A man was found dead inside the body of a python, according to Indonesian police.
Akbar, 25, went missing on March 26 on the island of Sulawesi, after leaving to harvest palm oil.
In the search for the missing man, police had found a huge snake they suspected had swallowed the man.
Image source Pinterest
The reticulated python, reported to be 23ft-long, was cut open and the man’s body was found.
Reticulated pythons are among the world’s longest reptiles and suffocate their victims before swallowing them whole.
Pythons rarely kill and eat humans, although there are occasional reports of them swallowing young children or animals.
Villagers reported to police that Akbar had been missing for 24 hours.
Police then conducted a search and found the snake near the family’s palm plantation.
While snakes normally avoid human settlements, they would see palm oil plantations as a good hunting ground as they attract animals like boars, primates or dogs.
Jakarta’s governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has denied he intended to insult the Quran at the start of his blasphemy trial, marked by rival rallies outside the court.
A Christian of Chinese descent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, cried as he denied allegations he insulted Islam.
Ahok is the first non-Muslim governor of Indonesia’s capital in 50 years.
Image source YouTube
The case is being seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
The prosecution said Ahok insulted Islam by misusing a Quranic verse which suggests Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims, to boost public support ahead of February’s governorship election.
Ahok insisted his comments were aimed at politicians “incorrectly” using a Quranic verse against him, not at the verse itself.
If convicted, Ahok faces a maximum five-year jail sentence. After the short hearing, the trial was adjourned until December 20.
Leonardo DiCaprio could be banned from entering Indonesia in the future over his comments on rainforests being cleared for palm oil plantations.
The 41-year-old actor entered Indonesia on a tourist visa and on March 27 visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh.
Leonardo DiCaprio posted following his visit to the park: “A world-class biodiversity hotspot… but palm oil expansion is destroying this unique place.”
Now Heru Santoso, a spokesperson for the director general of the immigration department, has revealed Leonardo DiCaprio could be banned for such comments – if they’re “categorized as incitement or provocation”.
”In terms of [his] visa and immigration permit, Leonardo DiCaprio did not do anything wrong: He entered and left Indonesia legally. But, we still investigate,” Heru Santoso told BBC News.
“If DiCaprio’s posting in his social media can be categorized as incitement or provocation, we can blacklist him from coming back to Indonesia.”
It is not the first time a Hollywood star has run into trouble in Indonesia over their environmental activism.
Photo Instagram
Harrison Ford was threatened with deportation in 2013 for “harassing state institutions” after interviewing the then forestry minister about illegal logging.
In posts on his Instagram account, Leonardo DiCaprio said he was working to save the Leuser ecosystem, “the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild”.
On Twitter, Leonardo DiCaprio posted a link to a petition addressed to the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, calling for the area to be protected.
Some members of the government have accused Leonardo DiCaprio of running a “black campaign” to discredit the government and Indonesia’s palm oil industry.
Earlier this year environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio used his Oscars speech to warn the world about climate change.
Accepting the Best Actor award, Leonardo DiCaprio explained: “Making The Revenant was about man’s relationship to the natural world.
“A world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow.
“Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species.
“We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this.”
Indonesian police have identified four out of five of the Jakarta attackers.
Two were previously convicted militants.
Police named one of them as Afif Sunakim. He was seen carrying a gun and rucksack during the attacks. He was given a seven-year jail term for attending a militant camp.
All five died in January 14 attacks, which left two civilians dead and were claimed by ISIS.
Three arrests were made on January 15 but it is unclear if they are connected.
Security forces battled militants for hours in the busy commercial district where the militants struck.
A Canadian and an Indonesian national died, and at least 20 people were injured.
The assault ended when two attackers died in a suicide bombing, police say, with the other three killed in gun battles.
Following recent ISIS threats, Indonesia, which had been attacked by Islamist militants several times in the past, had been on high alert.
Gen. Badrodin Haiti, the national police chief, said Afif Sunakim and one other attacker had both been convicted criminals.
Jakarta’s chief of police, Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, said a hunt was under way for terror cells believed to be behind the attack.
Three men were arrested near Jakarta, police told local media.
A police spokesman, Anton Charliyan, confirmed on that those who organized the attacks were associated with ISIS.
Two of the perpetrators, he added, were “known to have committed similar radical activities some time ago”.
Earlier, Bahrum Naim, an Indonesian believed to be fighting with ISIS in Syria, was named as the suspected co-ordinator.
Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said Bahrum Naim’s “vision” was to unite various ISIS-supporting groups across South East Asia.
ISIS released a statement saying it had targeted citizens of countries which are part of the international coalition fighting the group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq.
Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said Indonesia had significantly developed its understanding of domestic militant networks since the 2002 bomb attack in Bali, which killed 202 people.
Some 1,000 people linked to radical networks had been brought to justice in Indonesia since 2000, he said, but some had since been released from prison and had “the potential to pose a threat”.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo tweeted on January 15 that there was “no place for terrorism on Earth” and that “every citizen in the world” needed to fight it.
Indonesia has suffered militant attacks in the past, but has been relatively successful in curbing home-grown Islamist extremism after a spate of attacks in the last decade.
