VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Wamenparekraf) as well as Deputy Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Angela Tanoesoedibjo expressed pride in holding the Bogor Street Festival cultural festival which encapsulates local wisdom in the Cap Go Meh event.

"This year is a special Cap Go Meh Mr. Governor, Mr. Wali. Why? Because usually I celebrate Cap Go Meh with my family. This year I celebrate Cap Go Meh at the extraordinary Bogor Street Festival," said Deputy Minister of Parekraf Angela in Bogor, Sunday . Angela said that the meaning of Cap Go Meh is 15, which is the highlight of the 15th day of Chinese New Year celebrations. At the peak of the Chinese New Year celebration, there is hope for blessings and goodness for all people.

The Bogor Street Festival activity, he said, is a symbol of unity in the diversity of nations that needs to be continuously supported. Prior to the Barongsai performance, the cultural festival activities that were included in the Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) national activity calendar featured archipelago culture which was dominated by West Javanese culture, starting from Bogor, Sukabumi, Karawang, Purwakarta, Cirebon, and there were Balinese cultural performances.

Prior to the opening there was a ruwatan and hadroh performance from the Muslim community. The opening of the Bogor Street Festival was also attended by West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto, Deputy Mayor of Bogor Dedie Abdul Rachim, Chancellor of IPB Arif Satria and a number of interfaith and Chinese figures.

"With this local wisdom we support, the culture of the archipelago has become an attraction for national and international tourists. I was surprised that the city of Bogor is full of diversity and full of tolerance. I appreciate West Java, especially the city of Bogor and all people," said Vice Minister of Parekraf Angela. (VOI/Akbar)

Jakarta (voinews.id): People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo promotes spirit of interfaith harmony in commemorating the International Day of Human Fraternity because religious entities are capable of inspiring, motivating, and moving people who have boundless loyalty.

"The spirit of brotherhood and religious harmony must not end up as merely a declaration. This spirit must always be present and expressed in every public space," he noted in a statement.

Soesatyo made the remarks during the commemoration of the International Day of Human Fraternity and the World Interfaith Harmony Week at the Nusantara IV Building in Parliamentary Building Complex, Senayan, on Sunday.

He explained that religious entities are capable of inspiring, motivating, and moving people who have boundless loyalty.

The religious morality values also teach about empathy, as well as upholding human dignity as a way to serve God.

Moreover, every religion upholds values of brotherhood and harmony, both of which are culmination of ideas which have become a universal language. That is why these values can be accepted by everyone despite the differences in their backgrounds.

"That every human being is created differently. Such is human nature, which prompts us to get to know each other, interact, and work together," he said.

The commitment to living alongside others within diversity and working together for humanitarian causes leads to the declaration of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together which was signed by Pope Francis and Al Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb on February 4, 2019, Soesatyo remarked.

"The declaration represents the strong desire of interfaith communities to develop synergy and collaboration, and to actively contribute to pursuing a peaceful world," he remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (Voinews): Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry disclosed on Sunday that the Freedom in Learning Curriculum would be introduced as a national curriculum in 2024.

"Surely schools will adopt it later. Meanwhile, currently (we are) gauging the readiness of schools in the country," the ministry's Center for Curriculum and Learning of Education Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency officer, Baharudin, said in Kudus, Central Java.

A decision to adopt the curriculum would be left to each education unit, he said.

Schools that are ready to incorporate it will be commended, considering such choice were made based on their readiness, he added.

Regarding the budget support, it would be adjusted after it was set as the national curriculum in 2024; hence there would be adjustment for trainings and other matters, Baharudin informed.

"Including how this curriculum is informed extensively so that the educational unit and the fellow teachers feel that they are accepting the curriculum very well," he said.

The most important thing is that students will get quality education, he pointed out.

In the meantime, a range of applications for self-training have been prepared, so that teachers can access some documents on Freedom in Learning curriculum as well as other modules.

Essentially, the curriculum is a follow up to the previous one, which allows students to focus on their most needed thing during their study.

"There is a Pancasila learning profile, which is the main goal of this educational process implemented in the profile project," Baharudin stated.

The teachers were given flexibility in selecting materials and learning processes that fit students' condition and the status of support in the education unit, he added.

It will enable students to get maximum competence, such as having good skills and knowledge, as well as having good manners km accordance with eastern values, he added. (Antaranews)

South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin said after meeting U.S. top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday that Seoul and Washington were committed to strengthening "extended deterrence" in relation to North Korea.

South Korea has sought assurances over extended deterrence, referring to the ability of the U.S. military to deter attacks on U.S. allies, amid concerns over Pyongyang's increasing missile and nuclear capabilities.

"The ROK (Republic of Korea) and the U.S. will continue our watertight coordination to achieve genuine peace on the Korean Peninsula," Park said during a joint news conference following the meeting at the State Department in Washington.

"We are committed to strengthening extended deterrence while maintaining a robust combined defense posture. Any provocations by North Korea will be met with a firm and united response."

Park and Blinken's meeting followed a visit to Seoul this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who vowed to expand military drills and boost nuclear deterrence planning to counter North Korea's weapons development and prevent a war.

Major car producer South Korea has sought talks with the United States over the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax credits in the United States.

"We will also work together to ensure that the inflation Reduction Act is implemented in ways that address Korean companies' concerns and benefit both our businesses and industries," Park said.

Park said Seoul would also explore the potential for cooperation with Washington under the CHIPS and Science Act, a law designed to boost U.S. semiconductor production and research with a view to competition with China. (Reuters)