Indonesia News
SetNov’s Lawyers Report KPK to Police for ‘Abuse of Authority’
Setya Novanto’s efforts to avoid being questioned in one of the largest graft cases in Indonesian history waded into dangerous waters on Wednesday when his legal team reported Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials to the police for “abuse of power.” Setya avoided corruption charges once by getting the case thrown out of court. And now attorneys may have now opened the door to another standoff between the police and the KPK. —Kontan
WhatsApp Bows to Pressure Over ‘Porn GIF’ Controversy
When Indonesia threatened to block WhatsApp, a messaging app used by 60 percent of the population, over what it called “pornographic GIFs,” the tech company was quick to shut the matter down—by blocking all GIFs. Now when you try to search inside WhatsApp for a GIF of a cute kitten, all you get is an error message. —CNN Indonesia
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Jakarta Police Foil Terrorist Plot to Attack First Daughter’s Wedding
Police arrested a 25-year-old ISIS sympathizer earlier this week who was allegedly planning to attack the Myanmar Embassy and the wedding of President Joko Widodo’s daughter Kahiyang Ayu in Solo, Central Java. —SCMP
Sandi Tells Alexis Sex Workers to Find Employment at ‘Shariah Hotels’
Jakarta’s new administration is bring some… umm… innovative ideas to the Indonesian capital. This administration has blamed traffic on too many pedestrians, sought to employ gangsters as parking attendants, and suggested that the TransJakarta bus system could end delays by “avoiding the traffic.” But now Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno is back with a new idea: the women who lost their jobs when the city shut down the (alleged) brothel Alexis Hotel can just get a job at another hotel… a Shariah-compliant one. —ABC
International News
Malaysia No Longer Interested In Protecting Zakir Naik
Authorities said they would honor India’s extradition request for controversial preacher Zakir Naik, ending what many saw as the state’s de-facto support of the hardline Islamists. Zakir Naik is wanted in India for hate speech, but he has remained in Malaysia for years, where he was granted permanent residency. —Straits Times
Majority of Singaporeans Still Agree With Race-Based Policies
The multi-cultural city-state has long history of instituting policies that classify its citizens as CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others). A survey of 2,000 Singaporeans found that most still saw some worth in the racial designations, arguing that these kinds of policies ensure that all races and ethnicities can maintain their culture, language, and religion while still being considered Singaporean. —Channel News Asia
Malaysian Police Arrest Man For ‘Suicide Bomber’ Halloween Costume
Apparently some costumes are “too edgy” for Malaysia. A local man created a stir in Petaling Jaya when he donned a white robe, a long beard, and a fake suicide bomb for a Halloween party last month. Police decided to arrest him on Tuesday, charing the man with criminal intimidation —Bernama
Thailand’s Ousted Opposition Party Calls on Junta to End Political Ban
It was a rare sign of criticism from the party of former PM Yingluck Shinawatra. The Puea Thai Party urged the ruling military junta to end its ban on political activity and open the door for new elections after more than three years in power. The junta overthrew the Puea Thai Party led government in 2014 in a military coup and has held onto power since. —Reuters
Everything Else
Indonesia’s ‘Instamoms’ are Pushing a Life of Luxury Few Can Afford
Mothers know best. But Instamoms know better. Yet, the lux life of these wealthy moms is driving a market where parental success is tied to gym memberships and expensive strollers. —VICE
The Science Behind Why You Keep Smashing Replay on That One Song
Stuck in a song loop? Is your playlist just Post Malone on repeat? Turns out there’s a scientific reason why you’re so obsessed with “ruining,” songs. —Noisey
To Fight Revenge Porn, Facebook Is Asking to See Your Nudes
Facebook has a new strategy for combating revenge porn: It wants to see your nudes first, before an abuser has the chance to spread them. —Motherboard
Meet Bodhi, Instagram’s Menswear Dog and Very Good Boy
This Shiba Inu social media star that dresses better than any guy we’ve ever met. —Broadly