One Directions’ Harry Styles broke down in tears as band took to the stage without Zayn Malik.
On Wednesday, March 25, when the news of Zayn Malik’s decision to quit the band was still breaking around the world, One Direction was performing in Indonesia.
Harry Styles walked around on stage, head in hands as he started to cry.
A statement released by Zayn Malik on March 25 said “it’s time for me to leave”.
It began: “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined.
“But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.
“I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.
“I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”
The footage of Harry Styles was taken as One Direction performed on stage in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, the latest stop on their On The Road Again Tour.
Last week it was announced Zayn Malik had been signed off from the current tour with “stress”.
It is unclear from the footage whether Harry Styles, 21, was crying because of the news of Zayn Malik or because fans were showing support by shouting his name.
At one point in the concert Liam Payne reportedly comforted him.
In a black T-shirt and with his hair up in his trademark man bun, Harry Styles wandered around the stage with his head in his hands and wiping away tears.
Liam Payne told his 19.7 million Twitter followers: “So glad to be in bed after a long and strange 24 hours.”
Harry Styles sent a simple message to his 24.1 million Twitter followers, which read: “All the love as always. H.”
Louis Tomlinson has also tweeted: “Your support has been incredible, truly incredible so thank you so much!
“Been a crazy couple of days but know that we are going to work harder than ever to deliver the best album we’ve ever made for you guys!”
Niall Horan was the last to tweet. He said: “Been a mad few days and your support has been incredible as per usual! This in turn Spurs us on to make the best music we possibly can.
“Put on great shows / tours for you guys. You are the best fans in the world and you deserve nothing less from us!
“The lads and I arrived in South Africa this morning. We cannot wait to see all you SA fans for the first time and have great shows.”
It’s not the first time Harry Styles has appeared to cry on stage.
Footage showed him snivelling at a gig in Melbourne, Australia, in 2013 while singing Over Again.
One Direction released a statement on March 25 confirming to fans that the band would continue as a four-piece.
They will record their fifth album in Zayn Malik’s absence and will continue with the remaining dates on the band’s world tour.
In some parts of the world like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia or Indonesia, celebrating Valentine’s Day with flowers, chocolates or a glass of wine could result in severe punishment.
While Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many Indonesians, officials and Muslim clerics are less happy about the holiday.
In recent years there have been protests from conservative Indonesians, saying Valentine’s Day is un-Islamic.
They argue it promotes casual s** and the drinking of alcohol.
India
A number of political parties in India have criticized Valentine’s Day, arguing it promotes Western values and is unwelcome in India.
India used to be part of the British Empire until it declared independence on August 15, 1947.
In 2015, the Indian Hindu nationalist party Mahasabha said that they would encourage couples spotted out together on Valentine’s Day to get married, and will actually have a religious leader on standby to perform marriages.
Other groups have said that celebrating romance would encourage teenage pregnancy and instead pushed for Indians to ditch the idea of romance between boys and girls and replace Valentine’s Day with a celebration of the love between parents and children, a “Parent’s Worship Day”.
The idea began on religious leader Asaram Bapu’s website.
Indonesia
The Asian country has the world’s largest Muslim population, but is a secular nation, meaning that the government says it is neutral and neither supports nor disagrees with religion.
However, in the province of Aceh, the only place with Islamic rule, celebrations are banned as is the sale of gifts.
Photo Getty Images
Iran
While giving chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day is increasingly popular in Iran, in the past authorities have sought to crack down on celebrations, calling the day a “decedent Western custom”.
Despite this restaurants in Tehran reported being fully booked last year and many shops could be seen selling teddy bears and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.
This was in spite of being threatened with prosecution if they sold traditional Valentine’s Day gifts.
According to the Economist, shops simply used lookouts to tell them if inspectors were coming on a Valentine’s Day patrol.
Malaysia
Last year, 80 Muslims were arrested by the Islamic morality police for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
They think Valentine’s Day encourages immoral activities.
Officers raided budget hotels in the central state of Selangor and capital, Kuala Lumpur, detaining unmarried Muslim couples who were sharing rooms.
The anti-Valentine’s Day campaign by the country’s Islamic authorities goes back to a fatwa (religious ruling) issued in 2005.
However, many Malaysians still celebrate the day and other faiths are not affected by the Valentine’s Day boycott in the country.
Additionally not all Malaysian Muslims agreed with the campaign, with some saying Valentine’s Day is harmless.
Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of the 28 million-population.
Pakistan
In 2014, there were clashes at a university in Peshawar over Valentine’s Day.
Liberal students were celebrating with red balloons and cake while another group felt such a show was un-Islamic.
Dozens of students threw rocks in the scuffle, leading to gunshots being fired by both sides and rooms in a student dormitory being set on fire.
Three students were injured and stones were thrown at police.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, Valentine’s Day is banned by the kingdom’s religious police.
Women and men sit separately in restaurants and public displays of affection are taboo.
However, some shops continue to sell red roses and other traditional Valentine’s presents.
One shop owner described how Valentine’s Day orders are placed over the telephone to avoid detection and flowers are hidden in the back of the store.
