Prepare for 'darker threats' in 'Stranger Things' Season 2

As far as executive producer Shawn Levy is concerned, the strangest thing about "Stranger Things" has nothing to do with the mysteries that lurk in the Upside Down or the monsters that terrify townsfolk. It's that a series about all of those things has been embraced and celebrated. "I have to tell you, we had a sense that the show was unique and that it was cool. We had no idea whether people would watch, whether it would be embraced by the fancies, if you will," Levy told CNN at a recent event at Netflix's FYSee space, where it highlights its Emmy contenders. To date, "Stranger Things" has walked away with honors from the Producers Guild Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Now it has the Emmys in its sights. Levy called the possibility of Emmy honors "the top of the mountain top." "It's not what's on our mind when we're making the show, but it sure would thrill us for sure," he said. Levy thinks the secret to the show's success has been honoring "character first." "Stranger Things" might exist in a world where things go bump in the night, but that means nothing if the stories don't "service the warm-hearted center of this show above all else," he said. In the year since "Stranger Things" debuted, stars Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown have particularly been praised for their portrayals of their young characters. "If you didn't root for these kids the way all of us do, we wouldn't be where we're at -- either commercially or critically," Levy said. Season 2 will give viewers even more reasons to root for the friends, as they will face "more and darker threats" while recovering from Season 1's events. "Trauma is a major theme and frankly the return to normalcy," Levy said. "Is normal ever possible again in Hawkins [,Indiana]? In the Byers family? In the Wheeler family? ... That's a big question that looms over Season 2." Season 2 of "Stranger Things" will release on Netflix on October 31, 2017.

France Bans Captive Breeding Of Dolphins, Killer Whales

France on Saturday banned the breeding in captivity of dolphins and killer whales under tighter rules that campaigners hope will eventually herald the end of shows involving the animals. Environment Minister Segolene Royal had on Wednesday signed a version of the legislation introducing "tight controls on the reproduction of dolphins", her ministry said in a statement. But she has since decided the rules need to be "more radical", her ministry told AFP on Saturday, particularly after learning that "some animals were drugged" in aquariums. The new rules ban the captivity of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, except for orcas and bottlenose dolphins already held in authorized aquariums. Animal rights activists hailed the ban as a "historic French advance". "In plain terms, this means the end of breeding, exchange and import programs," five conservation groups including One Voice and Sea Shepherd said in a joint statement. "Without possible replenishment, this quite simply means the scheduled end of marine circuses on our territory." But the move sparked anger from Jon Kershaw, head of the Marineland Antibes dolphin show park in southern France, who told the Var-Matin newspaper it was a "bombshell" for establishments like his. The new rules notably also require "an increase of at least 150 percent of pools to allow the animals to live in less proximity from visitors and other animals", the ministry said, as well as banning chlorine in treating the water. Direct contact between the animals and the public is also now forbidden. Water parks and aquariums have six months to conform to the new rules, and a three-year deadline for expanding their pools. Parks such as Marineland Antibes -- the biggest attraction of its kind in Europe -- have faced growing criticism in recent years over their animals' living conditions.

'13 Reasons Why' Gets Second Season

The hit Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" has a new reason to celebrate. The series about a teen who leaves behind audio tapes that explain her suicide will be returning for a second season. Singer/actress Selena Gomez serves as an executive producer of the series along with her mother, Mandy Teefey. Gomez announced the return on Sunday using a teaser clip she shared on Instagram. "Their story isn't over," the caption sad. "Season 2 of #13ReasonsWhy is coming." The show is based on a popular 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher in which teen Hannah Baker details the bullying and trauma that led to her suicide. And while the book doesn't have a sequel, the series co-showrunner Brian Yorkey told the Los Angeles Times prior to the second season pick-up that there was more left to tell. "Hannah's story isn't over — she has parents who still don't have the complete story," he said. "There's a rapist who hasn't been brought to justice and there's a living survivor of that rapist who is just beginning her journey of recovery." While the show has been tremendously popular with fans, there has also been controversy. New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification reportedly advised that young people watch with an adult out of concern over that country's high teen suicide rate. Netflix gave it a TV-MA rating which is for mature audiences and added content warnings given the graphic depictions of rape and suicide. The company also set up a site with crisis information and suicide prevention resources.

