Indonesia, Australia bolster defense ties with ‘historic’ cooperation agreement

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Updated 29 August 2024
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Indonesia, Australia bolster defense ties with ‘historic’ cooperation agreement

Indonesia, Australia bolster defense ties with ‘historic’ cooperation agreement
  • Under new pact, Indonesian and Australian militaries can operate from each other’s countries
  • Indonesia and Australia to hold their largest-ever bilateral military drills in November

Jakarta: Indonesia and Australia signed a defense agreement on Thursday, cementing closer ties as Prabowo Subianto prepares to take office as Indonesia’s next president in October.

Subianto, who is serving as defense minister under outgoing President Joko Widodo’s administration, signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles at Indonesia’s National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java.

The new pact includes provisions allowing Australian and Indonesian defense forces to operate from each other’s countries.

“We have signed this defense cooperation agreement, which is a historic milestone … to increase our cooperation and help each other address various security threats and promote peace and continued stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Subianto said during a joint press conference.

“This is not a military alliance, but a defense cooperation. This signifies how we want to continue and preserve our strong ties and good friendship. I am determined to make Indonesia-Australia relations even better in the future.”

The signing took place just a little over a week after Subianto’s visit to Canberra, where he and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the conclusion of negotiations to upgrade their cooperation arrangement to a treaty-level agreement.

In 2022, Indonesia was Albanese’s first visit as prime minister. He vowed to strengthen ties with Jakarta and other Southeast Asian nations in the face of growing tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Subianto has said he will continue Indonesia’s longstanding policy of non-alignment when he takes office.

Relations between the neighboring countries were “as close as they had ever been” during Widodo’s presidency, Marles said, adding that Australia understood Indonesia’s non-alignment policy.

“It is very much in Australia’s interest to have a non-aligned Indonesia as our closest neighbor,” he said.

“The defense cooperation agreement between our two nations is the deepest, the most significant defense agreement in the history of our bilateral relationship … this is an important piece of international architecture.”

The two countries plan to hold their largest-ever bilateral military exercise in November, he said.

“In Mr. Prabowo, Australia sees a great friend and we really appreciate the work that you’ve done as the minister of defense, and obviously we look forward to your impending presidency.”


Austrian authorities arrest teenager who apparently planned an attack at a railway station

Austrian authorities arrest teenager who apparently planned an attack at a railway station
Updated 19 February 2025
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Austrian authorities arrest teenager who apparently planned an attack at a railway station

Austrian authorities arrest teenager who apparently planned an attack at a railway station
  • The arrest was triggered by tips to Austrian intelligence
  • The suspect had a knife in his pocket at the time of his arrest, the ministry said

VIENNA: Austrian investigators have arrested a 14-year-old who was apparently planning an attack at a railway station in Vienna and found material that suggested he supported the Daesh group, authorities said Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry said that the boy, an Austrian with Turkish roots, was arrested in the capital on Feb. 10, the Austria Press Agency reported. The arrest was triggered by tips to Austrian intelligence that a supporter of Daesh had posted stories and videos with Islamic extremist content on several TikTok profiles.
The suspect had a knife in his pocket at the time of his arrest, the ministry said. During a search of his home, investigators found numerous Islamic extremist books as well as sketches of attacks with knives and machetes at a station and against police officers.
They also found handwritten instructions for making explosive material to serve as a detonator for a bomb.
Further material that apparently was meant to be used in making a bomb was found in the building’s basement, along with other knives. The suspect refused to testify in initial questioning.
APA reported that he apparently had planned an attack at the Westbahnhof, a major railway station in Vienna.
On Sunday, a teenager was killed and five other people were wounded in a stabbing in Villach, in southern Austria, by a man with possible connections with Daesh.
The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian, was arrested after the attack on Saturday afternoon.


