VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

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, 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)

VOINews, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated that women, who account for half the global population, are part of the world's agents of peace that offer effective solutions.

Marsudi made this statement at the United Nations (UN) Security Council Open Debate on Women and Peace and Security at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday (October 25).

In the debate initiated by Brazil as President of the UN Security Council, Marsudi stated that more than 60 percent of the victims of violence in Gaza were women and children.

This shows today's reality where women are always victims in every violent conflict, according to a written statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

"I must frankly say that although there have been global efforts for women's empowerment and equality, the reality is far from ideal," she remarked.

Marsudi highlighted that in several parts of the world, women are the first victims of every conflict. Hence, she urged all parties to pay greater attention to the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda.

Hence, to this end, Indonesia also encourages strengthening the fundamental understanding of women's participation.

She explained that empowering and embracing women should not be seen as a burden, but rather, should be viewed as an investment and global standard.

"Women's empowerment and participation in the economic, social, and political sectors will strengthen community resilience and contribute to peace. I witnessed this myself, including through women's positive contribution to peacekeeping missions in the field," she stated.

Indonesia also encourages women's leadership in the peace process. Data has shown that women's participation increases the chances of peace agreements, Marsudi remarked.

"Therefore, we must invest more, including in the UN system, to ensure a safe and conducive environment for women, so that they can successfully play a role in global peace processes," she remarked. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - PT MRT Jakarta, the operating company of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains, has affirmed that its facilities would be secure in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections.

President director of the company Tuhiyat highlighted that the MRT had been registered as one of the government's national strategic projects (PSN).

"The (PSN) status brings plenty of consequences, including the need to ensure the security of the MRT as a national vital object," he remarked during the MRT Journalist Forum activity in Jakarta on Wednesday (October 25).

Tuhiyat noted that the government had designated the development projects of MRT in Jakarta as a national vital object.

Hence, he said that the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) directly participate in the efforts to maintain security of the facilities, in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 63 of 2004 concerning the security of national vital objects.

Security measures are meant to be taken comprehensively, thereby in the event of mass demonstration, for instance, security personnel will prevent any protesters from getting too close to the facilities of MRT, he explained.

"As a PSN, we are constantly protected. Therefore, God Willing, we will be able to take preventive steps," he remarked.

He then expressed hope that the upcoming general elections would run smoothly without any security problems.

The Directorate General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation designated MRT Jakarta, along with its supporting facilities, as a national vital object in the railways sector by issuing a decision on February 10 this year.

As a result, measures for securing all facilities of the MRT should be taken by referring to applicable regulations regarding railways as well as the security guidelines for national vital objects. (Antaranews)