VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

US President Donald Trump is due to begin his first official trip of India with a focus on deepening ties between the world's two largest democracies. Mr Trump will arrive in Gujarat, home state of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he is expected to address a rally at a cricket stadium. He will then travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, before arriving in the capital Delhi for talks with Mr Modi. Despite growing political and strategic ties, there's been tension over trade issues. In June 2019, the US ended preferential trade status for India, the largest beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) - a scheme that allows some goods to enter the US duty-free. The two sides have also differed over price controls on medical equipment and India's new rules on data storage. The trade deal was likely to resolve some of these issues. But just days before the visit, Mr Trump announced that he was saving the big deal for later on. Reports say negotiations continued between the two sides until last week, but they were not able to reach a consensus on issues like the restoration of the GSP for Indian goods, and India agreeing to open some of its key markets for US goods//   (Voi.BBC)

North Korea has quarantined 380 foreigners in a bid to stop the coronavirus from breaking out.The foreigners are mostly diplomats stationed in the capital Pyongyang, said news agency Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central Broadcasting Station. Around 200 foreigners had already been confined to their compounds for the past 30 days - but as that came to an end, the quarantine has been extended. There have not been any reported cases of Covid-19 in North Korea. It's not known how long the new quarantine for foreigners will last. North Korea has not confirmed any cases - but there are clearly fears of it spreading, as the country shares a border with China. All foreigners coming into the country must be quarantined for 30 days. North Korean authorities have also cancelled the annual Pyongyang marathon, which typically sees people from all over the world participating. Around 3,000 people in North Pyongan province, a north-western region bordering China, are also now under monitoring for reportedly showing suspected symptoms, said state media// (Voi.BBC)

Japan is keen on importing waste from palm oil such as palm oil shells, empty fruit bunches and pellets from processed empty fruit bunches. The Japanese Government expressed the interest in a seminar on ISO standards in Jakarta on February 10, 2020. It was said by Chairperson of the Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI), Derom Bangun in Medan, Sunday (Feb 23). These three types of materials are classified as by-products or waste from oil palm plantations and factories. Derom explained that the Japanese representatives conveyed the importance of biomass fuel in a bid to boost the electricity production in Japan by producing new and renewable energy. He pointed out that in a presentation attended by a number of participants from various ministries, associations and non-governmental organizations, a senior researcher from Japan, Takanobu Aikawa, explained that the energy mix in Japan would increase the portion of new and renewable energy 3.7 to 4, 6 percent of total electricity production or equivalent to 6 to 7.2 Giga Watts//(Antara/Trs.AL)

Governor of South Sulawesi Nurdin Abdullah hoped that the Indonesia-Japan Student Exchange program namely the SUIJI (Six Universities Indonesia Japan Initiative) can bring about mutual benefits for each country and advance the two countries. It was stated by the Governor when discussing with 24 exchange participants in Makassar on Sunday (Feb23). As quoted by Antara, Nurdin Abdullah when haviny discussion with the exchange participants gave them a lot of motivation and encouragement on how millennial generations must contribute for their countries and nations. Nurdin also hoped that Indonesian students joining the exchange program could learn a lot of things from the Japanese people. He emphasized that the Indonesian students must learn about the teamwork of the Japanese people. The Governor also talked about the differences between Japanese and Indonesian cultures. He took for example the way the Japanese people raise and nurture their children particularly on how the Japanese people encourage their children to achieve their goals//(Ant/Trs.AL)