VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: H.E. Armin Limo, the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Indonesia, calls Muslims to focus on unity rather than exaggerating differences between schools and differences. H.E. Armin Limo shared his view about Islam in an interview with Syafiq Hasyim on IIIU's Guest program on Thursday (18/4/2024). Ambassador Armin Limo emphasized that Islam is religion of love, compassion, and forgiveness.

“I think we should focus more on unity because Islam is the one. I also don't like when somebody say moderate Islam or radical Islam, because IsIam is only one. IsIam is religion of love, compassion and forgiveness,” uttered Ambassador Armin Limo.

Misunderstandings about Islam, especially the impression of violence and intolerance, according to Ambassador Armin Limo, arise from unscrupulous parties who misuse Islam for their pragmatic interests.

“And there are only people unfortunately radical, extremists who misused Islam in their agenda which has got nothing to do with Islam in the end” said Ambassador Armin Limo.

To present Islam as a religion of love, Ambassador Armin Limo invited Muslims to focus more on unity and not magnify differences that could divide the ummah.

“So we should all follow our religion alhamdulillah which is unique in the world, and not too focus on our differences, or misinterpretation, or other things that only break the unity among us unfortunately," concluded Ambassador Armin Limo. (Daniel)

VOInews, Jakarta: Bosnia and Herzegovina's ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Armin Limo, has a unique perspective on Indonesia. H.E. Armin Limo shared his experiences about Indonesia in an interview with Syafiq Hasyim on IIIU's Guest program on Thursday (18/4/2024). Among these, Ambassador Armin Limo expressed his admiration for the hospitality of the Indonesian people.

"I really mean that I went to many countries so far, this is almost the end of my diplomatic career, I was in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Serbia, and some other countries, but this country, this people is something really I have never experienced so far in my career and I thank God. People are so nice, so kind, so friendly, so humble, so that is unprecedented in my diplomatic career. (...) I like people, I like the country, I like food, I like the weather. Many people are complaining about the weather here being too hot, or too humid, for me it is not. It is perfect, I hate winter, I hate snow so all and all I like it very much indeed except traffic jump" said Ambassador Armin Limo.

Upon the talk about people-to-people diplomacy, Ambassador Armin Limo said that Bosnia-Herzegovina citizens consider Indonesians people as their brothers. Indonesia was among the first countries to recognize Bosnia-Herzegovina's independence. In 1995, Indonesia's second President Soeharto visited Bosnia-Herzegovina amid a war to show sympathy for Bosnian Muslims who were targeted in the conflict. Likewise, Madam Megawati visited Bosnia in 2002 to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"We have very good political relation, because Indonesia was helping us during the war and after the war, and our people back home in Bosnia, they know that and they feel that Indonesians are our friends and brothers, and they will never forget that,” added Ambassador Armin Limo. (Daniel).

FILE PHOTO: A man walks under an electronic screen showing Japan's Nikkei share price index inside a conference hall 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo - 

VOInews, TOKYO/LONDON : World stocks recovered some losses on Monday and bonds, oil and gold dipped as investors reversed some of their more defensive positions taken going into the weekend on fears of a wider Middle East conflict.

The week ahead is packed with corporate earnings, with 158 companies in the S&P 500 and 173 companies in the STOXX 600 reporting first quarter results this week according to data from LSEG workspace.

These include several big European banks, as well as U.S. tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet, with the latter in particular focus after chip maker Nvidia's 10 per cent drop on Friday, its biggest percentage fall in four years.

Crucial U.S. PCE inflation data, the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge, due Friday, finishes off the week. After CPI data earlier this month, markets currently see the first Fed rate cut coming in September.

Ahead of all that, shares rose on Monday, with the STOXX 600 up 0.25 per cent and S&P 500 futures 0.36 per cent higher after MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.8 per cent. All fell on Friday.

London's commodities-heavy FTSE100 rose around 1 per cent the biggest gainer among large Europpean benchmarks, as tin and nickel rose to new muulti-month highs. [.L][MET/L]

It was outpaced by a 2.3 per cent gain for the Portugese index as oil company Galp Energia had a STOXX 600 topping 17 per cent jump after saying a field off Namibia could contain 10 bln barrels of oil. [.EU]

In a further reversal of Friday's "rise off" mood, gold eased back from near its peaks, U.S. Treasury yields ticked higher and crude oil prices declined as the potential for a major supply disruption waned.

