Category: Uncategorized

What’s Up: September 2020

Sebuah tim medis dari Rumah Sakit del Mar Barcelona di Spanyol menerapkan terapi berjemur di pantai untuk mempercepat penyembuhan para pasien Covid-19. Tim medis sudah menjalankan terapi ini sejak dua tahun lalu, namun terhenti karena pandemi Covid-19 menghantam Spanyol. Mereka memulai kembali program tersebut pada Juni 2020 untuk merawat para pasien Covid-19 yang sudah lama menginap di ruang ICU dan kadangkala mengalami trauma. Hasil eksperimen menyatakan bahwa terapi selama 10 menit di pantai dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan pasien, serta membantu pemulihan pasien dalam jangka menengah dan panjang.

A medical team from the del Mar Hospital Barcelona in Spain applies sunbathing therapy on the beach to speed up the healing of Covid-19 patients. The medical team has been running this therapy for two years, but it was stopped because the Covid-19 pandemic hit Spain. They restarted the program in June 2020 to treat Covid-19 patients who had been staying in the ICU for a long time and sometimes experienced trauma. Experimental results suggest that 10 minutes of therapy at the beach can improve patient well-being, as well as aid patient recovery in the medium and long term.

Rochester First: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/spanish-doctors-hope-beach-trips-can-help-icu-virus-patients/

Laos akan menyerahkan mayoritas kepemilikan saham jaringan listriknya kepada sebuah perusahaan Tiongkok untuk mencegah potensi gagal bayar utang. Kantor berita Xinhua menyatakan kesepakatan telah ditandatangani antara Electricite du Laos (EdL) dan perusahaan jaringan listrik dari Tiongkok Selatan yang anonim. Xinhua mengutip Menteri Energi dan Pertambangan Laos Khammany Inthirath yang menyatakan perusahaan tersebut akan beroperasi di bawah peraturan pemerintah Laos, dan akan ada transfer pengalaman, teknologi, dan pengelolaan sumber daya manusia. Laos berambisi menjadi “Baterai Asia Tenggara” telah meminjam banyak uang dari Tiongkok untuk mewujudkan skema pembangkit listrik tenaga air tersebut.

Laos will hand over the majority of its power grid shares to a Chinese company to prevent potential debt defaults. The Xinhua news agency said an agreement had been signed between Electricite du Laos (EdL) and an anonymous Southern Chinese power grid company. Xinhua quoted Laos Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath as saying the company would operate under Lao government regulations, and there will be a transfer of experience, technology, and human resource management. Laos’s ambition to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia” has borrowed heavily from China to make its hydropower scheme a reality.

South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3100383/chinese-firm-take-majority-control-laos-electric-grid-amid

Index harga pangan FAO yang mengukur perubahan harga bulanan biji-bijian sereal, minyak sayur, susu, daging, gula melaporkan harga pangan di bulan Agustus naik menjadi 96,1 poin dibandingkan 94,3 poin di bulan Juli. Inflasi harga pangan dunia dipicu oleh biji-bijian kasar, minyak nabati, dan gula. Harga sorgum, jelai, dan beras melonjak paling tinggi. Harga jagung naik tajam karena gagal panen di Iowa, Amerika Serikat. Harga daging cenderung stabil, harga daging sapi dan unggas melemah, tetapi harga daging babi terus naik karena impor Tiongkok melonjak.

The FAO food price index, which measures changes in monthly prices for cereal grains, vegetable oil, milk, meat, sugar, reported that food prices in August rise to 96.1 points compared to 94.3 points in July. World food price inflation is triggered by coarse grains, vegetable oils, and sugar. Prices of sorghum, barley and rice were the highest. Corn prices rise sharply due to crop failure in Iowa, United States. Meat prices tend to be stable, beef and poultry prices are weakening, but pork prices continue to rise as Chinese imports soar.