Police To Safeguard Offices, Malls During Ahok Verdict Hearing

The Jakarta Police will ramp up security at several government offices and shopping malls across the city during the verdict hearing of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in his blasphemy trial on Tuesday. The extra measures will be carried out based on intelligence from the police on the potential for conflict during the hearing session, South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Iwan Kurniawan said on Monday. “There will be people who are satisfied and not satisfied [with the verdict]. We will prepare maximum security measures for tomorrow,” Iwan said. The police plan to deploy extra officers at several shopping malls, including Blok M Plaza, Cilandak Town Square and Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta. Extra officers would also be stationed at several attorney's offices. Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono has said that 13,000 police officers would be stationed at the Agriculture Ministry building in Ragunan, South Jakarta, where the courtroom for Ahok’s trial is located.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Headed to Broadway

That hot "Harry Potter" play is flying across the pond. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is coming to North America via Broadway. According to the "Cursed Child" site, the play is set to open in April next year at New York's Lyric Theatre. Based on an original story by "Potter" author J.K. Rowling, along with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, the play has been a hit in London where last month it won a record nine awards at the UK's equivalent of the Tony Awards. The two-part West End production took home Olivier Awards for best director, best new play, best actor for Jamie Parker, best actor and actress in a supporting role for Anthony Boyle and Noma Dumezweni, best set design, best costume design, best sound design and best lighting design. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" imagines the characters of Harry, Hermione and Ron as adults, now with children headed to Hogwarts. The Lyric is getting a whole new look in preparation for the U.S. debut of the play. Information on tickets, the performance schedule, casting choices and more details are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Weekly Reflection

Hello! Today I'm going to give comment on "More Albino Orangutan Believed to be Living in Kalimantan Forests."

I'm so glad when I heard this news. They said that the world has discovered a new animal which turns out to be albino orangutan and the happiest fact is they found this animal in Indonesia! Can you imagine how happy I am? Indonesia is very rich on its nature. It has so many kind of plant and animal.

Indonesia To Speed Up Negotiation With Freeport

The government intends to speed up negotiations with gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia, aiming to reach a win-win solution regarding the company’s future operations within the next one or two months. The subsidiary of the United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan has recently obtained a temporary special mining permit (IUPK) by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry that allows the company to export 1.11 million wet metric tons (wmt) of copper concentrate for a year. On the other hand, both sides have a period of six months, until Oct. 10, to settle various issues, including on investment stability, divestment and smelter construction. “However, [Energy and Mineral Resources] Minister Ignasius Jonan hopes it can be settled within one or two months,” the ministry’s secretary-general, Teguh Pamudji, told reporters on Thursday.  Meanwhile, Freeport-McMoRan president and CEO Richard C. Adkerson said the key issue for his side was the government’s assurance that the company would be able to operate in Indonesia after 2021. Through the assurance, he said, the miner could have the confidence to continue developing an underground mine in Papua with an investment value of around US$15 billion.  “So, we’re going to deal with those issues in a way that is acceptable to the government and the people of Indonesia, as well as to Freeport’s shareholders,” Adkerson said.

Energy Ministry To Develop 16 Wind Power Plants

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry is planning to develop wind power plants in 16 locations across the country. The ministry's director general for new and renewable energy, Rida Mulyana, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the country had great wind energy potential that would be harnessed by the power plants. The locations of the projects, which are to be developed in cooperation with Denmark, include Surakarta in Central Java and the South Sulawesi towns of Jeneponto and Sidrap, Antara news agency reported on Tuesday. “We expect that the Surakarta project will materialize in 2018,” said Rida, adding that the signing of the agreement with Denmark had been witnessed by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan and Danish Development Cooperation Minister Ulla Tørnæs on Tuesday. Indonesia has about 800 inhabited islands that require energy, said Jonan, adding that wind power plants could be the best choice for such regions as supplying energy to the islands via cable networks would be less efficient. Jonan stressed that remote areas should not rely on energy from other regions through cable, but should develop their own power plants powered by sources of energy such as wind.

Ramayana Records Flat Performance In Q1

Fashion retailer PT Ramayana Lestari Sentosa saw its sales and net profits flatten out in the first quarter of 2017. Ramayana's sales contracted 0.2 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 1.48 trillion (US$111.14 million) compared to Rp 1.49 trillion in the first quarter of 2016. Its net profits also fell by 0.7 percent yoy to Rp 1.08 billion compared to the Rp 1.09 billion recorded in the same period last year. "The numbers are flat but our performance is better than other retailers. We also recorded positive same store sales growth of 1 percent yoy," Ramayana finance and accounting director Suryanto said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. Previously, Lippo Group's PT Matahari Department Store announced negative yoy growth of 0.55 percent in sales and a 40.4 percent drop in net profits. Suryanto added that the flat performance was because of recent security issues in Jakarta that had caused people to hold off on their purchases. Greater Jakarta made up of 33 percent Ramayana's total sales. "Meanwhile in other regions, a recovery in commodity prices has not yet boosted public purchases," he said.