Last August, the decision to sentence five Saudis to a total of 39 years in prison, as well as 4,500 lashes between them, was upheld.
The men had been found dancing with six women they were unrelated to on Valentine’s Day. Alcohol and red roses were also seized.
Brazil is “outraged” by the execution of Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, 53, was arrested in 2003 after police at Jakarta airport found 13.4 kg of cocaine hidden in his hang glider.
Brazil says Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira was the first Brazilian national to be executed abroad and has warned it will damage relations.
Five other convicts from Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam and the Netherlands, were executed on January 18.
Convicted of drugs charges, they faced a firing squad in Central Java province shortly after midnight local time.
Five were executed on the island of Nusa Kambangan and the other one, a Vietnamese woman, was executed in the small central Javanese town of Boyolali.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement that she was “outraged and dismayed”.
“Relations between the two countries have been affected,” she said.
“The Brazilian ambassador to Jakarta has been recalled for consultations,” the president added.
The Netherlands has also recalled its ambassador, after Foreign Minister Bert Koenders called the execution of Dutch citizen Ang Kiem Soe, 52, “an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity”.
Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. The country resumed executions in 2013 after an unofficial four-year moratorium.
Indonesia’s Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said “hopefully, this will have a deterrent effect”.
President Joko Widodo has said that he will show no mercy towards drug criminals because they have ruined the lives of so many.
Dilma Rousseff had made a plea for clemency on January 16, but it was rejected by Joko Widodo.
She told her Indonesian counterpart that she respected the sovereignty and judicial system of his country but as a mother and head of state she was making the appeal for humanitarian reasons.
Brazil says Joko Widodo said he understood the Brazilian president’s concern but said he could not commute the sentence as the full legal process had been followed.
Human rights group Amnesty International urged the Indonesian government to halt executions immediately, and eventually abolish the death penalty.
Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira said in a video recorded by a friend that he regretted trying to smuggle cocaine into Indonesia.
“I am aware that I committed a serious offence, but I believe I deserve another chance. Everyone makes mistakes.”
A second Brazilian national, Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte, remains on death row in Indonesia, also convicted with drug trafficking offences.
Brazil abolished the death penalty in times of peace when it became a republic in 1889.
Four more bodies have been recovered from the Java Sea as the hunt to find the main wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 enters a second week.
Indonesia search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said 34 bodies have now been found, as well as five large objects.
Bad weather has forced divers to suspend their bid to find the plane’s fuselage, where most of the bodies are believed to be trapped.
The plane, which was carrying 162 people, crashed on December 28.
It was en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
Bad weather is believed to be the biggest factor in the crash although the Airbus A320’s “black boxes”, or flight data recorders, have yet to be located.
Bambang Soelistyo said on January 4 that Singapore navy vessel RSS Persistence had recovered one body, while US navy ship USS Sampson had brought three more back to the Indonesian town of Pangkalan Bun.
Nearly 30 ships are now involved in the search operation, as well as six planes and 14 helicopters.
There were hopes the weather would improve on Sunday, but conditions once again hampered efforts to find the plane’s main wreckage.
Search teams found four large objects thought to be debris from the plane on January 3, with the largest measuring 59ft.
A fifth object was located on the seabed on January 4, Bambang Soelistyo told reporters.
Dozens of divers from Indonesia and Russia have been deployed to the search area, which has been enlarged to allow for tides sweeping bodies and debris further afield.
They attempted to survey more of the seabed on Sunday but “visibility at the sea bottom was zero,” Bambang Soelistyo said.
Remotely operated cameras were being used to try to photograph the objects, but waves up to 16ft high and strong currents made their use difficult.
National Search and Rescue deputy chief Tatang Zainudin said: “We are racing with time and weather in running this mission.”
On January 3, Indonesian weather agency BMKG said initial analysis suggested icy conditions in the air had caused the engine to stall.
Officials have said the plane was travelling at 32,000ft when the pilot’s last communication was a request to climb to 38,000ft to avoid bad weather.
It has emerged that AirAsia did not have official permission to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on the day of the crash, but was licensed on four other days of the week.
Rescue teams in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 have recovered at least 40 bodies from the sea, the Indonesian navy says.
The bodies were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo, in one of the search zones for the plane.
There has been no official confirmation that the remains come from the plane.
The Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, disappeared on Sunday.
The search operation is now in its third day, with the area widened to cover 13 zones over land and sea.
In a separate development, there were reports of a second incident involving an AirAsia plane at Kalibo in the central Philippines. The reports said the plane overshot the runway.
During a news conference by the head of the search operation, shown live on Indonesian TV, pictures of the debris were shown including a body floating on the water.
Relatives of passengers on the plane watching the pictures were visibly shocked.
Later, the Indonesian navy reported that 40 bodies had been retrieved by one warship.
Its spokesman said the rescuers were continuing to recover bodies and were “very busy now”.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes tweeted to the families: “My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia, my condolences.”
Search operation head Bambang Soelistyo said he was 95% certain the objects shown were from the plane, adding that a shadow was spotted under water which appeared to be in the shape of a plane.