Arab News: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1729211/business-economy

Pandemi Covid-19 mengacaukan bisnis perusahaan-perusahaan minyak di seluruh dunia. Perusahaan minyak global Exxon menghadapi permintaan minyak dan harga minyak yang menurun tajam sehingga perusahaan terpaksa mengurangi banyak proyek dan tenaga kerja. Exxon sedang berupaya bangkit dan menghabiskan miliaran dolar AS untuk menghidupkan kembali produksi dan pendapatan dari bisnis pemrosesan minyak, bahan kimia, serta mengambil alih komando produksi minyak serpihan (shale oil) dan gas alam cair. Pandemi memaksa Kepala Eksekutif Darren Woods mengubah rencananya dan mempersiapkan Exxon menghadapi permintaan minyak, gas, dan plastik yang terus melemah.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the businesses of oil companies around the world. Global oil company Exxon faced a sharp decline in oil demand and oil prices, which forced the company to cut back on projects and manpower. Exxon is trying to rise again by spending billions of US dollars to revive production and revenues from the oil and chemical processing business, take over command of the production of shale oil, and liquefied natural gas. Pandemic forced Chief Executive Darren Woods to change his plans and prepare Exxon for the ever-weakening demand for oil, gas, and plastics.

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-spending-exclusive/exclusive-exxon-downsizes-global-empire-as-wall-street-worries-about-dividend-idUSKBN25Z0H7

Thailand menghentikan rencana mega proyek Kanal Kra yang digadang-gadang mejadi salah satu infrastruktur strategis bagi Tiongkok di Asia Tenggara. Kanal raksasa sepanjang 120 kilometer ini adalah bagian integral dari inisiatif Jalur Sutra Maritim dan proyek ambisius One Belt One Road yang digagas Tiongkok. Kanal tersebut akan membantu kapal-kapal dagang dan militer menghemat waktu dan memperpendek jarak ketika melewati Selat Malaka. Namun, Thailand beralih membangun infrastruktur terpadu terdiri dari dua pelabuhan laut, jalan-jalan raya dan kereta api yang menghubungkan Samudera Hindia dan Samudera Pasifik sebagai solusi mempercepat pengiriman barang yang sangat penting untuk bisnis.

Thailand scrapped the Kra Canal mega project which was predicted to become one of strategic infrastructures for China in Southeast Asia. The giant 120-kilometer canal is an integral part of China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative and the ambitious One Belt One Road project. The canal would help merchant and military ships save time and shorten the distance when passing through the Strait of Malacca. However, Thailand has switched to building an integrated infrastructure consisting of two seaports, roads, and railways connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean as a solution to accelerate the delivery of goods that are critical to the business.

EurAsian Times: https://eurasiantimes.com/chinas-strongest-ally-in-the-asia-pacific-stalls-defence-deal-cancels-massive-infra-project/

Perdana Menteri baru Jepang Yoshihide Suga dan Presiden Donald Trump sepakat memperkuat aliansi keamanan Jepang-Amerika Serikat. Trump menginginkan aliansi kedua negara semakin kuat kuat dan memberikan keistimewaan kepada Suga untuk menghubunginya “24 jam sehari.” Suga mantan sekretaris kabinet yang dikenal sebagai tangan kanan Shinzo Abe dipandang sebagai politisi cerdas di dalam negeri, tetapi minim pengalaman dalam urusan diplomatik. Suga menghadapi sejumlah tantangan misalnya klaim Trump bahwa Jepang tidak memberikan kontribusi memadai untuk aliansi tersebut dan diharapkan memberikan lebih banyak biaya pemeliharaan pangkalan militer AS di Jepang.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Donald Trump agreed to strengthen the Japan-United States security alliance. Trump wants the two countries’ alliance to grow stronger and provide Suga the privilege to contact him “24 hours a day.” Suga, a former cabinet secretary known as Shinzo Abe’s right-hand man, is seen as a smart politician at home but lacks experience in diplomatic affairs. Suga faces a number of challenges, such as Trump’s claim that Japan is not making an adequate contribution to the alliance and is expected to pay more for maintaining US military bases in Japan.

