Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social mediaEmbraer, IBD Stock Of The Day, Breaks Out To 10-Year Highs
On October 22, a longstanding tradition at Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense took on new significance as President Prabowo Subianto handed the role of defense minister over to Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, a seasoned military leader and former colleague. The event was further elevated by the attendance of many prominent retired senior military officers, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and optimism. The gathering of these senior officers symbolized collective support for the direction in which Sjafrie is likely to take Indonesia’s defense policy – a direction aligned with Prabowo’s vision of modernizing the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) in response to both domestic and regional security demands. Sjafrie’s experience in defense policymaking extends beyond his military career, also including his tenure as secretary-general of the Ministry of Defense (2004-2009) and later as deputy minister under Purnomo Yusgiantoro (2010-2014). This period marked Indonesia’s efforts to rebuild its defense posture through the “Minimum Essential Forces” initiative – a long-term plan to strengthen defense capabilities and the domestic defense industry. It also marked a strategic shift in the country’s defense policy, from its previous focus on the domestic political realm to greater attention on regional and geopolitical dynamics, recognizing the military’s key role in global interactions. During this period, Sjafrie played a key role in refining defense procurement procedures that involved adjusting the balance of decision-making power between the ministry and the military branches. Additionally, his legacy includes the establishment of the Defense Industry Policy Committee, which aims to harmonize military procurement with the development of Indonesia’s defense industry, including policies on offsets and technology transfers. This background is crucial as Sjafrie steps into his new role, inheriting a legacy of strategic policy development. His appointment also coincides with a renewed focus on enhancing Indonesia’s defense capabilities, particularly in response to regional pressures like South China Sea tensions and the AUKUS pact, which heighten the need for a stable power balance between the U.S. and China. Beyond Procurement Indonesia’s greater role in geopolitical stage requires a strong defense posture, and Sjafrie will play a key role in advancing Prabowo’s vision. Therefore, it is essential that increased defense budgets translate not only into upgraded capabilities but also address internal challenges. Conversations with military officials and defense policy experts underscore several pressing challenges that need attention. Furthermore, force sustainment often lacks sufficient funding especially for maintenance, leading to decreased operational readiness for some critical systems. Currently, defense procurement heavily favors foreign manufacturers, relegating the domestic defense industry, including state-owned enterprises under the Defend ID holding company, to a supporting role for offset and technology transfer requirements. While modernization often necessitates foreign procurement, Sjafrie must ensure that these acquisitions bring meaningful benefits to the local industry through comprehensive offset agreements and technology transfers, fostering a self-sufficient and resilient defense industry. Sjafrie’s familiarity with these companies’ structural issues will be essential as he will need to lay out a sustainable defense procurement plan that will not only help state-owned defense companies such as PTDI, PAL, Pindad, LEN, and Dahana survive but also thrive. This will likely require balancing the expected quick outcomes in terms of defense capabilities with the more longer-term impact on the domestic defense industry. Structural reform Structural reform within the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) is another critical challenge – one that is often overlooked. With his strong political backing, Sjafrie is in a position to chart the future structure and size of the TNI, a proposal that past administrations have been reluctant to address due to its political sensitivity. The TNI, currently comprising 404,500 personnel, faces structural inefficiencies that Sjafrie will need to address. Over the years, the TNI has seen a growing number of high-ranking officers – often assigned to civilian roles – that has expanded its size without necessarily adding to its operational capacity. Defense analysts suggest that a leaner force could allow TNI to concentrate resources on training, equipment, and strategic readiness, creating a more agile and capable defense force. A former TNI Chief once suggested that 150,000 would be the ideal size for the Indonesian Army, which currently employs twice that number. Although opinions may vary on the exact figure, there is broad consensus on the need for a well-equipped, well-trained, and adequately compensated force – a goal that remains prohibitively expensive at its current size. Budget constraints, however, are an ever-present reality. While Prabowo is committed to defense, his strong emphasis on large-scale social programs means that defense budgets will remain tight, especially considering Indonesia’s economic realities in the uncertain global climate. In this context, Sjafrie is expected to craft strategic policies that focus on building Indonesia’s deterrence capabilities in critical areas and address the most pressing problems in order to maximize the impact of available resources. Another significant challenge for Sjafrie is gaining acceptance among civil society organizations, given his extensive military background, which includes deployments in conflict zones like the former East Timor and Aceh, as well as his involvement in Jakarta during the bloody unrest of 1998 as Indonesia transitioned to democracy. While history cannot be undone, Sjafrie would do well to follow in the footsteps of his former mentor, Juwono Sudarsono, who earned respect as a defense minister open to human rights issues and committed to reforming the security sector. In summary, as Sjafrie assumes his new role, he has the expertise and backing to make transformative changes. However, he faces considerable challenges in navigating budget constraints, a complex procurement process, and the balancing act between modernizing the military and supporting Indonesia’s defense industry. His job will not be easy, but if he chooses to embrace reforms that take Indonesia beyond the status quo, I am willing to give Sjafrie the benefit of the doubt.Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order. A judge in an Ottawa courtroom Friday said the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that King was guilty on one count each of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief and counselling others to obstruct police. He was also found guilty of two counts of disobeying a court order. The Alberta resident was found not guilty on three counts of intimidation and one count of obstructing police himself. King could be facing up to 10 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Jan. 16. The Crown is seeking “significant” incarceration time in a penitentiary while the defence wants King to be sentenced to time served and a period of probation. King’s attorney Natasha Calvinho said right now she is focused on the sentencing hearing and will determine if any other action, such as an appeal, will be pursued at a later date. Calvinho said she and her client are disappointed with the ruling, but she said it was well reasoned. “I think what the more important takeaway here, and what we’ve been saying from the very beginning, Mr. King was acquitted of all charges related to inciting any form of violence, specifically intimidation of Ottawa residents,” Calvinho said outside the courthouse. “So yes, he was convicted, a couple counts of mischief for his social media posts, as the judge found, and will continue to fight another day.” The maximum sentence for mischief in this instance is 10 years. In January 2022 the convoy attracted thousands of demonstrators to Parliament Hill in protest against public-health restrictions, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the federal government. The event gridlocked downtown streets around Parliament Hill, with area residents complaining about the fumes from diesel engines running non-stop, and unrelenting noise from constant honking of horns and music parties. The federal Liberal government ultimately invoked the Emergencies Act to try and bring an end to the protests, which had expanded to also block several border crossings into the United States. Ottawa Police brought in hundreds of officers from police forces across Canada to force the protest to an end. King’s defence argued that King was peacefully protesting during the three-week demonstration and was not a leader of it. But the Crown alleged he was a protest leader who was instrumental to the disruption the protest caused the city and people who lived and worked nearby. The Crown alleged King co-ordinated the honking, ordering protesters to lay on the horn every 30 minutes for 10 minutes at a time and told people to “hold the line” when he was aware police and the city had asked the protesters to leave. The Crown’s case relied mainly on King’s own videos, which he posted to social media throughout the protest to document the demonstration and communicate with protesters. The court proceedings paused for about 10 minutes when King requested a short “health break” after the first verdicts on the mischief charges were read. Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland described the honking as “malicious conduct” intended to disrupt residents, workers, businesses and others from lawfully enjoying downtown Ottawa. Hackland also said that the videos show King was seen as and accepted the leadership role. He pointed to a quote from King, finding it “hilarious” that residents could not sleep for 10 days as “gleefully” aiding and abetting mischief. This evidence also played a role in determining King’s guilt in disobeying a court order and counselling others to do the same. These charges relate to the original Feb. 7, 2022 injunction against using air and train horns in downtown Ottawa which was launched by residents. The city successfully filed a similar injunction days later. As for counselling others to obstruct police, Hackland found King’s call to “hold the line” was telling people not to move from the protest site despite police orders. The judge said that phrase can be seen as a greeting between supporters of the convoy protest, but said there was no other logical interpretation in the context of King’s videos. In the days before a multi-day police removal operation began, King called on people to link arms and sit down with their backs to police if officers tried to move them. On the intimidation charges, Hackland said that a consistent theme of King’s videos were calls to remain peaceful and non-violent. He said that the target was always the federal government and COVID-19 policies, and specific individuals were not targeted by or through King’s actions. As for an intimidation charge related to blocking highways, Hackland said that finding guilt in this instance would be an “overly broad” interpretation of the Criminal Code as the blockade was done as part of a political protest, which is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. His trial was heard over several weeks between May and July. King still has charges of perjury and obstruction of justice that need to be dealt with which is a separate matter stemming from an April 2022 bail review hearing. Details of the testimony that led to the charges are protected under a publication ban, which exists for all information that arises during a bail hearing.Mumbai: Dharavi Sports Club Members Protest Mismanagement, Lack Of Facilities By Private Firm Despite Hefty Fees
Mechtron Leads the Trend in Men's Lifestyle Tools with the Launch of an Innovative Product LineupNo. 18 Mississippi 89, Alabama St. 24None
First snow to hit Ottawa this week after wet weatherAP News Summary at 6:33 p.m. EST
Late Surge Lifts York Past Mount Marty MenBluesky updates impersonation policy to fight fake accounts