VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told his Australian counterpart Penny Wong both China and Australia should gradually address each others' legitimate concerns and make positive contributions to address current global challenges during a call on Tuesday.

Both countries should work to rebuild trust between each other and put their relationship back on the right track, a statement from China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying. (Reuters)

At age 97, veteran Malaysia leader Mahathir Mohamad said he was determined to fight one final election to oust a government he said was led by "criminals", even if it could mean teaming up once again with long-time rival Anwar Ibrahim.

Mahathir, who served Malaysia for more than two decades in two stints as prime minister, is leading one of several opposition coalitions looking to unseat the graft-tainted Barisan Nasional - led by incumbent premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob - in an election on Nov. 19.

In the previous polls in 2018, Mahathir came out of retirement and joined forces with Anwar to oust the Barisan government as it faced corruption allegations over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

Mahathir promised to hand over the reins to Anwar but their multi-ethnic coalition collapsed in just 22 months due to infighting, paving the way for Barisan, led by Malay nationalist party UMNO, to return to power as part of another alliance.

Analysts say the votes of the country's majority ethnic Malays are expected to be split in the coming election between various Malay-centric parties that have emerged amidst the turmoil, including Mahathir's.

In what he said would likely be his final election foray, Mahathir vowed to fight "against bad Malays, criminal Malays… against the Malays who had destroyed this country."

Several UMNO leaders are facing graft charges brought against them by Mahathir's administration, including former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was jailed for 12 years after being found guilty in September in a case linked to 1MDB. Najib denied wrongdoing.

Race and religion are divisive issues in multi-racial Malaysia, where ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities form a third of the electorate.

Opinion polls suggest the election will be tightly contested with no single party or bloc likely able to win a simple majority.

Mahathir said he would not work with UMNO, citing corruption allegations against the party he once dominated.

But he did not dismiss the possibility of working with Anwar's alliance, although he said the parties would need to have a discussion on who would be premier after the election.

"We don't agree that any one person should, even before the results come in, claim that he is the candidate for prime minister," Mahathir said.

Anwar in an interview with Reuters last week ruled out working with Mahathir and other coalitions, citing "fundamental differences."

The pair's rivalry has dominated Malaysian politics for decades, after Mahathir as premier sacked and jailed his then-deputy Anwar in 1998, accusing him of sodomy and corruption.

Anwar was released in 2004, rising to become opposition leader, but was re-imprisoned in 2015 on another sodomy charge, and has consistently said that all the accusations against him were politically motivated. He was pardoned in 2018 after the election win that removed UMNO from power for the first time in Malaysia's post-colonial history.

LAST ELECTION?

In what is likely to be his final election, Mahathir does not see his age as a hindrance in winning the support of first-time voters - the youngest of whom, at 18, are nearly eight decades his junior.

“I feel that the youth of today are much more mature than the youth of the past... I think they will look not just at age, but also at capability," Mahathir said.

Mahathir's alliance is not a major player and is not expected to win a significant number of seats.

Nevertheless, he was "reasonably confident" that his alliance could still come out tops, and purge the government of corruption, implement business-friendly policies, and restore the nation's standing as an ‘Asian Tiger’ economy.

The nonagenarian said he had no desire to be prime minister but would do so if asked to serve again.

Mahathir, who is running against four other candidates in his island constituency, Langkawi, said he would retire if he lost.

"I don’t see myself being active in politics until I’m 100 years old," he said. "The most important thing is to transfer my experience to the younger leaders of the party." (Reuters)

The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it was allocating NZ$20 million ($12 million) of climate funding to address loss and damage in developing countries.

Vulnerable countries have ramped up demands for rich countries to pay compensation for losses inflicted on the world's poorest people by climate change. The issue is on the agenda of the U.N. COP27 climate summit this year.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the country's decision to allocate NZ$20 million of funding placed it at the leading edge of wealthy countries.

"International negotiations have in the past struck difficulties regarding calls for climate finance to deal with loss and damage, as some countries are concerned over what it means for liability and compensation," Mahuta said.

Mahuta said New Zealand recognised that loss and damage for Pacific countries takes many forms such as to culture, language, people's mental heath and physical wellbeing.

"We will work with our partners, in particular Pacific governments, to support areas they identify as priorities," said Mahuta.

New Zealand was not opposed to a possible centralised fund for international commitments for loss and damage, but supported a wide range of funding arrangements, she added. (Reuters)

Pakistani police on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into a failed assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan and said just one shooter was involved.

Khan, 70, has suggested that there could be two people who shot at him at anti-government rally in the eastern city of Wazirabad last Thursday.

The former cricket star, who has been pressing for early elections since being ousted as premier after losing a parliament vote in April, is recovering from leg wounds at his home in Lahore city.

Police identified the suspect as Mohammad Naveed, man in his 30s.

A copy of the police report, which was seen by Reuters, said a man in the crowd near Khan had taken out a pistol and started shooting, wounding Khan and 10 other people, one of whom later died.

Police said the suspected shooter was arrested after Khan supporter Ibtesam Hasan overpowered him and threw off his aim.

Regional police chief Akhtar Abbas told Reuters that a criminal investigation had been launched after registration of a formal case.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday the suspect was self-motivated.

"The things we got from his cell phone showed that he was fully motivated, fully committed," he told a news conference.

Reuters journalists last Friday visited the district of Wazirabad where the suspect lived in a dingy house with his widowed mother, wife and two sons - the youngest just two weeks old.

Police confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday this was the same man as the suspect Mohammad Naveed named in the case.

Neighbours said he had this year returned from Saudi Arabia where had worked as plumber for several years.

They described him as a quiet person and that his connection with the attack came as a surprise, although he had shown some signs of religiosity since his return to Pakistan.

"I knew him since his childhood, he had no bad habits, his act just shocked us," said neighbour Mohammad Saddiq, adding the man lately had preached to him about saying his prayers.

He attended neighbourhood mosque and had recently objected to a music event at a nearby school, asking to ensure music was not played at prayer time.

Khan said in a Tweet on Tuesday the police case was "farcical".

He has accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and intelligence official Major-General Faisal Nasser and planning to assassinate him. The government and military have denied this.

Khan launched what is known as a long-march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on Oct. 28, which his party said will resume on Thursday at the same place where he was attacked.

Khan supporters blocked roads near the capital Islamabad on Tuesday, disrupting traffic and forcing schools to close. (Reuters)