The Japan Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/20/national/politics-diplomacy/yoshihide-suga-donald-trump-us-japan-phone-call/

Foto/photo: Unsplash/Tobias Tullius

What’s Up: Agustus 2020

Otoritas kesehatan Vietnam mengumumkan varian genetik baru virus Covid-19 telah memasuki Vietnam melalui kota pesisir Danang, sebuah kawasan pariwisata terkemuka. Tingkat infeksi virus ini lebih tinggi karena menginfeksi sekitar lima dan enam orang sekaligus, dibandingkan jenis virus lama yang menginfeksi 1,8 hingga 2,2 orang. Rumah sakit telah dimobilisasi di Danang, sementara Hanoi dan Ho Chi Minh melakukan pengujian massal terhadap puluhan ribu warganya yang diketahui pernah berlibur di Danang belum lama ini.

Vietnamese health authorities announced a new genetic variant of the Covid-19 virus had entered Vietnam through the coastal city of Danang, a popular tourism region. The rate of infection with this virus is higher because it infects around five and six people at a time, compared to the old type of virus that infects 1.8 to 2.2 people. Hospitals have been mobilized in Danang, while Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh conducted mass testing of tens of thousands of residents who were known to have vacationed in Danang recently.

Nikkei Asian Review: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Vietnam-fights-new-COVID-19-strain-with-higher-infection-rate

Ketahanan pangan Libanon terancam setelah silo besar yang menyimpan 15,000 ton gandum hancur akibat ledakan dashyat di pelabuhan Beirut pada 4 Agustus 2020. Peristiwa itu membuat cadangan gandum tidak cukup untuk sebulan, tetapi persediaan tepung cukup untuk menghindari krisis. Pelabuhan terbesar di Libanon tersebut hancur dan tidak dapat digunakan untuk menampung kiriman bahan pangan dari luar negeri. Peristiwa ini semakin memperburuk krisis multidimensi yang menghantam Libanon sejak tahun 2019.

Lebanon’s food security is threatened after a large silo holding 15,000 tons of wheat was tear down in a massive explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. The event left insufficient wheat reserves for a month, but a stockpile of flour was enough to avoid a crisis. The largest port in Lebanon was shattered and could not be used to accommodate food shipments from abroad. These events have further exacerbated the multidimensional crisis that has hit Lebanon since 2019.

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast-wheat-idUSKCN251190

Amerika Serikat tampaknya mengikuti langkah India yang sudah lebih dahulu menghapus aplikasi Tiongkok dari toko-toko aplikasi di India. Menteri Luar Negeri Amerika Serikat Mike Pompeo mengumumkan memperluas kampanye Clean Network untuk menghapus aplikasi-aplikasi Tiongkok yang “tidak dipercaya” yaitu TikTok, WeChat, PUBG mobile dan sejumlah aplikasi gratis lainnya. Administrasi Trump menuduh aplikasi-aplikasi tersebut mengancam privasi, menebarkan virus, mengedarkan propaganda dan disinformasi.

The United States appears to be following India’s steps in deleting Chinese apps from Indian app stores. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he was expanding the Clean Network campaign to remove “untrusted” Chinese applications, including TikTok, WeChat, PUBG mobile, and many other free applications. The Trump administration has accused the apps of threatening privacy, spreading viruses, circulating propaganda, and disinformation.

South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3096336/trumps-clean-network-could-threaten-american-gamers-favorite-chinese

Dana Moneter Internasional menyatakan ekonomi Arab Saudi menyusut hingga 6,8% tahun ini atau kontraksi terburuk dalam 30 tahun terakhir. Dua pukulan telak dari pandemi Covid-19 dan harga minyak mentah yang lebih rendah menyebabkan pemerintah terpaksa ‘mempertimbangkan semua pilihan’ untuk meningkatkan keuangannya. Opsi-opsi tersebut adalah pajak penghasilan, melipatgandakan pajak pertambahan nilai, menaikkan biaya impor, membatalkan beberapa tunjangan bagi pegawai pemerintah hingga menjual aset.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) reveals Saudi Arabia’s economy shrank by 6.8% this year or the worst contraction in the last 30 years. Two crushing blows from the Covid-19 pandemic and lower crude oil prices have forced the government to ‘consider all preferences’ to increase its finances. The options are income tax, doubling value-added taxes, expanding import costs, scrapping part of subsidies for government employees to selling assets.

Aljazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/saudi-mulls-income-tax-asset-sales-boost-state-coffers-200722154552966.html

Sekitar 7000 demonstran berkumpul di Martyrs’ Square untuk memprotes pemerintah Lebanon yang dinilai lamban menangani dampak ledakan dashyat minggu ini. Para demonstran mencoba menerobos gedung Parlemen di pusat kota Beirut menuntut pergantian pemerintahan dan meminta para pejabat mengundurkan diri. Peristiwa tersebut menambah parah krisis ekonomi dan krisis kepercayaan yang telah menggoncang Lebanon sejak tahun 2019.

About 7,000 demonstrators gathered in Martyrs’ Square to protest against the Lebanese government which is considered slow in dealing with the impact of this week’s devastating explosion. Demonstrators tried to break into Beirut’s downtown Parliament building demanding a change of government and calling for officials to resign. The incident exacerbated the economic crisis and crisis of confidence that has rocked Lebanon since 2019.

Channel News Asia: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/beirut-explosions-lebanon-protests-government-politics-13003042

Peretas Tiongkok dicurigai menjarah informasi berharga milik industri semikonduktor Taiwan. Perusahaan keamanan siber Taiwan CyCraft mengungkap peretasan yang membahayakan tujuh perusahaan chip Taiwan selama dua tahun terakhir. CyCraft mencurigai sebuah kelompok peretas bernama Chimera melakukan peretasan tersebut. Kelompok ini terafiliasi dengan kelompok peretas Winnti atau Barium atau Axiom yang disponsori pemerintah Tiongkok. Para peretas menjalankan Operasi Skeleton Key dan menggunakan teknik khusus untuk mencuri sebanyak mungkin kekayaan intelektual, termasuk kode sumber, perangkat pengembangan perangkat lunak, dan desan chip.

Chinese hackers are suspected of stealing valuable information from Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. Taiwan cybersecurity firm called CyCraft uncovers hacks that have endangered seven Taiwan chip companies over the past two years. CyCraft suspects a hacking group named Chimera carried out the hack. The group is affiliated with Winnti or Barium or Axiom, a hacker group that’s sponsored by the Chinese government. The hackers run Operation Skeleton Key and use special techniques to steal as much intellectual property as possible, including source code, software development tools, and chip design.

Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/chinese-hackers-taiwan-semiconductor-industry-skeleton-key/

Yunani dan Turki berseteru terkait eksplorasi cadangan minyak bumi dan gas di dekat pulau terpencil Yunani di Kastellorizo, di Mediterania timur. Turki mengerahkan kapal Oruc Reis yang melakukan kegiatan penelitian seismik dan dikawal beberapa kapal lain ke perairan yang disengketakan. Langkah Turki tersebut adalah respon terhadap kesepakatan zona ekonomi eksklusif (ZEE) antara Yunani dan Mesir di perairan dengan cadangan minyak bumi dan gas yang melimpah ruah. Kesepakatan itu tumpang tindih dengan perjanjian ZEE antara Turki dan Libya di kawasan lautan Mediterania.

Greece and Turkey clash over exploration of oil and gas reserves near the remote Greek island of Kastellorizo, in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has deployed the Oruc Reis, which is carrying out seismic research activities and is escorted by several other vessels to the disputed waters. Turkey’s move is a response to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreement between Greece and Egypt in waters with abundant oil and gas reserves. The agreement overlaps with the EEZ agreement between Turkey and Libya in the Mediterranean region.

BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53723984

Presiden Vladimir Putin mengumumkan vaksin Sputnik V mendapat persetujuan setelah melalui kurang dari dua bulan pengujian, meskipun uji coba akhir belum selesai. Namun, Menteri Kesehatan Jerman Jens Spahn menyatakan vaksin Covid-19 pertama di dunia tersebut dinilai belum cukup diuji dan belum aman. Spahn menekankan pentingnya melakukan studi dan tes yang tepat, kemudian menerbitkan hasilnya untuk menjaga kepercayaan masyarakat bahwa vaksin Covid-19 aman untuk digunakan.

President Vladimir Putin announced the Sputnik V vaccine was approved after less than two months of testing, although the final trials are not yet complete. However, German Health Minister Jens Spahn stated that the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine was not sufficiently tested and not safe. Spahn stressed the importance of carrying out proper studies and tests, then publishing the results to maintain public confidence that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe to use.

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-germany-idUSKCN2580K3

Presiden Xi Jinping meluncurkan kampanye Bersihkan Piring Anda versi 2.0 yang menyerukan para pejabat negara mengakhiri pesta dan resepsi mewah, sedangkan masyarakat berhenti membuang makanan. Kampanye tersebut menimbulkan spekulasi Tiongkok menghadapi krisis pangan serius akibat banjir besar, epidemi, dan bencana lainnya.

President Xi Jinping launched Clean Your Plate campaign version 2.0, which demands state officials to end lavish parties and receptions and request people stop wasting food. The campaign has sparked speculation that China is facing a serious food crisis due to major floods, epidemics, and other disasters.

Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1197577.shtml

Taiwan membeli enam puluh enam model terbaru pesawat jet tempur F-16 senilai 62 milyar dollar AS. Pesawat tempur mutakhir buatan Lockheed Martin tersebut dilengkapi APG-83 yaitu radar kendali tembak garis atas yang memungkinkan amunisi dapat ditembakkan secara presisi tinggi pada jarak yang lebih jauh. Kementerian Luar Negeri Tiongkok mengecam keras pembelian tersebut sebagai pelanggaran serius terhadap prinsip Satu Tiongkok.

Taiwan purchased sixty-six of the latest models of F-16 fighter jets for US$62 billion. The state-of-the-art Lockheed Martin fighter jet from the United States is equipped with the APG-83, a top-of-the-line fire control radar that allows ammunition to be fired with high precision at longer distances. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the sale as violating the One China principle.

Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-14/u-s-formalizes-f-16-jet-sale-to-taiwan-with-china-tensions-high

https://twitter.com/Mos_Himalaya/status/1296122743109357570?s=20

Aliansi Five Eyes saat ini beranggotakan Amerika Serikat, Inggris Raya, Australia, Kanada, dan Selandia Baru. Menteri Pertahanan Jepang Taro Kono berharap kerangka kerja sama intelijen tersebut mengizinkan Jepang ikut bergabung dan memperoleh informasi intelijen penting sejak tahap awal. Kebangkitan Tiongkok dan sejumlah konflik serius di kawasan Asia Timur mendesak Jepang mengambil langkah strategis. Apabila Jepang diterima, aliansi intelijen tersebut akan menjadi Enam Mata.

The Five Eyes Alliance currently consists of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Japan’s Defense Minister Taro Kono hopes that the intelligence cooperation framework will allow Japan to join in and obtain decisive intelligence information from an early stage. The rise of China and several severe conflicts in the East Asia region urged Japan to take strategic steps. If Japan is accepted, the intelligence alliance will become the Six Eyes.

