The wRap Indonesia: Helicopter missing, scores dead in Turkey blast

INTERNATIONAL HELP. Malaysian aircrew members stand in front of the Bombardier 415 Superscooper aircraft as they arrive at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia to help combat forest fires. Photo by EPA

JAKARTA, Indonesia – From twin blasts in Turkey to another missing aircraft, here are the top stories from the weekend to start your day.

1. Ankara blasts

EXPLOSION. People try to help an injured woman after multiple explosions ahead of a rally in Ankara, Turkey, October 10, 2015. Twin bomb blasts killed at least 95 people outside a train station in the Turkish capital, Ankara, as pro-Kurdish groups were gathering for a planned peace rally. Turkey's Interior Ministry also said that 126 people were injured in the explosions, which it condemned as a 'heinous attack.' EPA/STR

At least 95 people were killed in Ankara Saturday, October 10, when bombs set off by two suspected suicide attackers ripped through a crowd of leftist and pro-Kurdish activists at a peace rally, in the deadliest such attack in Turkey's recent history.

The twin blasts, near Ankara's main train station, ratcheted up tensions ahead of Turkey's November 1 snap elections which were already soaring amid the government's offensive on Kurdish militants. Read more.

2. Missing helicopter

An Indonesian chopper carrying 5 people on Sunday, October 11 lost contact with air traffic control during a flight on Sumatra island, an official said, in the latest blow to the country's troubled aviation sector.

The single-engine light Eurocopter EC-130 belonging to PT Penerbangan Angkasa Semesta took off for the hour-long flight from Sumatra's Samosir island to Kualanamu airport in Medan city when it lost contact at 12.20 pm, transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata told AFP. Read more.

3. International aid arrives

International help to assist Indonesia in combatting forest and agricultural fires cloaking Southeast Asia in haze has begun to arrive on Sumatra island, an official said Saturday, October 10.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said a Bombardier amphibious aircraft and Malaysian crew arrived on Friday to begin water bombing South Sumatra. Read more.

4. Long-term investment

LONG-TERM. The government of Indonesia and PT Freeport Indonesia agrees on long-term investment. Photo from Freeport Indonesia website.

The government of Indonesia and PT Freeport Indonesia, a premier US-based natural resources company, have reached an agreement to develop the world’s largest underground mining site.

The long-term investment plan focuses on continuing operations of the Grasberg Mining Complex past 2021. Read more.

5. Problematic law

ARRESTED. Adlun Fiqri, center, was arrested by cops in Indonesia for alleged 'crime of slander' after he uploaded a bribery video online. Photo from Adlun's Facebook

Last week, Indonesian police on the small island of Ternate, North Maluku, created an outrage on social media when they arrested a university student named Adlun Fiqri Sigoro. The student committed the “crime of slander” after uploading a YouTube video that allegedly showed cops accepting bribes in public from traffic violators.

The case highlights the flaws in the Information Technology and Electronics Transactions (ITE) Law. Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression (SafeNet Voice), a movement that promotes freedom of speech in the region, has been following the issue of Indonesia’s ITE regulation. The organization believes the law has several dangerous loopholes that need to be fixed. Read more. – Rappler.com