VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura. (File photo: Reuters) - 

Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is headed for his fourth straight Olympic Games after clinching a place on the national team on Sunday (Jun 6) with a tie-breaking point.

Uchimura, 32, long so dominant in the sport he's been known as "King Kohei", has opted this time to only compete in the horizontal bar to give his battered body a break, meaning he will not be taking part in the all-around competitions he once ruled.

But injuries caught up with him in recent years and he struggled to stay in shape. He eventually made the decision to concentrate on the horizontal bar alone in order to clinch an Olympic spot, although he confessed that the choice was hard and part of him still wanted to compete on other apparatus.

Squeaking through after being awarded a tiebreaking point, Uchimura said his feelings were complicated.

"My performance wasn't really one I could accept, and when I finished I thought I wouldn't be going to the Olympics. But when I was told I would, more than being happy I was thinking 'is this really okay?'" he told a post-match news conference.

"I don't feel that after today's performance, I really deserve to be called 'King.' I'll really need to practice before the Olympics," he added.

"It was really hard for me, as such an old man, to perform after the New Generation," he said, referring to fellow team mates roughly a decade his junior. "I may not be part of the all-around team effort but there's still things I can contribute due to my experience."//CNA

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Joe Biden during their meeting in Moscow on Mar 10, 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Alexander Natruskin) - 

The United States will stand with its European allies against Russia, President Joe Biden has promised ahead of the first face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin of his administration.

Biden will head to Europe on Wednesday (Jun 9), and is set to attend both the G-7 and NATO summits as well as holding a high-stakes meeting with the Russian leader in Geneva on Jun 16.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post published Saturday, the US president promised to shore up Washington's "democratic alliances" in the face of multiple crises and mounting threats from Moscow and Beijing.

"We are standing united to address Russia's challenges to European security, starting with its aggression in Ukraine, and there will be no doubt about the resolve of the United States to defend our democratic values, which we cannot separate from our interests," he wrote.

"President Putin knows that I will not hesitate to respond to future harmful activities," he said. "When we meet, I will again underscore the commitment of the United States, Europe and like-minded democracies to stand up for human rights and dignity."

Since taking office in January, Biden has ramped up pressure on the Kremlin, and his comments likening Putin to a "killer" were met with fierce criticism in Moscow.

But both leaders have expressed hopes that relations can improve, with the Russian president saying Friday he expected a "positive" result from the talks.

Biden in his weekend op-ed also stressed that Washington "does not seek conflict" - pointing to his recent extension of the New START arms reduction treaty as proof of his desire to reduce tensions.

"We want a stable and predictable relationship where we can work with Russia on issues like strategic stability and arms control," he wrote//CNA

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi - 

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi has said that directions toward global green recovery is part of a momentum for Indonesia to implement a cohesive plan to ensure environmental sustainability.

"We are looking forward to an opportunity to implement a green recovery, to carry out good clean development in the future," Lutfi said here on Saturday evening, during a press conference held following the 2021 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting organized by New Zealand.

He said that green economic recovery and sustainable development in the post-COVID-19 pandemic are part of Indonesia's responsibility and contribution to shape a better world.

"We will see this as part of the transformation, not only for the Indonesian economy because there is an opportunity for a green recovery, but also for a better world," he added. APEC Trade Ministers from 21 member economies issued a joint statement following their virtual meeting on June 2, 2021.

The statement reflected the outcomes of the 2021 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting chaired by New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor.

The statement identifies initiatives in three key areas that APEC will undertake in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to chart a path to economic recovery.

The three key areas are using trade as a tool to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; supporting a rules-based multilateral trading system, and; shaping future prosperity.

"We recognise that since APEC Economic Leaders endorsed the APEC List of Environmental Goods in 2012, new environmentally friendly goods, technologies and innovations have emerged that are not covered by the original list. We are ready to take concrete steps that build on this legacy, to further APEC’s contribution to addressing the most serious environmental challenges."

"We instruct officials to review the implementation of the original list in contributing to green growth, addressing climate change and securing sustainable economic development objectives, and to update the list in terms of Harmonised System (HS) tariff classifications for reference purposes by the APEC Ministerial Meeting in November," the joint statement said//ANT

Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises Minister Eric Thohir (ANTARA FOTO/Dhemas Reviyanto/hp.ir - 

The Indonesian government held a high level meeting with the Chinese government at the weekend to discuss an agenda of cooperation in the fields of priority projects, trade, economy and investment.

The cooperation placed a narration of pro-people economy, Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said in a written statement released on Sunday.

"Strategic development is carried out not only in Java but also eastern Indonesia as a mission to affirm maritime and fishery sovereignty to build a fishery port in Ambon as part of effort to make the national fishery estate program a success," he said.

He said the project will involve state-owned companies to drive development in a number of regions in Indonesia.

The cooperation which is carried on an equitable basis also paid attention to strategic national interests, he said.

"The cooperation is based on similarity and equitability between the two partner countries which have the spirit of the same fate and share," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic which has affected all countries in the world made the cooperation an answer to address the crisis since Indonesia and China have been committed to contributing to all sectors in the wake of the pandemic, he said.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said the meeting held at the weekend was included in the high level dialog on cooperation mechanism (HDCM).

The agenda of the meeting was a manifestation of the two countries' commitment to forge cooperation in responding to global challenges, he said.

The two countries agreed to establish mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of state firms, finance,investment, health and maritime affairs.

In the field of state firm, Indonesia will serve as a regional hub for the production of vaccine, and raw material for the production of drugs and research and development cener of hertbal medicines so that the cooperation will make Indonesia self-reliant in the health field//ANT