Papua

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Residents of 'Space Island' Tell Elon Musk to Stay Away

Biak Island elder says supporting Indonesian spaceport would mean 'sponsoring' genocide

(Newser) - Residents of a small island in Indonesia aren't too pleased to learn that their government has offered up their land to SpaceX boss Elon Musk. Indonesia President Joko Widodo has been encouraging Musk to build a rocket launch site in his country for months, per AFP . Biak's location,...

Cult Busted for Eating Sorcerers

New Guinea group thought witch doctors were charging too much

(Newser) - Twenty-nine members of an alleged cannibal cult have been arrested in Papua, New Guinea, for allegedly hunting, killing, and eating at least seven sorcerers, police revealed today. They allegedly ate their victims' brains raw and made a soup from their penises, the AFP reports. The gang was part of a...

Powerful Quake Strikes Indonesia

 Quakes Strike 
 Indonesia, Japan 
UPDATED

Quakes Strike Indonesia, Japan

Local officials cite 6.2 magnitude in Indonesia

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake has struck Papua Island in eastern Indonesia. Local officials say the quake had a magnitude of 6.2, while the US Geological Survey pinpoints it at 5.8. It hit some 11 miles under the earth's surface. No damage or casualties have yet been reported, the...

US-Owned Gold Mine Target of Deadly Papua Attacks

(Newser) - Two people were killed today in the latest attack near a US-owned gold mine in Indonesia's Papua province, the AP reports. At least 12 people have been killed or wounded in ambushes near the mine in recent weeks. Authorities blame separatist rebels, who have been waging an insurgency in the...

Indonesia's Suharto Dies at Age 86
Indonesia's Suharto
Dies at Age 86

Indonesia's Suharto Dies at Age 86

Ruled for 32 years; resigned amid corruption, human rights charges

(Newser) - Former Indonesian president Suharto, a US Cold War ally whose legacy of economic development was marred by charges of human rights abuses and corruption, died today of organ failure at 86, Reuters reports. Suharto ruled for 32 years until being forced out in 1998; his deteriorating health prevented him from...

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