Indonesia can be proud of the report from Fuzhou, China, two weeks ago. Indonesian badminton athletes grabbed two top titles in the China Open Super Series Premier 2016. Men's doubles pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and mixed doubles pair Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir were triumphant in the foreign arena.

Supardi, 44, had been a fishermen for most of his life. He would venture far out on the ocean and spend a few days at a time. Sharks were once his main source of income, as it was for other fishermen living at Tanjung Luar village in Lombok.

I was in Yangon early last October when reports first emerged of a crackdown on suspected 'terrorists' in Myanmar's Rakhine state. The military operation had displaced a number of local residents, creating tensions that would eventually lead to a serious armed confrontation between Rohingya militants and Myanmar's security forces. Nine policemen were killed, triggering a violent recourse of more killings and burning of villages. The situation seems to have gone out of control, with thousands of displaced Rohingyas crossing the border into neighboring Bangladesh or setting out to sea to seek refuge elsewhere.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made a second official visit to Indonesia on November 22-23 in a bid to intensify trade relations between the two countries. Indonesia has become a strategic trade partner for the Netherlands, Rutte said.

With her hand stretched upward, the elderly storekeeper in batik dress and white headscarf indicates the height of the waters that poured into her home in Jakarta's great flood of 2007. Sukaesih is a diminutive figure, but she points to a ridge on the doorframe about two meters above the threshold.

The transaction last Monday went quickly and smoothly. At 8pm, Handang Soekarno, head of the Preliminary Evidence Investigation Sub-Directorate of the Finance Ministry arrived at a Spring Hills apartment unit in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, where businessman Rajesh Rajamohan Nair was already waiting. Fifteen minutes later, Handang left the premises.

Setya Novanto Reinstated as DPR Speaker

THE Golkar party has decided to reinstate Novanto as speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), replacing Ade Komarudin. The decision was taken at a plenary meeting of Golkar's central committee at the party headquarters in Jakarta last week. "The decision was unanimous," said Nurdin Halid, the party's plenary chairman.

The thinking of those calling for the withdrawal of savings from banks is short-sighted. They have been blinded by the increasingly heated dispute in the run up to the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which is now involving issues of race and religion, and which has spread into the banking sector. This agitation is foolish because it could trigger a financial crisis.

Indikator Politik's (Political Indicator) survey conducted from November 15 to 20 shows Basuki Tjahaja Purnama's (Ahok) electability and popularity declining significantly. In May, Ahok's popularity was still at 38 percent. Now, according to the survey, his popularity has taken a tumble to 19.4 percent. Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono is currently leading, while Anies Baswedan, who occupies third place, trails the incumbent with a two-percent gap.

The Run on Banks Scare

Last week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Lima, Peru, attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, was Barack Obama's last APEC gathering as US President. At the meeting, Obama sought to calm fears about the US turning inward, when President-elect Donald Trump, takes office. But his efforts proved futile as Trump, at the same time, announced that he would cancel the US-sponsored Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) multilateral free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly stressed his intention of protecting US factories and jobs to avoid more factory closures and jobs moving out of the country.

For 14 straight hours each day, the social media team of candidates Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno keep tabs on Internet developments. Working in two shifts, this 13-member team manages the social media accounts of the Anies-Sandiaga ticket from 9am to 11pm. Their headquarters is located at the office of Indonesia Mengajar (Non-governmental organization Teaching Indonesia) in South Jakarta. "There are more personnel at night because that is the prime time," said Raditya Pratama, coordinator of this social media team, in an interview last week. "Six during the day and seven at night."

SWEDISH Ambassador to Indonesia, Marina Berg, arrived in Indonesia five years ago with a clear mission: to deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation between Sweden and Indonesia, particularly in the critical areas of sustainable development and the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, her commitment remained unwavering. The Sweden-Indonesia Sustainability Partnership, focusing on the sectors of energy, transport, digital technology, and health, has been actively progressing.

As her term came to an end in August, Marina Berg took the opportunity to share her valuable five years of work in Indonesia during a TEMPO TALKS session.