Indonesia News
Bali Tourism Official: Don’t Let a Volcano Ruin Your Holiday
The resort-heavy island of Bali is trying hard to keep the tourism money coming in as the impending eruption of Mount Agung has some questioning their vacation plans. The tourism board’s spokesperson Dewa Gede Ngurah Byomantara explained that, worst case scenario, an eruption would only affect 2 percent of the island.—Jakarta Post
Want VR? OK OCE, You Got VR
Jakarta’s incoming governor Anies Baswedan and his running mate Sandiaga Uno plan to pull out all the stops at their inauguration next week, including broadcasting the entire thing in VR. Anies-Sandi say they will place 360 cameras inside the city hall and then send out links via WhatsApp to the capital’s residents. —Kompas
Videos by VICE
Indonesia’s Elite Brimob Shook By Murder-Suicide
The National Police are investigating the tragic death of three Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members in a murder-suicide in Blora, Central Java. One office, a man named Bambang Tejo, fatally shot two of his colleagues before turning his service weapon on himself. Initial reports say Bambang had some kind of unspecified grudge against his fellow officers. “We will do an internal evaluation, sometimes when personal emotions are involved, these things happen,” said Condro Kirono, chief of Central Java police.—Kompas
International News
Leaked Video Shows Kim Jong Nam’s Final Few Moments Alive
Kim Jong Nam’s death is still something of a mystery. But leaked security camera footage of his final moments alive shed some fresh light on what exactly happened after the exiled son of Kim Jong Il was poisoned with deadly VX nerve agent. The footage, which was aired on Japan’s Fuji Television, shows some surprisingly calm paramedics waiting a shockingly long period of time before getting Kim to an ambulance.
Even more reveling though is the second piece of footage, which appears to show a smiling Siti Aisyah meeting a North Korean agent in a cafe. The defense continues to say that Siti and her accomplice were tricked by North Korean spies into thinking the attack was actually a prank for a video series. But the prosecution says they have more footage to show that apparently proves that the women knew they were handling a deadly poison. —VICE
Trump Asked for Massive Increase in Nuclear Stockpile
The president reportedly told military and national security chiefs he wanted to expand the US arsenal of nuclear weapons, according to anonymous sources who attended a July 20 meeting. Officials said Trump expressed a desire for the military to get back to the 32,000 nuclear warheads it possessed in the late 1960s, around eight times as many as it’s estimated to have now.—NBC News
Catalan Leader Puts Independence on Pause
The head of Catalonia’s regional government Carles Puigdemont stopped short of declaring independence Tuesday, and called for mediation with the Spanish government. Puigdemont said he would suspend Catalonia’s “mandate” to form an independent state “to undertake talks.” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called on the Catalan leader to make clear whether he had actually declared independence or not.—Reuters / The New York Times
Malawi Enforces Curfew to Stop ‘Vampire’ Killings
The Malawi government has imposed limits on movement between 5 pm and 7 pm after five people were killed in a panic over vampirism. According to the UN, rural residents have killed people they believe are participating in blood-drinking rituals. The UN has removed staff due to the scare.—BBC News
Four People Killed in Gun Fight in Kashmir
Two Indian commando soldiers and two Islamist fighters were killed when firing broke out in the village of Hajin in the Indian-controlled territory. According to police, the commandos were trying to secure the area from militants from the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist group.—Al Jazeera
Everything Else
Eminem Unleashes Vitriolic Rap Against Trump
The Detroit rapper made clear his loathing for the president in rhymes performed in a video for the BET Hip Hop Awards 2017. He ended the diatribe with: “The rest of America stand up. We love our military, we love our country, but we fuckin’ hate Trump!”—The Daily Beast
Migos to Play Red Rocks on New Year’s Eve
The hip-hop stars will headline and end-of-the-year concert at the legendary Colorado amphitheater alongside Young Thug and Post Malone. Lil Yachty will also perform at the first ever New Year’s show at Red Rocks.—Billboard
Facebook Suspends Lil B
The rapper has been banned from the social media network for 30 days for a breach of the company’s protocol on hate speech. The posts have been deleted, but Lil B claimed on Twitter he had been suspended for “talking about white people.”—Motherboard
St. Vincent Drops New Song
The artist has released the third song from her forthcoming album MASSEDUCTION, a track called “Pills” with a medication motif. It features model-actress Cara Delevingne and singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis on backing vocals.—Noisey
