1.

After 100 days, Indonesia's President is tested but

still goes to the people

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN)It would be easy not to pay Joko Widodo a

second glance as he rides his bike down a Jakarta boulevard wearing track
pants and white sneakers.

But fill that boulevard with thousands of Javanese out for the Sunday
stroll, and you soon realize he is no ordinary Indonesian.
"Jokowi!" they shout -- using the nickname by which the country's new
President is universally referred -- reaching out to him for handshakes and
selfies.
"Pagi!" -- "Good morning!"
In October, he took office as President of this enormous Pacific
archipelago of about 250 million people -- the largest Muslim-majority
country in the world.
"Indonesia is a big country. We have 17,000 islands, and it is not easy to
manage that," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive
interview Sunday, speaking a mixture of English and Bahasa Indonesia.
He has made the "blusukan" -- an unannounced visit with the people -- a
trademark of his political brand.

"Blusukan is go to the
people, go to the ground," he told Amanpour as he walked his bike
through crowds in central Jakarta.
"We check our program, we consult our program, and we must know the
real situation (on) the ground."
To the detriment of his bodyguards' stress levels, he makes these visits at
least once a week.
It is a rare sight for any world leader, let alone one who leads a country
with a history of violent separatist movements.
His security team allows the President to be jostled by young and old
elbowing in for a handshake.
Later at a slum that he's transformed into new low-cost housing, an elderly
woman walks right up to the President.
"She asked my number -- telephone number!" he says.
"Things are getting a little too friendly," says Amanpour with a smile.

Humble beginnings
Joko was raised in a down-and-out area of the central Java city of
Surakarta, known as Solo. His father was a carpenter, and he followed in
his footsteps, becoming a furniture exporter.
His rise to power was unusual -- he has no history with the military or the
elite, unlike the country's former presidents. He rose to prominence
through his extremely popular tenures as mayor of Solo and then governor
of Jakarta.
His musical tastes, too, are unusual for a head of state. As heavy metal
blared through his car's speakers, Joko slapped his thigh in rhythm with
the song and told Amanpour that some of his favorite bands include Led
Zeppelin and Metallica.
Amanpour raised his upbringing as they stood overlooking the former
slum.
"I know the situation; I know the condition," he says. "Because when I was
little, when I was a boy, I stayed (on) the riverbank in the slum area."
In southeast Asia's largest garment market, narrow hallways lined with
stalls become impassable as seemingly everyone in the florescent-lit
building pours in for a chance to see "Jokowi."
He stops to buy 20 sarongs -- for gifts in the office, he says -- from a
salesman, who struggles to contain his giddy excitement.
Indonesia has had trouble breaking into the global marketplace that has
transformed many of its Asian neighbors like China.
"Indonesia is a big country. And I want my people (to be) prosperous," he
says. "It's not easy, but I want it."
His challenges are many. Indonesia's gross domestic product growth has
been slowing; shortly after Joko took office, the World Bank said the
country's growth rate was the lowest it had been for five years.
"I am sure that with fiscal changes that we have enacted, by (focusing) and
dealing with infrastructure and providing opportunity for investment --
whether local or foreign investments -- I am sure that we will grow better
this year between (5.6% to 5.8% growth)."
If conditions are right, within three years, he says GDP growth could be
more than 7%.
"But we have to work hard," he says.
Early success with cutting fuel subsidies
In his first 100 days, Joko did something his predecessors have tried and
failed to enact: a cut in the enormous fuel subsidies the government offers.
(For now, of course, he has been helped by plummeting global oil prices.)
In the late 1990s, protests over fuel prices kindled an uprising that led to
the resignation of the dictator Suharto.
With the cut in fuel subsidies, the savings to government has been around
230 trillion rupiah (about $18 billion), Joko says, promising more for his
infrastructure, health and education plans.
His vision is to curtail the use of government money to promote
consumption of fossil fuels and instead use funds to bolster the country's
desperately lacking health and education systems, and infrastructure.
"To build our infrastructure; to improve the irrigation for the farmer, seed
and fertilizer to the farmer; and then we give (good boat engines) to the
fishermen, we give refrigerators to the fishermen; and we give working
capital to small (enterprises) in the villages."
"So from the consumption to the production. From the consumptive
activities to the productive activities."

