ALEXANDRATOLSTOY

 Pelatih Chelsea Vincenzo “Enzo” Maresca dibuat pusing oleh jumlah pemain yang terlalu banyak dalam skuadnya menjelang laga melawan Manchester City Minggu malam esok.

Chelsea memiliki 43 pemain dalam tim pertama dan lebih dari 50 nama lain  masih terikat kontrak, termasuk yang dipinjamkan. The Blues mengeluarkan lebih dari satu miliar pound (Rp20,3 triliun) selama dua tahun terakhir.

“Saat ini ada 43 pemain dan itu bukanlah hal yang bagus,” ujar Maresca seperti dikutip AFP pada Sabtu.

Pelatih asal Italia itu pun menyerahkan persoalan ini kepada manajemen Chelsea.

Dia menunjuk hidung Wakil Direktur Olahraga Chelsea Paul Winstanley dan Laurence Stewart sebagai orang yang semestinya bertanggung jawab menuntaskan masalah itu.

Maresca menyadari harus meraih kepercayaan suporter yang mengharapkan kestabilan Chelsea setelah ditinggalkan pelatih Mauricio Pochettino.

Fan Chelsea merasa tidak nyaman lantaran pemain jebolan akademi mereka harus pindah ke berbagai klub demi menyeimbangkan anggaran.

Salah satunya adalah Conor Gallagher yang terpaksa tidak dibawa ke laga melawan Manchester City karena masih dalam proses pindah ke Atletico Madrid.

Pelatih Manchester City Pep Guardiola menilai jumlah pemain yang sangat banyak membuat Chelsea seperti memiliki dua skuad.

“Namun tentu soal alasan mereka melakukan itu bukan urusan saya,” kata dia.

City mendominasi 50 pertemuan terakhir dengan Chelsea dengan 27 kemenangan. The Blues menang 18 kali.

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The Health Ministry has said that collaboration between researchers and industry players is vital to ensure the availability of vaccines for the public, including halal vaccinations for Muslims worldwide.

The ministry’s director general for pharmaceutical and medical devices, Rizka Andalusia, said in a statement received here on Tuesday that her administration is supporting collaborative efforts such as the third batch of the fellowship program for virology and vaccine research and training.

“Indonesia is a country which is currently improving the vaccine ecosystem’s research and manufacturing, and has successfully created eight of 14 immunization antigens, four of which have gotten the WHO’s (World Health Organization’s) pre-qualifications,” she elaborated.

The fellowship program was a result of collaboration between the ministry and some entities, such as the Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Bio Farma, and Padjadjaran University, as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC’s) center for vaccine research.

Twelve researchers from nine OIC countries, including Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Somalia, participated in the program.

According to Andalusia, the program, which has been conducted for three years, is proof of the ministry’s commitment to producing halal vaccines for the Muslim community and countries.

In the same statement, the deputy CEO of Bio Farma, Soleh Ayubi, highlighted the importance of collaboration for creating an ecosystem that can resolve grave and concerning health issues, like pandemics.

There are three things that must be considered by vaccine researchers when creating products, he said. First, the ability to understand and synchronize laboratory matters with the company, he expounded.

Second, understanding local regulations on drugs and medicine evaluation, he said.

“I also expect participants to study the GMP, or good manufacturing practices, aspect,” he added.

A participant from the Islamic University in Uganda, Mwambi Bashir, said that now that he has finished the program, he is determined to promote the importance of vaccines among the public.

“If we are to encourage the public to accept vaccines, we must highlight the importance of including values such as religious, cultural, as well as public beliefs,” he added.

He said that the program is an interesting one for OIC countries. He said that through the program, he saw how committed Indonesian pharmaceutical industries are to providing halal vaccines to Muslims worldwide.

 Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto emphasized Turkiye as an important strategic partner during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkiye, on Tuesday (July 30).

Prabowo met President Erdogan at the Turkish Presidential Palace, Ankara, after his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday (July 29) and Turkish Defense Minister Yaar Güler on Tuesday.

