VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

New Zealand Police have introduced a hijab into their official uniform to encourage more Muslim women to join.

As quoted by BBC.com (18/11), new recruit Constable Zeena Ali will become the first officer to wear the official hijab.

A spokesperson said that this aimed to create an "inclusive" service reflecting the country's "diverse community."

Other forces such as the Metropolitan Police in London and Police Scotland offer the option of a uniform hijab.

In the UK, the Metropolitan Police in London approved a uniform hijab in 2006 with Police Scotland following in 2016.

In Australia, Maha Sukkar of Victoria Police wore a hijab in 2004. (BBC.com)

The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Jakarta and Indonesia–Vietnam Friendship Association hosted a webinar on “Seizing Trade, Investment and Tourism Opportunities in Vietnam and Indonesia amid the COVID-19 pandemic”, Wednesday (18/11).

The webinar aimes to update information on policies of Government of Vietnam and Government of Indonesia in response to the impact of the pandemic for the purpose of economic recovery as well as economic and tourism cooperation promotion on the basis of mutual benefits.  

In his opening remarks, Ambassador of Vietnam to Indonesia, Pham Vinh Quang said that last month, the governments of Indonesia and Vietnam made great efforts in curbing the epidemic and ensuring economic development.

He added that the adoption of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework at the 37th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, will revive the economy of the two countries in post-Covid-19 Pandemic. 

“Last week in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the 37th ASEAN Summit, Vietnam in this term as 2020 ASEAN Chair together with Indonesia and other ASEAN member states adopted the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and its implementation plan designed to assist people and businesses to overcome the impact of the pandemic, restore economic, and social stability in ASEAN countries, promote plan maintained production and supply chain stability, strengthen connectivity and restore trade and tourism,” Quang said.

The Webinar on “Seizing Trade, Investment and Tourism Opportunities in Vietnam and Indonesia amid the Covid-19 pandemic” is a series of activities hosted by the Embassy of Vietnam in Indonesia to further deepen the strategic partnership and to commemorate the 65^th anniversary of diplomatic relations of both countries. (VOI)

The 12th edition of the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) 2020, which becomes the largest European education exhibition in the world, will be held again in Indonesia online from 21-28 November 2020.

This virtual exhibition will be attended by 140 leading higher education institutions from 12 European Union countries. 

European Union -EU Ambassador to Indonesia, Vincent Piket in his remarks explained that the European Union has distributed 1,600 scholarships for Indonesian university students and lecturers every year.

“Every year the EU flagship exchange program Erasmus and the grand program for the scholarship by the EU member states award 1.600 scholarship to Indonesian students and scholars for study and research period in Europe. In addition, the EU program Erasmus enables more than 200 European students and scholars to come to Indonesian universities to conduct lectures, training and to undertake short terms credit exchanges, and to do research. So we’re very happy to see this reciprocity beginning to take shape in very little sense.” Vincent Piket said.

Moreover, Erasmus Plus is a program of the European Union in education, training, youth, and sports that enables exchanges for university students, doctoral candidates, and lecturers who are interested in studying, teaching, or doing research in Europe.

The Erasmus Plus program also opens opportunities for capacity building for higher education. The Erasmus Plus Program includes the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree (EMJMD) and International Credit Mobility scholarships, funding for universities through the Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) program, and Jean Monett. (VOI)

Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech 22UAy.DE could secure emergency U.S. and European authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed it had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmakers said on Wednesday.
The vaccine’s efficacy was found to be consistent across different ages and ethnicities - a promising sign given the disease has disproportionately hurt the elderly and certain groups including Black people.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could grant emergency-use by the middle of December, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Reuters TV. Conditional approval in the European Union could be secured in the second half of December, he added.

“If all goes well I could imagine that we gain approval in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if all goes positively,” he said.

The success rate of the vaccine developed by the U.S. drugmaker and German partner BioNTech was far higher than what regulators had said would have been acceptable. Experts said it was a significant achievement in the race to end the pandemic.

Of the 170 volunteers who contracted COVID-19 in Pfizer’s trial involving over 43,000 people, 162 had received a placebo and not the vaccine, meaning the vaccine was 95% effective. Of the 10 people who had severe COVID-19, one had received the vaccine.

“A first in the history of mankind: less than a year from the sequence of the virus to the large-scale clinical trial of a vaccine, moreover based on a whole new technique,” said Enrico Bucci, a biologist at Temple University in Philadelphia. “Today is a special day.”

BioNTech’s Sahin said U.S. emergency use authorization (EUA) would be applied for on Friday.

An FDA advisory committee tentatively plans to meet on Dec. 8-10 to discuss the vaccine, a source familiar with the situation said, though the dates could change. The FDA did not respond to requests for comment. (Reuters)