Nikkei Asian Review: https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Japan-wants-de-facto-Six-Eyes-intelligence-status-defense-chief

Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu ingin superioritas militer Israel di wilayah Timur Tengah tetap solid dan tidak tertandingi. Upaya Amerika Serikat menjual pesawat-pesawat tempur tipe F-35 ke Uni Emirat Arab ditentang Israel, padahal normalisasi hubungan bilateral dengan negara-negara Timur Tengah berjalan baik. Apabila kesepakatan raksasa tersebut terwujud akan mengakhiri tradisi lama Washington yang tidak menjual senjata ke negara-negara Timur Tengah untuk mencegah perlombaan senjata dan tidak memangkas keunggulan militer kualitatif Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Israel’s military superiority in the Middle East region to remain solid and unchallenged. The United States’ efforts to sell F-35 fighter aircrafts to the United Arab Emirates were opposed by Israel, even though the normalization of bilateral relations with Middle Eastern countries was going well. If the giant deal materializes, it will end Washington’s long tradition of not selling arms to Middle Eastern countries to prevent an arms race and not decrease Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME).

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-emirates-usa-arms/israel-opposes-any-f-35-sale-to-uae-despite-their-warming-ties-idUSKCN25E0OD

Militer AS menyelenggarakan kompetisi AlphaDogfight secara berkala untuk mengembangkan agen otonom efektif dan cerdas yang sanggup mengalahkan pesawat musuh dalam pertempuran udara. Algoritma kecerdasan buatan (artificial intelligence) yang dikembangkan Heron System kembali mengalahkan pilot pesawat tempur manusia dalam pertempuran udara virtual pada 18 Agustus 2020 kemarin. Pemenang kompetisi mengembangkan deep reinforcement learning yang memungkinkan algoritma AI dapat memahami dan mengerjakan tugas-tugas di lingkungan virtual secara berulang kali dengan sangat cepat.

The US military hosts regular AlphaDogfight competitions to develop smart and effective autonomous agents that are capable of defeating enemy aircraft in aerial combat. The artificial intelligence algorithm developed by Heron System again defeated human fighter pilots in virtual air combat on August 18, 2020 yesterday. Competition winners develop deep reinforcement learning that enables AI algorithms to understand and perform tasks in a virtual environment over and over again very quickly.

Defense One: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/08/ai-just-beat-human-f-16-pilot-dogfight-again/167872/

Institut Jerman untuk Riset Ekonomi mengadakan penelitian Universal Basic Income (UBI) yang dibiayai oleh 140.000 donatur pribadi dan diikuti oleh 120 orang sukarelawan. Pengalaman sukarelawan UBI yang mendapatkan uang bulanan senilai €1.200 atau US$ 1.400 akan dibandingkan dengan pengalaman 1.380 sukarelawan lainnya yang tidak menerima UBI. Penelitian ini ingin mengetahui apakah pemberian UBI akan mempengaruhi kehidupan, pekerjaan, dan keadaan emosional setiap sukarelawan.

German Institute for Economic Research conducted a Universal Basic Income (UBI) study, which was funded by 140,000 private donors and attended by 120 volunteers. The experience of UBI volunteers who get a monthly payment of €1,200 or US$1,400 will be compared with the experience of 1,380 volunteers who do not receive UBI. This research wanted to know whether the giving of UBI will affect the life, work, and emotional state of each volunteer.

World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/germany-universal-basic-income-trial-citizens

Dampak perang dagang antara Amerika Serikat dan Tiongkok berlanjut ke industri ponsel cerdas. Perusahaan Foxconn asal Taiwan yang merupakan mitra utama Apple dalam merakit iPhone sedang mempertimbangkan membuka pabrik baru di Meksiko untuk mengimbangi perang tarif, menghindari risiko akibat ketegangan politik sosial dan ekonomi antara dua ekonomi terbesar dunia tersebut. Perusahaan lain yang mengikuti langkah Foxconn adalah Luxshare Precision Industry Co. dan Pegatron.

The impact of the trade war between the United States and China continues to the smartphone industry. The Taiwanese company Foxconn, which is Apple’s main partner in assembling iPhones, is considering opening a new factory in Mexico to counterbalance the tariff war, avoid risks caused by political, social, and economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Another company that has followed Foxconn’s lead is Luxshare Precision Industry Co. and Pegatron.

iMore: https://www.imore.com/foxconn-reportedly-looking-mexico-its-new-iphone-factory

Foto/photo: Unsplash/Denys Argyriou