“With the many opportunities ahead of us, Indonesia is committed to further strengthening the strategic partnership with Turkiye. We remain determined to enhance the historical friendship between the two countries,” he told Erdogan, as quoted from an official statement from his office on Wednesday.

Prabowo and Erdogan held a closed-door meeting. However, the ministry’s Head of the Public Relations Bureau, Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumantha, remarked that the meeting discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the possibility of expanding partnerships, including in the defense sector.

At the meeting, Erdogan also congratulated Prabowo, who won the 2024 Presidential Election.

Prabowo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka are scheduled to be inaugurated on October 20, 2024, as President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia for the 2024–2029 period.

On the occasion, Prabowo also expressed his gratitude for the greeting and said that he was honored to receive such a warm welcome from the Turkish Government.

Upon his arrival at the Turkish Presidential Palace, Prabowo was directly welcomed by Erdogan who was waiting at the end of the carpet near the car.

After the meeting, Erdogan also escorted Prabowo to the front of the vehicle. Although Prabowo initially refused, Erdogan insisted until he entered the car and departed from the Presidential Palace.

Turkiye is Prabowo’s third destination in a series of his foreign visits since last week.

Before arriving in Ankara, Turkiye, Prabowo visited Paris, France, and Belgrade, Serbia.

The Health Ministry is preparing medical teams and health facilities for the Independence Day ceremony at the new national capital (IKN) Nusantara in East Kalimantan in August 2024.

“Medical teams and health facilities will be on standby from August 14–18, 2024, for the state event at IKN,” the ministry’s director of health service governance, Sunarto, informed on Wednesday.

He said that the initial stage began with the delivery of equipment and agencies and functional testing of small-sized room equipment for mini intensive care units (ICUs) and health posts.

Before the state events, simulation and training will be carried out by the Ministry of State Secretariat and Presidential Security Guards (Paspampres) team from August 10–13, Sunarto added.

The health facilities prepared by the Ministry of Health will consist of two sets of mini ICUs and specialist medical teams for VVIP and VIP guests respectively, along with five health posts around invitees’ tents and for ceremony participants.

“Some 18 ambulances with advanced life support/ALS and basic life support/BLS are also (being) prepared to evacuate patients in the mini ICU and health posts,” he said.

Sunarto informed that his party has also readied several hospitals, namely Kanujoso Djatiwibowo Regional General Hospital (RSUD), AW Sjachranie Hospital, Beriman Hospital, Ratu Aji Putri Botung Hospital, Sepaku Hospital, Dr. Hardjanto Hospital, Pertamina Hospital, Bhayangkara Hospital, and Siloam Hospital.

“The vertical Central General Hospital (RSUP) at IKN will also be used specifically for emergency room and ICU services for observation,” he added.

Meanwhile, the acting deputy head of IKN Nusantara Authority (OIKN), Raja Juli Antoni, said that health services for state events at IKN are being prepared under the coordination of the Health Ministry and other related parties.

OIKN and the Ministry of Health are committed to providing the best health services for guests and invitees and all personnel involved in the series of state events leading up to the 79th Independence Day ceremony at IKN Nusantara.

Health facilities will be carefully prepared to accommodate health needs during the state events at IKN, Antoni added.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto continued his journey from Ankara, Turkiye, to Moscow, Russia, to meet several ministers and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Ministry’s Head of Public Relations Bureau, Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumantha, stated on Wednesday that Prabowo and his entourage arrived in Moscow on Tuesday (July 30) evening and were scheduled with several agendas on Wednesday.

“The visit agenda begins with a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Defense, where Minister Prabowo met with Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belusov. This meeting is expected to discuss various important issues related to defense cooperation between the two countries,” Sumantha remarked.

On the same day, Prabowo will meet with President Putin at the Kremlin, Moscow.

“This meeting is important to strengthen diplomatic relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Russia,” he stated.

Deputy Director of State Protocol of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aleksander Vladimirovich Prusov, Indonesian Ambassador to Russia and Belarus Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, and Indonesian Defense Attaché in Moscow Air Commodore Jatmiko Adi welcomed Prabowo’s arrival at Vnukovo Airport, Moscow.

