VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

In celebrating Indonesia and Morocco’s 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Moroccan Embassy in Indonesia held a webinar on Smart-Cities Projects and Digital Partnership in COVID-19 Era, on Thursday.

The video conference webinar was attended by Bagus H.K., director for middle east affairs in the foreign ministry, Indonesia's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco Hasrul Azwar, Morocco's Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia Quadia Benabdellah, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, President of Regional Council of Souss-Massa Brahim Hafidi, Jakarta Deputy Governor Suharti, and President of Urban Council of Casablanca Abdelaziz El Omari, and Vice President of Regional Council of Souss Massa Abdeljebar Qastalani.

"This event is an important momentum also evidence of the strong relationships between Indonesia and Morocco to strengthen ties and cooperation in a very dynamic world situation, including during the pandemic of COVID-19,” Bagus said in his opening remarks.

The webinar is intended as a forum to share perspectives of enhancing digital partnerships and smart city projects. It also celebrates the Indonesia and Morocco relationship that has been going really well and stable for the past 60 years.

"Hopefully, through this webinar, the cooperation between Indonesia and Morocco can increase trade and investment and agriculture to build the Smart City Project. Also in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and acceleration of economic recovery,” he continued.

Ambassador of Morocco Quadia Benabdellah said that the webinar is strengthening the relations between two great and brotherly nations, which is far in location but close by heart.

"COVID-19 stops everything in the world, but it cannot stop our mutual vision, it cannot stop the commitment to work closer together," Benabdellah said.

The webinar focuses on economic, IT, and social issues that are a concern for modern cities today. It also emphasizes the city sisterhood between West Java and Souss-Massa.

West Java has been innovating in smart city projects and gained international attention. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said that his party will exchange knowledge with Morocco’s Souss-Massa.

“We have created ‘Digital Village’ in rural areas, which enhances the area digitally from infrastructures to productivity. We can share this with Souss Massa and vice versa," Ridwan said.

The major focus areas for digital partnerships offered for Souss Massa include Rural Development, Digital Province, Vocational Education, Disaster Management, and Tourism Province.

Vice-President of Regional Council of Souss Massa Abdeljebar Qastalani said that his party has organized a working visit to West Java to enforce an agreement that creates opportunities for economic cooperation and trade exchange between the two cities.

“I hope that we can capitalize on this topic to optimize the Sister Cities Agreement between Jakarta and Casablanca, and the Sister Provinces between West Java and Souss Massa provinces,” Qastalani said.

Ambassador Benabdellah said that the partnership between West Java and Souss Massa is in line with the aim of the King of Morocco Muhammad VI to link the two cities for the prosperities of people and sustainable development. (VOI)

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said that three million COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac were ready to enter Indonesia by the end of 2020.

"These three million vaccines still have certification from the POM, they have sent a team to the Sinovac factory," Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto told an online press conference in Jakarta, Thursday.

According to the Coordinating Minister Airlangga, the vaccine could not be used immediately or needed time for immunization activities because it had to wait for a certification test from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

"It needs to be careful because it involves the overall public health. The government does not want any side effects from vaccination," added the Coordinating Minister.

In addition to the three COVID-19 vaccines, he continued, there are also 15 million doses of raw materials prepared at the end of the year and will be produced by Bio Farma.

Not only from Sinovac, he continued, the allocation of vaccines for Indonesia also came from Sinopharm with 15 million doses of independent vaccines and 100 thousand doses of Cansino.

"All of this is prepared access, and the government has issued a Presidential Decree on the purchase of vaccines, and now a Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan is being prepared. This method of purchasing requires a regulation to be right on target and quantity," said Coordinating Minister Airlangga.

He added that the government took two routes in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine. An independent route or developed and produced domestically through the Red and White vaccine.

In its development, the Coordinating Minister continued, it is estimated that in the second quarter of 2021 it will be ready for production.

Then, the second route is through international cooperation from several companies that are conducting research and are already in the final stages of clinical trials including Sinovac, Sinopharm with the G40 through the United Arab Emirates, Cansino, and Astra Zeneca. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the 1.34-kilometer Kendari Bay Bridge in Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi, Thursday, which is believed to be a strategic infrastructure and a new icon in the city with the beauty of the bay.

"I am sure the length of time it will take to build, and the amount of funds needed to build this bridge will be proportional to the benefits felt by the community," said President Jokowi at the inauguration of the bridge that connects various regions in Kendari Bay.

The bridge, which has a road width of 20 meters, was built from 2015 to 2020 at a total cost of IDR 804 billion.

According to President Jokowi, the bridge will facilitate population mobility and trade and industrial activities that cross the Kota Lama and Poasia districts.

To get to Poasia from Kota Lama or vice versa, now it only takes five minutes by crossing the Kendari Bay Bridge.

Previously, Kota Lama residents had to use a ferry to circle Kendari Bay to reach Poasia. The route takes 30-40 minutes.

"Now it only takes 5 minutes. This smooth connectivity and access will make the mobility of services and people more efficient, "said the president.

In addition, the bridge will also support the development of the Konawe area and the Bungkutoko Port. In the two areas, there will be an industrial area, Kendari New Port, and various new settlements for the community.

"So it will create new economic centers in Kendari and Southeast Sulawesi," said the President. (Antaranews)

At least 13 South Koreans have died after receiving flu vaccine shots in recent days, according to state and local media reports.

This situation raises concerns about the safety of vaccines, even though the authorities rule out the link between vaccine safety and citizen deaths after vaccines.

Health authorities on Wednesday said they had no plans to suspend the free flu vaccine injection program for about 19 million people after a preliminary investigation of the six fatalities found no direct link to the victims' deaths from the vaccine.

No toxic substances were found in the vaccine, and at least five of the six people investigated had an underlying condition for their deaths, officials said.

Officials have reported nine people died after being vaccinated against the flu, and Yonhap News Agency reported another four died on Thursday.

The fatalities, including a boy aged 17 years and a man in his 70s, came just a week after the free flu vaccination program for teenagers and the elderly had restarted.

The program was suspended for three weeks after it was discovered that about 5 million doses, which need to be refrigerated, had been exposed to room temperature while being transported to medical facilities.

The flu vaccine in South Korea comes from a variety of sources. South Korean flu vaccine manufacturers include local producers GC Pharma, SK Bioscience, and Ilyang Pharmaceutical Co, along with French pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline.

South Korean flu vaccine distributors include LG Chem Ltd and Boryung Biopharma Co. Ltd., which is part of Boryung Pharm Co. Ltd. GC Pharma, LG Chem, SK Bioscience, and Boryung declined to comment about any deaths after receiving flu shots.

Meanwhile, Ilyang Pharmaceutical, Sanofi, and GSK could not be reached for comment.

South Korea has extended its seasonal vaccine program this year to ward off potential complications of the COVID-19 outbreak and reduce the burden on hospitals during winter.

Officials say 8.3 million people have been inoculated with the free flu vaccine since the program resumed on October 13 and there have been reports of about 350 cases of adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The highest number of deaths related to seasonal flu vaccination was six in 2005, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Officials say it is difficult to make comparisons with previous years because more people are taking the vaccine this year. (Antaranews)