Author: Dede Setiarini

Intelligence expert Kenneth Lasoen thinks it is a good idea that the European Commission bans the Chinese social media platform TikTok for its employees. “The fear that it can be used for espionage is very justified,” he says in “The world today” on Radio 1. He advises against using the app, even for those who do not have access to sensitive information. “It was made to make people stupid and keep them stupid.” This morning the Commission sent an email to all EU officials asking them to remove TikTok as soon as possible. Those who fail to do so will…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy for Economic Affairs of the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Amalia Adninggar Widyasanti invited ASEAN member countries to optimize the blue economy as a new driver for growth to improve regional economic security. “We need high economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive way,” she told participants of the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on the Development of the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework in Belitung District, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, as monitored virtually from Jakarta on Wednesday. The blue economy is one of the potentials that the ASEAN member countries can utilize together as a new source of growth for…

At least two Ismaili home owners in Mountainous Badakhshan were fined one month’s average wage each for hosting prayers in their homes. The regime banned such meetings in late 2022. Officials told elders on 14 January in Khorugh not to allow prayers in homes, that local people must remove portraits of Ismaili spiritual leader the Aga Khan, and that study at the London-based Institute of Ismaili Studies is no longer allowed. The authorities banned voluntary lessons for children based on a course from the Aga Khan Foundation. Local administrations in the Mountainous Badakhshan Region in south-eastern Tajikistan have issued at…

Despite freedom of information laws, Kazakh officials often refuse to discuss what Chinese investors are doing. That breeds suspicion. Back in 2015, Kazakhstan and China signed 52 investment deals valued at more than $21 billion. The agreements signposted Kazakhstan’s strategic importance to Beijing’s recently unveiled Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and offered Astana a chance to realize its connectivity plans through investments in transport infrastructure. Seven years on, fewer than half of the projects have been completed and 17 are still under consideration, according to the latest information published by state firm Kazakh Invest. Now, a new website called Eco China Info aims to…

Political activists met Thailand’s biggest opposition party on Tuesday (Jan 31) to demand that, if it wins in upcoming elections, it revoke a tough law that criminalises insults of the country’s monarchy. Thailand has some of the world’s strictest lese majeste laws, with punishments of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived royal insult. Hundreds of people have been arrested or jailed under the rules, some for as long as 43 years. Article 112 of the criminal code, as the law is known, has long been a taboo topic in Thailand and calls for it to be reformed…

They were the ‘Brangelina’ of the European Parliament: Nobody could foresee the steep fall of one of the most-glamorous couples in EU politics. Just last Monday, MEP Eva Kaili launched a new research center on the promotion of blockchain tech in the EU. Leading experts and policymakers from EU institutions and the Greek government were there, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. “The attendance was overwhelming,” tweeted Kaili proudly along with several photos of the event. Fast forward to this Monday, when the 44-year-old — who is one of 14 vice presidents of the European Parliament — was charged with corruption in…

Indonesian President Joko Widodo was confirmed to be on his way to the Belgian capital, Brussels, to participate in the European Union and ASEAN summit which will be held on Wednesday, 14 December 2022. This is the first summit held by European Union leaders and ASEAN members to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two organizations. “That’s right, (the president) has departed this morning,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah via text message to Tempo, Monday, December 12, 2022. Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi will accompany President Jokowi during a visit to Europe this week.…