All resources were now being sent to the area where the debris was found, he said.
Bambang Soelistyo added that ships with more sophisticated technology were being deployed to check whether larger parts of the plane were submerged beneath the debris.
Indonesian civil aviation chief Djoko Murjatmodjo, quoted by AFP news agency, said “significant things” such as a passenger door and cargo door had been found.
Djoko Murjatmodjo added that the objects had been found 100 miles south-west of Pangkalan Bun in Borneo’s Central Kalimantan province.
At least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters joined the operation when it resumed at 06:00AM local time on December 30.
The operation, led by Indonesia, includes assistance from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, with other offers of help from South Korea, Thailand, China and France. The US destroyer USS Sampson is on its way to the zone.
On board the plane were 137 adult passengers, 17 children and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew.
Most were Indonesian but the passengers included one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 left Surabaya at 05:35 Jakarta time on December 28 and had been due to arrive in Singapore two hours later.
Safety officials say the captain had asked for permission to take the plane higher but, by the time permission was granted, communication with the plane was lost.
The plane was officially declared missing at 07:55.
AirAsia previously had an excellent safety record and there were no fatal accidents involving its aircraft.
Indonesian search teams have spotted debris and a body at sea in the hunt for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, officials say.
Several objects and a body were seen floating in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo, in one of the search zones for the plane.
An Indonesian official said the debris was 95% likely to be from AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
The Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, disappeared on December 28.
The search operation is now in its third day, with the area widened to cover 13 zones over land and sea.
During a news conference by the head of the operation, pictures of the debris were shown, including a body floating on the water.
Relatives of passengers on the plane watching the pictures were visibly shocked.
Search operation head Bambang Soelistyo said he was 95% certain the objects shown were from the plane.
All resources were now being sent to the area where the debris was found, and all objects or bodies found will be taken to Pangkalan Bun, he said, referring to a nearby town in Central Kalimantan province.
Photo AFP
Bambang Soelistyo added that ships with more sophisticated technology were being deployed to check whether larger parts of the plane were submerged beneath the debris.
Indonesian civil aviation chief Djoko Murjatmodjo, quoted by AFP news agency, said “significant things” such as a passenger door and cargo door had been found.
He added that the objects had been found 100 miles south-west of Pangkalan Bun.
At least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters joined the operation when it resumed at 06:00 local time on Tuesday, December 30.
The operation, led by Indonesia, includes assistance from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, with other offers of help from South Korea, Thailand, China and France. The US destroyer USS Sampson is on its way to the zone.
Earlier, Indonesian officials said they were investigating reports of smoke seen rising from an island close to Belitung island, one of the focal points of the search, though experts cautioned it could be unrelated to the missing plane.
On board the plane were 137 adult passengers, 17 children and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew.
Most were Indonesian but the passengers included one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans.
The plane left Surabaya at 05:35 Jakarta time on December 28 and had been due to arrive in Singapore two hours later.
Safety officials say the captain had asked for permission to take the plane higher but, by the time permission was granted, communication with the plane was lost.
The plane was officially declared missing at 07:55.
AirAsia previously had an excellent safety record and there were no fatal accidents involving its aircraft.
AirAsia flight QZ8501 is likely to be at the bottom of the sea, the head of Indonesia’s search-and-rescue agency has said.
Bambang Soelistyo said the hypothesis was based on the co-ordinates of the plane when contact with it was lost.
The search is continuing for the aircraft, a day after it disappeared with 162 people on board, but no trace has been found so far.
The Airbus A320-200 was on a flight to Singapore.
The pilots had requested a course change because of bad weather but did not send any distress call before the plane disappeared from radar screens.
“Based on the co-ordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea, the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea,” Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, told a news conference in Jakarta.
As the search resumed on December 29, Indonesia air force spokesman Hadi Tjahnanto said it was being focused on an area where an oil spill had been spotted but it was not clear if it had been caused by the plane.
Meanwhile the Associated Press news agency quoted an Indonesian official as saying that objects had been spotted in the sea near Nangka island by an Australian search plane. Again, it was not clear if they had come from the missing aircraft.
Bambang Soelistyo said Indonesia was providing 12 ships, three helicopters and five military aircraft.
Malaysia was to deploy a C-130 plane, along with three ships, with Singapore lending a C-130 and Australia also providing help.
Indonesian officials said any ships in the area could help in the search. Vice-President Jusuf Kalla told journalists that “even fishermen” were being asked to join in.
AirAsia’s share price fell 7% in morning trading on December 29 in Kuala Lumpur.
Flight QZ8501 had left Surabaya in eastern Java at 05:35 on Sunday, December 28, and was due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30.
The pilot radioed at 06:24 local time asking permission to climb to 38,000ft (11,000m) to avoid the dense storm clouds.
Indonesian officials said the request could not be immediately approved due to traffic, but the plane disappeared from the radar screens before the pilots gave any further response.
The AirAsia Indonesia plane was delivered in 2008, has flown 13,600 times, completing 23,000 hours, and underwent its last maintenance in November.
