Indonesia News
Indonesia’s Top Court Just Shot Down a Measure to Outlaw LGBTQ Relationships By a Single Vote
But it could’ve been a totally different story if disgraced Constitutional Court Justice Patrialis Akbar didn’t go down in a corruption scandal. The ruling was marked as a victory by rights groups and, you know, really anyone who didn’t want to outlaw same-sex relationships, cohabitation before marriage, and sodomy. But it’s also a temporary one. The House still has to debate revisions to the Criminal Code that cover much of the same territory next year. —VICE
Indonesia Has One of the Slowest Internets In Asia
Now tell us something we don’t already know. According to a report by Ookla on internet connections speeds, Indonesia fell behind the Philippines and Singapore, but still ahead of Laos and Myanmar. —Kompas
Videos by VICE
You Can Stop Finally Hiding Your Work Relationship
It’s fairly common to fall for a coworker. After all, the two of you spend so much time together, way more than you could spend actually dating, so why wouldn’t you develop feelings for each other? But, until today, you could get fired for making that relationship official. Now workplace lovers can rest easy because the Constitutional Court ruled against the practice, allowing coworkers to finally tie the knot and keep their jobs. —CNN Indonesia
East Java Citizens Sue Governor Over Dirty Diaper Tide
Environmental activists recently pulled some 3 million dirty diapers from one river that flows through 11 cities in East Java. Now they’re suing the governor for failing to do anything about the problem. The activists say the governor hasn’t built a landfill for sanitary products—adding to an already extreme problem. —Mongabay Indonesia
International News
Counterfeit Baby Formula Scare Grips Malaysia
Authorities have seized more than 200 boxes of fake baby formula from stores and pharmacies in Johor Bahru, a city on the Singapore-Malaysia border. The counterfeit formula, which was in boxes of Mead Johnson’s Enfalac A+ Step 1, caused rashes and fevers in children who consumed it, according to parents. —BBC
Anti-Israel Boycotts Continue In Malaysia, Driven By Social Media Hoaxes
“Don’t use Israeli products… From today, we’ll boycott Coca-Cola! Don’t drink it!” These are the claims of another Malaysian political party calling for a boycott of all Israeli-linked companies in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the country’s official capital. Coca-Cola has denied any links to Israel. —Channel News Asia
Myanmar Detains Two Reuters Journalists Covering Rohingya Rights Abuses
Authorities have accused Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, of attempting to “send important security documents regarding security forces in Rakhine state to foreign agencies abroad.” Both have been detained under the Official Secrets Act in the latest blow to press freedom in Myanmar. —The Guardian
Thai Fishing Industry Still a Black Box Despite Reform Efforts, Increased Policing
No one really know how much fish actually move through Thailand’s docks in a given year, according to a report released by the environmental nonprofit Sea Around Us. Official figures are often millions less than unofficial counts and Thai-owned fishing vessels continue to fish illegally in other country’s territorial waters, countries like Indonesia. —Phys.org
Everything Else
Tanzania Plans to Arrest Pregnant Girls and Take Them to Court
The regional commissioner in charge of the plan argued that it would make them less likely to have sex. —VICE
Starbucks Wi-Fi Hijacked People’s Laptops to Mine Cryptocurrency
The in-store Wi-Fi in a Buenos Aires Starbucks was allegedly using customer’s laptops to mine for bitcoin Starbucks says it was only an issue at that one location, but the thing that tipped the tech CEO who reported the unauthorized mining off was a ten second delay—something so common in places like Indonesia that we would all ignore it anyway. —VICE
Three Years Documenting the Daily Lives of Japan’s Brazilian Community
Japan has a complicated relationship with its diaspora. In Japan, even people of Japanese descent are considered foreigners by many if they were born overseas. But in few places is this divide more evident than Homi Danchi, an apartment complex that’s nearly half Brazilian-Japanese. —VICE