In several video recordings broadcast by Russian media, a convoy of vehicles transporting Minister Prabowo passed through the streets of Moscow on Wednesday afternoon local time towards the Kremlin.

However, the Defense Ministry has yet to release the results of the meeting between Prabowo and Putin.

President Putin was one of the country’s leaders who congratulated Prabowo after he won the 2024 presidential election. Prabowo is scheduled to be inaugurated as President of the Republic of Indonesia with his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, on October 20, 2024.

Since he was named president-elect, Prabowo has visited several countries abroad to meet with leaders of Indonesia’s partner countries, starting from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, and Saudi Arabian Prime Minister and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) bin Abdulaziz.

In a series of his foreign visits from last week, he has also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vui, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 Indonesia strongly condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.

“It constitutes a provocation that could escalate conflicts in the region and derail the ongoing negotiation,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a social media post on Wednesday.

The Palestinian organization earlier confirmed that Haniyeh was killed early Wednesday in an Israeli attack on his residence in Tehran.

“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas expresses condolences to the sons of our great Palestinian people … Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement … was killed as a result of a treacherous Zionist attack on his residence in Tehran,” Hamas said on Telegram.

It informed that Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital to attend the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president on Tuesday.

Haniyeh’s assassination was swiftly condemned by the international community. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the assassination was a “cowardly and dangerous” act.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Haniyeh’s assassination was a “despicable attempt to undermine the Palestinian cause.”

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the attack was unacceptable and could lead to further escalation. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry also shared a similar message, saying that it could “undermine the chances of peace.”

However, Israel, who has been accused of perpetrating the assassination, has made no immediate announcement about it. US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has claimed that Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination of the Hamas top brass.

Meanwhile, the Iranian state television that reported Haniyeh’s death said that an investigation into the assassination is ongoing and that the results will be announced soon.

 Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said the fallen political bureau leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was a Palestinian freedom fighter.

“I express my condolences on the passing of Ismail Haniyeh, the supreme leader of Hamas, as a freedom fighter. I see him as a freedom fighter who fought for Palestinian freedom under Israeli occupation,” the vice president remarked.

Amin made the statement aboard the Whoosh Fast Train at Tegalluar Station in Bandung District, West Java, on Thursday after attending an event in the province’s Sumedang District.

“Of course, for us, Indonesia has also lost a freedom fighter. Therefore, we share in expressing our condolences,” Amin noted.

The vice president also condemned Israel’s actions in killing Haniyeh during the Hamas leader’s visit to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president.

“We deeply regret it. In addition to the genocide of its people, Israel also assassinated their leader at the inauguration ceremony of the President of Iran. This is very unethical,” Amin pointed out.

He feared that the incident would spark new tensions and disrupt peace efforts.

“Do not let it disrupt peace efforts, which have begun to get real. With this murder, the negotiation plans could go back to square one. This issue arose in the middle of the negotiation efforts. This could trigger greater tensions in the Middle East,” he emphasized.

The Hamas group earlier confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh died early Wednesday morning (July 31) from an Israeli attack on his residence in Tehran.

“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas expresses its condolences on the death of the descendant of a great Palestinian Nation, Ismail Haniyeh,” as quoted from Hamas’ Telegram.

According to the organization, Haniyeh was in Tehran on Tuesday (July 30) to attend Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration as the new Iranian president.

Haniyeh’s killing immediately drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing and described Israel’s action as cowardly and dangerous.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin emphasized the need for religious public organizations to adhere to mining and environmental regulations while operating mines under the government’s permit.

“It is important for them to understand that in mining management, there are things that should be preserved, the environment should not be damaged, and regulations should be observed,” Amin stated on Thursday.

He made the remarks in Bandung District, West Java, after attending the inauguration of the Institute of Home Affairs Governance (IPDN) graduates in the nearby Sumedang District.

Amin affirmed that the special mining permit reflected the government’s commitment to providing equal opportunities for public organizations to reap advantages from mining operations.

