VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas across the world - 

Disney announced Friday (Sep 10) that all of its films slated for release by the end of the year will be exclusively screened in cinemas first, bringing relief to theaters anxious to reconnect with audiences after the coronavirus pandemic devastated their industry.

The animated film Encanto will be released on the big screen on Nov 24 and will not appear on Disney's on-demand video platform until Dec 24, the company said in a statement.

Other planned projects, including The Last Duel by Ridley Scott, Eternals by Marvel Studios and West Side Story by Steven Spielberg, will be screened in theaters for at least 45 days before they are released elsewhere.

The decision was eagerly awaited by traditional cinemas after the entertainment giant recently chose to release a series of big productions such as Black Widow, Jungle Cruise and Cruella on its Disney+ platform, diverting part of their revenue.

Black Widow actor Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney, accusing the company of breach of contract and costing her millions of dollars in box office revenue after it released the film on its video platform.

Two years ago, Disney was producing content for both theaters and television channels, but it now has direct access to its audience via streaming, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

In mid-August, Disney boss Bob Chapek said he favoured "flexibility" and the ability to "follow the consumer wherever he goes".

During a presentation of the company's financial results, he said "when theaters reopened, there was immense reluctance from the public to return".

Warner Bros studios has also been heavily criticised for its decision to release all of its new movies for the rest of the year on its HBO Max platform//CNA

FILE PHOTO: A normally busy road is deserted during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand, August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall - 

New Zealand said on Saturday (Sep 11) it detected 23 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, denting optimism that the country was on course to eradicate the virus once more.

The new infections, all in the epicentre of Auckland, were up from the 11 cases detected a day earlier.

"This does serve as a strong reminder of the importance of following the COVID-19 alert level rules wherever you are, and to get tested if you have any symptoms or have been at a location of interest at the specified times," New Zealand's Ministry for Health said in an emailed statement.

About 1.7 million people living in Auckland remain in a strict level 4 lockdown, while curbs were eased in the rest of the country earlier this week.

The government will decide on Monday whether the lockdown in Auckland would be eased or extended//CNA

A man walks past signage at a COVID-19 vaccination hub at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane on Aug 17, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Patrick Hamilton) - 

Australia's third most populous state said on Saturday (Sep 11) it may order a snap lockdown after a cluster of COVID-19 cases, as the country posted a record one-day rise in daily infections.

Queensland state, home to more than 5 million people, said it had detected five new infections in the past 24 hours after a family tested positive for COVID-19. The next few days would be critical to see if a lockdown was warranted, authorities said.

"If we start seeing any seeding, then we may have to take very quick, fast action. But at the moment, it’s contained to the family," said state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The family lives in Brisbane, the state's capital. It was not clear whether a lockdown would be limited to some parts of the state like previous orders.

New South Wales, home to Sydney and Australia's most-populous state, is under lockdown as are the cities of Melbourne and Canberra. A lockdown for Queensland would be another blow to Australia's A$2 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) economy, which could slip into a second recession in as many years.

Australia on Saturday posted 2,077 infections, surpassing the previous day's record of 1,903. New South Wales, which has been under strict stay-at-home orders for nearly three months, said it detected 1,599 new infections.

Authorities warned people on Saturday to continue social distancing, but hot weather across Sydney saw scores of people head to the beach.

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said police would be out checking whether people were within 5km of their homes, as permitted under emergency rules.

Police and military personnel have for weeks been patrolling the streets of Sydney, issuing fines to those contravening health orders, such as wearing masks.

One person fined was former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who confirmed on Saturday he had been ordered to pay A$500 after being pictured not wearing a mask.

"I believe that I was well within the law, reasonably interpreted. But I'm not going to challenge the fine because I don't want to waste the police's time any further," Abbott told reporters in Sydney.

"I never thought that dobbing and snitching was part of the Australian character and I think that the sooner we can leave this health police-state mindset behind us, the better for everyone."

In neighbouring Victoria, authorities reported 450 new locally acquired cases, the biggest one-day rise in locally acquired cases in more than a year.

Australia has now recorded nearly 73,000 COVID-19 cases and a death toll of 1,084//CNA

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti. (ANTARA/HO-DPR RI) - 

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has asked the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) to draft special rules or policies for the development of jamu (herbal medicines).

"The pandemic has opened up quite a large market opportunity for medicinal plants and traditional jamu. We must take advantage of this momentum, where 'back to nature' is currently a trend in society," he said in a press release received here on Friday.

The BPOM must make efforts and breakthroughs to help jamu develop, he stressed. One such effort is making particular policies or rules for the development of jamu.

Based on research data from the Ministry of Health, in 2017, there were 32 thousand traditional medicinal formulas and 2,848 types of plants identified as ingredients of traditional medicine.

It is sometimes difficult to do clinical trials on the efficacy of traditional jamu and herbs, Mattalitti said. Generally, traditional jamu formulas are inherited from generation to generation, and even made using unusual techniques that not everyone can perform, he noted.

This means that many traditional herbal ingredients can only be made by certain people and cannot be mass-produced, he pointed out. This makes it difficult to find empirical data, let alone conduct clinical trials, he said.

"Traditional herbs fall into the category of ancient formula, and of course, it is difficult for the BPOM to issue a distribution permit. Because this is cultural property and biodiversity. We hope that the BPOM will issue a policy with a separate clause and not use general rules like the production of other mass drugs," he added.

Mattalitti also urged the BPOM to collect documentation or empirical evidence on traditional ingredients or medicines.

Given the great potential, he said, the traditional medicine industry, especially units managed by MSMEs, deserves to be given the opportunity and assistance to develop.

Mattalitti also said he hopes that BPOM will conduct dissemination and communication more often about the standards and factors that MSMEs must meet related to the production of traditional medicines.

"The BPOM also needs to provide solutions that directly solve the problems faced by MSMEs, so that their production process is in accordance with the applicable regulations," he added//ANT