VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia, Vincent Piket - 

As part of the European Day celebrations, the European Union is organizing a virtual education exhibition on 2 May 2021 titled EU-Indonesia Scholarships Info Day 2021 which features virtual exhibitions and a series of webinars. 

Exhibitors can meet European education representatives in a virtual room to find information on scholarship opportunities, university applications, student life and much more. 

The Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia, Vincent Piket emphasized that 11 European Union member countries will also showcase their best universities in this event.

"We are start of full 10 days of activities to celebrate the mark of the Europe day which is on the 9th of May but the activities are starting this weekend and the education fair is one of them. We have a wonderful turnout of the member state in this activity, 11 member state: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Sweden, Finland, Netherland and Poland who will be exhibiting the education offering in this fair and also exhibits by the delegation of the European Union in Indonesia" Ambassador said. 

Ambassador Piket added that Europe has a very good quality of education at affordable costs. 

In this educational exhibition, the European Union is also working with the Directorate General of Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia to implement a scholarship program for Indonesian students//VOI/NK

The international arrivals area at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia. (File photo: Reuters) - 

Australian citizens and residents who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday (May 3) and those who disobey will face fines and jail, government officials said.

The temporary emergency determination, issued late on Friday, is the first time Australia has made it a criminal offence for its citizens to return home.

The restrictions come into effect from May 3 and breaching the ban risks civil penalties and up to five years imprisonment, Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement.

"The government does not make these decisions lightly," Hunt said." However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine systems is protected and the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reduced to a manageable level."

The government will reconsider the restrictions on May 15.India's coronavirus death toll passed 200,000 this week, and cases are nearing 19 million - nearly 8 million since February - as virulent new strains have combined with "super-spreader" events such as political rallies and religious festivals.

Australia, which has no community transmissions, on Tuesday introduced a temporary suspension of direct flights from India to prevent more virulent COVID-19 variants entering the country.Australia has all but stamped out the coronavirus after closing its borders to non-citizens and permanent residents in March 2020, recording just 29,800 cases and 910 deaths//CNA

Vehicles pass through the streets in the city of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Mar 6, 2021, nearly 10 years after the Mar 11, 2011 tsunami. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) - 

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast on Saturday (May 1) but no tsunami warning was issued, said Japanese and US authorities, with no immediate reports of damage.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the mid-morning quake hit at a depth of 47km in the Pacific, off Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture - near the epicentre of a huge 2011 quake that triggered a towering tsunami and killed more than 18,000 people.

USGS and Japan's meteorological agency said there was no tsunami risk following the jolt, which produced strong shaking along parts of the eastern coast and was also felt in Tokyo.

"We are still collecting information but have not received any reports of injuries or damage," local government spokesman Tomoki Sawata told AFP, calling the quake "fairly strong".

Local railway firms suspended services, including of shinkansen bullet trains, public broadcaster NHK said, while elevators stopped in some buildings in Miyagi.

Fukushima nuclear plant operator TEPCO said the facility, which melted down in the wake of the 2011 tsunami, did not show any abnormalities after the latest jolt.

"Operations are under way as usual," TEPCO spokesman Koichiro Shiraki told AFP.

Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The country is regularly hit by quakes, and has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong tremors.

In March, a strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeastern coast. Japan's authorities issued a tsunami advisory but there was no damage on the coastline.

The region was also shaken by another strong quake in February that injured dozens. Meteorologists said it was an aftershock of the 2011 quake//CNA

A US Air Force aircraft carrying relief supplies from the United States in the wake of India's COVID-19 prepares to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport cargo terminal in New Delhi, India, Friday, Apr 30, 2021. (Photo: Prakash Singh/Pool via AP) - 

US President Joe Biden on Friday (Apr 30) imposed new travel restrictions on India in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States.

The new restrictions, which take effect at 12:01am ET (0401 GMT) on May 4 , are on the advice of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and were imposed because "the magnitude and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic" in India was "surging", the White House said.

The proclamation said India "accounts for over one-third of new global cases" and added that "proactive measures are required to protect the nation's public health from travelers entering the United States" from India.

In January, Biden issued a similar ban on most non-US citizens entering the country who have recently been in South Africa. He also reimposed an entry ban on nearly all non-US travellers who have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 countries in Europe that allow travel across open borders. China and Iran are also both covered by the policy.

The policy means most non-US citizens who have been in one of the stated countries within the last 14 days are not eligible to travel to the United States. Permanent US residents and family members and some other non-US citizens, such as students, are exempted.

The decision to impose the latest travel restrictions came about quickly and was only reached in the last 24 hours, sources said.

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

Second only to the United States in total infections, India has reported more than 300,000 new cases daily for nine days in a row, hitting another global record of 386,452 on Friday.

Total deaths have surpassed 200,000 and cases are nearing 19 million - nearly 8 million since February alone - as virulent new strains have combined with "super-spreader" events such as political rallies and religious festivals.
Medical experts say real numbers may be five to 10 times higher than the official tally.

Other countries have imposed similar travel restrictions on India, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Singapore, while Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand have suspended all commercial travel with India.

On Wednesday, the White House said the United States was sending supplies worth more than US$100 million to India to help it fight the COVID-19 surge.

The supplies include oxygen cylinders, N95 masks and rapid diagnostic tests. The United States also has redirected its own order of AstraZeneca manufacturing supplies to India, which will allow it to make over 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the White House.

US international air travel remains down 60 per cent from pre-COVID-19 levels, while US domestic air travel is down 40 per cent, according to industry trade group Airlines for America.

US airlines and travel groups have urged the White House to set benchmarks for the eventual loosening of restrictions//CNA