Mayoral Kicks, ‘Communists,’ a Trans Beauty Pageant, and More: The VICE Evening Bulletin

Indonesian News

Transgender Beauty Pageant In Makassar Canceled Yet Again
It’s the beauty pageant that never happens. It’s the third time police have forced this pageant for trans women to cancel its event over “licensing issues” after it received too much blow-back by conservatives and hardliners on social media. —Detik

Mayor Kicks New Satpol PP Recruits In Chest to Test Their Strength
The mayor of Mataram, in West Nusa Tenggara, is taking some heat after he, for some reason, decided to line up a bunch of new Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) recruits and kick them all in the chest. The mayor, a man named Ahyar Abduh, said he was trying to see how strong they were. His critics say the whole thing was ridiculous. —Coconuts

Police Jail Prominent Environmental Activist Over ‘Communist Images’
Yeah, you read that right. Hari Budiawan, an activist more commonly known as Budi Pego, was protesting a gold mine when a hammer and sickle suddenly appeared on one of his banners. That image was enough to land him behind bars for 10 months for promoting communism. Budi Pego, for his part, says he didn’t draw the images at all. —Detik

International News

German Women Who Joined ISIS Sentenced to Death In Iraq
A still unidentified German national was sentenced to death by hanging for participating in attacks on security forces as a member of the Islamic State, or ISIS. She is the first female foreign ISIS fighter to be sentenced to death in Iraq. —VICE News

Congo Continues Violent Crackdown on Protests After President Refuses to Leave Office
Congo President Jospeh Kabila reneged on promises to step down at the end of last year, setting off a fresh wave of protests organized by Catholic leaders in this African nation. Kabila’s mandate ran out in Dec. 2016, but he has maintained his grip on power since then, ordering waves of brutal crackdowns on opponents that, recently, left six dead and hundreds in detention. —The Guardian

Japan Hit By Heaviest Snow Storm Since 2014
The rare snow storm, which went on from Sunday night to Monday, wasn’t nearly as bad as the one that hit Tokyo in 2014, but the Japanese transport ministry still advised people to stay home unless they really have to. On Monday, Japan Airlines canceled more than 120 flights from Haneda airport, stranding around 15,000 travelers. —Al-Jazeera

Former South Korean Minister Jailed Over Industry ‘Blacklist’
Cho Yoon-sun, the country’s former culture minister has been sentenced to two years in prison for creating a blacklist of 10,000 artists deemed threatening to ousted president Park Geun-hye’s administration. The blacklist included artists in dance, music, fine arts and film, who were put under strict government surveillance. —Channel NewsAsia

Everything Else

Homeshake’s Peter Sagar Is a True Homebody
The man behind the R&B pop act told us he’s rather make music in his room all day. “I forget like every show we’ve ever played,” he said. —VICE

Blockchain Could Stop Illegal Tuna Fishing
Have you ever wondered where the tuna in your sandwich comes from? This new technology has the answer. —VICE

So Are These New Drake Songs Any Good?
Over the weekend, Drake released “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity”. We’re not that impressed. —Noisey

Kevin Spacey Scandal Costs Netflix $39 Million
Late last year, Netflix was charged around $39 million USD for discontinuing projects with Kevin Spacey after the ‘House of Cards’ actor was accused of sexual misconduct. Spacey’s character have been written out of the award-nominated show. —Reuters