VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Israel said it had surrounded the Gaza Strip's biggest city and the focus of its drive to annihilate Hamas, as the United States was set to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to pauses in fighting to allow aid into the Palestinian enclave.

With the conflict nearing the end of its fourth week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to visit Israel for the second time in a month to meet Netanyahu as Israel's military battled Hamas militants, who fought back with hit-and-run attacks from underground tunnels.

"We're at the height of the battle. We've had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing," Netanyahu said in a statement after the military said it had encircled the seaside enclave's main city.

As Blinken left Washington for the Middle East, he said he would discuss concrete steps to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza. The White House, meanwhile, said any pauses in fighting should be temporary and localised, and insisted they would not stop Israel defending itself.

Mounting casualties among Palestinian civilians, along with acute shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, have intensified calls by global leaders for a pause in fighting or a ceasefire.

Israel has dismissed those calls, saying it targets Hamas fighters whom it accuses of intentionally hiding among the population and civilian buildings. The White House has also rejected calls for a ceasefire.

Gaza health authorities say at least 9,061 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its assault on the enclave of 2.3 million people in retaliation for deadly attacks by Hamas militants on southern Israel.

A group of independent United Nations experts warned that Palestinians in Gaza are at "grave risk of genocide".

"We call on Israel and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire. We are running out of time," the group of U.N. special rapporteurs said in a statement.

The Israeli mission to the U.N. in Geneva called the rapporteur's comments "deplorable and deeply concerning" and blamed Hamas for the civilian deaths. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said a determination of genocide could only be made by a relevant U.N. judicial body.

Israel says Hamas killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 240 hostages in the attacks on Oct. 7, the deadliest day of its 75-year-old history.

The White House said on Thursday it was looking into a series of pauses in the conflict.

"What we're trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages," U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

Blinken also was due to meet Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Saturday. In a statement, Safadi said Israel must end the war on Gaza, where he said it was committing war crimes by bombing civilians and imposing a siege.

Gulf Arab power, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), warned on Friday that tension in the Middle East was "approaching a boiling point" and that it was working "relentlessly" to reach an immediate and full humanitarian ceasefire.

"The risk of regional spillover and further escalation is real, as well as the risk that extremist groups will take advantage of the situation to advance ideologies that will keep us locked in cycles of violence," Noura al-Kaabi, a minister of state for foreign affairs, told a conference in Abu Dhabi.

HAMAS FIGHTERS EMERGE FROM TUNNELS

Amid heavy explosions in Gaza, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters his country's "troops completed the encirclement of Gaza City, which is the focal point of the Hamas terror organization".

Brigadier General Iddo Mizrahi, chief of Israel's military engineers, said troops were encountering mines and booby traps.

"Hamas has learned and prepared itself well," he said.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, said in a televised speech on Thursday that Israel's death toll in Gaza was much higher than the military had announced. "Your soldiers will return in black bags," he said.

Israel has said it has lost 18 soldiers and killed dozens of militants since ground operations expanded on Friday.

Hamas and allied Islamic Jihad fighters were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S was flying intelligence-gathering drones over Gaza to help locate hostages. One of the officials said they had been carrying out the drone flights for over a week.

MORE FOREIGNERS DUE TO EVACUATE

The Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt was due to open for a third day on Friday for limited evacuations under a Qatari-brokered deal aimed at letting some foreign passport holders, their dependents and some wounded Gazans out of the enclave.

According to border officials, more than 700 foreign citizens left for Egypt via Rafah on the two previous days. Dozens of critically injured Palestinians were to cross too. Israel asked foreign countries to send hospital ships for them.

Thailand said it is in touch with Iran and other governments that can make contact with Hamas for the safe release of nearly two dozen Thai nationals being held hostage.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said on Friday that Iran, which is close to Hamas, had promised to help with negotiations.

Over a third of Gaza's 35 hospitals are not functioning, with many turned into impromptu refugee camps.

"The situation is beyond catastrophic," said the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, describing packed corridors and many medics who were themselves bereaved and homeless. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - Four Indonesian citizens, namely Abdillah Onim, his three children, and his Palestinian wife were successfully evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Cairo, Egypt, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated.

"Praise be to God, on November 2, at around 19:00 Egyptian time, we were able to evacuate four Indonesian nationals and one Palestinian from Gaza," she noted in a press conference in Jakarta on Friday.

After traveling for seven hours and covering a distance of 367 kilometers, the family and the evacuation team arrived in Cairo at 3:00 local time, she remarked.

"The evacuation was not an easy thing to do," Marsudi emphasized.