AirAsia disaster his first big challenge

Two months after taking office, AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed in
Indonesian waters with 162 people on board.
"I don't know" why the plane went down, the President told Amanpour.
"It can be because of the weather, it can be because of other reasons. We
are not sure about that now. But the most important thing is that the
operation was conducted quickly, and we are continuing" the removal of
bodies from the ocean floor.
A preliminary report is due out this week. Last week, the country's
transportation minister said the plane had climbed rapidly and stalled
before it crashed into the sea.
AirAsia is a Malaysian carrier, but Indonesia has long had a troubled
airline industry and regulatory system.
So dangerous is the country's industry that only five Indonesia airlines are
permitted to fly within the European Union -- more than 60 others are
banned, as of November.
"What we want to fix is the (regulatory) system. We are going to fix this,"
he says.
"But the (reform) of system administration is not related to the airline
accidents."
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 was not licensed to fly its route from Surabaya,
Indonesia, to Singapore on the day it took off.
"There is no relation," he insisted, between the regulatory system and the
crash

'Islam and democracy can go together'

As the world's largest Muslim-majority nation and democracy, Indonesia
is often held up as a beacon of moderation.
Since the killings of 17 people in France this month, the world has turned
its focus to radical Islam in a greater way, perhaps, than any time since
9/11. The world in some way is looking to this country among others to
hold the line.
Most of the world's Muslims are not Arab, and Indonesia is a case in point.
"There is no compromise for violence. No compromise. And we really
condemn that. But we also need to respect each other, respect other
religions among people, between individuals, we have to respect each
other," Joko says.
"Differences can be a beauty. It's not going to be something that's scary."
The country has had its bouts with violent Islamism -- a 2002 al Qaeda-
affiliated attack in Bali that left 202 dead and a long-running but now
diminished Islamic separatist movement in Aceh.
Between 250 and 300 Indonesians have gone to fight with ISIS and other
extremist groups in Syria, Joko says.
"The number is really small," he points out, for a population with a
quarter-billion people.
"We have a good experience in handling radicalism and extremism
through not only (the) security approach, but also (the) cultural and
religious approach. In Indonesia, we have big moderate Islamic
organizations," Joko says.
"Those organizations are the ones who teach moderate Islam, Islam that
has got good tolerance toward any other religions. And thanks be to god
that in Indonesia at present this process (is) going well."
The "security approach doesn't solve the problem, will not solve the
problem. But (the) religious approach, cultural approach, (is) going to
lessen (the problem) a lot."
Some analysts worry that radical Islamist organizations in Indonesia may
relish the training ground Syria has provided.
"There are some people who went using fake or forged passports, but they
arrested in our airports," Joko says.
"We want Indonesia to be an example of moderate Islam, Islam that has
tolerance, good Islam. And I am sure that we are able to do so. In
Indonesia, Islam and democracy can go together."

Politics hit home early

Indonesia can be a land of ruthless politics. Three months into his term,
Joko was facing his first big administrative crisis.
His choice for police chief, Budi Gunawan, was a favorite of the head of
his political party and benefactor, former President Megawati
Sukarnoputri. (Unusual for an Indonesian President, Joko does not head a
political party.)
Days after Joko announced the nomination, Gunawan was indicted by the
country's anti-corruption commission.
In apparent retaliation, police arrested the deputy chief of the country's
anti-corruption body.
These events have rocked and gripped the country -- the subject of protests
and daily page-one newspaper stories.
"Our commitment still is to eradicate corruption," Joko tells Amanpour
through an interpreter. "And we have to also use the presumption of
innocence principle."
Because of the corruption investigation, he says, Gunawan's inauguration
as chief -- despite overwhelming approval of parliament -- has been
delayed.
"Everybody has to be mature in looking at it as a legal process, and the
President is not allowed to intervene. This is a legal process."

