VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia and Palestine signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on capacity-building cooperation to support the establishment of an independent food and drug authority in Palestine.

"In addition to humanitarian assistance, Indonesia is providing capacity-building assistance to prepare for the independent state of Palestine," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) remarked at a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Monday.

Jokowi remarked that the Indonesian government has been supporting capacity-building efforts in Palestine, including providing training for about two thousand Palestinians in recent years.

Furthermore, he said, the Indonesian government will facilitate the development of Palestine's micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), electronics trade, and disaster mitigation sectors.

President Jokowi also expected that Indonesia's economic cooperation with Palestine can continue to be improved.

"This is another form of Indonesia's support for Palestine, and Indonesia hopes that the economic cooperation can continue to be improved in future," he stated.

In addition, Indonesia is committed to continuing its humanitarian assistance program for Palestine.

"A few days ago, an MoU on the Indonesian government's new aid grant for Palestine was signed," the head of state noted.

Furthermore, Indonesian civil society has delivered various forms of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

Jokowi said that the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is in the process of building an Indonesian hospital in Hebron City, Palestine.

At the meeting, President Jokowi and PM Shtayyeh also discussed the importance of unity in the struggle for Palestinian independence.

Jokowi reaffirmed Indonesia's commitment to supporting Palestine's struggle for independence.

Earlier, on September 22, 2022, at the UNRWA Ministerial Meeting in New York, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted that Indonesia has been steadfast in supporting the activities of UNRWA or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

"Palestinian refugees have the right to enjoy life like the life we live," Marsudi stated. (Antaranews)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida agreed on Saturday to strengthen security ties between the two U.S. allies amid China's push for greater influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the annual Australia-Japan Leaders' Meeting, held in the Western Australia capital Perth, the two signed a security cooperation agreement updating a 2007 pact, to respond to a changed regional security environment.

As part of the bolstered security partnership, Albanese said Japan's military would train and exercise in northern Australia alongside Australian Defence Force personnel.

In their fourth summit since Albanese took office in May, they said the agreement would serve "as a compass" for security cooperation for the next decade. They agreed to consult and study responses to emergencies that could affect regional security.

Albanese and Kishida also discussed climate change, expressing support for a regional transition to net zero carbon emissions and boosting investment in clean energy tech.

"Both our countries are committed to net zero by 2050," Albanese told reporters after a signing ceremony.

Among those efforts, the leaders agreed to help build secure supply chains between the two nations for "critical minerals, including those that are required for building the green technologies of the future," Albanese said.

"This partnership will mean we build secure supply chains, promote investment, develop Australia's domestic sector and make sure Japan's advanced manufacturers have the critical minerals they need."

As well as building a framework for secure supply chains, the partnership would promote information sharing and collaboration, including research, investment and commercial arrangements between Japanese and Australian critical minerals projects, the Australian government said in a statement.

'PILLAR OF COOPERATION'

Kishida told reporters signing the updated joint security declaration was one of the largest achievements of his visit.

"I expressed my determination that all necessary options for the defence of our country, including the so-called counterstrike capability, would become contemplated and Japan's defence capability will be fundamentally reinforced in the next five years, which is supported by Anthony," he said.

The Japanese leader said the two nations had been working to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific under "an increasingly severe strategic environment".

"Through this experience, the bonds that tie Japan and Australia together have become much stronger. And our two countries have become the central pillar of cooperation among like-minded countries," he said.

Australia is a major supplier of iron ore, coal and gas to Japan. Locating the meeting in Perth, 3,700 km (2,300 miles) from the national capital Canberra, was meant to showcase Western Australia's importance in supplying Japan's energy needs, including renewable energy. The state is also a key source of beef and wheat to Japan.

"Prime Minister Albanese told me Australia intends to remain as a reliable partner and a safe investment destination. We agreed to further bolster our cooperation in the areas of energy and natural resources," Kishida told reporters.

Stable energy supply is increasingly critical for resource-poor countries such as Japan, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the risk of supply disruption.

Canberra and Tokyo recently bolstered security ties in response to China's growing military strength in the region. In May, Kishida and Albanese pledged to work toward a new bilateral declaration on security cooperation.

A previous joint declaration outlined security cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism and North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programmes. The two countries in 2014 elevated their relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership". (Reuters)

Australia's climate change minister Chris Bowen on Sunday said the government has joined the Global Methane Pledge as part of multilateral efforts to reduce global methane emissions.

"By joining the Pledge, Australia will join the rest of the world's major agricultural commodity exporters including the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia in identifying opportunities to reduce emissions in this hard-to-abate sector," Bowen said in a statement.

The government will continue to partner with industry to decarbonise the economy, especially in energy and waste sectors, and capture waste methane to generate power, he said.

Government investment to assist the pledge will include up to A$3 billion ($1.91 billion) from a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to support low emissions technology and component manufacturing, and agricultural methane reduction, Bowen said.

The senior minister said the pledge would not require Australia to focus only on agriculture, or reduce agricultural production or livestock.

"As result of signing the Pledge, the Australian Government will not legislate or introduce taxes or levies to reduce livestock emissions," Bowen said.

The U.S.- and EU-led effort pledges to slash methane emissions by 30% by 2030. The effort now covers 60% of global gross domestic product and 30% of global methane emissions.

More than 100 countries have joined the push to cut emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, an initiative aimed at tackling one of the main causes of climate change.

"Canada, with a very similar economy to us, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand and the European Union are all signatories and it's appropriate that Australia joins," Bowen told reporters in Sydney. (Reuters)

South Korea's government will expand its corporate bond-buying program among other liquidity supply measures amid growing worries about a credit crunch in bond and short-term money markets.

The government will double the ceiling of its corporate bond-buying facility run by state-run banks to 16 trillion won ($11 billion), Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho said on Sunday.

The measure is aimed at easing volatility and concern of tight liquidity in corporate bond and short-term money markets, Choo said after a meeting with top financial officials, including the central bank governor and regulatory chief.

Commercial paper issued by securities firms will be included in the facility's purchase list, while an additional 3 trillion won of liquidity will be supplied by the Korea Securities Finance Corp (KSECF.UL) for securities firms experiencing liquidity shortages, he said.

The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board will also consider its own measures, such as reactivating a special purpose vehicle to purchase corporate bonds and commercial paper first introduced during the pandemic, Governor Rhee Chang-yong told reporters.

But premises to macroeconomic monetary policy are unchanged as this issue is temporary and particular to the commercial paper market, he said.

There have been growing worries about signs of stress in South Korea's short-term money market, with the central bank having raised its policy interest rate (KROCRT=ECI) by 250 basis points since August last year from a record-low 0.5% to contain inflation.

The official end-of-day yield on 91-day commercial paper rose to 4.25% on Friday from 1.55% at the start of the year, with the spread over the central bank's policy rate (KROCRT=ECI) widening to 125 basis points from 48 basis points over the same period.

To help allay the situation, the Financial Services Commission on Thursday said it would delay by six months a plan to normalise requirements for banks to hold more liquid assets.

Also, South Korea's bond market stabilisation fund will resume buying corporate bonds and commercial paper worth up to 1.6 trillion won from Monday. (Reuters)