Top events in Asia and Oceania November 4-10.
1. The parliamentary elections in New Zealand did not provide a final answer to the question of the next government. The center-right bloc of the incumbent Prime Minister, Christopher Lacson, won 67 of the 131 seats, just one more than the required majority. The result will be published after counting about 400,000 special ballots on November 27.
2. A new Knesset has begun work in Israel, but a government has not yet been formed following the October elections. The president ordered Gadi Eisenkot to form a cabinet by December 6, but potential partners refuse several coalition combinations. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's opponents presented bills to investigate the events of October 7, 2023, limit the prime minister's terms and cancel the judicial reform.
3. An attack by the Houthis damaged an office tower of Saudi Aramco in Riyadh's financial district.
4. Japan signed a $27 million agreement to supply the Philippines with a coastal surveillance radar system and UAVs. Tokyo also discussed the possible transfer of used Japanese destroyers to Manila.
5. Japan and Vietnam have agreed to expand cooperation in nuclear energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and defense.
6. In Indonesia, a scandal broke out regarding the illegal wiretapping of President Prabowo Subianto and representatives of the political and business elite. Four senior police officers are under investigation, including former national police chief and recent head of presidential administration Listio Sigit Pravo, who is considered an ally of former president Joko Widodo.
7. Indonesia's vice president, Gibran Recboming Raka, has offered to resign amid a new crisis over the legitimacy of his election. Former President Joko Widodo's son was able to participate in the 2024 elections thanks to a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court, headed by his uncle.