VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

FILE PHOTO: A flare burns excess natural gas in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S. November 23, 2019. Picture taken November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo - 

Voinews, London : Oil rose on Wednesday, supported by signs of strong global demand including from top consumer the United States while hopes that the Federal Reserve might start cutting rates soon also buoyed sentiment despite somewhat sticky U.S. inflation.

In an indication of healthy demand, U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories fell last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures ahead of Wednesday's official U.S. inventory report.

Brent futures for May rose 83 cents, or 1 per cent, to $82.75 a barrel by 0922 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for April gained 59 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to $78.15.

"With envisaged global stock draws in the second quarter and possibly beyond, heightened geopolitical tension with palpable impact on supply and the approaching rate cuts that will make borrowing and even oil trading cheaper, it is almost beyond comprehension as to why the market is reluctant to break higher," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

Oil had fallen on Tuesday after a higher than expected forecast for U.S. crude oil production and bearish economic data, but persistent geopolitical tensions limited declines.

In an earlier sign of strong demand, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Tuesday stuck to its forecast for oil demand growth of 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, higher than many other forecasts.

The International Energy Agency, which expects demand growth to be much lower, updates its forecasts on Thursday.

Oil and the wider financial markets also found support from sentiment that slightly hotter than expected U.S. inflation will not derail interest rate cuts by the middle of the year. Lower rates support oil demand.

"The risk environment has largely stayed unfazed, riding on the firm belief that current market pricing for a rate cut only in June will do the job," said IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong.

The unexpected slide in U.S. crude inventories and strong growth forecasts by OPEC also supported prices, said Yeap.

In a note to clients, Capital Economics analysts said they still forecast the Fed to start easing policy "around June"//CNA-VOI

\VOInews, Jakarta : Six aid trucks crossed from Israel directly into the northern Gaza Strip, Palestine on Tuesday (12/3) as part of a pilot project for ensuring the delivery of supplies into the area, the Israeli army announced.

According to the army, as reported by AFP, six World Food Programme - WFP aid trucks "entered the northern Gaza Strip via the '96th' gate on the security fence" on Tuesday.

They claimed that this was done as part of a pilot to prevent the Hamas group from taking over the aid, noting the trucks had been inspected at Kerem Shalom beforehand.

Israel has maintained strict control over aid entering the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of its war with Hamas, inspecting shipments at Nitzana and Kerem Shalom before permitting them to enter through the territory's south.

The cumbersome screenings are a major reason current shortages are so glaring, aid workers say, and the shipments sometimes struggle to reach northern Gaza//AFP-VOI

Para archery athlete Ken Swagumilang during a training session in Surakarta, Central Java, on October 11, 2023. (ANTARA/HO-NPC Indonesia/Agung Wahyudi) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Five Indonesian archery athletes have successfully qualified for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France, the Indonesian National Paralympic Committee (NPC) informed in Jakarta on Tuesday (12/3).

Vice secretary-general of the Indonesian NPC, Rima Ferdianto, told Antara news agency that the athletes comprise three male and two female athletes.

Ferdianto added that the male athletes had accomplished notable feats at the Pilsen 2023 World Archery Para Championships in the Czech Republic.

Furthermore, he said the Indonesian archery team will be represented by Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly, who clinched a gold in the women's compound number at the Asian Continental Qualifier Tournament for the 2024 Paralympics in Bangkok, Thailand, in November last year.

Another female is Wahyu Retno Wulandari, who claimed gold in the women's doubles at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Ferdianto informed that the Indonesian NPC set a target of taking 27 athletes from 10 sports to the Paris Paralympics, scheduled from August 28 to September 8. They expected the Indonesian contingent to win two gold medals//Antara-VOI

space rocket explode in Japan (Photo : TN) - 

VOInews, Tokyo : A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded seconds after launch on Wednesday (13/3), in a spectacular failure for the start-up's bid to put a satellite into orbit.

As reported by AFP, Tokyo-based Space One's 18-meter Kairos rocket blasted off in the coastal Wakayama region of western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite.

Five seconds later, live footage showed the solid-fuel rocket erupting in fire, sending white smoke billowing around the remote mountainous area as orange flames raged on the ground.

The fiery failure marks a blow to Japan's efforts to enter the potentially lucrative satellite-launch market.

Space One is hoping to become the nation's first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, and the plan had been for Kairos to do so around 51 minutes after take-off.

Parts shortages and other problems had reportedly led Space One to postpone the launch of Kairos five times before Wednesday's attempt, most recently on Saturday (9/3)//AFP-VOI