In recent weeks, investors have taken cautious positions on Fridays fearing an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East over the weekend when markets are closed and they are unable to trade.

"It seems neither Israel nor Iran want an escalation in the crisis in the Middle East ... and with a subsequent strike from either side not looking like it's coming, investor concerns have eased somewhat," said Kazuo Kamitani, a strategist at Nomura Securities.

However, Kamitani said expectations of later Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and concerns about chip sector earnings will continue to keep investors on their toes.

Iran said on Friday that it had no plan to retaliate following an apparent Israeli drone attack within its borders, which in turn followed an Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel days before.

HAVEN OUTFLOWS

Bond yields - which climb when prices fall - rose back toward multi-month highs.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was last up 3 basis points to 4.64 per cent, heading back toward the five-month peak of 4.696 per cent reached last week on the view that the Fed would be in no hurry to ease policy amid robust economic data and sticky inflation. [US/]

European yields also edged higher. [GVD/EUR]

The dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers, eased 0.05 per cent to 106.05. It was also at a five-month top last week, at 106.51.

"As long as there is this uncertainty about the cutting cylce particularly in the U.S, its interesting for investors to be in dollar longs because of its dual status as a high yielding currency and also a defensive currency," said Yvan Berthoux FX strategist at UBS.

Gold slid 1.3 per cent to $2,358.75, retreating from near the all-time peak of $2,431.29 earlier in the month. [GOL/]

Crude oil fell as traders put the focus back on fundamentals with a rise in U.S. stockpiles as the backdrop

Brent futures fell 137 cents, or 1.56 per cent to $85.92 a barrel. [O/R]//Reuters, CNA-VOI

FILE PHOTO: Members of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Joint Task Force assist in delivering ballot boxes by NH90 helicopter to remote areas of the Solomon Islands ahead of the upcoming election, Solomon Islands, in this handout image released on April 17, 2024. New Zealand Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo - 

VOInews, Solomon Island : The Solomon Islands election, watched by China and the US for its impact on regional security, is shaping up as a tight race with opposition parties gaining seats and independents holding the key to forming the next government.

Last week's national election was the first since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022, drawing the Pacific Islands nation closer to Beijing. The move concerned the US and neighbouring Australia because of the potential impact on regional security.

Counting for several seats continued on Monday (Apr 22), as results showed the opposition CARE coalition drawing level with Sogavare's OUR party on 12 seats in a 50-seat parliament.

Independents and micro parties took 16 seats, and the major parties will seek to win independent support in negotiations this week in the race to form a government.

CARE includes Matthew Wale's Solomon Islands Democratic Party, U4C and the Democratic Alliance Party. Another prominent opposition party, Peter Kenilorea Jr's United, which said it would scrap the China security pact, won seven seats.

One source with direct knowledge told Reuters two independent candidates had joined CARE on Monday, and unofficial results showed it had won two more seats, which would take its numbers to 16.

High-profile former prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo returns to parliament after a decade, as the only winning candidate for the Party for Rural Advancement.

Daniel Suidani, the former premier of Malaita province and a prominent critic of China, regained his seat in the provincial assembly in Malaita, and said on Monday his party, U4C, hoped to regain the premiership.

Provincial and national elections were held on the same day.

"It looks as though the CARE coalition - U4C, DAP and SIDP - are very shortly joining with some other independent candidates, so it is looking good," Suidani told Reuters in a telephone interview on Monday, adding the process could take a number of days.

Sogavare's office did not respond to a request for comment.

In excerpts of an interview with Solomon Islands' Tavuli News on Monday, Sogavare pledged there would be "a lot of reforms" if his government is returned.

Two women enter parliament for the first time as independents.

Police and defence forces from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji are assisting with election security.

The election process had been peaceful, although there were a few disturbances in Malaita by supporters of losing candidates, two officials in Malaita said//Reuters, CNA - VOI