VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Airlines stand to lose $29.3bn (£23.7bn) of revenue this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the global airline industry body has warned. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts demand for air travel will fall for the first time in more than a decade. Airlines in China and other parts of the Asia Pacific region are expected to take the vast majority of the impact. It comes as carriers around the world have been forced to reduce flights. In total, airlines in the Asia Pacific region are set to see a $27.8bn revenue loss in 2020, while those outside Asia are expected to lose $1.5bn in revenue, IATA has forecast. Of that figure, IATA predicts that carriers in China are set to lose revenue of $12.8bn in their home market alone.

"Airlines are making difficult decisions to cut capacity and in some cases routes," said IATA's director-general Alexandre de Juniac. "This will be a very tough year for airlines."

IATA said it had based its estimates on the slump in demand that was seen during the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003. That was characterised by a six-month period that saw a sharp fall in demand followed by an equally quick recovery. That year Sars was responsible for the 5.1% fall in demand for airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. The forecast also assumes that the virus remains centred on China, but IATA warned the effect could be far worse if the infection spreads further in the region. IATA has previously forecast that the Asia Pacific region would be the biggest driver of air travel demand between 2015 and 2035, with four of the five fastest-growing markets in terms of passengers being from Asia. On Thursday, two major airline groups warned of a severe financial impact as a result of the coronavirus hitting demand for travel in Asia. (BBC)

A seven-day "reduction in violence" between the US and the Afghan Taliban will begin on Saturday, officials say.

"This is an important step on a long road to peace," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.

If successful, the two sides will then sign the first phase of a deal aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict. The agreement, scheduled to begin at midnight local time, comes after more than a year of talks between American and Afghan Taliban representatives. In a statement, Taliban negotiators said "a suitable security situation" would be created ahead of signing a deal they hoped would "lay the groundwork for peace across the country with the withdrawal of all foreign forces". Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the move, adding that this was "a critical test of the Taliban's willingness and ability to reduce violence, and contribute to peace in good faith". Under the terms of the partial week-long truce, it is understood that no major offensive operations will be launched against the Taliban, Afghan or international forces. The US has spent billions of dollars since 2001 fighting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump, who pledged during his 2016 presidential campaign that he would end the US war in Afghanistan, has been pushing for the withdrawal of US troops from the country. The BBC's Afghanistan correspondent, Secunder Kermani, says the move is seen as an opportunity for the Taliban's leadership to show they can control their fighters on the ground. (BBC)

Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled on Friday (Feb 21) to dissolve opposition Future Forward Party over an election loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit to finance its political campaign. The verdict came after the Election Commission filed a court case alleging the party violated Section 72 of the 2017 Political Party Organic Law. The section prohibits political parties or individuals holding a position in any political party from receiving donated money, assets or other benefits with financial value when they know or are expected to know it was acquired illegally, or suspect it was obtained from an illegal source. The allegation came after the party accepted a 191 million baht (US$6 million) loan from its leader Thanathorn to fund its election campaign ahead of the general election on Mar 24 last year, which concluded with a victory for pro-military party Palang Pracharat. According to the verdict, 16 executive members of the Future Forward Party have been banned from political activities over the next 10 years, starting from Feb 21. They cannot run in future elections, register a new political party or take part in any new political party until 2030. The affected members include party founder and leader Thanathorn and co-founder Piyabutr Saengkanokkul.(CNA)

More patients were recovering from a new type of coronavirus infection or COVID-19, and more had been discharged from the hospital, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun said.

"The situation in China is still quite challenging. However, since China has taken decisive and strict steps, the situation is getting better," Ambassador Deng said at a press conference held in Jakarta Friday.
Until Friday morning, confirmed cases of coronavirus infections reached 74,000 and the number of patients who were declared cured reached 16,000. At the same time, the death toll from the virus has risen to 2,123. These statistics showed two phenomena in the progress of handling the COVID-19 originating from Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China, since December last year. This positive development was the result of the prevention and control of the COVID-19 carried out by China, including establishing two special hospitals in just 10 days to treat most seriously affected patients, Xijun explained. Chinese authorities have also converted dozens of sports stadiums and gathering places as mobile hospitals to treat patients with mild symptoms. Around 32,000 experts, doctors and medical officers have been deployed to strengthen healthcare in Hubei Province. China has also tightened the boundary rules in several cities and suspended the school schedule, and office and factory entry since the Lunar New Year holiday to reduce movement and contact among its citizens. (ANT)