confirmed cases has shown an upward trend over the past four weeks.

Related news: Jakarta's main streets record 21-percent drop in vehicles during PSBB
Related news: PSBB manages to reduce COVID-19 case number in Jakarta

As of December 20, 2020, Jakarta's confirmed case tally stood at 163,111, an increase of 13.3 percent as compared to the previous two weeks, at 143,961 cases, on December 6.

The transitional PSBB measures was extended as a precautionary measure against a spike in cases during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, on account of the fact that a rise in cases too occurred in the previous holidays.

Family and office clusters are still listed as the two largest clusters to have contributed to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Jakarta.

During the Dec 7-13 period, 3,821 additional positive cases were reported in the family cluster and 313 cases in the office cluster. On Sunday, Indonesia reported 6,982 fresh COVID-19 cases over a 24-hour period, thereby bringing the total case tally to 664,930 since the country announced its first infections on March 2, 2020.

The Health Ministry’s data announced by the National Task Force for COVID-19 Handling indicated that the number of recoveries climbed by 5,551 in the 24-hour period, taking the total recovery count to 541,811.

The country also registered 221 nationwide fatalities, which brought the death toll to 19,880. (antaranews)

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Shanghai in collaboration with the Shanghai Art Collection Museum opened a photo exhibition with the theme "Friendship Thru The Lenses" in Shanghai on Friday (18/12) afternoon.

The exhibition which was held at the Shanghai Art Collection Museum was to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and China.

During the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Shanghai, Denny W Kurnia said, since President Xi Jinping announced the initiative of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" in Indonesia in October 2013, relations between Indonesia and China have entered a new chapter.

In the current Covid 19 pandemic, Indonesia and China are joining hands to fight the pandemic and overcome common difficulties. Denny Kurnia hopes that through this photography exhibition, Shanghai residents can better understand Indonesia's traditional culture and arts, and increase exchange and friendship between the two parties.

Meanwhile, Hu Muqing, Head of the Shanghai Art Collection Museum explained, China and Indonesia have always been friendly neighbors and important partners, and the two countries have a solid foundation for close non-governmental cooperation and exchange.

He said the Shanghai Art Museum has established a good cooperative relationship with the Indonesian Consulate General in Shanghai for many years, especially the previous international traditional art exhibition organized by the Shanghai Art Collection Museum, the International Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Forum (Shanghai), and the Art Exhibition.

In activities such as the International Youth and Children's Art Science Exhibition, the Indonesian side actively organizes works to participate in the exhibition and provides great support and assistance to the museum.

Indonesian Art Performances

The Indonesian Consulate General in Shanghai also performed typical Indonesian performances at the opening ceremony, including Indonesian martial arts, dance, and angklung, and received a warm welcome from visitors.

The exhibition is divided into four sections: "Beautiful Scenery", "Charming Culture", "Color Illustrations", and "Second Home Village", each presenting world-famous Indonesian landscapes, captivating humanistic traits, and creative illustration art. Apart from that, there were also many exhibitions on traditional Indonesian handicrafts, clothes, jewelry, food, and others.

The exhibition will run until the end of December 31st.

During the exhibition, the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Shanghai also presented performances of traditional Indonesian musical instruments, traditional costumes, and dance performances, to present traditional Indonesian culture and arts from various perspectives to the citizens of Shanghai.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Mayor of Changning District, Lu Hao, as well as representatives of friendly countries and international organizations in Shanghai. (VOI/Kevin Zhao)

Oil prices slid in early trade on Monday as a fast-spreading new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom raised concerns that tighter restrictions there and in other European countries could stall a recovery in the global economy and its need for fuel.

Brent crude dropped 97 cents, or 1.9%, to $51.29 a barrel by 0103 GMT after rising 1.5% and touching its highest since March last Friday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 83 cents, or 1.7%, to $48.27 a barrel after also climbing 1.5% on Friday to its highest level since February.

Monday’s declines came after oil prices marked seven straight weeks of gains last week as investors focused on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

“A new variant of the coronavirus in Britain and tighter travel restrictions in Europe sparked fears over slower economic recovery, prompting investors to unwind long positions,” said Kazuhiko Saito, chief analyst at commodities broker Fujitomi Co.

“The oil market has been on a bull trend in the past month or so, ignoring negative factors, amid an optimism that a widening vaccine rollout would revive global growth, but investors’ rosy expectations for 2021 have suddenly vanished,” Saito said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair an emergency response meeting on Monday to discuss international travel, in particular the flow of freight in and out of Britain as COVID-19 cases surged by a record number for one day. The headache comes as Johnson also seeks to hammer out a final accord on Brexit.

The variant, which officials say is up to 70% more transmissible than the original, also prompted concerns about a wider spread, forcing several European countries to begin closing their doors to travellers from the United Kingdom.

The negative sentiment also overshadowed a weekend deal among U.S. congressional leaders for a $900 billion coronavirus aid package.

Adding to pressure, the oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose by eight to 346 in the week to Dec. 18, the highest since May, Baker Hughes said on Friday, as producers keep returning to the wellpad with crude prices trading above $45 a barrel since late November. (Reuters)