Asia In News

Jihad From Indonesian

Vigilante jihad: Inside Indonesia’s Islamic Defenders Front: It is forever dark in the core of Jembatan Besi, one of Jakarta’s most crowded slums. Even at high noon, only a narrow band of sunlight glows above a five-story canyon formed by closely built cement dwellings. To slip into the narrowest walkways — crevices, really — locals must twist their bodies and shimmy sideways. Fluorescent lamps, slung from extension cords, light their path. Still, according to the neighborhood holy man, it used to be worse. The crowding and poverty was once compounded by wickedness[...]

Whats Wrong..?

At least 5 dead, 20 rescued, 17 missing after ship sinks off Antarctic: A South Korean fishing vessel sank Monday in frigid ocean waters about 1,000 nautical miles north of McMurdo Station in Antarctica, killing at least 5 people while at least 20 were rescued, according to maritime officials. A time-sensitive search was underway for another 17 people who were missing, said Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson. While the ship sank in the Southern Hemisphere's late spring, water temperatures are just 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit), meaning crew members likely could only survive no more than 10 minutes before succumbing to hypothermia, authorities said[...]

Indonesian Today

No rice please, we're Indonesians: Indonesia is one of the world's biggest producers -- and consumers -- of rice, but in the interests of public health and food sustainability the government has launched an ambitious drive to wean people off their beloved staple. For ordinary Indonesians like Andi Santoso, a 23-year-old student, the thought of going without rice for a day, as the government is proposing, is almost unthinkable. "I eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner," he said, a little bemused. "If I don't eat rice, I feel like I haven't eaten. What else can I eat?" Welfare Ministry secretary-general Indroyono Soesilo says the answer is simple, even if it sounds crazy to a nation that produces more than 40 million tonnes of rice a year and consumes around 33 million tonnes. [...]

Indonesian Parlement

Indonesia parliament may delay approval of new financial regulator: Indonesia's parliament may postpone until next year the setup of a new financial regulator aimed at improving banking supervision in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, three parliament members told Reuters on Monday. The regulator, to be called OJK and expected to be similar to the U.K.'s Financial Services Authority, was meant to take over the current supervisory functions of the central bank and capital market watchdog Bapepam-LK in monitoring banks, brokers and fund management companies. The parliament has a deadline of Dec. 31, 2010, to pass the OJK[...]