VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

PHOTO : EURONEWS

International donors have pledged a quarter of a billion euros in aid for Lebanon five days after the explosion which devastated a swathe of Beirut.  But an online donor summit arranged by France called at the same time for reforms to be made. Fifteen government leaders at the donor summit, spearheaded by French President -Emmanuel Macron, promised "major resources". The donors are prepared to help Lebanon's longer term recovery if the government listens to the changes demanded by the country's citizens. Officials estimate the explosion caused up to US$15 billion dollars of damage//bbc

PHOTO : BBC

The UK and four allies have urged Hong Kong's government to allow barred opposition candidates to contest in the delayed parliamentary elections. The appeal on Sunday (9/8) was made by the foreign ministers of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. The ministers said they were "gravely concerned by the Hong Kong government's unjust disqualification of candidates". They condemned a year-long postponement of September's elections as disproportionate. The chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam announced the delay at the end of July, blaming a rise in coronavirus infections in the territory. Opposition politicians and activists have accused the government of using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to stop people from voting//bbc

PHOTO : THENATIONAL

New Zealand has gone 100 days without recording a locally transmitted Covid-19 case, a milestone that has both been welcomed and brought warnings against complacency. But officials have warned against complacency, saying a second wave of cases is still possible. Other countries have had early success in suppressing the virus, only to see infections rise again after lifting lockdown restrictions that damaged the economy, such as Vietnam and Australia. New Zealand has fared better than other countries, recording 1,219 confirmed cases and 22 deaths since the virus arrived in late February. Praised internationally for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country's government has lifted almost all of its lockdown restrictions, first imposed in March. An early lockdown, tough border restrictions, effective health messaging and an aggressive test-and-trace program have all been credited with virtually eliminating the virus in the country//bbc

PHOTO : BBC

The long-time leader of Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko appears to declare a landslide victory in an election that saw his toughest opposition challenge in years. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 37, entered in place of her jailed husband and went on to lead large opposition rallies. The opposition had said it expected the vote to be rigged. Protesters have already clashed with police. Squares and streets in the capital Minsk were earlier sealed off by police as President Lukashenko vowed that the situation would remain "under control". The lead-up to the election saw a crackdown on activists and journalists amid the country's biggest opposition demonstrations in years//bbc