Indonesia

Two Vietnamese recipients of the 2018 Indonesia Arts and Culture Scholarship (BSBI) (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia launched the 2018 Arts and Culture Scholarship (BSBI) on March 28, with 72 people from 44 countries and territories honoured. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister of Indonesia Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir said the three-month course on arts and cultural research will provide knowledge for students, enhancing their mutual understanding. The BSBI is an annual activity of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, aiming to introduce the country’s cultural characteristics and people to youngsters across the world. It was launched in 2003 with the participation members of the Southwest Pacific Dialogue - SwPD (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Indonesia). To date, the scholarship has been awarded to a total 776 alumni from 69 countries. During the three months of the programme, awardees from the … [Read more...] about Indonesia presents cultural scholarships to foreign students

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)   Jakarta (VNA) – The biggest fashion week in Indonesia, Indonesia Fashion Week 2018 (IFW), opened in Jakarta on March 28, featuring culture of the country’s renowned tourist attractions. Addressing the opening ceremony, Poppy Dharsono, head of the organising board, underlined Indonesia’s potential with the diversity of traditional cultures. The country’s fashion industry has many opportunities for further development, contributing to creating the national pride with its own identity. Themed “Cultural Identity”, IFW 2018 raised the culture of three national tourism destinations, namely Lake Toba, Borobudur, and Labuan Bajo. Using the main material of Batik for their collections, Indonesian designers expect they are contributing to preserving the national cultural heritage. IFW 2018 cooperate with 200 Indonesian and international designers, and 460 fashion brand and textile exhibitors. The event … [Read more...] about Fashion week highlights Indonesia’s cultural identity

Illustrative image (Source: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Indonesian government has issued an official order to ban the use of low octane fuel in major cities of Jakarta, Bandung and Palembang during the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD-18) scheduled for August 18 – September 2. The move aims to improve air quality, address pollution and ensure health of athletes and guests to the host cities. The international requirement to host the sports event is that sulfur particles in the air must be no higher than 25 micrograms per meter square, said an official at Indonesia's oil and gas firm Pertamina, adding that Pertamina will prioritise the distribution of fuel that meet the requirement. He added that Pertamax Turbo is the only type of Pertamina's fuel that fits with the order that requires Euro 4-quality fuel for public transportation vehicles used during the event. The ban will be also applied during the International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meeting slated for … [Read more...] about Indonesia bans use of low octane fuel during ASIAD-18

Firefighters exstinguish a peatland fire in Pekanbaru, Riau province, on Feb 1, 2018. (Source: AFP) Jakarta (VNA)  – Singapore’s efforts to restore its peatlands destroyed by fire can serve as an example for other countries facing similar issues, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim has stated. Praising Indonesia for its success in peatland governance, Solheim said that the international community is paying close attention to how Indonesia manages its more than 15 million ha of peatland, one of the largest areas in the world. Forest fires on peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2015 led to trans-boundary haze that blanketed the region and resulted in record air pollution levels across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for months that year. Since then, Indonesia has managed to limit the amount of land burned and prevented a repeat of the 2015 crisis. President Joko Widodo has also made the issue of illegal forest fires and peatland … [Read more...] about UN praises Indonesia’s efforts to restore peatlands