JAKARTA: Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain have killed at least 29 people in Indonesia, the disaster agency said on Monday, with thousands taking shelter in evacuation centres amid fears of disease. More than a dozen people were missing after the rain hit the province of Bengkuluthe, on the southwest side of Sumatra, on Friday and Saturday, the agency said. Hundreds of buildings had been damaged, along with roads and bridges, with two districts cut off by landslides, adding that the floodwater had subsided in some places. Displaced villagers needed tents, boats, food and water, while heavy equipment was also needed to build temporary bridges. Authorities have warned of the risk of disease spreading due to the lack of clean water. — Reuters … [Read more...] about Indonesia floods, landslides kill at least 29
Indonesia
At least 29 dead, thousands displaced after severe Indonesia floods
BENGKULU, Sumatra: Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 29 people in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said Monday (Apr 29), marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation.Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.On Monday, Indonesia's disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing after days of pounding storms on the island of Sumatra.Some 12,000 others have been evacuated from water-logged Bengkulu province with hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads damaged.Hardest hit was Bengkulu Tengah district, just outside of the provincial capital, where 22 people were killed along with hundreds of livestock.Authorities have set up temporary shelters and public kitchens for the evacuees.Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Sumatra's Lampung province on Saturday killed a family of six and … [Read more...] about At least 29 dead, thousands displaced after severe Indonesia floods
Indonesia’s President Joko leads presidential vote, official count shows
JAKARTA (BLOOMBERG) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo is on course to win a second term as he led his challenger by about 12 percentage points midway through an official tally of votes, confirming earlier results from about a dozen private pollsters. Mr Joko, also known as Jokowi, secured 56.2 per cent of the votes, compared to 43.8 per cent polled by his challenger Prabowo Subianto, with 50 per cent of the ballots tallied, the General Elections Commission said, citing an online count of votes cast in the April 17 election. The authority has until May 22 to complete the counting of the ballot papers. The validation of the tally from private pollsters may be a blow to former Suharto-era general Prabowo, as he has disputed the unofficial counts to claim a win. While Mr Joko has urged people to be patient and wait for the election commission to complete the counting of ballots, Mr Prabowo has claimed "massive fraud" in the election, a charge the government termed as "unfounded" and … [Read more...] about Indonesia’s President Joko leads presidential vote, official count shows
Indonesia has highest video call users in world
Indonesian users of Google Duo, a video chat app developed by Google, reportedly make the longest videos calls in the world. “Indonesians are the third highest users of Google Duo in the world, with the duration of their video calls being higher than average. Their calls last 10 percent longer than the global average,” Fibriayi Elastria, the head of Google Indonesia's consumer marketing, said in Jakarta on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co. According to the tech giant's study on video call behavior, most respondents video called because they wanted to see the people they were talking to, as well their facial expressions. The study involved 195 respondents, who were all over the age of 18 and living in Indonesia’s big city. It found that 48 percent of users vide called their romantic partners, while 40 percent called family members. Read also: Google's new travel tools already know what you did next summer The study also found that Google Duo users … [Read more...] about Indonesia has highest video call users in world
At least 17 dead, thousands displaced after severe Indonesia floods
JAKARTA: At least 17 people are dead and nine missing after days of heavy rain-triggered floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, authorities said on Sunday (Apr 28).Some 12,000 people have been evacuated while hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads have been damaged by the severe weather which affected nine districts or towns across Bengkulu province, officials said.The waters have receded in some places but officials warned the full extent of the damage was not yet known and some areas were still cut off."The impact of this disaster may increase," national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that several people were also injured in the flooding."Landslides and floods could happen again if rainfall is high," he said.A "secondary disaster" in the form of skin diseases and acute respiratory infection due to poor hygiene and a lack of clean water was possible, he added.Aerial images showed swollen rivers that had burst their banks and … [Read more...] about At least 17 dead, thousands displaced after severe Indonesia floods