'No compromise' on death sentences for

drug dealers
The rise of a nonmilitary politician may have given hope to those who
wanted a dovish president, but Joko's approach to drug smugglers on death
row has been cold comfort.
In December, he announced that he would reject clemency requests for 64
inmates sentenced to die.
Six prisoners were killed by firing squad this month, including five
foreigners. Brazil and the Netherlands (Indonesia's former colonial power)
withdrew their ambassadors in protest.
Two Australians are due to face the firing squad; Joko rejected their
requests for clemency as well, over appeals from the Australian Prime
Minister. "Imagine every day we have 50 people die because of narcotics,
of drugs. In one year, it's 18,000 people who die because of narcotics. We
are not going to compromise for drug dealers. No compromise. No
compromise," he says.
"The decision of death penalty is on the court. But they can ask for
amnesty to the President. But I tell you there will be no amnesty for drug
dealers."
So no relief, Amanpour asked, for the Australians due to die?
No, the President shook his head.
"Eighteen thousand people die every year. I ask you, is it not more
dangerous?"
2. Michelle Obama announces stadium tour to support
'Becoming'

Michelle Obama announced a 10-city U.S. stadium tour on Wednesday to

support her upcoming memoir Becoming that will feature what organizers
called "intimate and honest conversations" with audiences.

The former first lady will kick off the tour in her Chicago hometown on
Nov.13, the day Becoming is released in the U.S. and in 28 languages around
the world.

Event promoters Live Nation said the tour would also take Obama to Los
Angeles, Boston, Dallas, New York and other cities and stadiums with
seating capacities of up to 23,000 that are also used for concerts by some of
music's biggest acts.

"I’ve spent the last year and a half reflecting on my story as deeply and
honestly as I could, and now I’m thrilled to travel the country and do the
same with readers this fall,” Obama said in a statement.
In a message and video on her Facebook page, she described the book as "the
story of my humdrum plainness, my tiny victories, my lasting bruises, my
ordinary hopes and worries."

Obama and Live Nation will donate 10 percent of every show’s tickets to
local charities, schools, and community groups in each city the tour visits.
Tickets go on sale on Thursday.

Michelle Obama and her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama,
signed deals for a book apiece with Penguin Random House a month after
Obama left office in January 2017. The Financial Times reported at the time
that the joint deal was worth a record breaking $65 million, a figure the
publishers have not confirmed.

A release date for Barack Obama's book has not yet been announced.
3. Jakarta LRT to operate in early 2019:

Anies

The Jakarta light rapid transit (LRT), which connects Kelapa Gading in
North Jakarta to the Jakarta International Velodrome in Rawamangun, East
Jakarta, is set to operate in early 2019, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has
said.

While monitoring the LRT on Wednesday, Anies said he hoped development

of the LRT could finish as scheduled.

“The inauguration and operations are scheduled for early 2019, when the
development is completed,” Anies said on Wednesday as quoted by
wartakota.tribunnews.com.

The LRT received a limited operation permit from the Jakarta Transportation
Agency on Sep. 4. Since Aug. 15, it has conducted trial runs with city
officials and select residents.
The trip from Velodrome Station in Rawamangun to Kelapa Gading
Boulevard Station takes around 13 minutes with the train traveling at 40
kilometers per hour.

Previously, the Jakarta administration aimed to start operating the 5.8-

kilometer LRT in time for the 18th Asian Games, which ran from Aug. 18 to
Sept. 2, to connect Games venues in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to the
Velodrome, East Jakarta.

However, construction has been hampered by unpredictable weather and

construction accidents, among others.

City-owned construction company PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro) said

unexpected rainfall had delayed the construction of LRT stations as the
company wanted to prioritize the safety of construction workers.

The Jakarta LRT project was also temporarily halted after the government
announced on Feb. 20 a moratorium on all elevated projects in the country
following a series of construction accidents. (cal)
4. Israel approves more than 1,000 West Bank

settler homes: NGO

Israeli authorities on Wednesday approved plans for more than 1,000

settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the Peace Now NGO said, the
latest in a raft of approvals since US President Donald Trump took office.

The plans for 1,004 homes approved by a defence ministry committee are at
various stages in the process.

They include 370 housing units in the Adam settlement, where three Israelis
were stabbed by a Palestinian in July, one fatally, said Peace Now, which
closely monitors Israeli settlement building.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman had pledged to build 400 new homes
in the settlement in response to the stabbings.
According to Peace Now, 96 percent of those approved "are in isolated
settlements that Israel will likely need to evacuate within the framework of a
two-state agreement."

