All posts tagged: foreign

Indonesia to assess foreign firefighting aid offers, hopes to extinguish blazes within a month

Indonesia to assess foreign firefighting aid offers, hopes to extinguish blazes within a month

Published by Sam Flores

Widespread land and forest fires have raged in Indonesia for weeks, causing transboundary haze, a spike in respiratory conditions in the three countries and the shutting of schools in Malaysia, most recently in the southern state of Johor. Jumhur on Tuesday said the small deployments of personnel may have limited impact, given that Indonesia has already deployed tens of thousands of responders. The same applies to assistance involving water-bombing aircraft, which must be evaluated based on operational needs and effectiveness, state news agency Antara reported him as saying. Authorities has previously said ground operations have been more dominant because some areas are difficult to access by helicopter due to the extremely thick smoke. FIRES TO BE EXTINGUISHED WITHIN A MONTH: MINISTER Jumhur said Indonesia aims to extinguish all forest and land fires in less than a month, as joint teams continue firefighting operations across several affected areas. Firefighting efforts have been focused on the Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra provinces, said the authorities.  “Based on discussions with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), it should …

Prabowo steps up Indonesia’s firefighting efforts; foreign offers of help not discussed

Prabowo steps up Indonesia’s firefighting efforts; foreign offers of help not discussed

Published by Sam Flores

Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi previously said his country had offered a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and 52 officers and personnel to assist with firefighting operations in Indonesia. Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Oct 12 said the country will raise the issue of transboundary haze when foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meet next month in Manila, to discuss more effective regional mechanisms to tackle the problem, Bernama news agency reported. Meanwhile, Singapore Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said last week that she had been in touch with her Indonesian counterpart Jumhur Hidayat, adding that Singapore is prepared to help Indonesia in fighting forest fires wherever necessary amid the ongoing haze. Prabowo on Monday also directed that firefighting in Central Kalimantan’s Tanjung Puting National Park, a stronghold for orangutans and other wildlife, be prioritised. Tanjung Puting is the world’s largest conservation and rehabilitation centre for orangutans. Conditions in four provinces – Riau, West Kalimantan, Jambi and South Kalimantan – are showing signs of improvement, Teddy said. Between …

More than 100 foreign trekkers stranded in flood-hit region of Nepal, official says

More than 100 foreign trekkers stranded in flood-hit region of Nepal, official says

Published by Sam Flores

KATHMANDU: More than 100 foreign trekkers are stranded at different locations after the flooding of a river in central Nepal at the weekend swept away hiking trails and bridges, an official said on Monday (Oct 12). Authorities rescued 321 people, including 12 foreigners, on Monday after a pre-dawn landslide at the weekend in Gorkha district, about 100km west of Kathmandu, blocked ​the Budhi Gandaki River, leading to downstream flooding. The army said the rescue operation would continue on Tuesday, even as the water level in the river had receded. The river is ​a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in August that killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing. There were no reports of fatalities in the flood, but five villagers were out of contact after black muddy sludge and debris washed away homes and damaged infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants, national disaster authorities said. Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project that includes a popular trekking route, said there …

Foreign aid to Africa falls by over 25%: How women and children are bearing the brunt – The 51%

Foreign aid to Africa falls by over 25%: How women and children are bearing the brunt – The 51%

Published by Sam Flores

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: THE 51 PERCENT © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 09/10/2026 – 14:22 11:45 min From the show Reading time 1 min As international aid to Africa dries up, what does it mean for women and children on the ground? We report from Kenya on the impact of cuts to US-aid backed health programmes for women. Annette Young also talks to Nana Zulu from the African Women’s Development Fund on what it means for the region as a whole. Plus the bravery of Borneo’s female firefighters; as Indonesia endures its worst fire season in 11 years, these women are also facing a sexist backlash. By: Source link

Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Hormuz

Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Hormuz

Published by Sam Flores

SINGAPORE — U.S. President Donald Trump isn’t “completely wrong” in suggesting that the disruption to energy flows via the Strait of Hormuz is Asia’s problem, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said. Asian economies are among the biggest customers of energy shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, making any prolonged disruption particularly consequential for the region. Trump has said that Asian economies should shoulder more of the burden of keeping the waterway open rather than relying predominantly on U.S. protection. “We don’t use the strait. We don’t need it. Europe needs it. Korea, Japan, China, [and] a lot of other people,” he said earlier this year. Balakrishnan, however, cautioned against viewing the issue simply through the lens of who buys the oil, stressing the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation through international waterways. He made the remarks to CNBC on Wednesday at Milken Institute’s Asia Summit in Singapore. For Singapore, that principle is “non-negotiable,” Balakrishnan said, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the …

“Where Is The Onshoring?” UBS Questions White House Investment Boom As Foreign Money Flows Into Takeovers

“Where Is The Onshoring?” UBS Questions White House Investment Boom As Foreign Money Flows Into Takeovers

