Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will end his second and final five-year term in October 2014, announced to meet both presidential candidates (Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo) in the country’s State Palace on Sunday (20/07). In this meeting, president Yudhoyono will emphasize the importance of a peaceful and orderly transition to the next government. Currently, it remains unknown who of the two candidates won the presidential election (held on 9 July 2014). Due to the tight race, chances of social unrest increase.

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Two days after the sentencing of central banker Budi Mulya, the next high profile verdict has been delivered in Indonesia. Andi Mallarangeng, the country’s former Youth and Sport Affairs minister, was sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of IDR 200 million on Friday (18/07) by the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court for his role in the construction of the Hambalang sports complex in Bogor (West Java). This sentence is much lighter than the prosecutors' demand for ten years imprisonment.

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Geopolitical tensions between Israel and Palestine as well as the Malaysia Airlines Boeing that was shot down above eastern Ukraine territory yesterday (17/07) amid hostilities between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists, have had a significant impact on global markets. Global stock indices have fallen, led by indices on Wall Street, while the US dollar and prices of gold and other precious metals appreciate as investors are in search of safe havens. The higher oil prices contribute to weaker emerging currencies.

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A Boeing 777 airplane (flight number MH17) of Malaysia Airlines, flying from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) has crashed in eastern Ukraine about 50 kilometers from the borderline with Russia on Thursday (17/07). Reportedly, the airplane was shot down. Supporting evidence for this assumption is debris and body parts that have been found spread across a wide area (more than 15 kilometers wide), indicating an explosion at a high altitude. The Boeing carried 280 passengers and 15 crew members. All are feared dead.

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