Indonesia
Caught on tape: Indonesian journalist assaulted by army officer
Surfers rally behind Mentawai tsunami victims
Survivor releases amateur video of Mentawai tsunami
Five days after a devastating Tsunami swept across the Indonesian archipelago of Mentawai a video shot by an Australian tourist who narrowly escaped the deadly wave has emerged on the Web. Read more and watch the video…
From crap to coffee
These clusters of dung, the product of a nocturnal mammal located in Indonesia, are one of the country's most precious products. They are the secret to making "kopi luwak", the most expensive coffee in the world. Read more...
Even jeans are too alluring for the Sharia police in Aceh
Sharia police in the Indonesian province of Aceh are stopping women dressed in jeans and forcing them to change into long government issued skirts. Read more...
Jakarta’s poorest living off rubbish heaps
While the Indonesian authorities collect most of the islands' rubbish from the streets, they fail to actually dispose of it. By dawn, the growing mountains of rubbish on the outskirts of cities become the workplace for over 500,000 illegal workers. Known as trash pickers, they dig through the waste for any scrap that will fetch a price. Read more...
Is there an ethical way to turn crocodiles into handbags?
The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released footage of reptiles being skinned alive in Indonesia in a bid to discredit the luxury leather industry. One of our Observers, who works at a crocodile farm in Australia, tells us what the industry standards ought to be. Read more...
Will “Little Barry” be welcome in Indonesia?
Barack Obama has announced a trip to Indonesia, where he lived for four years as a child. But will he be welcomed with open arms? Just a week ago, a group of local Facebookers furious at the decision to erect a statue of Obama as a child in Jakarta filed a lawsuit against the local council for putting it up. Read more...
The "Jewberry" and the "Muslim mobile" – making a business out of religious handsets
One of our Observers in Indonesia has alerted us to the launch of Hidaya, a Muslim-certified mobile phone. Meanwhile, over in the US, the "Jewberry" - a Blackberry on which you can read the Torah - is selling like hotcakes. Read more...