The captain, Iriyanto, had more than 20,500 flight hours, almost 7,000 of them with AirAsia. The co-pilot is French national Remi Emmanuel Plesel.
The AirAsia group has previously had no fatal accidents involving its aircraft. The airline has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may be on board. The number is +622 129 850 801.
Special centers were set up at both Singapore’s Changi airport and Juanda international airport in Surabaya.
There were 155 passengers on board: 137 adults, 17 children and one infant. Most were Indonesian but also one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans.
Two pilots and five crew were also on board – one French, the others Indonesian.
No distress call is reported to have been issued by the crew of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, officials report.
The aircraft was flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board when it lost contact with air traffic control.
Flight QZ8501, an Airbus 320-200, went missing at 07:24, Malaysia-based AirAsia tweeted.
Indonesian military planes are searching an area of the Java Sea.
AirAsia, a budget airline, has never lost a plane, but Malaysia’s national carrier Malaysia Airlines has suffered two this year – flights MH370 and MH17.
The AirAsia plane disappeared about two hours into a three-hour flight.
It left the Indonesian city of Surabaya in eastern Java at 05:20 local time and was due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30.
The missing jet had requested a “deviation” from the flight path due to bad weather, the company said.
Indonesia’s transport ministry said the pilot had asked permission to climb to 38,000 ft (11,000m) to avoid thick cloud. No distress call is reported to have been issued by the crew.
AirAsia Indonesia is an affiliate of the Malaysian company AirAsia, operating domestic flights round the Indonesian archipelago as well as international services to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.
AirAsia Indonesia was banned from flying to the EU in 2007 due to safety concerns but this was lifted in July 2010.
AirAsia flight QZ8501 with 162 people on board travelling from Indonesia to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control.
Flight QZ8501 lost contact at 07:24AM, Malaysia-based AirAsia tweeted.
Search and rescue operations are under way.
Malaysia’s national carrier Malaysia Airlines has suffered two disasters this year – flights MH370 and MH17 – but AirAsia has never lost a plane.
Flight MH370 disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March with 239 passengers and crew, and MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board.
The AirAsia flight had been due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30AM.
The missing jet had requested a “deviation” from the flight path due to bad weather, the company said.
There were 155 passengers on board, with 138 adults, 16 children and one infant, the company said in a statement. Also on board were two pilots and five cabin crew.
Most of those on board were Indonesian, but there were six others on board, three South Koreans, and one each from France, Malaysia and Singapore, AirAsia has said.
An official with the transport ministry, Hadi Mustofa, told local media the plane lost contact over the Java Sea, between the islands of Kalimantan and Java.
He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact and that the weather had been cloudy.
AirAsia has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may be on board: +622 129 850 801.
Indonesia and other nations are holding memorial services for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami on the 10th anniversary of the disaster.
In Indonesia’s province of Aceh – the worst hit area – Vice-President Jusuf Kalla led tributes to the dead at the Siron mass grave.
Memorial ceremonies will also take place in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
More than 200,000 people died when an underwater earthquake set off massive waves on December 26, 2004.
In Aceh’s capital, Banda Aceh, Jusuf Kalla thanked local volunteers and the outside world for helping Aceh recover from the tragedy. He also presented awards to ambassadors from the donor nations.
Earlier, thousands of people earlier gathered at the city’s Great Mosque – a 19th Century building that was one of the few structures in the town to survive the tsunami.
The mosque’s imam, Asman Ismail, said the tsunami had taught a “valuable lesson” to Aceh, which had been the scene of an armed conflict for nearly 30 years.
“After the tsunami, no-one fights against each other, people live in harmony and peace till this day,” he said.
Efforts to end the conflict resumed after the tsunami, culminating in a peace deal between the government and the rebels in August 2005.
In Thailand, people are marking the anniversary with a series of solemn events and religious rites throughout the day.
In the small fishing village of Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga province, people have been laying flowers at a memorial wall displaying names of the victims.
The village was devastated by the massive waves.
Nearly 5,500 people died in Thailand, half of whom were foreign tourists.
In Sri Lanka, the Ocean Queen Express train – which has become a symbol of the tragedy for the nation – is at the centre of commemorative events.
The overcrowded train was hit by the tsunami south of the capital Colombo. More than 1,700 people died, in what was the world’s biggest rail disaster.
Survivors and relatives of those who died boarded the restored train carriage and headed to Peraliya, where the train was struck.
Sweden, which lost over 500 of its citizens in the disaster, will hold a memorial service in the Uppsala Cathedral on December 26.
The strength of the quake off Indonesia’s coast – the biggest tremor in the world since 1964 – unleashed giant waves that rushed across the Indian Ocean.
The tsunami also hit Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and later reached the east African nations’ of Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania.
Tsunami warning systems and emergency procedures have been implemented since the disaster to try to minimize casualties in the future.
A landslide on Indonesia’s main island of Java has killed at least 17 people, officials say.
More than 100 people are missing after heavy rain caused the landslide near Jemblung village in central Java.
Rescuers have been searching for survivors but a lack of heavy equipment is hampering efforts, with many forced to dig with their bare hands.
Disaster agency officials said rescue teams had taken about 40 people to hospital, of whom four were said to be in a critical condition.
