31 h. ago COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali, Indonesia: Is this the world’s most restorative hotel?

Yes, paradise still exists in Bali. Hayley Spencer has a transformative stay at the COMO group’s celebrity-loved wellness destination in Ubud

Politics

3 d. ago Flash floods in Indonesia leave at least 15 people dead and 10 missing

Torrential rains cause flooding and landslides in East Nusa Tenggara province and on the tourist island of BaliFlooding in Bali, Indonesia – in picturesRescuers have recovered the bodies of 15 people who have died in flash flooding in two Indonesian provinces, while authorities said 10 others were missing.Torrential rains beginning on Monday caused flooding and landslides in East Nusa Tenggara province and on the tourist island of Bali. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Six dead in Bali as flash floods inundate popular tourist destination

Access to Indonesian island’s international airport near Denpasar was limited as only trucks could use the roads, according to governmentFloods on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali have killed at least six people this week and blocked off major roads in the capital, disrupting a busy travel destination.Torrential rain since late Tuesday triggered flooding across four districts of Bali, forcing the evacuation of 85 people, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Indonesia protests explained: why did they start and how has the government responded?

Anger at perks for politicians spilled over into wider protests after the death of a 21-year-old delivery driver in JakartaAt least seven people have died, hundreds have been injured and public buildings have been burnt and looted after thousands of people took to the streets in anti-government protests across Indonesia over the past week.The clashes between riot police and rock-throwing protesters that began in the capital and quickly spread beyond Jakarta have been seen as a major test for President Prabowo Subianto, a former general who has been in office for less than a year. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago What to know about Indonesia's nationwide unrest over lawmakers' perks

Violent clashes that have swept across Indonesia and left at least six people dead are being seen as a major test for President Prabowo Subianto’s presidency

Politics

1 week ago Indonesia protests: president scraps lawmakers’ perks in bid to calm tensions

Six people have now died in nationwide protests, forcing Prabowo Subianto to remove perks include a housing allowance worth 10 times the minimum wageIndonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to revoke lawmakers’ perks and privileges, including a controversial $3,000 housing allowance, in a bid to ease public fury after nationwide protests in which six people have died.Flanked by leaders of eight Indonesian political parties, Prabowo told a televised news conference in the capital, Jakarta, that they had agreed to cut the housing allowance and suspend overseas trips for members of parliament. It was a rare concession in response to mounting public anger. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Is it safe to travel to Indonesia as violent protests explained

Three people have been killed in demonstrations sparked by the death of a taxi driver in the Southeast Asian country.

Events

2 w. ago Fire kills three people in Indonesia after protesters torch council buildings

Large cities in Indonesia rocked by protests after gig motorcycle driver run over by police tactical vehicleProtesters have torched parliamentary buildings in three further Indonesian provinces, a day after at least three people were killed by a fire started by demonstrators at a council building in the city of Makassar.Protests erupted across Indonesia after footage spread showing a motorcycle taxi driver being run over and killed by a police vehicle on Thursday night during earlier demonstrations over low wages for workers and perks for lawmakers. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Fire kills three people in Indonesia after protesters storm council buildings in the wake of driver’s death

Major cities in Indonesia have been rocked by protests after footage spread of a gig motorcycle driver being run over by a police tactical vehicleAt least three people were killed by a fire started by protesters at a council building in the Indonesian city of Makassar, after demonstrations broke out across the country over the death of a motorcycle taxi driver hit by a police vehicle.Major cities in Indonesia, including the capital Jakarta on Friday, have been rocked by protests after footage spread of a gig motorcycle driver being run over by a police tactical vehicle during earlier rallies over low wages and perceived lavish perks for lawmakers. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Protests erupt in Indonesia over death of man hit by police vehicle

Government faces calls for police reform amid violent clashes across Jakarta and demonstrations in other citiesHundreds of Indonesians have protested at sites across Jakarta over the death of a man hit by a police vehicle, in the first big test for Prabowo Subianto’s nearly year-old government.The man, a motorcycle ride-sharing driver, was hit at the site of violent clashes near parliament on Thursday as police sought to disperse demonstrators protesting about a number of issues including lawmakers’ pay and education funding. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago In Prabowo’s Indonesia, the military is quietly creeping back into civilian life

The retired general who is now president has established 100 new army battalions and plans more – and critics say the move has echoes of the country’s authoritarian past“A big nation like us,” Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto told the rank and file before him, “needs a strong military. No nation can be independent without having a strong military.”In a speech before inaugurating military troops in West Java this month, Prabowo – the former special forces commandant – proclaimed that Indonesia must strengthen its defences to protect the nation’s sovereignty and resources. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Protests erupt in Indonesia over privileges for parliament members and ‘corrupt elites’

Controversy over housing allowance, which is almost 10 times minimum wage, comes amid President Prabowo Subianto’s austerity driveRiot police have fired water cannon and rounds of teargas at thousands of stone-throwing protesters in Indonesia’s capital as anger over the lavish allowances of parliament members has fuelled public anger.Thousands of students, workers and activists demonstrated outside the nation’s parliament on Monday against a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($US3,075) for MPs, which is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Indonesia launches a measles vaccination campaign after 17 die in an outbreak

Indonesian authorities have rolled out a vaccination campaign in response to an outbreak that has caused 17 deaths

Events

3 w. ago Indonesia working on details of plan to treat 2,000 people from Gaza amid concerns about right to return

Security ministry and the ministries of health and foreign affairs have met to discuss how the controversial proposal to treat Palestinians would workThe Indonesian government is working on plans to treat 2,000 people from war-ravaged Gaza, holding a series of inter-ministerial discussions to discuss logistics, legality and foreign policy implications relating to the highly sensitive proposal, according to a senior government official.Indonesia announced earlier this month that it would provide temporary medical assistance to 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza, with the uninhabited island of Galang identified as one possible site. Located just south of Singapore, the island was once home to a former camp for Vietnamese refugees and most recently the site of a pandemic hospital. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘I travelled to Indonesia to try world's most dangerous feeling theme park ride’

Robin Demyttenaere, 33, has ridden almost 5,000 fairground rides and visited amusement parks all over the world - but he said this was one of the most dangerous

Politics

last month ‘Historical amnesia’: Indonesia’s fight over plan to amend history books

Anger the controversial plan coincides with anime flag movement, seen as a critique on the decline of democratic freedoms under President PrabowoIndonesia has delayed plans to publish a set of controversial history books amid backlash from historians and activists who have accused the project of being an attempt to downplay past atrocities, and represents “historical amnesia”.In May Indonesia’s culture minister Fadli Zon announced the planned release of a 10-volume “official history” project. The set of new books would remove colonial bias, feature updated research, promote national pride and have a “positive” tone, he said. Continue reading...

Culture

last month Hundreds hit with food poisoning in Indonesia after eating free meals from president’s flagship program

Since its launch in January, Prabowo Subianto’s signature policy has been marred by mass food poisoning cases affecting over 1,000 peopleMore than 360 people fell ill in the Indonesian town of Sragen in Central Java after consuming school lunches, according to officials, in the largest food poisoning case to hit president Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals programme to date.Since its launch in January, the free school meals programme has been marred by mass food poisoning cases across the archipelago, affecting over 1,000 people. Continue reading...

Politics