VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A total of 66 students from 55 senior high schools/vocational schools/Islamic high school SMA/SMK/MA from 27 provinces across Indonesia competed in the 2024 National German Language Olympiad at the Goethe-Institut Jakarta on January 16. The first and second winners will represent Indonesia to compete in the International German Language Olympiad in Germany next July. The National German Language Olympiad organized by the Goethe-Institut Indonesien in collaboration with the Indonesian German Language Teachers Association (IGBJI) is an annual national ompetition for German language learners aged 15-17 years. This year, the National German Language Olympiad, which is entering its 17th edition, will be held offline for the first time after the previous three editions were held online due to the pandemic. In the winner announcement ceremony at GoetheHaus Jakarta on Wednesday (17/1), Kheiren Valentine Husnafsky (SMA Ignatius Global School Palembang) was crowned first winner. Sebastian Dikko Daniswara (SMAN 3 Yogyakarta) was selected as the second winner. Kheiren Valentine Husnafsky and Sebastian Dikko Daniswara will continue their struggle to compete in the International German Language Olympiad which is scheduled to take place in Göttingen City, Germany from 15 until 22 July 2024. Around 100 students from 50 countries are expected to compete for the title of best German language learner. This grand international competition takes place every two years. Meanwhile, Maria Margaretha Steffany (Santa Laurensia Alam Sutera High School) won third place and Chatima Anandakhorita (PGII 1 Bandung High School) took fourth place. The fifth winner was Fujima Salomo Maetuzala Sihombing (SMAN 1 Plus Matauli Pandan) and the sixth winner was Anindita Kirana Lestari Adinarto (Garuda Scholar High School, Jakarta). 3rd to 6th place winners received scholarships for German language courses for teenagers this summer in Germany. The finalists who competed in this year's National German Language Olympiad had previously gone through the preliminary round, which was attended by 1,301 students from 366 SMA/SMK/MA during October to November 2023 at 16 examination sites in 31 provinces.

This time we would like to introduce you to one of the cultural arts of the people of South Sumatra, namely Kipas Serumpun Dance. The dance is a creative dance originating from Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra. This dance tells the story of friendship among Banyuasin people who have various ethnicities and religions. Kipas Serumpun dance contains a meaning about the importance of mutual cooperation among people. This mutual cooperation attitude is integrated into the joy that is reflected in a people's party.Kipas Serumpun dance is usually danced by eight female dancers. The dancers wear clothes brackets which are dominated by golden colors as a traditional characteristic of South Sumatra. This characteristic can also be seen from the use of siger as a head covering which is usually worn by brides in traditional weddings. In accordance with the name of this dance, Kipas is the main property in the performance. The dance movements created by Kipas Serumpun are dominated by agile hand movements. The movements of moving and then making formations are also often present in dances, which depict the joy of Banyuasin women at a people's party.Kipas Serumpun Dance is accompanied by music that comes from a combination of various traditional musical instruments, such as kendang, percussion and accordion as a characteristic of Sumatran Malay music. The use of electronic guitar and bass is a complement to produce lively musical accompaniment.

Indonesia and Turkey have agreed to target a bilateral trade volume in 2024 of 10 billion US dollars This agreement is the result of discussions between the Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey, Achmad Rizal Purnama and Turkish President Reccep Tayyib Erdogan, at the Presidential Palace, Ankara on Wednesday (17/1/2024). Ambassador Achmad Rizal, in an official statement on Wednesday, said that during a discussion with President Erdogan, he conveyed the priority of 1+4 bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade as well as defense and strategic industrial cooperation, energy, construction and pharmaceuticals. Ambassador Achmad Rizal Purnama held several bilateral talks after he handed over a Letter of Credence to President Erdogan.The Turkish President and Ambassador Rizal also discussed the completion of free trade agreement negotiations between the two countries, expanding defense industry cooperation, strengthening security cooperation and countering terrorism, and developing energy cooperation. On that occasion, Ambassador Rizal added that Erdogan appreciated Indonesia, which continues to monitor the Palestinian issue in various international forums In particular, Erdogan prayed that the general elections that will take place in Indonesia would run smoothly and bring goodness and progress to the Indonesian people. Rizal was appointed as Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey by President Joko Widodo on June 26 2023 and began carrying out duties in Turkey in early September 2023. By handing over the credentials, Ambassador Rizal has fulfilled all stages of diplomatic etiquette to carry out his duties fully as the representative of the Indonesian government in Turkey.

Bali - a piece of heaven in Indonesia - has stayed one of the world's best destinations and best honeymoon spots in 2024, according to TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor has crowned Bali as the best honeymoon destination in the Travelers’ Choice awards Best of the Best 2024. Winners needed to receive and sustain lots of amazing reviews at key destinations like hotels, restaurants and activities, as reviewed by individuals from the TripAdvisor community over 12 months. Bali defeated other honeymoon destinations such as the Maldives, Santorini, and Bora Bora. TripAdvisor wrote that Bali is a ‘living postcard’, a fantasy-like heaven. Bali is known not only for its beaches, but also its lush green forests that are home to amazing waterfalls, stone temples and wildlife, including monkeys. Bali also has Ubud, a thriving hub for art. This calm city is perfect for watching cultural dances, batik or silvery workshops, or simply relaxing the mind and body in yoga classes. Following Bali for the Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best for honeymoons, was Hoi An in second place and the Maldives in third place. In total, there are 25 honeymoon destinations in TripAdvisor's awardee list. Santorini was in 8th place, Venice in 10th, and Bora Bora in 17th.