Barkah News

 Indonesia is prepared to work with ASEAN to complete COC in SCS. January 10, 2024                                                              Source en.antaranews.com Jakarta (ANTARA) - Retno Marsudi, the minister of foreign affairs, emphasised that Indonesia is prepared to collaborate with all ASEAN nations, including the Philippines, in order to expeditiously finalise the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS). Following a bilateral meeting with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo in Manila on Tuesday, January 9, Marsudi released the statement. According to a transcript of her news conference, the minister said, "We welcome the Statement on Maintaining and Promoting Stability in the Maritime Sphere in Southeast Asia issued by ASEAN Foreign Ministers on December 30 last year." Marsudi believes that the declaration made by the ASEAN foreign ministers is a critical step towards ensuring prosperity, peace, and stability in the SCS. In recent

 Despite Houthi strikes, oil tankers continue their movements in the Red Sea. By Arathy Somasekhar and Georgina Mccartney 9:02 PM on January 9, 2024                                                                        Source reuters.com January 9, Houston (Reuters) - According to a Reuters study of vessel tracking data, oil and fuel tanker traffic in the Red Sea remained steady in December despite the fact that many container ships had to reroute as a result of strikes by militants affiliated with Iran. Shippers are still using the vital East-West waterway, thus the attacks have not had the expected impact on oil shipments, despite a substantial increase in insurance premiums and shipping prices. The Houthis, who claim to be targeting ships headed for Israel, have mostly targeted cargoes of non-petroleum items. Most shippers have not noticed a significant difference in costs thus far because shipping across the Red Sea is still significantly less expensive than shipping around Africa

 Saudi pricing cuts offset Middle East concerns as oil prices decline. By Natalie Grover at 7:44 p.m. on January 8, 2024                                                                            Source reuters.com January 8, London (Reuters) - Sharp price cuts by Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, and an increase in OPEC production countered supply worries brought on by the rising geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, causing oil prices to plummet by more than 2% on Monday. By 12:37 GMT, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures had down 2.7%, or $2.01, to $71.8, while Brent crude had dropped 2.5%, or $1.99, to $76.77 a barrel. In the first week of 2024, both contracts increased by more than 2% due to growing geopolitical risk in the Middle East following attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Yemeni Houthis. Saudi Arabia lowered its flagship Arab Light crude's February official selling price (OSP) to Asia to its lowest level in 27 months on Sunday due to incre

 Indonesia will observe Arabic Language Month in conjunction with Saudi Arabia's King Salman Global Academy.                                                                  Source arabnews.com RIYADH: On Sunday, Indonesia will celebrate Arabic Language Month, which is being organized by Saudi Arabia's King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language. The four-week festival, which ends on February 2, features a schedule of events created in collaboration with educational institutions in the cities of Malang and Jakarta. According to the Saudi Press Agency, they are intended to promote Arabic language instruction, boost educator effectiveness, and increase awareness of the language through activities at Indonesian institutions with Arabic language departments and programs. According to the academy's secretary-general, Abdullah Al-Washmi, the organization is dedicated to advancing Arabic both domestically and globally. The month-long program is designed to introduce non-native

  Ten Muslim-majority countries: Indonesia comes in second. 6 January 2024                                                                                  Source en.tempo.co Jakarta's TEMPO.CO The second most popular religion in the world is Islam. In spite of this, Muslims are concentrated in a few nations rather than being dispersed equally. According to worldpopulationreview.com, the top ten nations with the highest concentration of Muslims in 2024 are listed below: 1. Pakistan (population: 240,800,000)  2. Indonesia, home to 236 million people  3. India, home to 200 million people  4. Bangladesh, home to 150,800,000.  5. Nigeria, home to 97 million people  6. Egypt (population: 90,000,000)  7. Turkey, with 84,400,000 residents  8. Iran has 82,500,000 residents.  9. China (population: 50,000,000)  10. 43,700,000 people live in Algeria.  Pakistan overthrew Indonesia as the country with the greatest Muslim population in the world in 2024. Pakistan is the second-most Muslim-popula

 Researchers claim that there are indications of a population collapse in African raptors.                                                                       Source cbsnews.com Researchers claimed in a report released on Thursday that populations of dozens of species of birds of prey are declining, putting African raptors that hunt during the day in danger of going extinct.  In a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, researchers examined data spanning the previous 40 years to examine 42 out of the 106 raptor species found in the nation. The populations of about 90% of the species under study declined.  According to a news statement from one of the study's authors, Dr. Darcy Ogada, "Africa is at a crossroads in terms of saving its magnificent birds of prey." "In many areas we have watched these species nearly disappear." One of the most recognizable raptors on the continent, the secretarybird, is in danger of going extinct, according to

 Earthquake in Japan clouds the case for restarting nuclear power reactors Source reuters.com By Reuters January 4, 2025, at 4:46 P.M  Japan, January 4 (Reuters) - The strong earthquake that struck Japan's western shore on New Year's Day highlighted the nation's vulnerability to natural calamities and raised new concerns about efforts to restart the country's nuclear reactors. Because of its location on the seismically active "Ring of Fire" that encircles the Pacific Ocean, mountainous Japan is dotted with nuclear power reactors. Days after regulators lifted an operational prohibition on Tokyo Electric's (9501.T) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred on Monday, killing over 80 people in the Hokuriku region and destroying infrastructure and power to houses. The plant has been offline since 2012 and Tepco seeks municipal approval to reopen it. It is located about 120 kilometers from the epicentre of the earthquake. Due t