VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta : US President Joe Biden said Monday that he hopes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week.

As reported by Arabnews.com (27/2) asked when he thought a ceasefire could begin, Biden said that he hopes by the beginning of the weekend.

Negotiations are underway for a week long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages being held in Gaza by the militant group in return for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The proposed six-week pause in fighting would also include allowing hundreds of trucks to deliver desperately needed aid into Gaza every day. (Arabnews.com)

VOInews, Jakarta: Newly installed Malaysian king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar warned opposition lawmakers against disrupting political stability on Monday (Feb 26), in a maiden parliamentary speech that will likely bolster the position of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his unity government.

At the opening of the third session of the 15th parliament, Sultan Ibrahim also expressed support for Mr Anwar’s economic reforms and raised concerns about the country’s debt, urging the government to improve its fiscal position. Both points attracted thumps of support from the House, packed with Members of Parliament (MPs) dressed in white ceremonial garb.

The loudest cheers came when the king declared he would not entertain any moves to derail political stability, a veiled reference to earlier speculation that the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) was trying to overthrow the unity government using backdoor manoeuvres. (Channelnewsasia.com)

VOInews, Jakarta: Sweden has cleared its final obstacle to joining Nato after Hungary's parliament voted to ratify the bid. The Nordic nation applied to join the defence alliance after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

As reported by BBC.com (27/2), last week Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban that all Nato members are expected to help an ally which comes under attack.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was a "historic day" and a "big step" for Sweden to abandon 200 years of neutrality. (BBC.com)

VOInews, Jakarta : Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno kicked off the Proud of Indonesia-made Products Movement (Gernas BBI) and Proud to Travel in Indonesia (BBWI) in 2024 in Jakarta on Monday (27/2). In the kick-off,Minister  Sandiaga Uno  has pointed out that the Gernas BBI program is launched to increase demand and purchases of domestic products, while Gernas BBWI is to increase domestic tourist travel.

According to Sandiaga, the programs aimed to encourage the achievement of 1.25 to 1.5 billion tourist movements  with total money turnover reaching 3000 trillion rupiah and creative economy transactions amounting to 1,187 billion rupiah.

Furthermore, according to Minister Sandiaga Uno, to achieve this target, adaptation, collaboration and innovation steps are needed. Sandiaga  hopes that this target can also be encouraged by each regional government in the province, regency and city levels, to continuously develop and improve the quality of tourist attractions, curate the  implementing regional events, compile travel patterns, massively promote regional potential, and carry out integrated cooperation among regions.(VOI/Dora)