South East Asia

President Yudhoyono met a delegation of Catholic and Protestant religious leaders. Christian leaders appreciate the government’s moves, hoping for talks between the two sides. They have not however expressed any views about separatist demands in the resource-rich territory.

A Seattle University study has estimated that in 2010 the victims of the disease numbered about 47% more than shown by the data published by the World Health Organization. Funded by Bill Gates, the new study is based on statistical models that also takes into account deaths that previously were not attributed to malaria.

Aan Alexander, 30, government employee, said he does not believe in God on the popular social networks. Discovered by his colleagues, he has sparked protests by fundamentalists and risks a sentence of five years. Atheism, in the archipelago, is equated with communism and thus outlawed. "Repentant" he will return to Islam.

Index hits 662 points. The previous low was in 2008, during the Lehman Brothers crisis. The drop reflects the steep decline in demand for raw materials, consequence of a worldwide economic slowdown. Expert tells AsiaNews that ship overcapacity is the main reason for the fall. Loans to big ship-owners now start to look shaky.

A field research study in Central Java by the Setara Institute found that young radical Muslims are an army of potential recruits for Jihadist groups. Recent arrests of young terrorism confirm the study’s findings.

Tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting between the Burmese army and the Kachin Independence Army are still languishing in shelters and camps. Rebel leaders do not want a ceasefire, but “political talks”. Local priest says food supplies are a major problem. Concerns are growing over sanitary conditions.

A project sponsored by Caritas in Kontum combines credit for farming and breeding to human resources development. We “learnt to raise pigs, plant vegetables and make organic fertilisers, save time and money, and protect the environment,” participant says. “Now my children have good conditions to go to school.”

Beijing sends one million Chinese flags, portraits of leaders in power and about 20 thousand Han officials to the region in order to "teach Tibetan villagers love for the motherland." The monasteries defy the order and refuse to display the Chinese symbols.

The new facility should be completed in the next two years and cover a 5-hectare area at the cost of 10 billion rupees. The WWF and the IUCN sound the alarm, raising the species’ status from “endangered” to “critically endangered”. The authorities call on locals to work with conservation authorities to protect nature and habitats.

Hundreds of members of a congregation denied the right to build its own church in Bogor demonstrated in the capital yesterday, calling on the president to do something to uphold the law. They complain about repeated acts of intimidation by radical Muslims, backed by Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto.

The opposition leader on a visit to Tavoy, a town on the coast where she held a rally ahead of the vote on April 1. The Nobel Laureate calls for a "free and fair" vote and invites the population to ensure no undue pressure. Slogans and chants ring out for the "Lady".

A great religious event takes place in Jakarta in early February, with the participation of all major faiths of the country. In addition to forums, discussions and speeches of the representatives there will be a ceremony of peace, the planting of some trees in the 'Indonesian Parliament House.