Metallica, Heavy Storms, and Escape From Bali: The Evening Bulletin

Jokowi Receives Metallica Box Set From Danish Prime Minister
You want the prime minister of Denmark as your Secret Santa. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen gave Indonesia's metalhead president a box set of Metallica's Master of Puppets, which contained remastered tracks of the classic album as well as unreleased demos, rough mixes, live recordings, and interviews. What did President Jokowi give him? A knife. ;-( —Kompas

Bondan Winarno, Legendary Journalist and TV Host, Dies at 67
Celebrated journalist and cooking show host Bondan Winarno died of heart complications at a Jakarta hospital this morning. He was 67 years old at the time of his death. Bondan will be widely remembered as the host of Wisata Kuliner, but we prefer to remember the man as the guy who broke the Bre-X fake gold mine scandal wide open. —Kompas

Bali Airport Reopens as Volcanic Ash Clears
Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport previously shut down for 18 hours, stranding thousands of tourists on the resort island as Mount Agung spewed dangerous ash. The airport reopened on Wednesday, allowing flights to resume as early as this afternoon. —CNN Indonesia

Tropical Cyclone Kills 19 in Java
Tropical cyclone Cempaka is spreading across Java and causing floods, landslides, and tornadoes. At least 19 people have been found dead in Yogyakarta and its surrounding cities. Weather officials are predicting that Cempaka will shift its direction away from Indonesia starting tomorrow. —Tribunnews

Pope Defends Rights of Ethnic Minorities During Mass In Myanmar
Pope Francis told a crowded mass in Myanmar's capital that "many in Myanmar bear the wounds of violence, wounds both visible and invisible," before warning against anyone who wanted to commit further violence as an act of revenge. "We may think that healing can come from anger and revenge. Yet the way of revenge is not the way of Jesus," the pope said. —BBC

Philippines Army Kills 14 Communist Rebels as Clashes Resume
Peace talks between the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and communist guerrilla forces fell apart a few days ago, causing the president to warn of a renewed effort to combat the groups. The country's communist forces have been waging a sporadic rebellion for nearly 50 years. —Associated Press

Malaysia, Thailand Rush to Meet Chinese Demand for 'King of Fruits'
Mainland China has caught the durian bug, with individual pieces of the pungent Southeast Asian fruit going for as high as 100 RMB ($15 USD). Most of the imports are from Thailand, but now Malaysia, another country with a durian love, is trying to break into the Chinese market. —Malay Mail

Cambodia to Opposition Party Members: You Can't Gonna Hide In Thailand Forever
PM Hun Sen is pretty pissed that some members of the now dissolved opposition party won't cross the aisle and join his one-party rule. Some of them, the PM said, had crossed the border and were hiding out in Thailand. “Don’t think I don’t know where you are hiding,” he warned the party members. The banned CNRP fired back, calling Hun Sen a “barbaric leader.” —Radio Free Asia

We Tracked Down the Stars of AFI—Indonesia's Biggest, and Best, Idol Show
So what happened next? Did they ever achieve their dreams of stardom? We spoke with five former AFI contestants, including Veri Affandi, who gave us his first interview in years. —VICE

The Obscure 4chan Religion That Promises a Cyberpunk Afterlife
A mysterious 4channer named Tsuki is the founder of a cult that promises to take members to a cyberpunk paradise. The only catch was they had to die to get there. Is this really an “anime suicide cult,” a 4chan prank, or just a harmless game of make believe? —Motherboard

Meet the 80-Year-Old Grandma Trying to Save Indonesia's Classic 'Wayang' Comics
Wayang stories once ruled the comic store, with locally produced black-and-white tales based on the Mahabharata and classic Javanese folktales selling hundreds of copies a day. Today, the stories are all but gone but one grandmom is fighting to save the industry. —VICE

Dean, the K-Pop Star Selling Out Shows Worldwide In Under 3 Minutes
What's that? You don't know Dean? Well you're about to hear his name a whole lot more. —VICE