Crowds greet Saudi king on rare visit to Indonesia

The first Saudi monarch to visit Indonesia in nearly half a century arrived Wednesday to an elaborate official welcome and crowds of thousands.

King Salman exited his plane at Halim airport in Jakarta using an escalator, with a portable lift carrying him the final meter or so to the ground.

Jakarta governor wins Indonesian presidency

Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo, who captured the hearts of millions of Indonesians with his common man image, was declared the winner Tuesday of the country's presidential election, calling it a victory for all of the nation's people.

A former furniture exporter known to most as "Jokowi," Widodo was the first candidate in a direct presidential election in Indonesia with no ties to the former dictator Suharto, who ruled for 30 years before being overthrown in 1998.

Widodo leads early results in Indonesia election

Unofficial quick-count results of Indonesia's hotly contested presidential election Wednesday showed Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ahead of his rival with more than 80 percent of the votes tallied.

Widodo, the governor of Jakarta, was leading with about 52 percent of the vote, while Prabowo Subianto had about 48 percent, according to most credible quick-count surveys.