Relief efforts were suspended on Saturday afternoon after more rain.
Indonesia’s national disaster agency said hundreds of houses had been destroyed by the landslide.
“Conditions on the ground are pretty tough and we need heavy machines to clear the road that has been covered by the landslide,” agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
A landslide in a nearby village on Thursday killed one man and forced hundreds to evacuate.
Flash floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, triggered by seasonal downpours.
Many of the inhabitants of the chain of 17,000 islands live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
Joko Widodo has been sworn in as Indonesia’s new president in a Jakarta ceremony.
The 53-year-old charismatic outsider who won Indonesia’s presidency made a call for national reconciliation and unity as he was sworn in.
Popularly known as Jokowi, he took the oath of office at a ceremony held at parliament in Jakarta.
Joko Widodo was then cheered through the streets as he made his way on a horse-drawn carriage to the state palace.
The former Jakarta governor is the first president not to have come from the military or political elite.
Joko Widodo has been sworn in as Indonesia’s new president in a Jakarta ceremony
Elected in July, the former furniture exporter and son of a carpenter now leads the world’s third-largest democracy, with a population of about 250 million people.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Australia’s PM Tony Abbott were among those who attended the inauguration.
After reading the oath of office, he told Indonesians that “unity and working hand in hand are prerequisites for us to be a great nation. We will never become a great nation if we are stuck with division”.
“This is a historic moment for us all to move together, to work and work,” he said.
Joko Widodo then travelled through the capital in a horse-drawn carriage to the state palace with Vice-President Jusuf Kalla.
He was met by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the palace. The two had met on Sunday for a tour of the estate.
An outdoor concert featuring rock bands is scheduled for Monday night, with Joko Widodo expected to appear on stage.
About 24,000 police and military personnel have been deployed, but correspondents say that the mood in the capital is upbeat.
Some of the earliest cave paintings produced by humans have been identified in a rural area on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi.
Until now, paintings this old had been confirmed in caves only in Western Europe.
Researchers tell the journal Nature that the Indonesian discovery transforms ideas about how humans first developed the ability to produce art.
Australian and Indonesian scientists have dated layers of stalactite-like growths that have formed over colored outlines of human hands.
Early artists made them by carefully blowing paint around hands that were pressed tightly against the cave walls and ceilings. The oldest is at least 40,000 years old.
Some of the earliest cave paintings produced by humans have been identified in a rural area on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi
There are also human figures, and pictures of wild hoofed animals that are found only on the island. Dr. Maxime Aubert, of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, who dated the paintings found in Maros in Southern Sulawesi, explained that one of them was probably the earliest of its type.
“The minimum age for is 39,900 years old, which makes it the oldest hand stencil in the world,” said Dr. Maxime Aubert.
There are also paintings in the caves that are around 27,000 years old, which means that the inhabitants were painting for at least 13,000 years.
In addition, there are paintings in a cave in the regency of Bone, 100 km north of Maros. These cannot be dated because the stalactite-like growths used to determine the age of the art do not occur. However, the researchers believe that they are probably the same age as the paintings in Maros because they are stylistically identical.
The discovery of the Indonesian cave art is important because it shows the beginnings of human intelligence as we understand it today.
Malang, Cilacap and Semarang airports reopened Saturday on the Indonesian island of Java after being forced to close following the eruption of Mount Kelud.
Correspondents say air quality has improved across Java, but cities and villages are still covered in a layer of dust and ash.
Tens of thousands remain in shelters, facing medicine and blanket shortages.
Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area on Friday, killing three people.
The volcano had been rumbling for several weeks before it erupted.
Authorities said they were not expecting another major tremor, because the patterns showed volcanoes tended to quieten down after a large eruption.
Malang, Cilacap and Semarang airports reopened on Java after being forced to close following the eruption of Mount Kelud
The airports shut down because of low visibility. There were also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.
Some 75,000 people are estimated to have sought refuge in temporary shelters.
Officials raised an alert on Thursday about an hour before the volcano erupted.
They urged people living in 36 villages within 6 miles of the volcano to evacuate.
Officials said two people died when their homes caved in under the weight of gravel and ash.
The volcano last erupted in 1990, killing dozens of people. A powerful eruption in 1919 killed around 5,000 people.
Indonesia lies across a series of geological fault-lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Some 200,000 people are told to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after Kelud volcano erupts on the island of Java, with at least two people killed.
Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area, including the city of Surabaya, about 80 miles away.
Two people died after their houses collapsed under the weight of ash, officials said. Some towns were said to be covered by 1.6 in of ash.
Three major airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta were forced to shut down because of low visibility.
There are also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.
Some 200,000 people are told to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after Kelud volcano erupts on the island of Java
Andi Wirson, general manager at the Yogyakarta airport, said: “The current conditions are that volcanic ash is now covering the runway, apron and tarmac. We have already measured the thickness of the volcanic ash, which is at 5 cm on the runway and tarmac.”
Indonesia’s disaster agency on Friday said that more than 100,000 people had evacuated to temporary shelters.
