VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Dominiq Jermey at the Media Gathering event (Photo : NK-VOI) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : The United Kingdom -UK has provided 5.6 million pounds sterling for an environmental and climate program namely Mentari in collaboration with Indonesia. This was pointed out by British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Dominiq Jermey at the Media Gathering event, the British Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday (25/10).

“...Indonesia’s shift to renewable and sustainable energy and there is amazing partnership already on the Mentari Program. And UK is proud to announce an extra 5,6 million pounds on funding for that program and just earlier this year. And that is just about supporting a sustainable economic growth in this country. And that transition towards a different way of approaching our world in the future. I know that Indonesia and the UK can have a great partnership together on biodiversity, on climate change, on renewable energy, on green and future cities and it’s gonna be a critical area that I’m looking forward to working together with my Indonesian colleagues over the years to come.” Ambassador said. 

Moreover, Ambassador Dominiq further said the partnership of the UK and Indonesia  continuously grows much stronger, which  focuses on business, climate change, biodiversity and prosperity and security in the Indo Pacific. The value of trade cooperation  between the UK and Indonesia was worth £3.5 billion in 2022. Ambassador Dominiq wants to increase this amount as the purpose of  the UK to continue to encourage two-way investment//VOI

VOINews, Jakarta - The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China's space station on Thursday, paving the way for a new generation of "taikonauts" to advance the country's space ambitions in the future.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-17, or "Divine Vessel", and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.

Leading the six-month mission was former air force pilot Tang Hongbo, 48, who was on the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021.

His return to the orbiting outpost Tiangong, or "Celestial Palace" in Chinese, also set a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflight missions by taikonauts - coined from the Chinese word for space - suggesting a faster rotation of taikonauts in coming years.

Tang, from China's second batch of astronauts in 2010, had to wait more than a decade before he was picked for his inaugural spaceflight in 2021.

By contrast, his fellow Shenzhou-17 crew members Tang Shengjie, 33, and Jiang Xinlin, 35, both travelling to space for the first time, joined China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020.

China has already kickstarted the selection process for the fourth batch of astronauts, seeking candidates with doctoral degrees in disciplines from biology, physics and chemistry to biomedical engineering and astronomy.

It is also opening the process to applicants from Hong Kong and Macau for the first time.

The first and second batches of astronauts were all former air force pilots, like Tang, who joined the People's Liberation Army in 1995 at age 20.

FOREIGN ASTRONAUTS

The selection and training process will commence soon for foreign astronauts looking to participate in joint flights to Tiangong, a senior official on China's manned space program said this year.

But as much as China is showcasing its efforts to internationalise its space missions, its space program has distinct Chinese characteristics, at least on Tiangong.

In a departure from the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS), where English is the working language, only Chinese is used on Tiangong, making Chinese-language skills a key criteria for foreign participants.

Tiangong has become a symbol of China's growing confidence in its space endeavours after being shut out of the ISS program for decades. China is banned by U.S. law from any collaboration, direct or indirect, with NASA.

Tiangong, completed in late 2022, can house a maximum of three astronauts at an orbital altitude of up to 450 km (280 miles) and will have an operational lifespan of more than 15 years.

The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will replace the Shenzhou-16 crew, who arrived at Tiangong at the end of May.

The Shenzhou-16 crew, consisting of veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, is scheduled to return to earth on Oct. 31.

Zhu and Gui, both in their 30s, are from China's third batch of astronauts.

Shenzhou-17 marks China's 12th crewed mission since Yang Liwei's solo spaceflight in October 2003, the first Chinese national in space. (Reuters)

VOInews, Sleman: Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono stated that the development progress of the country's new capital city of Nusantara in eastern Kalimantan has now reached more than 40 percent.

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian runner Saptoyogo Purnomo on Thursday clinched his third gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, in the men’s 100-meter T37 race.

In the race, which took place at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium, he finished in first place, with a time record of 11.35 seconds.

The time record broke the previous record of 11.49 seconds at the 2018 Asian Para Games, which was held by Purnomo himself.

In the men’s 100-meter T37 race, the silver medal was won by Saudi Arabia’s Yousef S. Alnakhli, who finished 0.75 seconds behind Purnomo, while India’s Shreyansh Trivedi, who finished 0.85 seconds behind Purnomo, bagged the bronze medal.

On Wednesday Purnomo also won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter T37 race, setting a new record at the Asian Para Games with a time of 23.34 seconds.

Earlier, on Monday he bagged the gold medal in the men's 400-meter T37 race, with a record of 54.80 seconds. It was the first gold medal for the Indonesia contingent at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Purnomo's achievement at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games extended his range of achievements. He recently secured a ticket to the 2024 Paris Paralympics by winning silver in the men’s 100-meter T37 race of the Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championships.

With Punomo’s gold medal on Thursday, the Indonesian para-athletics team has secured four gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

The Indonesian contingent is targeting to finish in the top 10 at the games, with a target of 19 gold, 23 silver, and 25 bronze medals.

The National Paralympics Committee of Indonesia (NPC Indonesia) sent 130 athletes to participate in the games.

They are competing in 12 sports in Hangzhou: athletics, swimming, weightlifting, badminton, cycling, shooting, judo, boccia, chess, lawn bowls, archery, and table tennis. (Antaranews)