Israeli settlements are considered a violation of international law and major

stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians
want for their future state.

There have been warnings that the continuing expansion of settlements is

diminishing any remaining hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.

Israel dismisses those arguments, blaming Palestinian intransigence, violence

and "incitement" against it for stalled peace efforts.

Trump's administration has been far less critical of settlement building than
his predecessor Barack Obama.

Peace Now says West Bank settlement plans increased to 6,742 units in 2017
compared with 2,629 the previous year, Obama's last in office.

Plans have been advanced for 3,794 units so far this year, the NGO said.
5. Jakarta commits to protecting green spaces

at Global Climate Action Summit

Jakarta expressed its commitment to participate in the global effort to protect

forests during the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco,
California, on Sep. 12.

Together with 44 cities from six continents participating in the Cities4Forests

program, Jakarta has stated that it will increase residents’ awareness on the
vital roles of trees in urban areas.

Oswar Mungkasa, undersecretary to the Jakarta governor on spatial planning

and the environment, said the city administration had realized the importance
of green open spaces and trees for the provision of clean air and water.

The spaces would also enable residents to interact with each other, he said.
“Cities4Forests has become a medium for the Jakarta administration to
intensify collaboration with residents and the international community to
make Jakarta a green city,” Oswar said in a press statement.

The Jakarta administration has taken measures to make the city greener by
creating the Green Open Space road map, developing parks and preventing
flooding through river restoration, Oswar added.

Meanwhile, Frances Seymour of the World Resources Institute, a global

research organization, said many people did not realize the urban lifestyle
had affected forests.

“Commodities that we consume, such as woods, paper, palm oil, meat and
soy, can cause forest destruction. Apart from that, many also don’t realize the
importance of forests in urban living,” Seymour said.

Besides Jakarta, other cities such as New York, Manchester, Mexico City,
also participate in the Cities4Forests program.
6. Rocker Sylvia Saartje to hold 50th

anniversary concert

Sylvia Saartje will hold a concert in Malang on Saturday to mark her 50th
anniversary in music.

Sylvia Saartje is set to hold a concert in Studio UB TV, Brawijaya

University, Malang, East Java, on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Titled “Konser Emas” (Gold Concert), it will mark her 50th anniversary in
music.

The 61-year-old singer is often dubbed as the first lady rocker of Indonesia, a
title penned by Aktuil music magazine in the 1970s.

“Malang is my personal pride, and that is the main reason why I will hold the
concert in the town,” said Sylvia during a press conference in Malang on
Wednesday.

She added that all musicians in the concert would be women, including choir
members, string ensemble and show director.
“They come from different backgrounds; some are still students, some are
housewives. The concert is also meant to evoke the spirit to create in younger
generations, especially for female vocalists in rock,” she said.

Sylvia also said she dreamed of making a sustainable music festival that
catered to female rock singers, acknowledging that she would need all the
support she could get.

In the concert, Sylvia plans to perform eight compositions she wrote, as well
as her two hit songs, “Biarawati” and “Jakarta Blue Jeansku”.

Show director Henita said the concert would feature the hard rock music
Sylvia has been known for as well as strong feminism elements.

“Sylvia will not only sing, she will also tell stories and share her
experiences,” Henita said.

Sylvia Saartje is often considered the singer who paved the way for
Indonesian female rock singers, such as Anggun C. Sasmi, Nicky Astria, Mel
Shandy, Atiek CB and Euis Darliah. After her debut in 1978, she released
nine albums until 1996.

Sylvia and her family moved from the Netherlands to Indonesia in 1962,
residing in Jakarta and then Malang.

The concert is made possible by grants from Cipta Media Ekspresi Program
for Women in Art and Culture, funded by the Ford Foundation and organized
by Wikimedia Indonesia.

Admission is free, and it is advised to reserve seats at 081331000898 (Elsye)

or 08194554 5188 (Nana). (wng)
7. Vanished China star Fan Bingbing last in

'social responsibility' ranking

This file picture taken on May 8, 2018 shows Chinese actress Fan Bingbing posing
as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Todos Lo Saben (Everybody Knows)'
and the opening ceremony of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in
Cannes, southern France. (AFP/Loic Venance)

China's highest paid movie star Fan Bingbing, who has not been seen in
public since July, was placed last in an academic report ranking A-list
celebrities on their social responsibility.

