VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President of the United States Donald Trump has been declared cured of COVID-19, following a negative test result.

"I can say that he tested negative on several consecutive days, using the Abbott BinaxNOW antigen card," said Presidential Doctor Sean Conley in an official statement on Monday (12/10/2020) local time reported by CNN.

Meanwhile, reported by AFP, although it did not clearly specify the day and location of the test, the doctor's statement stated that the negative result had taken into account several measurement methods, not just a quick test.

However, he confirmed that the data allowed the medical team to conclude that Trump had no potential to transmit the virus to other people.

This brief statement was issued while the president was on board Air Force One en route to Florida for the campaign. (RRI)

After waiting for a long time, finally, the good news came to Muslims all over the world, including Indonesia.

The good news is that the Saudi Arabia government has again allowed pilgrims to perform Umrah worship in the Holy Land of Mecca.

The Saudi Arabia government has again allowed domestic pilgrims to perform Umrah pilgrimages starting October 4, 2020, while pilgrims from abroad will start November 1, 2020.

"Insha Allah, for November 1, it has been reopened to the outside community, including Indonesia, to date it is only open to domestic congregations in Saudi Arabia," said Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion Bangka Belitung Province, M. Ridwan to RRI.co.id, Tuesday.

Ridwan explained, for the opening in early November, Saudi will only allow Umrah pilgrims from several special countries that are considered safe, with a capacity of 100 percent until the end of the pandemic.

"There are three stages, starting on October 4, 2020, the second stage on October 18, 2020, and the third stage on November 1, 2020," he explained.

Apart from Umrah, his party has also made preparations for the pilgrims, and rituals have been carried out for pilgrims who have not departed this year.

"Hopefully there will be no more obstacles in its implementation, COVID-19 will end quickly," he said.

However, by allowing the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to return, his party still hopes that the implementation will still comply with health protocols.

"And people who have registered are expected to continue to prepare themselves and maintain their health," he said. (RRI)

The Ministry of Trade is collaborating with the small and medium enterprise (UKM) community to promote SME products in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of which is by holding a Unique Trinket Video Contest Made in Indonesia (BBI).

"The UKM community plays an important role in the development of UKM because it has a powerful network, has data and information, and understands current conditions in the field. We hope that UKM can synergize with the national BBI movement to improve the economy, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Minister of Trade Agus through an official statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Over 70 activists and the UKM community attended the socialization event virtually. Meanwhile, seven UKM representatives attended namely Womenpreneur Community, OKE OCE, Wiranesia, Nahdliyin Entrepreneur Association, Karya Nusantara, mendekor.com, and Tangan Di Atas.

The video competition for unique knick-knacks is intended for SMEs who will display their profile and superior products. This activity also encourages SMEs to go digital in promoting and making transactions.

Registration for the competition can be done via social media Instagram and Facebook by including the hashtag #VideoBBIKemendag.

The registration period for the competition is open from 12 October to 27 November 2020. For selected and best videos, the Ministry of Trade will give an award at the peak ceremony of the BBI Award in December 2020.

The Trade Minister also explained that consumers have experienced a shift in transactions from offline to online. Technological developments encourage all groups, including the economy, to adapt. For this reason, the government encourages SMEs to immediately adapt to responding to world changes and consumers.

“Today's consumers are critical of the products being sold. Thus, SMEs need to take advantage of various trading and information platforms to promote their products in a more effective and attractive way,” said the Trade Minister Agus.

Minister of Trade Agus hopes that this video competition can spur SMEs to be creative and produce superior products through the use of digital technology.

"SMEs play an important role as a support for the nation's economy that drives the economy and maintains people's purchasing power, especially amid the current pandemic. We hope that SMEs can market their products by optimizing digital technology," said Trade Minister Agus. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo reminded all parties to stay alert for monthly rainfall which is getting frequent in Indonesia due to the La Nina phenomenon.

"The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency [BMKG] told me that the La Nina phenomenon will increase the monthly rainfall in Indonesia by 20-40 percent above normal," President Joko Widodo said at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday.

President Joko Widodo conveyed this in a limited meeting on Expecting Hydrometeorological Disasters with his ministers.
La Nina is a condition of deviation (anomaly) in the sea surface temperature of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean which is cooler than normal.

"I want all of us to prepare ourselves to expect the possibility of a hydro-meteorological disaster," added the President.

President Jokowi also wants to see the impact of La Nina on the production of the agricultural, fishery, and transportation sectors.

"Because 20-40 percent is not a small increase, I ask that information is disseminated as soon as possible to all provinces and regions so they know everything," he said.

Previously, BMKG said the impact of La Nina was not uniform throughout Indonesia. In October-November 2020, an increase in monthly rainfall due to La Nina can occur in almost all regions of Indonesia except Sumatra.

From December to February 2021, increased rainfall might occur in eastern Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku-North Maluku, and Papua.

In October, several season zones in Indonesia are expected to enter the rainy season, including the east coast of Aceh, parts of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka, Lampung, Banten, parts of West Java, parts of Central Java, parts of East Java, parts of West Kalimantan, parts of Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, parts of East Kalimantan and parts of North Kalimantan, a small part of Sulawesi, North Maluku and a small part of NTB.

The increase in high rainfall might cause hydrometeorological disasters, such as landslides and floods, so all parties need to take mitigation measures to reduce disaster risk to prevent any casualties.

Hydrometeorological disasters are disasters caused by weather phenomena. Apart from floods and landslides, other hydrometeorological disasters are strong winds, hail, and cyclones. (Antaranews)