Many in Indonesia are quite used to volcanic eruptions, and are reluctant to leave their homes and belongings, correspondents say.
Officials said two people died after their homes, which appeared to have weak structures, could not withstand the weight of gravel and ash, and caved in.
Some of the evacuees tried to visit their houses on Friday morning to gather clothing and valuables, but were forced to turn back by the continuous stream of volcanic ash and rocks from the volcano, AFP news agency reported.
The 5,600 ft Mount Kelud – which had been rumbling for several weeks – erupted on Thursday evening.
However, the head of Indonesia’s Volcano and Geology Agency, Hendrasto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said the eruption was gradually subsiding.
Experts say the volcano tends to quieten down after a large eruption, and more big eruptions are unlikely.
Indonesia has raised the alert for the Mount Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra to the highest level.
The status was raised from “stand-by” to “caution” – the highest alert for volcanic activity – on Sunday.
People have also been warned to stay at least 3 miles from the crater.
Mount Sinabung has been showing signs of life since September, after being dormant for three years. Over the weekend, it shot ash and rocks far into the air, prompting the alert move.
More than 15,000 villagers in the area had already been moved to temporary shelters, disaster management officials said in a statement.
Indonesia has raised the alert for the Mount Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra to the highest level
Airlines have also been advised not to fly near the area.
The disaster management agency said they had changed the alert level because they anticipated there would “more eruptions and because the intensity of eruptions has been increasing”.
A local official told Agence-France Presse agency that “loud thunderous sound and vibrations” accompanied the eruptions.
No casualties have been reported so far.
When the volcano last erupted in 2010, at least two people were killed and 30,000 others were displaced.
Before 2010, Mount Sinabung had not erupted in 400 years. It is one of around 130 active volcanoes in the country.
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden reportedly revealed that Australia’s intelligence agencies spied on phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and close confidantes.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady and Vice-President Boediono were reportedly amongst those targeted.
The documents leaked by Edward Snowden were published by broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Guardian newspaper.
Indonesia said Australia should “urgently” clarify the spying claims.
The report is the latest in a series of spying allegations that have strained relations between the two allies.
On November 1st, Indonesia summoned Australia’s ambassador amid reports that Australia’s Jakarta embassy was used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia.
The latest leaked document showed that Australia spy agencies named Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady, Vice-President Boediono and other senior ministers as targets for monitoring, the reports said.
The presentation from Australian spy agency the Defense Signals Directorate (now known as the Australian Signals Directorate) showed that agencies attempted to listen to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s calls at least once, and tracked calls made to and from his mobile phone, in August 2009, the ABC and the Guardian added.
Australia’s intelligence agencies spied on phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and close confidantes
The news organizations published slides from the presentation, which appeared to show a list of Indonesian “leadership targets” and the handset models used by each target, as well as a diagram of “voice events” of the Indonesian president in August 2009.
One slide entitled “Indonesian President voice intercept (August ’09)” appeared to show an attempt to listen to the content of a phone call to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
On Monday, responding to questions in parliament, Australian PM Tony Abbott said: “The Australian government never comments on specific intelligence matters.”
He added: “I will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close co-operation that we have with Indonesia, which is all in all, our most important relationship.”
Last week, commenting on the earlier claims, PM Tony Abbott had described the term spying as “kind of loaded language” and suggested that “researching” would be more appropriate.
On Monday Indonesian presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah, said: “[The] Australian government urgently needs to clarify on this news, to avoid further damage.”
“The damage has been done,” he added.
Indonesia has publicly voiced anger over previous allegations of Australian spying.
Vice-President Boediono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said last week that the Indonesian public was “concerned” about the spying allegations.
“I think we must look forward to come to some arrangement which guarantees that intelligence information from each side is not used against the other,” Boediono said.
Australia and Indonesia are key allies and trading partners.
Australia requires Indonesia’s co-operation on the asylum issue, as many asylum seekers travel via Indonesia to Australia by boat, but there are tensions on the issue.
Earlier this month, Indonesia declined an Australian request to receive a boat of asylum seekers whose vessel, bound for Australia’s Christmas Island, had got into trouble after it departed from Indonesia.
The reports are amongst the series of documents leaked by Edward Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and is wanted in the US in connection with the unauthorized disclosures.
Hard rock band Aerosmith has cancelled a concert in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over safety concerns, a concert promoter has confirmed.
Aerosmith had been due to play in Jakarta next weekend.
The band issued a statement posted on the Facebook page of concert promoter Ismaya Live apologizing to fans and also saying: “We… hope one day we can make it up to them.”
“They gave no specific reasons for the cancellation,” said spokeswoman Sarah Deshita.
“We are sad and disappointed.”
Aerosmith has cancelled a concert in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over safety concerns
“We did all we could to ensure security was tight and even engaged the marines but it’s not enough,” she told news agency Agence France Presse.
Sarah Deshita said around 85% of the tickets for the concert had been sold.
Security was tightened around the Burmese embassy and ambassador’s house in Jakarta on Friday after two men suspected of plotting a bomb attack were arrested.
Last year, Lady Gaga cancelled a concert in the Indonesian capital, citing security concerns following protests by religious groups.
