Indonesia

Both sides claimed victory July 9 in Indonesia’s tightest and most divisive presidential election since the end of authoritarian rule, as unofficial tallies showed Jakarta governor Joko Widodo leading ex-general Prabowo Subianto.

“Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day,” said Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, announcing the rebirth of the Caliphate in the broad territory between Aleppo in northern Syria and Diyala province in eastern Iraq.
  

DNA testing is taking a bite out of the Bigfoot legend. After scientists analyzed more than 30 hair samples reportedly left behind by Bigfoot and similar mythical beasts like the Himalayan Yeti, they found all of them came from more mundane creatures like bears, wolves, cows and raccoons.

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Agriculture Byurhan Abazov has met with representatives of the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, Friday.

Last month was so hot it set a new record for the planet, marking the warmest May over land and water since record-keeping began in 1880, US authorities said Monday.
      
The combined average temperature across the globe was 15.54C, or 0.74C above the 20th century average, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
      

Malaysian authorities on Thursday were searching for 35 people missing at sea following two boat accidents at a time when many illegal migrant workers head home to Indonesia for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
      

An illegal boat carrying 97 people from Indonesia has sunk off the western coast of Malaysia and at least 42 of the passengers are missing, Tuesday.

Some 31 passengers had been rescued, according to reports of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

Bulgaria is to open new trade offices in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, in northern Iraq  at Erbil, Algiers, Tunisia, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, in the US in Chicago, Hungary and in Cyprus.

Bulgaria will open trade missions in 20 countries by end-2014, according to a media statement of the government.

The new trade representations are to be opened in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, northern Iraq (Erbil), Algiers, Tunisia, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, US (Chicago), Hungary and Cyprus.

Chinese ships steamed June 10 toward waters near Hawaii to participate for the first time in the world’s largest naval exercises hosted by Washington - a rare opportunity to build trust with the U.S. and regional rivals including the Philippines and Japan.