VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has hailed the decision to postpone the regional head elections (pilkada), scheduled for September this year, on account of the coronavirus pandemic. The postponement was agreed upon by the House of Representatives (DPR), the General Election Commission (KPU), the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu), and the Electoral Honorary Council (DKPP). Komnas HAM appreciates the postponement of the implementation of the 2020 elections, Komnas HAM member Amiruddin said in a statement here on Friday as quoted by Antara. Continuing with the pilkada process amid the COVID-19 crisis would violate the basic human right of the Indonesian people to stay healthy and safe. Besides, it would also fuel concerns about election officers and voters being infected with the virus during the poll process, in case there are COVID-19 carriers among officers or voters, he added//Ant

The queen will speak to the nation on sunday about the coronavirus outbreak - as the number of people who died with the virus rose by 684 in 24 hours. Buckingham palace said the message, recorded at windsor castle, will be broadcast on tv and radio at 20:00 bst. The queen, 93, records annual christmas messages but other addresses are rare. the department of health said that as of 17:00 bst on 2 april, the number of deaths was 3,605, up from 2,921. there are 38,168 confirmed cases. In scotland, the number of deaths has risen by 46, while in wales a further 24 people died. in ni, the number of people who died with coronavirus has risen by 12. The queen's address will be broadcast on tv, radio and social media, buckingham palace said. she has been staying at windsor castle since mid-march as a precaution. It is only her fourth special address at a time of national crisis during her 68-year reign. the other occasions were after the queen mother's death in 2002, ahead of diana, princess of wales's funeral in 1997, and during the first gulf war in 1991. The queen also made a televised address to mark her diamond jubilee in 2012. The monarch, 93, released a statement about the outbreak last month, when the number of uk deaths stood at 144. She said the uk was "entering a period of great concern and uncertainty" and praised the work of scientists, medics and emergency staff, saying everyone has a "vitally important part to play"//BBC

The Trump administration appeared to join local officials on Thursday in advising Americans to wear masks when venturing out during the still-exploding coronavirus pandemic, as the U.S. death toll rose by 1,000 in a single day for the first time. Speaking at a White House briefing, Deborah Birx, a member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would issue guidelines in the coming days on the use of face coverings. As of Thursday evening the U.S. death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, stood at 5,821, with more than 241,000 positive cases across all 50 states. Global cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally based on country by country data//Reuters

Signs that Saudi Arabia and Russia may end an oil feud sent prices up more than 20% on Wednesday, the biggest one-day leap on record. US President Donald Trump said he expected the two sides to cut supply, while Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of oil producers. The Russian energy minister also said his country may re-enter talks. A deal to cut production - in response to the drop in demand from coronavirus shutdowns - collapsed last month. Since then, the cost of crude has fallen to lows not seen for almost two decades as Russia and Saudi Arabia slashed prices and ramped up production in a fight for market share. Those moves, alongside the wider collapse in demand, have caused US oil to its worst quarter on record. Prices fell by two thirds in the first three months of the year, rocking the American energy sector. The international benchmark, Brent crude, rose 21% to finish at $29.94 a barrel and the price of US oil, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), jumped almost 25% to $25.32. Both were record gains. A cut of 10 million barrels per day would amount to about 10% of global output//BBC