Jakarta, Feb 08 (Reuters): Fika Juliana Putri, a 19-year-old shopkeeper in East Jakarta, plans to vote in Indonesia’s presidential election next week for a once-feared former special forces commander. She likes him, she says, because he’s cuddly. A doe-eyed cartoon version of Gen. Prabowo Subianto – produced using generative AI – is emblazoned on billboards across Indonesia. It’s reproduced on sweatshirts and stickers, and featured prominently on #Prabowo-tagged posts that have some 19 billion views on TikTok. Prabowo is Indonesia’s defence minister. But on social media, his chubby-cheeked AI avatar makes Korean-style finger hearts and cradles his beloved cat, Bobby,

Islamabad, Feb 8 (Reuters): Pakistan temporarily suspended mobile phone services on Thursday to strengthen security as voting began in the country’s national election, the interior ministry said. The government’s decision comes amidst a rise in militant attacks in the run-up to the election and a day after jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan urged his supporters to wait outside polling booths after voting until results are announced. “As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats,

In recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated his rejections of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, saying: While Netanyahu has never been in favour of a two-state solution, it has had significant support from governments around the world for decades, including the United States, the United Kingdom, European nations, Australia, Canada, Egypt and others. However, the two-state solution is now further away than it has ever been, with some even proclaiming it “dead”. What is the two-state solution? The two-state solution refers to a plan to create a Palestinian state separate from the state of Israel.