VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A shop owner and residents wear protective face masks, to protect themselves from the coronavirus (COVID-19), while buying groceries at a market in Taipei, Taiwan, March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang - 

Taiwan's economic prospects are bright and growth this year will come in as expected as long as the COVID-19 situation can be brought under control quickly, the government said on Sunday (May 16), adding that the impact of a recent spike in cases was limited.

Export-dependent Taiwan raised its coronavirus alert level in the capital, Taipei, and the surrounding city on Saturday, imposing two weeks of restrictions that will shut many venues and limit gatherings after a rise in community transmissions.

The profits of listed companies have increased significantly over last year, and export orders are also performing well, it added.

The current pandemic situation is having a short-term impact on consumers, but as long as infections can be controlled soon, added to a proposed NT$210 billion (US$7.51 billion) in government spending support, expectations for 2021 economic growth can be maintained, it said.

The Cabinet proposed the new spending on Thursday, though it still needs parliamentary approval.

The sudden rise in domestic cases last week spooked Taiwan's stock market.

Su urged all departments to keep a close watch on market developments and "take necessary steps for the normal operation of financial institutions and order and stability of the stock and foreign exchange markets", the Cabinet added.

Taiwan's economy grew at its fastest pace in more than a decade in the first three months of 2021 as the "work from home" boom sparked strong global demand for the island's hi-tech exports.

A computer generated image of Lusail Stadium that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, with seating capacity of 80,000, in Lusail City, north of central Doha, Qatar. Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy/Handout via REUTERS - 

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Sunday that North Korea has pulled out of next month's qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

The move comes after the country had already withdrawn from the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korea is due to host the remaining matches in Group H of the second round of Asia's preliminary tournament in June, but North Korean officials informed their southern counterparts of their intention to withdraw this month.

Prior to the withdrawal, North Korea were in fourth place in the standings after five matches, level on eight points with the South Koreans, who have played one game fewer.

Turkmenistan currently lead the group, which is completed by Lebanon and Sri Lanka.

The AFC said it will refer North Korea's withdrawal to governing body FIFA, with a decision on how the country's exit from the competition will affect the group standings to be announced in due course//CNA

A ball of fire erupts from a building housing various international media, including The Associated Press, after an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Gaza City. (Mahmud Hams /Pool Photo via AP) - 

News organisations demanded an explanation on Saturday (May 15) for an Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the offices of the Associated Press, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media outlets.

AP journalists and other tenants were safely evacuated from the 12-storey al-Jalaa tower after the Israeli military warned of an imminent strike. Three heavy missiles hit the building within the hour, disrupting coverage of the ongoing conflict between' Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Israel. At least 145 people in Gaza and eight in Israel have been killed since the fighting erupted on Monday night.

“The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today,” AP president and CEO Gary Pruitt said. He said the American news agency was seeking information from the Israeli government and engaging with the US State Department to learn more.

Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of Al-Jazeera Media Network, called the strike a “war crime” and a “clear act” to stop journalists from reporting on the conflict. Kuwait state television also had office space in the now-collapsed Gaza City building.

“The targeting of news organisations is completely unacceptable, even during an armed conflict. It represents a gross violation of human rights and internationally agreed norms,” Barbara Trionfi, the executive director of the International Press Institute, said.

In a standard Israeli response, the military said that Hamas was operating inside the building, and it accused the militant group of using journalists as human shields. But it provided no evidence to back up the claims.

Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus claimed that Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. He alleged “a highly advanced technological tool” that the militant group used in the fighting was “within or on the building".

But Conricus said he could not provide evidence to back up the claims without “compromising” intelligence efforts. He added, however: “I think it’s a legitimate request to see more information, and I will try to provide it.”

Pruitt, the AP's CEO, said the news agency had been in the building for 15 years and “we have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building”.

"We have called on the Israeli government to put forward the evidence," he said. “This is something we actively check to the best of our ability. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk.”

Some press freedom advocates said the strike raised suspicions that Israel was trying to hinder coverage of the conflict. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists demanded Israel “provide a detailed and documented justification” for the strike.

The Washington-based National Press Club called the strike “part of a pattern this week of Israeli forces destroying buildings in Gaza that house media organisations" and also questioned whether the assaults seek to “impair independent and accurate coverage of the conflict”//ANT

Vaccination Program. (ANTARA FOTO/SIGID KURNIAWAN - 

Vaccinations have been administered to some 13,721,627 citizens in Indonesia as of Saturday, or some 34.01 percent of the 40,349,049 citizens targeted for inoculation until mid-2021.

The government has added 22,234 recipients on Saturday against the figure recorded on Friday, according to data provided by the COVID-19 Task Force.

Of the total vaccine recipients, some 8,954,300 have received their second shots, the task force revealed.

Among the vaccine recipients are frontline medical and public service workers as well as senior citizens.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin had remarked earlier that amid sufficient vaccine stocks, the Indonesian government seeks to inoculate one million people in June.

However, the total number of vaccine recipients still lags behind the target set by the government for creating herd immunity in the country.

"On March 26 (2021), we reached 10 million recipients, and the recipient count went up to 20 million on April 30. Hence, we can increase the figure by 10 million within a month’s time," he affirmed.

To boost the vaccination rate, Sadikin has constantly urged authorities across Indonesia to help bolster the nation’s vaccination capacity.

Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year.

To stem the transmission of the lethal virus, the government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year.

The time frame for conducting the vaccination has been set from January 2021 to March 2022.

During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate at least 181.5 million people, comprising 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces.

The Health Ministry expects the inoculation of the targeted recipients to take 15 months.

The first phase of the government's immunization program has been segregated into two periods: January-April 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.

Even as vaccinations are being rolled out, Indonesia has been reeling from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled nations across the globe.

Indonesia's public health and economy have been dealt a major blow from the coronavirus disease crisis, with some sectors, including travel and tourism, battered by the pandemic//ANT