The daughter of Sukarno, who heads the PDI-P, the party to which outgoing President Joko Widodo belongs, has asked the Constitutional Court to allow her to act as “amicus curiae” in a legal case that could stop Gibran Rakabuming Raka from taking office as vice president after his running mate, General Prabowo Subianto, won the presidency.
A spokesperson for Papuan nationalist group, Sebby Sambom, claimed responsibility for the death of Second Lieutenant Oktovianus Sogorlay, who was ambushed along with a local village chief in Painai district. The killings follow a change by the Indonesian military towards pro-independence groups.
The Holy See has officially announced the long journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. Card Goh of Singapore hopes the pope will bring to his predominantly Chinese city, “renewed fervour to all Catholics [. . .], especially in these most challenging of times”. It will also be the first time a pontiff visits Dili since independence. For Card Carmo da Silva, the Holy Father comes to “strengthen Timor-Leste’s Church in the faith and love of Christ.”
Today's news: Hong Kong denied access to a Reporters Without Borders representative, who was searched and then deported; At least 16% of the candidates in the first phase of the Lok Sabha vote have pending criminal cases; Taiwan earthquake death toll rises to 16, over 1100 injured; The Houthis claim an attack on four boats in the Gulf, also a 'US warship'.
Card. Suharyo and the president of the Bishops' Conference confirm the rumours leaked in recent days. The mosaic of the long September trip between Asia and Oceania is being put together, which would see the Pontiff also make stops in East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. For Indonesia it would be the third visit by a pontiff after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989.
Today's news: reports of workplace abuse have doubled in South Korea in five years; Baghdad will send 10 million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip; Public apology from a company in Malaysia for a shoe logo that resembles the word "Allah"; The Taliban have built a wall around the Eidgah mosque in Kandahar for fear of ISIS attacks: Moscow has slowed issuing work permits to migrants from Central Asia.
