Panda Diplomacy, Panda Express, and the Presidential Race: The VICE Evening Bulletin

Agus Searching for Allies as 2019 Presidential Race Preparations Begins
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the son of former president SBY, met with Gerindra Chairman Prabowo Subainto, reportedly to discuss "the idea of a leader who can unite different political views in the country's democracy." The visit was the latest made by AHY, a military man who mounted a failed campaign for the Jakarta governor's seat. —Jakarta Post

Strong Earthquake Shakes Ambon
The island of Ambon was shook late Tuesday night by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that damaged homes and sent residents fleeing on foot. There were no initial reports of casualties. Indonesia sits on the Ring of Fire and it's one of the most-disaster prone countries on Earth. —Reuters

Female Ojek Drivers Struggle to Find Acceptance on City Streets
The biggest pain for Indonesian women working in the online ojek industry isn't the traffic, it's the men who keep cancelling their orders because they don't want a woman driver.—VICE

Chinese Pandas Arrive at Taman Safari Zoo
The zoo, in the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, welcomed the arrival to two pandas—named Cai Tao and Hu Chun—donated by the Chinese city of Chengdu last month. China routinely donates pandas as a "seal of approval" after inking pricey trade deals—a practice experts call "panda diplomacy."—EPA

Johor Bans 'Anti-Christmas' Celebrity Preachers
The sultan of Johor barred two controversial Islamic preachers from delivering sermons in the state, echoing a similar ban in neighboring Singapore—which shares a border with Johor. The ban came one day after Malaysia's deputy prime minister said there was nothing wrong with the duo's message. —The Star Online

Tokyo Serial Killer Searched Out Suicidal Victims on Twitter, Dismembered Them
A one-time "recruiter" for Shinjuku's red light district admitted to luring eight suicidal women—and one man—to his apartment, murdering them, and dismembering their bodies in a string of murders that shook this usually safe country. Police searched the apartment of Takahiro Shiraishi, 27, on Tuesday, discovering the severed heads of nine victims in coolers inside. —Japan Times

Nearly Every Single Malaysian With a Phone Plan Just Had Their Personal Data Stolen
Experts are calling it the biggest data breach in Malaysian history. The personal details of 46.2 million mobile phone subscribers, including their home addresses, SIM card details, and identity numbers have been stolen by hackers. There are only 32 million people in Malaysia, although many have more than one SIM card. —Straits Times

Hundreds Feared Dead as North Korean Nuclear Testing Tunnel Collapses
North Korea watchers got a rare glimpse into the reclusive country's nuclear program after news leaked that a tunnel at the Punggye-ri testing site collapsed shortly after a 3 Sept. nuclear test. The collapse, which was reported by Japan's TV Asahi, casts further doubt on whether North Korea will be able to continue testing nuclear weapons at the facility. —Japan Times

How US National Parks Became Hotbeds of Paranormal Activity
More than 1,000 have vanished from national parks in the United States, often without a trace. Is it simply bad luck, or is something more… otherworldly to blame? —VICE

To Panda Express's Orange Chicken, on Its 30th Birthday, With Love
The US Chinese takeout chain's most-iconic dish turns 30 and MUNCHIES is here with an investigation into what, exactly, makes orange chicken so damn delicious. —VICE

The Get Up Kids' 'Four Minute Mile' Was the Bridge to Emo's Future
The band's 1997 debut set the tone for the teenage heartbreak and small-town ennui that would become prominent in the genre.—VICE

Chinese Women are Getting Rich By Simply Livestreaming Their Days
In China, which banned online porn in 2000, PG-rated livestreaming has become a $4 billion USD-a-year industry with nearly 350 million followers — more than the entire population of the United States. VICE News goes inside a former karaoke bar to discover how young women are making as much as $20,000 USD a month online. —VICE