VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The World Health Organization delivered 15 ventilators to Gaza hospitals on Sunday amid a spike in COVID-19 infections that has tested the Palestinian territory’s under-developed health system.

The donation of the intensive care devices, funded by Kuwait, came a week after local and international public health advisers said hospitals in the enclave could soon become overwhelmed.

“These devices will help medical teams provide better service to patients, but it is not enough,” said Abdullatif Alhaj of Gaza’s health ministry.

Alhaj said hospitals had suffered acute shortages in oxygen essential in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Gaza has logged nearly 20,000 coronavirus cases and 97 deaths, mostly since August, amid concern of a wider outbreak in the densely populated enclave of 2 million people, many of whom live in poverty.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 342 COVID-19 patients, of whom 108 are in critical condition, are being treated in the territory’s hospitals, which have been able to expand their intensive care units to 150 beds over the past week.

It said more than half of the territory’s 150 ventilators are in use.

“The health system right now can hold on for a few weeks after the expansion of beds,” said Abdelnaser Soboh, emergency health lead in the World Health Organization’s Gaza sub-office.

Soboh said Gaza is also experiencing severe shortages of medications and disposable equipment needed to treat COVID-19 patients.

Palestinians in Hamas Islamist-run Gaza say 13 years of economic sanctions by Israel and its border blockade have crippled their economy and undermined the development of medical facilities, weakening their ability to tackle a pandemic.

Israel, which cites security concerns for the border restrictions it imposes along with neighbouring Egypt, says it has not limited the transfer of medical supplies to Gaza to fight the pandemic. (Reuters)

Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Perry Warjiyo wants Indonesia to become a global player in the Islamic economy and finance because it has great potential and has become a world trend.

"The government and all of us want Indonesia to become a global player in the Islamic financial economy," Perry Warjiyo said at a webinar on accelerating the development of the Islamic capital market in Jakarta, Monday.

According to him, since 2015, BI, the government, and other related institutions have stepped up steps to develop Islamic economics and finance, which focus a lot on banking and are now expanding, including the capital market, mobilization of zakat, and productive waqf.

In addition, he continued, it will also improve the sharia economy in forming a halal supply chain in synergy with the government, BI, the business world including conducting education and literacy through a campaign in the Sharia Economic Festival which was held by BI some time ago.

Perry said that sharia economy and finance is not related to religion but is a trend in the world as an approach to economic and financial business models.

In fact, he continued, a country whose population is not predominantly Muslim has become the center of the sharia economy, including China as the world's largest exporter of Muslim clothing.

Likewise, South Korea is the largest producer of halal cosmetics and halal tourist destinations, Japan is also one of the centers of the halal industry and tourism. '

Do not miss neighboring countries, namely Thailand also has a vision of a world halal kitchen. Observing this, the previous government had formed the National Committee for Sharia Financial Economics (KNEKS).

Indonesia, he said, still needs to pursue sharia economics, including in the pharmacosmetics, tourism, and finance industries because it is currently in sixth place based on the State of Global Islamic 2020-2021 report.

Even so, several industries from Indonesia have entered the top 10 of which halal food is in fourth place, and fashion is in third after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey.

"Our efforts since 2015 have been developing Islamic financial banking, sharia economy and continuing to carry out education and literacy," he said. (Antaranews)

OPEC and allies led by Russia have yet to find a consensus on oil output policy for 2021, after an initial round of talks on Sunday and ahead of crucial meetings on Monday and Tuesday, four OPEC+ sources told Reuters.

OPEC+, a grouping comprising members of the of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia and others, had been due to ease production cuts from January 2021, but a second coronavirus wave has reduced demand for fuel around the world.

OPEC+ is now considering rolling over existing cuts of 7.7 million barrels per day, or around 8% of global demand, into the first months of 2021, sources have said.

Preliminary consultations on Sunday between the key ministers, including from OPEC’s leader Saudi Arabia and Russia, had not reached a compromise on the duration of the rollover.

Sources have said talks were now focusing on extending cuts by three to four months, or on a gradual increase in output. Ideas of deeper cuts or a six-month rollover were much less likely, the sources said.

“There is no consensus as yet,” one of the four sources said.

A second source said: “There are many different ideas on the table... Also, a gradual increase (in production).”

The main meeting was expected to begin at 1300 GMT on Monday. (Reuters)

 Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa has discussed military cooperation including the development of Platoon Exchange program with several US military representatives for Indonesia,

The cooperation covered the supply of military equipment and the exchange of soldiers for a joint exercise, he said in a written statement released on Saturday.

With the Platoon Exchange program, the Indonesian Army sent a company of 43 soldiers to take a joint exercise with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, the US.

In return, the US Army sent soldiers to take exercise in the Indonesian Army's training ground at the Para Riders 502 infantry battalion in Malang, East Java.

General Andika Perkasa is set to visit the training ground along with Major General Braga of the US Army soon.

"I will (visit there) to ensure the condition of US soldiers," he said.

Meanwhile, during the meeting with General Andika Perkasa, US military representatives for Indonesia Commander Angela Edwards highlighted the development of the Platoon Exchange program for the Indonesian Army soldiers.

"We would like to give good news about the Platoon Exchange. This morning I and Colonel McCullough attended the dispatch of Indonesian Army soldiers," Edwards said.

He said the Indonesian Army soldiers will receive the best training in Hawaii and the US soldiers had arrived in Indonesia for military training. (Antaranews)