Indonesian President Jokowi to Make yet Another

Visit to U.S

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The United States has always attempted to

maintain a desirable relationship with its ASEAN counterpart which include
ten of its member states. With countries within Southeast Asian region
economically becoming strong, it is deemed vital for the U.S to make
continuous effort to protect the tie as it is predicted that Indonesia with its
240 million population will soon play a much more prominent role as Asian
economic powerhouse, as cited in asean-bp.com.

The actualization of such desire continues to take place especially with the
imminent ASEAN-US Summit in Sunnyland, Rancho Mirage, California in
February 15-16 2016.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi informs that President Joko

Jokowi Widodo is due to make yet another state visitation to the U.S to
represent the archipelago state during the summit which will be held in
two weeks time.

President Jokowi is planning to attend ASEAN-US Summit in Sunnyland on

February 15-16 2016, Minister Retno said, Jakarta, Monday (1/2/2016).

According to Retno, the Summit is viewed to be an important event which

serves as the platform where the strengthening of relation between U.S
and ASEAN nations is done intensively. The relationship between U.S and
each of ASEAN nations are also one of the many subjects which will be
discussed further. ASEAN countries are now in their venture to adjust into
the ASEAN Economic Community era where official commencement was
at the beginning of this year.
Member countries of ASEAN made a significant pact with the U.S back in
October. This positions the U.S as a strategic partner to the ten states of
ASEAN. We have a plan of action which has been activated through to the
year 2020,she explained.President Jokowi, together with a number of his
ministers have previously visited the U.S in October 2015 to conduct
bilateral meeting with U.S President Barack Obama.

'Zika' virus Inevitably Spreads to America

Causing Birth Defects

Victims of zika virus sufferers often experience flulike aches and rashes
and could exacerbate to brain abnormality for babies.

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Thousands of babies in the American continent

have reportedly been suffering from the undesirable impacts caused by
zika virus, an infection brought and transmitted by aedes mosquitos.
Early detection according to BBC, was in 1947 where victims reported to
be monkeys in Africa.

The virus naturally spreads to Asian continent and made its way to the
American region with many babies identified as being born with
underdeveloped brains.

Microcephaly, a birth defect which these victimized babies identified as

suffering from, has caused for many scientists worldwide to advise
mothers in affected regions to postpone any desire to get pregnant.

This is because the likeliness of their baby to suffer from microcephaly is

relatively high. The arguably short-lived outbreaks in affected continents
have made the virus seemed neglected in the past while actually the
impacts are carried through hitherto with data of victims continue to rise
each day.

Citing from Scientificamerican, zika virus usually causes sufferer to

undergo a week of flulike aches and rash at first. Worst-case scenario of
the sufferer is to go through an alarming paralysis called Guillain-Barr
syndrome and the aforementioned microcephaly condition.

Two days ago, the World Health Organization has declared that zika virus
would spread throughout the Americas because the mosquitoes that
transmit it are everywhere except in Chile and Canada.

It is particularly difficult for women in affected areas who have been

advised to postpone getting pregnant when they already are expecting.
Many of these women live in countries where abortion is illegal and
therefore they have very few options to go with.Huffingtonpost describes
that in El Salvador, women are encouraged to avoid becoming pregnant
for a full two years until the epidemic is eradicated.
 ISIS Now Intends to Eliminate 'Critical-Thinkers'

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - For many years have the general worldwide

population dwell on the belief that terrorists target only those who are not
in line with their way of thinking. Then the perception began to shift with
the notorious terrorist network Islamic State evidently expanded such
target range to fellow Muslims. Its desire to build a caliphate suggests that
everyone, even fellow Muslims, who stand in their way from constructing
one and whose mindset go against theirs will be terminated at will.

They set the bar even lower this time with recent investigative finding of
US Special Representative for Muslims Shaarik H. Zafar sharing to Pakistan
local media Dawn that terrorists are targeting educational institutions
because they are against knowledge and critical thinking.

Shaarik has been given the ultimate responsibility to arrange U.S

Secretary of State John Kerry engagement with Muslim communities
around the world and address terrorism issues from the perspective of a
person who has been tasked to convince the Muslims that America is not
their enemy.

During a special interview held with Dawn, Shaarik explained how the
terrorist attack at the university in Charsadda was no accident and that
the impetus to such venture was mostly because the institution where the
attacks occurred houses many individuals with high potentiality to
become the engines of future counter attacks against terrorists.

I dont think thats a coincidence. Knowledge, intellect, critical thinking,

these are things terrorists are against, he stated.
Citing from the Guardian, much less attention has been placed on
terrorists attacks in schools, colleges and universities. Cases like Taliban
suicide bombers which killed 150 children at a school 30 miles away of
north-western Pakistan.

Meanwhile, in northern Kenya university massacre which involved the

killing of 147 people by Somalia-based al shabaab suggest the very
unfortunate fact that these are easy targets because they are usually
unprotected. Other priority targets such as embassies, military bases, and
hotels have now maximized their security and therefore harder to hit.

Furthermore, it has been learned that terrorist network wants to stall

education and mock the legitimacy and authority of a state and surely
attacking the nations breeding ground for progress is one way to prompt
a war.

According to a report published in 2014 by Global Coalition to Protect

Education from Attack (GCPEA) as cited in dnaindia, education institutions
in at least 70 countries were attacked between 2009 and 2013, while
isolated attacks were reported in 40 countries.

The incidents involved bombing or burning schools or universities, or

killing, injuring and kidnapping students, teachers and academics.

"Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Syria are the

countries that have been categorised among the 'heavily affected'
countries with 1000 or more attacks on schools, universities, staff and
students between 2009 to 2012," says the report.