VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned the public of possible extreme weather during the transition from dry to rainy seasons.

"During this transitional period, we need to be aware of the potential for extreme weather such as heavy rain in short duration which can be accompanied by lightning and strong winds, tornadoes, even hail," BMKG Deputy for Meteorology, Guswanto, said in Jakarta, Tuesday.

BMKG has issued forecast information for the beginning of the rainy season in 2020, which predicts that most parts of Indonesia will enter the early rainy season from late October-November 2020.

During September-October, the period of transition from dry to rainy season is still ongoing in several Indonesian territories. BMKG predicts that certain weather condition will hit these areas in the next week period:

Heavy rain with lightning from Sep. 22-24 will hit Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi , Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua, and Papua. 

On Sep. 25-28, heavy rain intensity will hit Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Bangka Belitung Islands, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua and Papua. (Antaranews)

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that the increase in the realization of government spending, which continues to accelerate until the end of 2020, will be a momentum to improve economic performance.

"The government has used up the budget. Which has seen a 14 percent increase in government spending in August 2020, including the acceleration of economic recovery spending," Sri Mulyani said at a press conference on the state budget development in Jakarta, on Tuesday.

Sri Mulyani said that the government spending will support economic growth in the short term, even though the third quarter of 2020 is estimated to be negative or the same as the previous quarter.

"Government spending increases, and the economy is moving positively, showing a significant improvement. This realization will continue to accelerate and is expected to sustain growth in the third quarter," she said.

However, Sri Mulyani acknowledged that consumption from the government side could not support overall economic growth, because consumption, investment, and exports have not fully recovered.

"Our economic activity is improving and needs to be maintained by implementing health protocols. Fiscal instruments will continue to support health policies as well as economic recovery and protect communities," Sri Mulyani said.

She also revised Indonesia's economic growth projection for 2020 from minus 1.1 percent to 0.2 percent to minus 1.7 percent to minus 0.6 percent.

The only component of expenditure that can still contribute positively to the Indonesian economy by the end of 2020 is government consumption, which is estimated to grow 0.6 percent to 4.8 percent.

Meanwhile, household consumption at the end of 2020 is estimated to grow negatively by minus 2.1 percent-minus 1 percent, PMTB will contract by minus 5.6 percent-minus 4.4 percent, and exports will grow negatively by minus 9 percent-minus 5.5 percent.

With this estimate, Indonesia is certain to experience a recession or negative growth, as experienced by other large and developing countries due to being affected by COVID-19. (Antaranews)

Indonesia will start phase II clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate made by Genexine Inc, a South Korean pharmaceutical company, this year, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in Jakarta, on Tuesday.

"Clinical trials II will begin in October in Indonesia," Retno said at the Working Meeting of Commission I of the House of Representatives. 

So far, the development of the vaccine made by Genexine is nearing the end of phase I clinical trial taking place in South Korea. Genexine is developing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate called GX 19 and for clinical trials in Indonesia, the company collaborates with PT Kalbe Farma Tbk.

In 2017, the two companies have collaborated to establish a joint venture company PT Kalbe Genexine Biologics (KGBio), one of which has a mission to develop drugs and vaccines.

GX 19 is a candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine made by a consortium of several companies, including Genexine as coordinator, Binex, International Vaccine Institute (IVI), GenNbio, KAIST, and POSTECH.

The vaccine candidate uses DNA material that aims to create antigens in the immune system. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in June 2020 approved the GX 19 phase I clinical trial.

Not only with Genexine, but Indonesia also collaborated with G42 Healthcare Holding, a pharmaceutical company from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). G42 is committed to securing 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate for Indonesia this year.

At the meeting, Retno said that the government had secured 20-30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate in 2020 and 290-340 million doses of the vaccine in 2021. 

Apart from Genexine, G42, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, Retno said Indonesia was still exploring opportunities for cooperation in the procurement of candidates of the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Imperial College London. However, Retno did not explain the statement further.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on various bilateral cooperations to get the COVID-19 vaccine quickly, safely, and affordably Retno said.

"There are two approaches taken by the Government of Indonesia in obtaining vaccines. The first is the short-term approach, which means fast access to safe vaccines at affordable prices and this approach requires cooperation with external parties, both bilaterally and multilaterally,”  Retno said to the members of Commission I of the House. 

"The second is a long-term approach, namely the development of a national vaccine, the Merah Putih vaccine, which we hope will be the main support for the independence of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia," she said.

Retno said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on implementing a short-term strategy, considering that the emergency situation during the pandemic requires quick action.

"Therefore, our diplomats both in Jakarta and various countries work day and night to be able to secure several vaccine commitments for the Indonesian people," she added. (Antaranews)

Rescuers were trying to refloat hundreds of whales stranded on a sandbar off the remote west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania on Tuesday, hoping to end one of the country’s worst beaching events.

Government scientists estimated about 90 of around 270 pilot whales trapped in shallow water had died since the stranding was reported a day earlier.

Aerial footage showed large numbers of the animals largely prone on a wide sandbar at Macquarie Harbour, about 200 km (120 miles) northwest of the state capital Hobart, while others floundered in slightly deeper water.

“We’ve got animals that are semi-buoyant so it probably won’t take too much to refloat those animals closer to the deeper water and will involve just a bit of grunt from specialized crew in the water,” Kris Carlyon, a wildlife biologist with the state government, told local media.

Pilot whales are a species of oceanic dolphin that grow to 7 meters (23 ft) long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes. Drawing them back out to sea is a labor-intensive process that can include physically pushing the animals or using specialized tarpaulins and pontoons to drag them to deeper water. Rescuers try to keep the whales upright to avoid disorientation.

Around 40 government scientists, 20 police officers, and local fish farmers and volunteers were involved in the rescue attempt, which experts said was the hardest they had encountered.

While the wet, cool conditions were beneficial for the whales, the rough waters and remote location were more challenging for their rescuers.

“It’s pretty ugly out there for people on the ground, but as far as the whales go it’s ideal,” Carlyon said. “If the conditions stay the same they can survive quite a few days.”

Scientists do not know why whales, which travel together in pods, sometimes beach themselves but they are known to follow a leader, as well as gather around an injured or distressed whale. (Reuters)