Published by Jenni Sidey

President Trump recently said that over $20 trillion in foreign investment has flowed into the US so far in his second term. “We have more money being spent from outside countries and companies. Over $20 trillion. That’s five, six, seven times higher than any country. Not just here, any country ever,” Trump said, adding that the total could climb to $25 trillion by the end of his term. 🚨 President Trump stuns the World by saying our Manufacturing is higher than ever and $20 Trillion dollars is being invested into America “No country in HISTORY has ever been close” THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I VOTED FOR Follow @mr_pool001 pic.twitter.com/qPr4i4INN2 — Mr pool (@mr_pool001) October 1, 2026 Yet UBS economist Arend Kapteyn wrote in a new note on Thursday that new foreign direct investment totaled $232 billion in 2025, roughly $30 billion below its 10-year average. He said that, adjusted for inflation, investment that year was below every pre-pandemic year. “One way to assess whether manufacturing is being ‘onshored’ to the US is through foreign direct …

Russia Pledges to Continue Massive Strikes on Kyiv, Urges Foreign Diplomats to Leave City

Russia Pledges to Continue Massive Strikes on Kyiv, Urges Foreign Diplomats to Leave City

Published by Sam Flores

Oct 3 (Reuters) – Russia said on Saturday ⁠it ⁠would continue to carry ⁠out targeted retaliatory strikes on Kyiv and other ​Ukrainian cities and urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the ‌capital. In a statement, the ‌Russian Foreign Ministry said that “in response to the Ukrainian Armed ⁠Forces’ ⁠terrorist acts against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure of ​our country, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are continuing to systematically carry out targeted strikes on military facilities in Kyiv ​and other Ukrainian cities”. “The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again ⁠warns ⁠foreign nationals, including diplomatic ⁠mission ​staff, against staying in Ukraine or travelling to its territory. “Responsibility for ​any adverse consequences lies ⁠entirely with those who ignore this warning,” the ministry said. Russia has recently escalated strikes on infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, hitting a bridge across the Dnipro river in an air ⁠attack on Saturday. The intensifying campaign has upended life for the ⁠capital’s 3 million residents ahead of the bitter winter months. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that …

October ushers in a new era in U.S. foreign aid : NPR

October ushers in a new era in U.S. foreign aid : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

In December, State Department senior official Jeremy Lewin welcomed Rwanda Foreign Minister Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe for the signing of a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding on global health cooperation. U.S. Office of Foreign Assistance hide caption toggle caption i U.S. Office of Foreign Assistance The Trump administration says that October 1 marks the dawn of a new era in global healthcare. It’s the age of the “America First Global Health Strategy.” And that means rewriting the rules for funding healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. A key part of the “America First” strategy is the idea that the U.S. should not hand out billions of dollars for health and development programs without reaping concrete benefits — access to local minerals, for example — and without a commitment from governments to spend their own money. To be eligible for U.S. funds, each country is asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding detailing the amount of money the U.S. will invest as well as the country’s financial pledge. The administration says the requirement that countries chip in will …

‘We have to close defence gaps urgently’: EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chief McAllister – Talking Europe

‘We have to close defence gaps urgently’: EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chief McAllister – Talking Europe

Published by Sam Flores

We sit down with David McAllister, the chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. He talks to us about the security threats facing Europe, and what defence gaps the EU urgently needs to close. For McAllister, the EU is “not at war with the Russian Federation, but we are no longer at peace with Russia”. He also believes that the EU is not, as yet, capable of making sovereign decisions in certain areas of defence “because we are too dependent on US capabilities.” Asked about the worsening security situation that Europe faces, McAllister says: “We need to establish a fully fledged European defence by the end of this decade. We need to be able to defend ourselves against all the imminent threats we are facing. And that means spending more, but also spending more effectively, because it is taxpayers’ money that we are spending in large numbers. There are certain military capabilities that we don’t have in Europe, for the time being. There are fields in which we have to move ahead. I’m talking …

Indonesia’s Prabowo names new foreign, industry ministers in major Cabinet reshuffle

Indonesia’s Prabowo names new foreign, industry ministers in major Cabinet reshuffle

Published by Sam Flores

Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman will now serve as the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs while Bahlil Lahadalia has been appointed the Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition, a new position in the Cabinet.  Bahlil continues in his role as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources.  In total, the changes involved 10 ministerial and deputy ministerial appointments, as well as eight other senior leaders of agencies and the police force. All 18 were sworn in at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon.  Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Arrmanatha said Sugiono has run the foreign ministry very well, and he will continue his predecessor’s programmes.  One of Indonesia’s foreign policy goals is to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2029-2030 term, Arrmanatha said.  “Our bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2029–2030 term reaffirms Indonesia’s commitment to active participation in creating a safer, more stable world,” he said.  “It also demonstrates our confidence in and emphasis on …