VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Illustration — A healthcare worker checks the condition of a patient under isolation during a simulation at Lavalette Hospital in Malang, East Java. (ANTARA/Ari Bowo Sucipto) - 

Several Indonesian provinces recorded zero deaths due to COVID-19 on the weekend, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

The provinces were West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Aceh, Yogyakarta, Banten, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, Jambi, Gorontalo, West Sulawesi, West Papua, and Maluku, it informed.

Indonesia added 44 deaths nationwide due to the coronavirus on Saturday, taking the total COVID-19 death toll to 142,939.

Meanwhile, the number of positive cases rose by 997 to touch 4,234,011. The country reported its first confirmed COVID-19 cases in March 2020.

On Saturday, the highest number of fresh cases were recorded in Jakarta at 154.

At least 1,525 people recovered from COVID-19 nationwide, bringing the total recoveries to 4,072,332, the task force reported. Jakarta recorded the highest number of recoveries at 217.

Meanwhile, the number of patients undergoing treatment declined by 572 nationwide to reach 18,746, it added.

Additionally, a total of 270,811 specimens were tested at laboratories across Indonesia and 490,512 people were placed under healthcare workers’ surveillance as suspected COVID-19 patients, the task force said//ANT

A screenshot of Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, holding a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (October 7, 2021). (ANTARA/Youtube Kemenkeu RI/pri) - 

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati pushed for an equitable global economic recovery at the recent World Bank Group-IMF Development Committee meeting.

At the meeting, the Minister of Finance, who was representing the member countries of the South East Asia Voting Group (SEAVG), said that the acceleration of economic recovery will depend on several things, including access to and distribution of vaccines, fiscal capacity, and global supply chains.

"On the other hand, the uneven strength of global monetary and fiscal policies can create financial vulnerabilities, especially in developing countries. In this case, the World Bank can take the lead and build stronger coordination with other international financial institutions to ensure integrated global policy cooperation to overcome these global problems," Indrawati stated in an official statement received here on Saturday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of investment in crisis prevention, preparedness, and response, she pointed out. All countries face crisis risks not only from the pandemic but also natural disasters and climate-related events, she noted.

"Countries need stronger policies, mechanisms, institutions, and resources to increase resilience. In this regard, the World Bank Group should assist in key areas, including strengthening the fiscal framework to better implement counter-cyclical policies, promoting improvements in human capital, and developing the quality and volume of infrastructure," she advised.

In addition, the World Bank Group should also assist in increasing access to energy, building strong health and social protection systems, and developing digital infrastructure that is vital to bolstering the resilience of countries, the minister added.

Indrawati said that firm investment and innovative financing are necessary for better development. The global community must also establish financing mechanisms that will enable countries, both individually and collectively, to respond more effectively to global threats in the future so that the global economy can recover faster, she added.

"The World Bank Group and IMF should cooperate with other international financial institutions to equip countries with the necessary resources and instruments to produce stronger standards for prevention, preparedness, and response to potential crises," she remarked//ANT

FESPACO, launched in 1969 - 

Africa's premier film festival opened in Burkina Faso on Saturday with a colourful ceremony showcasing choreography, and acrobatic and musical acts from some of the continent's biggest names, including Senegalese Grammy nominee Baaba Maal.

The festival initially was planned for February, but was postponed as Burkina Faso battled a surge in coronavirus cases.

"It was important to postpone the festival," Alex Moussa Sawadogo, delegate-general of the festival, said during the opening ceremony, saying it would not have been possible to get the quality of films selected had it been held in February.

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Kabore, in a post on Twitter, said it was with pride that he gave the opening clap of the 27th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

"The holding of this biennial of African cinema, in a dual context of security and health challenges, testifies to the resilience and selflessness of the Burkinabe people," Kabore said.

FESPACO, launched in 1969, is monitored by global industry players who scout the event for new films, productions, talents and ideas.

The 2021 edition will see the participation of the African International Film & TV Market organisation in a dedicated platform aimed at connecting international buyers and outlets with sellers of African contents, promoting transactions and proposing new business models for the sector.

Over 200 films made by Africans and predominantly produced in Africa have been selected from around 1,132 productions for the week-long event.

Seventy films divided into six categories including feature films, short films, documentaries, animated films and school productions are in the official competition.

In the feature films category, 17 are competing, including Nigerian drama "Eyimofe (This is My Desire)," by twin brothers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri, which has received positive reviews and won the 2021 Best Feature Narrative in the Philadelphia BlackStar Film Festival.

Other feature films include Narcise Wandji's "Bendskins" from Cameroon; Mamadou Dia's "Baamum Nafi" from Senegal; Desiree Kahipoko-Meiffret's "The White Line" from Namibia; and Burkina Faso's "The Three Lascars" by Boubakar Diallo.

The festival ends on Oct. 23 with the award of the prestigious Stallion of Yennenga prize for the best film//CNA

FILE PHOTO: People wear protective face masks in the city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott - 

Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week, officials said on Sunday (Oct 17). 

By Friday, when some curbs will be lifted, the Australian city of 5 million people will have been under six lockdowns totalling 262 days, or nearly nine months, since March 2020.

Australian and other media say this is the longest in the world, exceeding a 234-day lockdown in Buenos Aires.

While coronavirus cases keep rising in Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, the state's double-vaccination rate is set to reach 70 per cent this week, allowing for the ease in restrictions.

"Today is a great day," said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews in announcing the lockdown. "Today is a day when Victorians can be proud of what they have achieved."

When hospitality venues and some businesses reopen, their capacity will remain heavily restricted.

More easing, including the reopening of many retailers, will come once 80 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated - estimated by Nov 5 at the latest.

On Sunday, Victoria recorded 1,838 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths.

Neighbouring New South Wales, which emerged last week from a 100-day lockdown, reported 301 cases and 10 deaths. Eighty percent of the state's people have been fully vaccinated.

Australia, once a champion of a COVID-zero strategy of managing the pandemic, has been moving towards living with the virus through extensive vaccinations, as the Delta variant has proven too transmissible to suppress.

The new strategy makes lockdowns highly unlikely once 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. As of the weekend, around 68 per cent of eligible Australians have been fully inoculated.

Australia's health officials said on Sunday that quarantine-free travel from New Zealand's South Island, where there is no outbreak, will resume on Wednesday. The government is also in discussions with Singapore about reopening travel between the two countries for the fully vaccinated.

Despite the rise in cases in recent months, Australia's coronavirus numbers are low compared to many other developed countries, with just over 143,000 cases and 1,530 deaths.

Neighbouring New Zealand, which is also learning to live with COVID-19 by accelerating inoculations, reported 51 new cases on Sunday, 47 of them in the largest city Auckland, which has been in a lockdown since mid-August.

On Saturday, New Zealand vaccinated more than 2.5 per cent of its people as part of a government-led mass vaccination drive//CNA