On November 1, Onim's family residing in Gaza City attempted to get to the Rafah border but had to return due to the hostile situation arising due to ongoing attacks from Israel to the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

Onim's family and the evacuation team then returned to their place of origin while waiting for the situation to improve. The evacuation effort was carried out again in the morning of November 2 but was unsuccessful.

"For the third time, on November 2 afternoon, the evacuation attempt was finally successful," Marsudi remarked.

Apart from security issues, the minister explained that the obstacle faced in the field was the disrupted communication network that hampered coordination.

Despite disruption in communication, the Indonesian government and the evacuation team from the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo continued the communication attempt until they finally succeeded in rescuing Onim's family from Gaza, she stated.

"Thank you, God. Thank you, Minister Marsudi. We are on the way to the embassy, thank you for your help," Onim said in a voice message played to the media during the press conference.

In accordance with the Egyptian government regulations, all foreign nationals, including Indonesian citizens, who were evacuated from Gaza, are given 3 x 24 hours to immediately leave the country.

The government promises to facilitate Onim and his family to be moved to a safe area, either to Indonesia or another country.

After successfully rescuing four Indonesian citizens, the government will still attempt to evacuate another Indonesian citizen and his family, namely Muhammad Hussein and his children and wife from Gaza, Marsudi remarked. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - A total of 154 countries, regions and international organizations have confirmed their participation in the sixth edition of China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will take place from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

As the world's first national-level import-themed trade fair, the CIIE will once again comprise a business exhibition, a country exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a number of supporting activities as well as people-to-people cultural exchange events.

This year’s Business Exhibition will feature 289 of the world's top 500 enterprises and industry giants, including the world's top 15 automotive brands, top 10 industrial electrical companies, top 10 medical device companies, three major mining giants, four major grain traders and five major shipping companies. Some 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will also be showcasing their products at the event.

Over 400 new products, technologies and services will be presented at the six exhibition areas — Food and Agricultural Products, Intelligent Industry and Information Technology, Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products, Consumer Goods, Trade in Services, and Automobiles, said Sheng.

The sixth CIIE will again feature the physical Country Exhibition. Eleven countries, including Bahrain, Central African Republic, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Mali, Oman, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe will attend the Country Exhibition for the first time. Honduras, Kazakhstan, Serbia, South Africa and Vietnam are this year’s guest countries of honor.

In line with the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), many countries involved in the initiative are set to be a part of the expo. Sixty-four BRI countries will join the Country Exhibition and over 1,500 companies from BRI countries will be present at the Business Exhibition, which occupies an exhibition area of nearly 80,000 square meters, an increase of about 30 percent compared with the previous edition.

The CIIE has also encouraged the least developed countries (LDCs) involved in the BRI to introduce their premium products to the Chinese market by offering free booths, construction subsidies and tax incentives.

As an integral part of the CIIE, this year’s Hongqiao International Economic Forum will focus on global openness, green development, digital economy and smart technologies.

Some parallel sessions will be co-hosted by international organizations, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations Global Compact and more.

Nobel laureates, Turing Award winners, and a host of high-profile entrepreneurs will take part in several sub-forums and share their insights into global issues. Authoritative reports, including the World Openness Report 2023, will also be released during the forum.

Exhibitor application for the 7th CIIE is now open. Join us and reap your benefits at CIIE 2023 & CIIE 2024 where opportunities await! https://www.ciie.org/exhibition/f/book/register?local=en&from=press

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(Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - A collapse in the yen is forcing Japan to scale back a historic five-year, 43.5-trillion-yen defence build-up aimed at helping to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, according to eight people familiar with the matter.

Since the plan was unveiled in December, the yen has lost 10% of its value against the dollar, forcing Tokyo to reduce its ambitious defence procurement plan, which was then-calculated to cost $320 billion, the sources said.

Reuters interviewed three government officials with direct knowledge of defence procurement and five industry sources, who said Japan will begin cutting back on aircraft purchases in 2024, the second year of the build-up, due to the weak yen.

Details of how Japan is paring back military procurement due to currency fluctuations have not been previously reported. The eight people, who attended numerous meetings on the purchases, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to media.

Tokyo assumed an exchange rate of 108 yen to the dollar - a rate last traded at in summer 2021 - when it began formulating purchase plans in December, the eight people said. By early November, the currency dipped to 151 to the dollar. The Bank of Japan on Tuesday took a small step toward ending the decade-long monetary stimulus, which has driven yen depreciation, by tweaking bond yield controls.

