VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The City Government of Surakarta, Central Java has officially added a new steam train that will complement the Jaladara Steam Train. That was said by Deputy Mayor of Surakarta, Achmad Purnomo after receiving the handover of the Djoko Kendil KA train grant from PT KAI in Loji Gandrung Solo, Sunday (16/2). He said that the existence of the train would complement cultural tourism and optimize the presence of railroad that runs in the center of Solo. He also said, this route is the only one in Indonesia. He added that the design of the train depends on tourists’ demand both domestically and internationally. On the same occasion, Mayor of Surakarta, FX Hari Rudyatmo hoped that the existence of the steam train could invite the public to recall the history of the Indonesian Nation. (Ant-Sg)

President Joko Widodo in Solo on Saturday (17/2) inaugurated Manahan Stadium following its renovation to become an international standard stadium being prepared to host U20 World Cup in 2021. As quoted by Antara, President Joko Widodo was accompanied by First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimoeljono, Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, and Mayor of Surakarta, F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo during the inauguration ceremony. The stadium is now a magnificent stadium and much better than before. The President also remarked that the stadium is expected to be one of the hosts of the U-20 World Cup in 2021. Mayor Rudyatmo added that the stadium was renovated from 2018 to September 2019 with a budget of around Rp301 billion. He also affirmed the readiness of the Solo Government to hold the sporting event. (Ant)

The death toll from the Corona virus continues to grow. To date, there have been 1,669 people who have died due to Corona, including 4 people outside mainland China. Reported by CNN, Sunday (2/16/2020), the death toll from this deadly virus has exceeded 1,600. This virus has also infected 69,000 people worldwide. One new death toll outside China was confirmed yesterday. A Chinese tourist infected with the Corona virus died in France. This adds to the series of deaths outside China after previously in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan. The death of a corona patient in France also marks the first death outside of Asia. (Rep-Sg)

MUNICH, Germany: Global spending on defence rose by four per cent in 2019, the largest growth in 10 years, led by big increases from the US and China, a study said Friday (Feb 14).Beijing's military modernisation programme - which includes developing new hard-to-detect hypersonic missiles - is alarming Washington and helping drive US defence spending, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.The IISS's annual "Military Balance" report said the increase alone in US spending from 2018 to 2019 - US$53.4 billion - was almost as big as Britain's entire defence budget. Both China and the US increased spending by 6.6 per cent, the report said, while Europe - driven by ongoing concerns about Russia - stepped up by 4.2 per cent. But this growth only brought European defence spending back to levels seen in 2008, before the global financial crisis saw budgets slashed. European NATO members have been seeking to increase spending to placate President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused them of freeloading on the US.Trump has railed at European allies, particularly Germany, for not living up to a 2014 NATO pledge to spend two percent of GDP on defence. The mercurial president's anger over spending has fuelled concern about his commitment to the transatlantic alliance, culminating in an explosive 2018 summit where he launched a blistering public attack on Germany in a televised meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. (AFP)