He acknowledged that criticism of the operation of mines by religious organizations might appear among the public.

“Hence, we expect them to operate (the mines) properly according to the prevailing regulations on mining management,” he remarked.

So far, only two major Muslim organizations—Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah—have signaled their intent to accept the government-issued mining concession in specially designated zones.

Nonetheless, Amin stated that other public organizations could receive the mining permit as long as they qualify and fulfill the government’s criteria.

“It is not for all public organizations. We have hundreds of such entities here. Hence, how many mines (for which permits) can be granted to them would depend on the priority according to our criteria,” he remarked.

The government aims to create an equitable economy by allowing religious organizations to obtain mining business permits, as previously clarified by President Joko Widodo.

He explained that the government only intends to grant permits to business entities managed by religious organizations rather than to the organizations themselves.

 Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, has declared Wanurejo Tourism Village in Magelang, Central Java, as the “best tourist village.”

“I declare the Wanurejo Tourism Village as Indonesia’s best tourist village. Hopefully, this will become a world-class tourist destination. We will promote it in the Southeast Asia region and abroad,” he said in a statement released by his office on Friday.

Wanurejo Tourism Village is the entrance to the Borobudur Super-Priority Tourism Destination (DPSP) area. Uno informed that out of the 6,016 tourist villages in Jadesta (tourism village network), Wanurejo Tourism Village has many advantages.

The success of the tourist village has come from strong collaboration between its nine hamlets, which are offering a variety of integrated rural tourist attractions, from lodgings, attractions, culinary, and crafts, to culture, while still prioritizing local wisdom.

The accommodation offered is in the form of homestays. Wanurejo village provides around 63 homestay rooms at a price of around Rp350 thousand to Rp450 thousand per night (US$20–US$26).

The Wanurejo Tourism Village has nine hamlets spanning an area of 470,100 hectares, including Bronjonalan, Tingal Kulon, Tingal Wetan, Bejen, Ngentak, Soropadan, Barepan, Jowahan, and Gedongan.

The village is one of the tourist villages that serve as the gateway to the Borobudur area. It is located at the foot of the Menoreh mountains, between the Progo River and the Sileng River.

The village can be reached by a four-wheeled vehicle from Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) in 1 hour 30 minutes.

Visitors can also visit the Ancient Mosque with the mysterious drum (bedug) left by Prince Diponegoro, the Umbul Tirta holy water, and the tomb of Kyai Wanu.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said the Bandung Marathon was included in the Sport Tourism category which could increase the country’s foreign exchange.

He noted that such event is a source of foreign exchange with income doubled from the ordinary tourism.

“Based on our calculation, the sport tourism has almost double the spending from usual foreign tourism,” he stated at Gedung Sate, Bandung, on Sunday.

If Indonesia explores more sports tourism, it can help increase the quality of tourists, considering this category of tourists will stay longer, resulting in more tourist spending for the local economy, the minister remarked.

“Usually, foreign tourists spend US$1,500 per visit, but they can spend almost US$3,000 for sport tourism. This is what we are after,” Uno disclosed.

From this matter, his party is encouraging the implementation of sport tourism in various regions with different sports types that interest foreign sports enthusiasts.

“Besides running, the event can be held for cycling, open water swimming, triathlon, and automotive sports, as well as several sports activities related to trail running, which are very popular,” he continued.

The minister also hopes the Bandung Marathon can be on par with Tokyo and Boston at the World Major Marathon level.

“We can improve the quality. Hopefully, the Bandung Marathon can compete with other World Major Marathon like the Tokyo Marathon, Boston, or New York, because Bandung’s weather is very comfortable and it has a long history,” he conveyed.

Uno took part in the second day of the Bandung Marathon in the 10K category.

Together with 15 thousands of other participants, he started the Bandung Marathon from Gedung Sate passing several protocol roads in Bandung City such as Supratman Street, Terusan Jakarta Street, Ibrahim Adjie Street, Asia Afrika Street, Riau Street, Diponegoro Street, then finish at Gedung Sate.