Unlike large companies that do business overseas, Japan's defence ministry does not hedge against currency rate fluctuations, one of the government officials said, meaning it has few means to mitigate the rising cost in yen of Tomahawk cruise missiles and F-35 stealth fighters.

Any sign that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will get less bang than anticipated from his military spending binge could stir unease in Washington about its key ally's ability to help contain Beijing, said Christopher Johnstone, Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

"For now, the impact is modest. But there is no question that a long-term depreciation of the yen would sap the impact of Japan's build-up, and force cuts and delays to key acquisitions," said Johnstone, a former National Security Council director for East Asia in the Biden administration.

Japan's Ministry of Defence said it does not discuss details of procurement planning when contacted for comment.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was unable to comment. The Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment.

BUILD-UP

Kishida described Japan's biggest defence build-up since World War Two as a "turning point in history." The spending is meant gird the nation for possible conflict around its far-flung islands stretching along the edge of the East China Sea toward Taiwan, according to defence white papers. Tokyo also shares responsibility for protecting U.S. bases on its soil that Washington could use to launch counter strikes against Chinese forces attacking the self-governing democratic island.

In December, Kishida pledged to double annual defence outlays to 2% of gross domestic product. A move to transform the war-renouncing nation into potentially the world's third-biggest military spender was seen by analysts and lawmakers as improbable until two years ago.

That changed when Russian forces rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, in an invasion that Tokyo worries will embolden Beijing to strike Taiwan.

China stoked Japanese fears again that August by firing missiles into waters close to its territory in response to then-U.S. house speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. That came after months of intensifying Chinese activity in East Asia, including joint sorties with Russian forces.

China, which has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, has expressed concern about Japan's military spending plans, accusing it of displaying a "Cold War mentality."

CHINOOKS AND SEAPLANES

With the cuts in its spending power, Japan decided to prioritize spending on advanced U.S.-made frontline weapons such as missiles that could halt advancing Chinese forces, the eight people said. That means less money on support aircraft and other secondary kit, much of it made by Japanese companies, they said.

In December, defence ministry officials discussed an order for 34 twin-rotor Chinook transport helicopters at roughly 15 billion yen per aircraft, two of the sources said.

In the defence budget request for the year starting April 2024, which was published in August, that order was halved to 17 because the cost of the aircraft had jumped by around 5 billion yen each since December. About half that increase was due to the weak yen, said one of the government sources, who was directly involved in those discussions.

The aircraft are assembled by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012.T) under license from Boeing Co (BA.N). A Kawasaki spokesperson confirmed that the unit cost increase had resulted in a reduction in the Chinook order.

Japan also scrapped a plan to buy two ShinMaywa Industries (7224.T) US-2 seaplanes used for search and rescue missions after the price per aircraft almost doubled to 30 billion yen compared with three years ago, said two other people familiar with the spending plans.

"The price has risen considerably, and that is because the weaker yen and inflation have significantly pushed up costs," a company spokesperson said. She declined to comment on whether the defence ministry had dropped an order for the seaplane.

INDUSTRY BACKLASH

For Kishida, who must grapple with rival ruling-party factions that are sparring over whether to borrow money or hike taxes to pay for his defence build-up, pruning equipment purchases may be politically less fraught than asking lawmakers for top-ups, analysts said.

"Whether Kishida decides to increase the budget or do nothing will depend on his support rate in Japan," said Yoji Koda, a retired Maritime Self Defense Force admiral, who commanded the Japanese fleet. He expects the Japanese leader to opt for procurement cuts or delays because it's easier than convincing taxpayers to fork out more money.

But, by sidestepping that challenge, Kishida is also inviting a backlash from Japanese companies that worry they will bear the brunt of cuts to ensure Tokyo can afford Raytheon (RTX.N) Tomahawks and the F-35 jets it has ordered from Lockheed Martin (LMT.N).

In a sign of growing discontent, the Japan Business Federation, the country's most influential corporate lobby, joined several defence industry associations in October to press the defence ministry for extra military procurement funds in a supplementary budget now before parliament, one of the sources said.

A ministry spokesperson confirmed the companies delivered a letter on Oct 25 to Defence Minister Minoru Kihara urging the government to proceed with the defence procurement as planned.

The business lobby declined to comment.

Defence firms will struggle to get more money because the government will want to hold off on adding to the 43 trillion-yen plan to see if the currency situation changes, said Kevin Maher at NMV Consulting in Washington, who headed the U.S. State Department's Office of Japan Affairs.

"If they think it will impact capabilities then it is possible, but I think at the earliest that would be in the next to last year of the five-year plan," he said.

($1 = 150.4000 yen) (Reuters)