VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the U.S. on Tuesday on a state visit that has been projected as a milestone in ties between the two countries that would deepen and diversify their partnership.

Modi has been to the U.S. five times since becoming prime minister in 2014 but the June 21-24 trip will be his first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit.

It is also only the third state visit of Joe Biden's presidency and the third by an Indian leader to the U.S., indicating the strengthening bond between Washington and New Delhi and the distance they have travelled since being on opposite sides of the Cold War.

The visit is expected to see the two countries expand cooperation in defence industry and high technology sectors, with India getting access to critical American technologies that Washington rarely shares with non-allies.

"This special invitation is a reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies," Modi said in a statement ahead of his departure.

"I will also meet some of the leading CEOs to discuss opportunities for elevating our trade and investment relationship and for building resilient global supply chains," he said.

Washington sees India as a vital partner in its efforts to push back against China's expanding influence worldwide.

It hopes that a stronger India that can defend its own interests and can contribute to regional security in the Indo-Pacific is good for the United States.

U.S. lawmakers have invited Modi to address a joint meeting of Congress. It will be Modi's second such address, a rare honour for a leader once denied a visa to enter the United States over human rights concerns.

MEETING MUSK

Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk is among business leaders Modi is scheduled to meet during the trip, Reuters TV partner ANI reported.

Senior Tesla officials met India's deputy minister for technology and other officials last month, making clear the electric vehicle manufacturer's ambitious plans to establish a production base in India.

The officials held discussions with the government about incentives being offered by India for car and battery manufacturing and proposed setting up a factory in India to build electric vehicles, Reuters reported in May.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment while India's foreign ministry was not available.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Monday that details of Modi's meetings in Washington would be shared as the visit unfolds.

Musk is also the executive chairman of Twitter, which has had run-ins with Modi's government.

Last week, Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey said India threatened to shut down the platform in the country unless it complied with orders to restrict accounts critical of the handling of farmer protests, a charge Modi's government called an "outright lie".

Modi's visit comes amid differences in the positions of Washington and New Delhi over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

India has not condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

It remains dependent on old friend Moscow for its defence needs and has sharply increased its imports of cheap Russian oil, frustrating the West.

Asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about critical comments in the U.S. for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Modi said: "I don't think this type of perception is widespread in the U.S."

"I think India’s position is well known and well understood in the entire world. The world has full confidence that India’s top-most priority is peace," he said in the interview published on Tuesday.

Modi called for changes to global institutions like the United Nations to adapt for an increasingly "multipolar world order", and make them more representative of the world's less-affluent countries, the Wall Street Journal said.

India would like to be a permanent member of the Security Council, he said.

"The world should be asked if it wants India to be there," Modi said. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Indonesia's national football team performed well to counterbalance the Argentine team despite the 0-2 defeat during the FIFA Match Day here on Monday (June 19) evening.

The president also commended the performance of captain Asnawi Mangkualam and his team after the match concluded.

"Outstanding, I believe our athletes' hard work was outstanding," Jokowi stated after the match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here.

"We should understand that despite Argentina being on the first rank (of FIFA ranking) and we are in the 149th place, we can counterbalance them. Though they scored two goals on us, we can balance them," he emphasized.

The president expressed hope that the match against the 2022 World Cup champion would mark the start of the awakening of Indonesian football.

He said one way to realize it is to arrange matches pitting the Indonesia national football team with other teams of higher FIFA ranking.

"At the earlier match with Palestine, whose ranking is 93rd, we can hold them 0-0. Now with Argentina, the first ranking, while we are at the 149th (position), we only lost 2-0. It was amazing," Jokowi stated.

The match with Argentina will be a major learning experience for the Garuda Squad, he added.

"As we see, they were nervous in the start. However, in the second half, they were outstanding, they counterbalanced (the opponent). This will be an experience and an evaluation for our national team," the president stated.

During the Monday match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia lost 0-2 to Argentina by Leandro Paredes' long kick in the 38th minute and Cristian Romero's header in the 55th minute.

Meanwhile, at the FIFA Match Day with the Palestinian national football team on Wednesday (June 14) in Surabaya's Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, the score was 0-0. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian Police's Intelligence and Security Division Head Commissioner General Wahyu Widada stated that several measures will be implemented to maintain security conditions during the 2024 General Elections.

"The first is to map the potentials of public security and order disruption at every election stage," Widada stated at the meeting with the House of Representatives' (DPR RI's) Commission III at the Parliament Complex here, Monday (June 19).

The second measure is to devise an election vulnerability potential index (IPKP) for operational purpose, conducted with the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), he noted.

"Our approach is to (detect) which kind of security and order disruption potentials would occur," the commissioner general stated.

Widada expounded that the police's security approach will be orientated towards public and security order disruption risks, thereby allowing better inputs to superiors, considering operation plans for election security.

The police had conducted election risk mapping in February 2023, which concluded that East Java and Papua are regions with the most vulnerable security conditions in the 2024 Elections, he remarked.

However, the conditions continue to fluctuate and can change anytime. He affirmed that the indicator to assess regional vulnerability in the elections was the same as in 2019.

Meanwhile, the commissioner general emphasized that the police would cooperate with electoral organizers, such as the General Elections Commission (KPU), Bawaslu, and Election Organisers' Honorary Council (DKPP).

The police will also collaborate with national, religious, and customary figures to ensure smooth and peaceful elections as well as maintain conducive public security and order, he stated.

"Including by monitoring social media with regard to hoaxes and hate speeches and conducting intelligence actions to anticipate and prevent those from circulating and causing polarization in society," Widada remarked. (Antaranews)

The Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet, a world-class ballet company from the Netherlands, is touring in Indonesia this month, the cultural center of the Netherlands, Erasmus Huis announced on Tuesday. They are performing in Jakarta on June 23 and Surakarta on June 28 and 29.

A group of 17 young ballet talents, led by their artistic director Ernst Meisner, will perform a mix of modern and traditional ballet in “Ballet Bubbles”. Ballet Bubbles is the highly awaited program of the Junior Company.

It will show modern ballet pieces by choreographers Wubkje Kuindersma, Joshua Junker and Sedrig Verwoert, alongside well-known classics of “Pas de quatre” from “Sleeping Beauty” and “Blink”.

“I look forward to sharing our latest tour program with a mix of classical ballet and new works with audiences in Indonesia. Moreover, I look forward to meeting the audience and dancers in Indonesia and sharing with each other our love for dance,” said artistic director Ernst Meisner.

The foundation of the Junior Company in 2013 created a stepping stone for young dancers to make the transition from the Dutch National Ballet Academy to Dutch National Ballet.

This talented group of ballet dancers has secured its place in the international dance world. In 2020 they gave three hugely successful performances in Jakarta and Semarang.

“The Dutch National Ballet is one of the most outstanding ballet companies in the world. I am very proud that we can present this beautiful ballet dance group to an Indonesian audience and to get them in touch with Indonesian colleagues to learn about traditional Indonesian dance!” said Erasmus Huis Director Yolande Melsert.

The event is supported by the City Government of DKI Jakarta, Dinas Kebudayaan Pemprov DKI Jakarta, Dinas Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif Pemprov DKI Jakarta, PT Jakarta Propertindo (Perseroda) and Taman Ismail Marzuki, and Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).