The 36-year-old actress has been a household name in China for years and
tasted Hollywood success with a role in the 2014 blockbuster "X-Men: Days
of Future Past".

Last year, she topped Forbes magazine's list of top-earning Chinese

celebrities with income of 300 million yuan ($43 million).
But she has gone quiet in recent months, following allegations of tax evasion.

In the report by Beijing Normal University published earlier this month, 100
Chinese stars including popular actor Jackie Chan and award-winning actress
Zhang Ziyi were ranked according to their professional work, charity work
and personal integrity.

But with a pass requiring a score of more than 60 percent, only nine
celebrities made the cut, with Chinese actor Xu Zheng topping the list at 78
percent.

Fan had a score of zero.

The report's authors said they studied the celebrities' behaviour to assess the
extent of their social responsibility but did not elaborate how they arrived at
the results, saying that the findings were based on "research and web-
scraping".

The ranking has split fans online, with many jumping to Fan's defence.

"What kind of a report is this? Fan has done so much good work in the past!"
one user wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Fan has been unusually quiet in recent months -- with no new posts to her
normally active personal Weibo account since May -- amid speculation about
her whereabouts.

The actress's troubles began when Cui Yongyuan, a former presenter for
state-run China Central Television (CCTV), posted purported contracts
online in May that suggested she had received under-the-table payments.

A statement released by Fan's studio said she was the victim of "slander" but
did not dispute the authenticity of the documents Cui released.
So-called "yin and yang" dual contract arrangements -- with one contract for
income declared to tax authorities and another kept secret -- are reportedly
used to evade taxes.

After the documents posted by Cui went viral, the state tax administration
was reportedly investigating alleged use of such dual contracts in the
entertainment industry in eastern Jiangsu province.

Although Fan was not mentioned by name, she has businesses registered in
Jiangsu.

State news agency Xinhua reported in late June that government agencies,
including the tax authority and the film and broadcast regulator, would crack
down on excessive pay and tax evasion in entertainment.

Last month, nearly a dozen major Chinese film producers and video sites
announced they also would boycott "unreasonable" pay for actors.

Fan is one of five leading international actresses cast in the upcoming

Hollywood spy thriller "355", alongside Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz.
8. Pussy Riot says activist hospitalised,
'poisoned'

An activist from the Russian protest group Pussy Riot who staged a pitch
invasion during the 2018 football World Cup final in Moscow has been
hospitalised with suspected poisoning, members of the punk collective said
Thursday.

Pyotr Verzilov was admitted to hospital following a court hearing on

Tuesday, his girlfriend Veronika Nikulshina, also a Pussy Riot member, told
local media.

"His eyesight was going... First we dismissed it as fatigue but then it got
worse and he lost the power of speech," Nikulshina told Ekho Moskvy radio.

"He didn't recognise me anymore, he didn't react to requests.

She added, pending the results of medical tests: "I am not ruling out the
possibility that it could be connected to outside interference."

Nikulshina said the activist had never suffered from such problems before. In
another interview she said he told doctors he had not taken drugs.

Verzilov is also a publisher at the independent news site Mediazona, which

focuses on the Russian prison system.
Nikulshina and Verzilov served a 15-day jail sentence along with two other
Pussy Riot members for running onto the pitch during the July 15 World Cup
final in a protest they said was aimed at highlighting abuses by Russian
police.

He was present in court on Tuesday when two other Pussy Riot members,
including Nikulshina, were sentenced on charges of disobeying a police
officer, Russian media reported.

Nikulshina received two days in jail but was released on time served.

"Our friend, brother, comrade Petr Verzilov is in reanimation. His life is in

danger. We think that he was poisoned," Pussy Riot wrote on its official
Twitter account with a link to an article about the hospitalisation.

Pussy Riot drew international attention in 2012 when it staged a protest in a

Moscow church. Two members served jail terms, while another was given a
suspended sentence.
KETERANGAN

Tenses : Simple present tense

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Passive