VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia's President has used an historic address to Australia's Parliament to call for both countries to do more to address climate change and lower carbon emissions.

Joko Widodo delivered his speech in the official Indonesian language, Bahasa, describing Australia as Indonesia's closest friend. He said Australia and Indonesia needed to become anchors for sustainable development and environmental protection across the region.

"To prevent forest and land fires and commitment to lowering carbon emission and develop renewable energy and other green technologies," Mr Widodo said.

His speech called for both nations to join forces in the battle against identity politics, to improve human rights, foster greater tolerance and stop terrorism.

"We must continue to advocate the values of democracy, human rights, stop intolerance, stop xenophobia, stop radicalism and stop terrorism," the President said.

"Identity politics is a trap to democracy, a threat to adversity and a threat to tolerance.

"These threats will become more actual exploitation for short-term political interests, resulting in hatred, fear and even social conflict.

"These democratic and diverse countries, we must work hard, side by side together, to defend the values of democracy, tolerance and adversity and to look at the clash of civilisation."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Widodo made joint remarks together outside the House of Representatives but journalists were unable to ask either leader questions.

Mr Widodo arrived in Australia for a brief visit just days after the Indonesian Parliament ratified a free trade agreement with Australia.

That deal will come into force in 60 days, with high hopes among Australian farmers it will lead to greater exports of agricultural products.

Australian universities will have greater access to the Indonesian education sector under the agreement.

Mr Morrison confirmed his Government would look at ways to simplify visa application processes for Indonesians visiting Australia. That is a change Mr Widodo has been seeking in a bid to stop Indonesians having to fill out a 17-page visa application form and pay $140.

Australians visiting his country can do so visa-free for a limited period.

"Our Home Affairs Minister here in Australia will be engaging with his Indonesian counterpart to proceed to look at how we can simplify and streamline the issues of entry to Australia," Mr Morrison said.

Senators crammed into the Lower House so politicians from both chambers could listen to Mr Widodo's speech in the House of Representatives.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was in the chamber, as were the heads of Australia's defence, cyber and spy agencies.

"By continuing to work together, we can build the region's resilience and make our people safer and our economies stronger," Mr Morrison told the House of Representatives.

"Our ambitious comprehensive strategic partnership, which was finalised 18 months ago, gives Australia framework for even closer ties.

"We now have a plan of action to take the next steps in our relationship — from trade and investment to defence, counter-terrorism, maritime security, ocean sustainability and education, to name only some — and even today we add energy and the future of fuel sources for our nations to this long list." (ABC)

The Australian city of Sydney has been hit by its heaviest rain in 30 years, bringing flooding and travel chaos and forcing thousands from their homes. The state weather agency said 391.6mm of rain had fallen in the past four days, and warned of potentially life-threatening flash floods. About 100,000 homes have also been left without power.

But the rains have put out two of the biggest bushfires which have torn through New South Wales in past months. The Currowan fire had burned for 74 days around the town of Shoalhaven, destroying nearly 500,000 hectares and 312 homes. The Gospers Mountain blaze, north-west of Sydney, had been considered "too big to put out" and had been burning since October.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned that fire-hit areas can be particularly prone to flooding, and that fast-moving waters can carry large amounts of debris. There are still 31 fires burning in New South Wales, but none are considered an immediate danger at present.

The massive rainfall has also replenished water supplies in the region, which has been battling years of drought. The Warragamba Dam, which supplies most of Sydney's water, is heading towards being 70% full, says WaterNSW. At the end of last week it was at only 42% after one of the driest years on record.

A severe weather warning is now in place for the entire coast of NSW, Australia's most populous state. In Sydney alone, at least 200 people were rescued by emergency services over the weekend. "Everywhere has been hit, it's hard to pinpoint where it's worst," said Matt Kirby, spokesman for the State Emergency Services (SES).

Several people have been injured, including four who were inside a car which was crushed by a falling tree in the city centre on Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning, emergency services were searching for one man believed to have been swept off a bridge in his car.

Rail and ferry services in Sydney were also disrupted on Monday morning, with several platforms at one of Sydney's main stations, Central, left underwater. Dozens of schools have been closed.

The state emergency minister David Elliott has urged Sydneysiders to help rescue services by taking warnings seriously, staying away from flooding and keeping off the roads if possible.

Emergency services had advised people to stay home from work on Monday to avoid the disruption. Thousands of people in low-lying areas of the city have been told to leave or get ready to leave their homes. The Northern Beaches area has already seen significant damage, with several metres of beach being washed away in places.

On Sunday night, people living around the Narrabeen Lagoon, a low-lying area in northern Sydney, were told to evacuate before roads became impassable. Waves more than 5m high have lashed the coast in areas like Collaroy, just south of Narrabeen, stripping away front gardens facing the sea.

While it had stopped raining in central Sydney on Monday, more rain is forecast for the week. Government agencies have warned that high tides forecast for the coming days - known as king tides - could further worsen the flooding.(BBC)

Two US troops as well as an Afghan soldier have been killed in an attack in eastern Afghanistan. Nine people were injured in the attack in Nangarhar province on Saturday.

"Reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined US and Afghan force with a machine gun," US military spokesman Col Sonny Leggett said.

Some 13,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan after the US intervention to oust the Taliban in 2001.

"We are still collecting information, and the cause or motive behind the attack is unknown at this time," Col Leggett said in a statement. The attacker who opened fire was also killed during the clash, Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in Nangarhar, told Reuters news agency.

The Afghan ministry of defence said a delegation was investigating the incident together with the US team in Nangarhar. During a visit to American troops in Afghanistan last November, US President Donald Trump pledged to "substantially" reduce troop numbers.

The Taliban now control more territory than at any point since they were ousted in 2001. Peace talks between the US and the militants have stalled in recent months. (BBC)

The number of people killed by the new coronavirus rose by 97 on Sunday, the highest number of casualties in a day. The total number of deaths in China is now 908 - but the number of newly-infected people per day has stabilised.

Across China, 40,171 people are infected while 187,518 are under medical observation. The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a team of experts to Beijing to help investigate the new virus. According to Chinese data, 3,281 patients have been cured and discharged from hospital.

On Monday, millions of people returned to work after the Lunar New Year break, which was extended from 31 January to curb the spread of the virus. But precautionary measures remain in place, including the staggering of working hours, and the selective reopening of workplaces. Over the weekend, the number of coronavirus deaths overtook that of the Sars epidemic in 2003 which also originated in China and killed 774 people worldwide.

The WHO on Saturday said the number of new cases in China was "stabilising" - but warned it was too early to say if the virus had peaked. On Sunday evening, the organisation sent an international mission to help coordinate a response to the outbreak. The new virus was first reported in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. The city of 11 million has been in lockdown for weeks.

The outbreak was declared a global emergency by the WHO on 30 January. It has spread to at least 27 other countries and territories, but so far there have only been two deaths outside of mainland China, in the Philippines and Hong Kong. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, passengers on a quarantined cruise ship have been allowed to disembark after tests showed no infection among them or its crew.

The World Dream had been held in isolation after eight passengers from a previous cruise had caught the virus. Another cruise ship off Japan remains in quarantine after dozens of cases were confirmed on board. South Korea has issued a temporary ban on cruise ships entering its ports due to fears of spreading the virus.(BBC)