Police in Indonesia had refused to issue a permit for Lady Gaga after Islamic groups objected to her show, claiming it was too vulgar.
They had called upon the singer to tone down her performance but her management took the decision to pull the plug instead.
Rihanna also twice pulled out of concerts in the city in 2008 and 2009.
Singer Steven Tyler arrived in Manila on Sunday, where Aerosmith is due to play on Wednesday as part of their ongoing world tour.
Lindsay Sandiford, a 56-year-old British grandmother, has been sentenced to death by firing squad in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
Lindsay Sandiford was arrested at Bali’s airport in May last year after 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) of cocaine was found in the lining of her suitcase during a routine customs check.
The woman, whose last UK address was in Gloucestershire, said she was coerced into bringing the drugs to the island.
Her lawyers said they were “surprised” at the verdict and would appeal.
Lindsay Sandiford was held after a flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
Prosecutors had recommended a 15-year sentence of imprisonment.
But the judges said there were no mitigating circumstances and the defendant did not appear to care about the consequences of her actions.
They said Lindsay Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government’s anti-drugs programme.
Her lawyer said it was very rare that judges delivered a sentence so much harsher than the prosecution had recommended.
The defendant appeared shocked and covered her head with a brown sarong to hide her face from the glare of cameras.
Lindsay Sandiford, originally from Redcar in Teesside, was accused of being at the centre of a ring involving three other Britons.
Last year, Paul Beales was sentenced to four years for possession of drugs and Rachel Dougall was jailed for one year for failing to report a crime.
The drug possession trial of Julian Ponder, from Brighton – who is believed to be Rachel Dougall’s partner – is still taking place. He is alleged to have collected cocaine from Lindsay Sandiford.
Lindsay Sandiford’s case had been taken up by the British human rights charity Reprieve, which said she had been “targeted by drug traffickers who exploited her vulnerability and made threats against her children”.
It says she was held for 10 days without access to a lawyer or translator after her arrest and the Indonesian authorities failed to inform the British embassy during this time.
In response to the sentence, Reprieve’s Harriet McCulloch said: “She is clearly not a drug king pin – she has no money to pay for a lawyer, for the travel costs of defence witnesses or even for essentials like food and water.
“She has cooperated fully with the Indonesian authorities but has been sentenced to death while the gang operating in the UK, Thailand and Indonesia remain free to target other vulnerable people.”
Lindsay Sandiford, a 56-year-old British grandmother, has been sentenced to death by firing squad in Indonesia for drug trafficking
During the trial Lindsay Sandiford’s defence lawyer told Denpasar District Court that a history of mental health problems made her vulnerable.
In a witness statement, Lindsay Sandiford apologized to “the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian people” for her involvement.
She added: “I would never have become involved in something like this but the lives of my children were in danger and I felt I had to protect them.”
In another statement read out in court, her son Eliot said he believed his mother was forced into trafficking after a disagreement over rent money she paid on his behalf.
Indonesia has some of the toughest anti-drug laws in the world, but executions rarely take place.
Most of the 40 foreigners currently on death row in Indonesia have been convicted of drug offences, according to Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy.
Five foreigners have been executed since 1998, all for drug crimes, but there have been no executions in the country since 2008, said the institute said.
The UK Foreign Office says there are currently 12 British nationals facing the death penalty abroad.
It said: “We are aware that Lindsay Sandiford is facing the death penalty in Indonesia.
“We strongly object to the death penalty and continue to provide consular assistance to Lindsay and her family during this difficult time.”
It said “repeated representations” about the case were made to Indonesia following her arrest and the foreign secretary had raised the case during the Indonesian president’s state visit in November.
The Foreign Office says its policy is to use “all appropriate influence” to prevent the execution of a British national including “high-level political lobbying when necessary”.
Any pressure by the UK government in Lindsay Sandiford’s case was now likely to occur after the judicial appeals process was complete.
Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood said the verdict was unexpected and “very worrying” and he would seek to raise the sentence with Foreign Secretary William Hague.
“I’m appalled by this development,” he said.
“We had been given encouraging signals by the Indonesian ambassador that Indonesia was moving away from the death penalty, that this was something that was associated with the days of the dictatorship, long since past.”
Meanwhile, Sebastian Saville, the former chief executive of the human rights charity Release, said the sentence was “utterly deplorable”.
But he said: “There are many people executed every year in local countries – Thailand, Cambodia – for much smaller amounts of drugs…. So it does not fall out of the remit for someone caught with 5kg of cocaine to be given the death sentence.”
Sebastian Saville added: “If we took a referendum in this country… should people caught with 5kg of cocaine be executed, yes or no… I think you’d be surprised about the number of yeses, as we live in a world which believes in punishment, not in fixing things.”
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake offshore.
The quake had a depth of 33 km (20 miles) and struck at 20:47 local time, the US Geological Survey said. It was located off the Philippines island of Samar.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake offshore
There are no details of any damage or casualties from the quake.
It is not yet known if a tsunami has actually been generated.
Warnings were also initially issued for Taiwan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Yap, but were later lifted.
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