Geopolitics

More people are starving in Southeast Asia

In early May, Muslims across the globe will be celebrating Ramadhan. During this holy month, Muslims will abstain from a number of things from sun up to sun down, most notable of all will be any form of food or drink. One of the main reasons Islam requires its followers to undergo this month-long fast is to remember the pains and troubles of the less fortunate who may not be able to afford a single meal everyday let alone three meals a day.

18 April 2019
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Kim sends “personal” message to Trump

North Korea's Kim Jong-un has supervised the test-firing of a new tactical weapon with a "powerful warhead", state media reported Thursday, in the first test of its kind since nuclear negotiations with Washington stalled.The test marks a ratcheting up of tensions weeks after a summit between Kim and United States (US) President Donald Trump collapsed without agreement.It also comes after satellite imagery suggested heightened activity at a nuclear test site.Wednesday's tes

18 April 2019
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Prabowo refuses to accept defeat

Indonesia's Joko Widodo was on track to be re-elected leader of the world's third-biggest democracy as unofficial results put him in a comfortable lead over firebrand ex-general Prabowo Subianto after voting closed Wednesday across the 17,000-island archipelago.While official results are not due until next month, a series of so-called "quick counts" by pollsters showed Widodo as much as 11 percentage points ahead.The vote ended at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT), but some of the 800,00

18 April 2019
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Showdown in Indonesia

Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections today, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation.More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7:00 am local time (2200 GMT Tuesday) in restive Papua.

17 April 2019
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Big fight in Jakarta

Tomorrow, Indonesian’s will go to the ballot box. For the first time in the country's history, the president, vice president, and members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), will be elected on the same day with over 190 million eligible voters. 16 parties will be participating in the elections nationally, with four participating for the first time. This makes the 2019 election the biggest election ever in Indonesia’s history.

16 April 2019
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Islam and Indonesia’s election

Indonesia’s election has its heavy-metal-fan president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo – widely perceived as a moderate Muslim – in one corner and Prabowo Subianto, a former lieutenant general, in the other.

16 April 2019
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Halal ink: Muslim-majority Indonesia set for polls

Dipping their fingers in halal (permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law) ink to prevent double voting, Indonesians will cast their ballots Wednesday in a bitterly contested presidential election, with the main rival to incumbent Joko Widodo already threatening to challenge the result over voter-fraud claims.The Muslim-majority nation's biggest-ever polls – with more than 190 million voters and 245,000 candidates vying for the presidency, parliament and local positions – is large

16 April 2019
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Indonesia election winner has many challenges

Almost 200 million Indonesian voters head to the polls on Wednesday after a long presidential election campaign dominated by economic policy issues.The eventual winner – the incumbent President Joko Widodo or former general Prabowo Subianto – will face significant challenges in steering Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

16 April 2019
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Zakir Naik: Peaceful preacher?

Zakir Naik is a controversial Muslim preacher that is currently under investigation by the Indian government for alleged acts of hate speech and money laundering. For years, the 53-year old had given talks through his channel, Peace TV.

15 April 2019
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Indonesia election: Heavy metal versus the general

Indonesia's heavy metal-loving leader Joko Widodo faces off against ex-military general Prabowo Subianto in the race to lead the world's third-biggest democracy Wednesday, a re-run of the 2014 election contest narrowly won by Widodo.A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office from the presidency down to local legislator positions, including an Olympic gold medallist, a pop diva, a frontman who lost his bandmates and wife in a killer tsunami and even a late dictator&#03

15 April 2019
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China in Indonesia election spotlight

Indonesia has become the latest election battleground for Beijing's soaring economic clout, as the opposition warns pro-China policies are saddling the mineral-rich archipelago with bad debt as it is sold off piecemeal to foreign interests.Business links with top trade partner China have been thrust into the spotlight by ex-general Prabowo Subianto who is challenging Indonesian leader Joko Widodo for the presidency of Southeast Asia's largest economy on Wednesday.Trailing by double

15 April 2019
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