VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

South Korea's opposition lawmakers boycotted President Yoon Suk-yeol's first budget speech to parliament on Tuesday to protest against a criminal probe surrounding the opposition leader, in an escalating battle of wills that could complicate deliberations.

Yoon mapped out details of the 639 trillion won ($445 billion) proposal for next year to a half-empty National Assembly hall that was missing members of the Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the 300-strong parliament.

Yoon's conservative government will need the Democrats' support to fund spending on a post-coronavirus recovery and a more aggressive response to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, with a budget deadline looming on Dec. 2.

Yoon has already been weakened politically by a series of gaffes and controversies, which overshadowed his first major overseas tour last month and have knocked his approval ratings lower, inviting scathing criticism from some lawmakers within his own People Power Party.

The opposition's ire was piqued on Monday when prosecutors raided its headquarters in Seoul as part of a long-running investigation into suspected corruption involving property deals.

Several of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's former and current confidants have been arrested on charges they took more than 800 million won in illegal political contributions from developers to aid Lee's presidential campaign when it was launched last year.

Lee, who narrowly lost the election to Yoon in March, has denied any wrongdoing, while Yoon's office said it has not played a role in any criminal investigations.

The Democrats have accused Yoon, himself a former prosecutor-general, of ordering the investigation to stifle opposition. They demanded an apology, while threatening to boycott the budget speech.

Yoon refused, saying on Monday that attaching any conditions to attendance at his speech would be "unprecedented in our constitutional history".

Yoon's Tuesday speech called for swift passage of the budget with bipartisan support, to ease households' economic hardship and improve people's livelihoods.

"In order to overcome the grave economic and security situation, there can be no divide between the ruling and opposition parties," he said, adding that he "desperately needs the parliament's cooperation".

The justice minister, who oversees prosecutors' affairs, told parliament on Monday that they were looking into whether bribes were exchanged during the property development process but declined to comment when asked if they were examining the possible use of such funds to help Lee's campaign. (Reuters)

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as the next economy minister after the incumbent abruptly resigned amid criticism over his links to a controversial religious group.

Following weeks of calls by opposition lawmakers to quit, former economy minister Daishiro Yamagiwa on Monday tendered his resignation, saying he "caused inconvenience to the government" by taking too long to clearly explain his links to the Unification Church.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kishida said he picked Goto based on his "political experience, high presentation skills and passion for economic and social reforms."

Goto's appointment comes as the government faces the urgent task of compiling an economic stimulus package and a fresh extra budget.

Kishida has promised to put together a stimulus package by the end of October to counter a painful rise in the cost of living amid the yen's plunge to 32-year-lows.

A ruling party official on Monday indicated the package may total around 26 trillion yen ($174.56 billion).

Yamagiwa became the first minister to resign from Kishida's government and the highest profile political casualty thus far from a widening scandal sparked by the killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July.

The suspect in the killing bore a grudge against the Unification Church, alleging it bankrupted his mother, and blamed Abe for promoting it.

Abe's death brought to light widespread links between the church, which critics say is akin to a cult, and members of Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), causing a precipitous fall in his support ratings.

The LDP has acknowledged that many individual lawmakers have ties to the church but has said there was no organisational link to the church. Kishida has ordered an investigation into the church amid falling public approval over the issue.

Asked by a reporter about whether Goto's background as a long-time finance ministry bureaucrat could steer the government towards a more hawkish fiscal stance, Kishida brushed aside speculation saying: "I am confident that he will work on socio-economic reforms from a broad perspective."

A private-sector economist said the appointment of Goto was also likely based on his experience handling coronavirus-related policies as Kishida's former health minister. The economy minister's responsibilities include COVID-19 countermeasures, among others.

"The Kishida administration might be concerned about a resurgence of the coronavirus in the winter, and that might be one reason for the selection," said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. (Reuters)

The United States will continue to engage with Russia to bring home jailed U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, after a Russian court on Tuesday upheld her nine-year drug sentence.

"We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today," Sullivan said in a statement.

The Biden administration "has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan," Sullivan added. (Reuters)

Ash Carter, a former U.S. defense secretary during Barack Obama's administration, died on Monday evening after a sudden cardiac event at the age of 68, his family said in a statement on Tuesday.

Carter, who served during the final two years of the Obama administration, helped oversee the launch of a military strategy that would drive back the Islamic State military group in Syria and Iraq, and ultimately defeat the organization.

Since leaving public service, Carter led the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School. (Reuters)