VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un replaced the military's top general and called for more preparations for the possibility of war, a boost in weapons production, and expansion of military drills, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.

Kim made the comments at a meeting of the Central Military Commission which discussed plans for countermeasures to deter North Korea's enemies, which it did not name, the report said.

The country's top general, Chief of the General Staff Pak Su Il was "dismissed," KCNA reported, without elaborating. He had served in his role for about seven months.

Pak was replaced by General Ri Yong Gil, who previously served as the country's defence minister, as well as the top commander of its conventional troops.

Ri also previously served as the army chief of staff. When he was replaced in 2016 his sacking and subsequent absence from official events sparked reports in South Korea that he had been executed. He reappeared a few months later, when he was named to another senior post.

Kim also set a target for the expansion of weapons production capacity, the report said, without providing details. Last week he visited weapons factories where he called for more missile engines, artillery and other weapons to be built.

Photos released by KCNA showed Kim pointing at Seoul and areas surrounding the South Korean capital on a map.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, rockets and missiles. Russia and North Korea have denied those claims.

Kim also called for the military to conduct drills with the country's latest weapons and equipment to keep its forces ready for combat, the report said.

North Korea is set to stage a militia parade on Sept. 9, marking the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic. North Korea has a number of paramilitary groups it uses to bolster its military forces.

The U.S. and South Korea are scheduled to hold military drills between Aug. 21 and 24, which the North sees as a threat to its security. (Reuters)

Over 3,000 poor Muslims have fled a business hub outside New Delhi this month, fearing for their lives after Hindu-Muslim clashes and sporadic attacks targeting them, residents, police and a community group said.

Shops and shacks owned or run by Muslims and their houses in two large slum areas were padlocked when Reuters visited them more than a week after seven people were killed in clashes in Nuh and Gurugram districts in Haryana state, adjoining the Indian capital.

The violence began on July 31 after a Hindu religious procession, organised by groups ideologically aligned with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was targeted and a mosque attacked in retaliation. Police quelled the unrest in 48 hours.

But minor attacks targeting Muslims have continued for days, scaring families who had moved to the new urban centre of Gurugram - where 250 of the Fortune 500 companies have offices - in search of a livelihood.

Stone-throwing, arson and vandalisation of two small Muslim shrines in the slum districts forced hundreds of Muslim families to abandon their single-room houses and seek shelter at a train station before heading out, witnesses said.

"Many of us spent the entire night on a railway platform because it was much safer there," Raufullah Javed, a tailor who fled to his home village in the eastern state of Bihar, told Reuters by phone.

The Gurugram president of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (Council of Indian Muslim Theologians) Mufti Mohammed Salim estimated that more than 3,000 Muslims had left the district after the violence.

Four Muslim shopkeepers who also fled to their villages in eastern India said by phone that members of hardline Hindu groups had questioned them about their businesses and families.

"Some Hindu men came in a large group and started asking questions such as how much money I earn," said Shahid Sheikh, a barber who fled from Tigra village, home to over 1,200 Muslim families.

"Many Muslims decided it's best to leave for a while," said Sheikh, adding that some Hindu owners of shops rented out to Muslims wanted them to vacate.

Tensions between India's majority Hindus and minority Muslims have risen over issues such as the eating of beef and inter-faith marriages with Muslims saying they have been increasingly targeted by Hindu activists since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government took power in 2014.

BJP leaders say clashes between the two communities have broken out in the past as well and have been less frequent since they came to power.

The trouble in Gurugram, a city of over 1.5 million people formerly known as Gurgaon, has exposed multinationals such as Google, American Express, Dell, Samsung, Ernst & Young and Deloitte based there to risks of violence and disruption.

Haryana police said they had arrested over 200 men from both communities in connection with the violence and some Muslims who had fled had begun to trickle back.

Anil Vij, the interior minister of Haryana's BJP government, said he had received reports of some Muslims leaving but the situation is completely under control now.

"No one is asking them to leave and we are providing full security in all communally sensitive areas," he told Reuters. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) echoed the government's readiness to support the Constitutional Court (MK) to continue to innovate in creating a modern justice system and provide better services to justice seekers.

"Within the limits of its authority, the government is also ready to support the Constitutional Court in its difficult task of guarding the simultaneous elections in 2024," Jokowi stated in a video recorded at the Special Plenary Session for the 20th Anniversary of the MK in Jakarta on Thursday.

The head of state urged the MK to oversee the implementation of democratic values and resolve election disputes as quickly and fairly as possible.

During the event, President Jokowi thanked all the constitutional judges as well as the court clerks, staff, and all employees of MK for having maintained the integrity and dignity of the court by providing good service to justice seekers in accordance with their authority.

"Happy 20th anniversary of the Constitutional Court. Thank you for continuing to guard the Constitution and the future of Indonesia," the president affirmed.

Since it was formally established on August 13, 2003, the MK has contributed to managing the state system, strengthening the rule of law principles, bolstering democracy, and providing protection for human rights and citizens' constitutional rights, the president remarked.

"Thus, the Constitutional Court has been active for two decades in carrying out its constitutional duties and authorities to guard and uphold the 1945 Constitution," MK Chief Justice Anwar Usman stated.

During the 2003-2023 period, the MK produced a total of 3,512 decisions, namely 29 decisions regarding disputes over the authority of state institutions (SKLN), 676 decisions on general election results disputes (PHPU), 1,136 decisions related to disputes over the results of regional head elections (PHPKADA), and 1,671 decisions on judicial review cases (PUU). (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) affirmed that no country and organization could stop Indonesia's policy in downstreaming its natural resource raw materials.

"I do not think any country and international organization can stop our target for downstreaming," he stated at the Dukuh Atas LRT Station in Jakarta on Thursday.

Moreover, the head of state expressed no concern if the government is being sued by corporations or other countries for carrying out downstream operations.

Earlier, it was reported that Freeport Indonesia planned to file a lawsuit over the metal mineral concentrate export duty tariff regulations signed by Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani on July 12, 2023.

The regulation referred to Finance Minister's Regulation Number 7 of 2023 concerning the Stipulation of Export Goods Subject to Export Duty and Export Duty Tariff.

"There will be objections, and I think it is alright. However, the downstreaming will not be stopped. After stopping raw nickel export, we will continue with copper, cobalt, bauxite, and others," he remarked.

Jokowi explained that the downstreaming of raw material refers to the government's effort to bring added value to the natural resources in order to optimally benefit the country.

The president explained that from the policy of banning exports of nickel raw materials in 2020, the country had recorded an increase in state revenue from the exports of value-added goods.

"When exported in the form of raw materials, we only received around Rp17 trillion a year. After the downstreaming industry, we can receive Rp510 trillion (a year)," he stated.

He remarked that the increase in state revenue came from Value Added Tax, Corporate Income Tax (PPH Agency), employee PPH, company PPH, export duty royalties, and other non-tax state revenues. (Antaranews)