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A screenshot of PT LEN's finance and human resources director Indarto Pamoengkas during a webinar on topic “The 2022 G20 National Seminar” in Jakarta on Saturday (March 19. 2022). (ANTARA/ Juwita Trisna Rahayu) - 

PT LEN Industri is optimizing opportunities offered during the G20 Presidency to cooperate with local and foreign enterprises, LEN's finance and human resources director, Indarto Pamoengkas, stated.

“We are actively participating and optimizing opportunities in the G20 event to seek potential partners, both local and foreign,” Pamoengkas remarked during a webinar on “The 2022 G20 National Seminar” here on Saturday.

There are abundant opportunities that the G20 forum can offer to business players, especially to bolster global strategic partnership, according to the director.

Further cooperation is required for the stated-owned enterprise, that currently leads the DEFEND.ID holding, to achieve its target of ranking among the top 50 global companies, with a revenue Rp31.8 trillion by 2024.

“We are optimistic of meeting the target by 2024 by cooperating with big players abroad,” he affirmed.

PT LEN is also among the 28 state-owned firms involved in the G20 Working Group that is focusing on trade, investment and industry as well as energy sustainability.

DEFEND.ID holding comprises PT Len Industri, PT Dahana, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, PT Pindad, and PT Pal Indonesia

Each company’s targets should be in line with G20’s three key agendas: having high impacts on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG); having high international values; and being able to be showcased in 2022, he explained.

In terms of strategic implementation of energy transition this year, PT LEN is developing its business lines on renewable energy, solar panels, solar power plants, solar-based transceiver station (BTS), and electric vehicles.

PT Dahana is developing a rooftop solar power plant to help reduce carbon emissions and save electricity. PT Pal Indonesia is designing vessels with biodiesel-fueled engines using B20, or a 20-percent blend of biodiesel.

PT Dirgantara Indonesia is developing bio-avtur, or aviation turbine fuel, for CN235 aircraft under a cooperation. PT Pindad is developing electric military vehicles, such as Rantis Maung Elektrik and electric motorbikes.

Meanwhile, Pamoengkas highlighted the holding's contribution to G20, including green military through electric vehicle development, solar-based charging stations, bioavtur J2.4 utilization from conventional avtur to fuel turboprop-engine aircraft, hospital vessels (BRS), and barge mounted power plant (BMPP) to increase effectiveness and efficiency in building power plants in the country and explosive material production made with B3 waste and smokeless propellant composite development//ANT

People line up amid snowfall at a mobile nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Beijing, China March 18, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang - 

Mainland China reported its first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday (Mar 19), said a post on the National Health Commission's website.

The two deaths happened in China's northeastern region of Jilin that borders North Korea and Russia, where case numbers make up over two-thirds of total domestic infections.

China reported two deaths for the whole of 2021, with the last one logged on Jan 25.

The country reported 2,228 new confirmed coronavirus cases on March 18, compared with 2,416 a day earlier.

Of the new cases, 2,157 were locally transmitted, compared with 2,388 a day earlier, with 78per cent appearing in Jilin and others found in the southeastern province of Fujian and the southern province of Guangdong among others.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 1,823 compared with 1,904 a day earlier.

The death toll went up to 4,638//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addresses the government committee that oversees measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on May 4, 2020 - 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the United Arab Emirates on Friday (Mar 18) in his first visit to an Arab state since the Syrian war began in 2011, underlining warming ties with a US-allied country that once backed rebels who sought his ouster.

Assad met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan who "stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security, and that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with it", Emirati state news agency (WAM) reported.

Assad's only trips outside Syria during the war have been to Iran and Russia, close allies whose military support helped him turn the tide against opponents who had been backed by governments including U.S.-allied Gulf states.

A video posted by WAM showed Assad smiling as he stood alongside Sheikh Mohammed in front of the Syrian and Emirati flags, as well as gesticulating and smiling during talks.

The United States has opposed efforts to normalise ties with Assad or rehabilitate him until progress is made towards a political solution to the conflict, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people since spiralling out of an uprising against Assad.

Washington expressed concern in November when the UAE foreign minister visited Damascus and met Assad.

But Washington has eroded its political capital with both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi by not heeding their concerns about regional rival Iran, ending its support for their war in Yemen and slapping conditions on US weapons sales to the Gulf states.

WAM said the sides emphasised "the preservation of the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces" from the fragmented country where Russia, Iran, Turkey and the United States all have a military presence.

They also discussed political and humanitarian support for Syria and its people to reach a peaceful solution to all the challenges it faces, WAM reported.

WAM said Sheikh Mohammed "expressed his wishes that this visit will pave the way for goodness, peace and stability to prevail in Syria and the entire region". Assad briefed him on the latest developments in Syria, it said.

Assad was seen off by Sheikh Mohammed at the airport.

Assad also met Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Syrian presidency said in a statement.

The meetings marked the latest in a series of diplomatic overtures that point to a shift underway in the Middle East where several Arab countries are reviving ties with Assad.

Signs of rapprochement between Assad and Arab states grew last year, including a phone call with King Abdullah of Jordan, another US ally.

Analysts say political and economic considerations loom large for Arab states that are seeking closer ties with Assad, including how to counter the influence of Iran and Turkey//CNA

A regional inflation control team monitors cooking oil prices in Polman district. (ANTARA Foto/ M Faisal Hanapi) - 

Based on its latest survey, Bank Indonesia (BI) has predicted that the country will record an inflation of 0.54 percent in March 2022.  

The inflation forecast has pegged year-to-date inflation at 1.1 percent and year-on-year inflation at 2.54 percent.  

Until the third week of March 2022, inflation was chiefly contributed by red chili (0.1 percent) as well aspurebred chicken eggs, gold jewelry, and household fuels (0.05 percent each), executive director and chief of BI’s Communication Department, Erwin Haryono, said in a statement released on Friday.

Bird-eye chili and purebred chicken meat each contributed 0.04 percent, while tempeh and detergent each contributed 0.03 percent to inflation.

Inflation was also fueled by a 0.02-percent increase in the prices of onion, raw tofu, orange, beef, and air transport fare, and a 0.01-percent increase in the prices of garlic and filter cigarettes.

Meanwhile, a decline in the prices of cooking oil and tomato contributed 0.06 percent and 0.01 percent, respectively, to deflation.

BI said it will keep coordinating with the government and relevant authorities to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the national economy//ANT