Pope Francis is alert in hospital, Vatican says, as people leave flowers and notes

Pope Francis is alert in hospital, Vatican says, as people leave flowers and notes
Updated 19 February 2025
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Pope Francis is alert in hospital, Vatican says, as people leave flowers and notes

Pope Francis is alert in hospital, Vatican says, as people leave flowers and notes
  • Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult
  • The Vatican had said previously that the pope would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a “complex clinical situation“

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who is spending his sixth day in hospital for treatment of a respiratory infection, is alert and ate breakfast on Wednesday, the Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff’s fragile health.
Francis has the onset of double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, complicating treatment for the 88-year-old pope who was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.
The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a “complex clinical situation.”
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the pope’s condition, said on Wednesday Francis was not on a ventilator and was breathing on his own.
The official said the pope had been able to get out of bed and sit in an armchair in his hospital room, and was continuing to do some work.
The Vatican is expected to give a further update on the pope’s condition later on Wednesday.
A wave of messages of support for Francis had come in from across the world, the Vatican’s official media outlet reported. Pilgrims at the Vatican on Wednesday for the pope’s canceled weekly audience expressed hope for his recovery.
“We will pray for him so that he can recover as soon as possible,” said Gianfranco Rizzo, a pilgrim from Bari, Italy.
The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.
All the pope’s public engagements have been canceled through Sunday and he has no further official events on the Vatican’s published calendar.

’VERY TARGETED THERAPY’
Gemelli hospital, Rome’s largest, has a special suite for treating popes, and is known especially for often treating the late Pope John Paul II during his long papacy.
Francis spent nine days at Gemelli in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
Outside the hospital on Wednesday, people were leaving flowers and small personal notes under a famous statue of John Paul II, wishing a speedy recovery for Francis.
Victoria Darmody, a tourist from England, said she came to the hospital just to be near the pope. “We were hoping to go to the papal audience today but felt this was the right place to be instead,” she said.
Andrea Vicini, a Jesuit priest and medical doctor, said it was notable that the Vatican’s statement on Tuesday referred to the pontiff as having the onset of pneumonia and not bronchopneumonia. The latter would indicate an infection that is more widespread, he said.
“It (sounds like) it’s more localized and has not spread,” said Vicini, a professor at Boston College, who said he did not have details of the pope’s case beyond the Vatican’s public statements.
“If they identified the pathogen, as I expect they would have done, they will have a very targeted therapy,” he said. “I am optimistic. It seems they are controlling what is happening.”
Work at the Vatican was continuing as the pope was in hospital. One senior official, Cardinal Michael Czerny, was still expected to depart on Wednesday for a five-day visit to Lebanon.
The Vatican’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, returned to Rome as scheduled on Wednesday morning from a trip to Burkina Faso.


Delta CEO says flight crew on Toronto plane that crashed was experienced

Delta CEO says flight crew on Toronto plane that crashed was experienced
Updated 13 min 13 sec ago
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Delta CEO says flight crew on Toronto plane that crashed was experienced

Delta CEO says flight crew on Toronto plane that crashed was experienced
  • “There is one level of safety at Delta,” Bastian said
  • “All these pilots train for these conditions“

TORONTO: Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on Wednesday the flight crew on board the regional jet that flipped upside down upon landing in Toronto earlier this week was experienced.
The crew on Delta’s Endeavor Air subsidiary in Monday’s crash, in which 21 people were injured, was familiar with wintry conditions in Toronto, Bastian told “CBS Mornings” in an interview.
“There is one level of safety at Delta,” Bastian said. “All these pilots train for these conditions.”
Bastian called the video of the incident “horrifying” but praised the actions of the flight crew to quickly evacuate the airplane. “This is what we train for,” Bastian said. “We train for this continuously.”
All of those injured are expected to survive.
On Tuesday, investigators said they recovered black boxes for lab analysis. Transportation Safety Board of Canada senior investigator Ken Webster said that following initial impact on the runway at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, parts of the CRJ900 aircraft separated and a fire ensued.
Bastian said despite several high-profile incidents, air travel remains safe. “It is the safest form of transportation, period,” Bastian said.
Webster echoed other aviation safety officials saying it was too early to tell what happened to Flight 4819 from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Air crashes are usually caused by multiple factors.
In a separate video showing the plane’s descent, the landing appeared flat and did not show the regular “flare” of the jet, where pilots pull the nose up to increase pitch just prior to touchdown, experts said.
The 16-year-old CRJ900, made by Canada’s Bombardier and powered by GE Aerospace engines, can seat up to 90 people.
Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday was dealing with high winds and frigid temperatures as airlines attempted to rebound after a major weekend snowstorm.
Separately, Bastian said he had spoken to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and was not concerned by the layoff of several hundred employees at the Federal Aviation Administration, saying they were in “non-critical safety functions.” Bastian said the Trump administration was committed to boosting air traffic controller hiring and improving air traffic technology.


Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir
Updated 19 February 2025
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Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir
  • Officers did not name the author but store owners said they had seized literature by the late Abul Ala Maududi
  • Plainclothes officers began raids in the main city of Srinagar on Saturday

SRINAGAR, India: Indian police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders.
Police said searches were based on “credible intelligence regarding the clandestine sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organization.”
Officers did not name the author but store owners said they had seized literature by the late Abul Ala Maududi, founder of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full.
Rebel groups, demanding Kashmir’s freedom or its merger with Pakistan, have been fighting Indian forces for decades, with tens of thousands killed in the conflict.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government banned the Kashmir branch of Jamaat-e-Islami in 2019 as an “unlawful association.”
New Delhi renewed the ban last year for what it said were “activities against the security, integrity and sovereignty” of the nation.
Plainclothes officers began raids in the main city of Srinagar on Saturday, before launching book seizures in other towns across the Muslim-majority region.
“They (police) came and took away all the copies of books authored by Abul Ala Maududi, saying these books were banned,” a bookshop owner in Srinagar, who asked not to be identified, told AFP.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it was “the latest step in a series of measures to crush dissent and to intimidate the local people.”
“They must be given freedom to read the books of their choice,” spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said.
Police said the searches were conducted “to prevent the circulation of banned literature linked to Jamaat-e-Islami.”
“These books were found to be in violation of legal regulations, and strict action is being taken against those found in possession of such material,” police said in a statement.
The raids sparked anger among supporters of the party.
“The seized books promote good moral values and responsible citizenship,” said Shamim Ahmed Thokar.
Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and a prominent leader advocating for the right to self-determination, condemned the police action.
“Cracking down on Islamic literature and seizing them from bookstores is ridiculous,” Farooq said in a statement, pointing out that the literature was available online.
“Policing thought by seizing books is absurd — to say the least — in the time of access to all information on virtual highways,” he said.
Critics and many residents of Kashmir say civil liberties were drastically curtailed after Modi’s government imposed direct rule in 2019 by scrapping Kashmir’s constitutionally enshrined partial autonomy.


Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelensky

Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelensky
Updated 7 min 13 sec ago
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Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelensky

Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelensky
  • Trump suggested Tuesday that Ukraine was to blame for the war on its territory
  • Talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters

KYIV: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” as a result of his administration’s discussions with Kremlin officials.
Zelensky said he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful.”
He made the comments shortly before he was expected to meet with Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, who arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Kellogg will meet Zelensky and military commanders as the US shifts its policy away from years of efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump suggested Tuesday that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week, as talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters.
French President Emmanuel Macron was to hold a videoconference on Ukraine later Wednesday with leaders of over 15 countries, mostly European nations, “with the aim of gathering all partners interested in peace and security” on the continent, his office said.
Key European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday after they felt they had been sidelined by the Trump administration.
Trump’s comments are likely to vex Ukrainian officials, who have urged the world to help them fight Russia’s full-scale invasion that began Feb. 24, 2022.
Trump also said at Mar-a-Lago that Zelensky’s rating stood at 4 percent.
Zelensky replied in a news conference in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv that “we have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia.” He said that Trump “lives in this disinformation space.”
Trump also suggested Ukraine ought to hold elections, which have been postponed due to the war and the consequent imposition of martial law, in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution.
Zelensky questioned claims, which he didn’t specify, that 90 percent of all aid received by Ukraine comes from the United States.
He said that, for instance, about 34 percent of all weapons in Ukraine are domestically produced, over 30 percent of support comes from Europe, and up to 40 percent from the US
The battlefield has also brought grim news for Ukraine in recent months. A relentless onslaught in eastern areas by Russia’s bigger army is grinding down Ukrainian forces, which are slowly but steadily being pushed backward at some points on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
Trump told reporters at his Florida residence Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war and “could have made a deal” to prevent it.
Kellogg said his visit to Kyiv was “a chance to have some good, substantial talks.” Zelensky was due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday but canceled his trip in what some analysts saw as an attempt to deny legitimacy to the US-Russia talks about the future of his country.
American officials have signaled that Ukraine’s hopes of joining NATO in order to ward off Russian aggression after reaching a possible peace agreement won’t happen. Zelensky says any settlement will require US security commitments to keep Russia at bay.
“We understand the need for security guarantees,” Kellogg said in comments carried by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Novyny on his arrival at Kyiv train station.
“It’s very clear to us the importance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as well. ... Part of my mission is to sit and listen,” the retired three-star general said.
Kellogg said he would convey what he learns on his visit to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “and ensure that we get this one right.”