More Albino Orangutans Believed To Be Living in Kalimantan Forests

A conservation group in Central Kalimantan believes there are a number of albino orangutans living in the wild in Borneo after the discovery of the first of its kind last week. Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) CEO Jamartin Sihite said Monday it was confirmed that the five-year-old white-furred female orangutan was an animal carrying albinism after a test conducted at the facility’s medical team found that “its eyes are very sensitive to light”, which is one of the symptoms of the congenital disorder, and that it was not "a new orangutan species." “There must be orangutans living in the forests from whom the albino orangutan inherited the disorder, for it is genetic,” Jamartin said. The BOSF took the orangutan on Friday from a local peasant in Tenggirang village, Kapuas regency, Central Kalimantan, who found the animal walking in a forest near the area. Workers at the BOSF orangutan rehabilitation center in Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan, where the animal is currently being treated, estimate that they need at least one month to take care of the animal before releasing it into the wild. Apparently, the animal was in a physically “weak condition” when it was found. Arga Sawung Kusuma, a BOSF veterinarian taking care of the albino orangutan, said the animal was suffering from helminthiasis (a worm infection) and severe dehydration.

Qatar Airways To Add Extra Direct Flight to Bali

Qatar Airways is set to add an extra direct flight from Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. The flight is scheduled to be available from from May 7, utilizing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, configured for 22 business class and 232 economy class seats and will provide a full complimentary food and beverage service for its passengers. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said the additional schedule will offer passengers “even greater access to this popular leisure destination.” In an official statement, the airline also expressed that it is certain the additional schedule will be popular among travelers from Europe, the Middle East and United States looking for flights to Bali with one stop at Hamad International Airport. Qatar opened its first Doha-Bali direct flight in 2014. It currently operates two Doha-Bali direct flights utilizing the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircrafts, respectively.

Weekly reflection

Hello! Today I'm going to give comment on "Elephant Kills Tour Owner in Klungklung."

I don't belive that there is an evil animal on this earth. There are carnivore animal which eat meat but they never have the intention to harm the others. It is just their instinct. Animals want to protect themself from danger. Maybe the owner has been doing something wrong. Then the action considered by those elephant as an action which threatening them so the elephants attacked their owner whereas the owner didn't have the  intention to harm them. Even though it is not the owner who bothers them, there must be something else that bother them.

However I hope the police will find the truth behind this heartbreaking incident. Stay strong for the family who lost a husband and father.

Telkomsel Website Hacked

Customers of Telkomsel attempting to log on to its official website on Friday, were met with a black homepage emblazoned with a stern message, the result of a hack on the telecommunications company. The message, accompanied by a four-letter profanity, called on Telkomsel to reduce its internet fees. It has been replaced with an apology from the company and a brief explanation that the “website is under maintenance.” However, netizens are still able to view part of the hacker’s original message by entering telkomsel.com in a search engine. In his/her full message, the hacker expressed his/her disappointment over the company’s internet fees, and urged it to stop selling quotas for so many networks, namely 2G, 3G and 4G. The hacker also complained about the operator’s music quota and film streaming services, before slamming streaming service operators such as HOOQ and VIU. On behalf the company, Telkomsel Corporate Communication vice president Adita Irawati apologized for the incident, saying the company is investigating the hack and repairing its website. “Should Telkomsel consumers need product information and Telkomsel services, they can use other Telkomsel networks, such as the MyTelkomsel application, our call center or GraPARI,” she said.

Elephant Kills Tour Owner In Klungkung

The owner of a company that provides elephant facility tours was killed by one of the elephants at his park. I Nyoman Levi Suwitha, 60, was attacked by a male Lampung elephant on Friday at Bakas Levi Rafting and Elephant Tours in Bakas village, Klungkung regency, about 30 kilometers from Denpasar, Bali. Klungkung Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Arendra Wahyudi told that Nyoman Levi came to the elephant cage at around 10:20 a.m. local time soon after he arrived from Denpasar.  When he was feeding the elephant, the animal suddenly attacked him. During the incident, the elephant lifted up Nyoman Levi and slammed his body on the ground, leaving him unconscious. “The victim was rushed to Klungkung Hospital immediately after the incident.  However, a doctor at the hospital's emergency unit stated the victim had died when he arrived there,” Arendra said. Arendra further said the police were still investigating the case. “We have questioned several witnesses and will continue the investigation,” he said. Citing a witness, the police chief said the elephant was leashed inside the cage when the incident occurred.

Thai Woman Has No Anger Toward Facebook After Girl's Killing

The wife of a Thai man who hanged their 11-month-old daughter on Facebook Live said Wednesday her husband is the only person to blame, and she bears no anger toward the social media site or the users who shared the horrific video. The video showed 20-year-old Wuttisan Wongtalay killing his child. He then kills himself. It was broadcast Monday evening and made inaccessible by Facebook late Tuesday afternoon. "I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this," Chiranut Trairat, 21, told The Associated Press. "I understand that people shared the video because they were outraged and saddened by what happened." She said her husband had been abusive in the past and spent two years in prison before they started dating. Facebook has been seeking ways to block videos as quickly as possible after a series of gruesome images, including murder and sexual assault, were broadcast or posted. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said last week that his company has "a lot of work" to do on the problem. The murder in Phuket came less than two weeks after a man in Cleveland, Ohio, posted on Facebook footage of himself shooting a man to death. In Thailand, the potential for problems with Facebook Live became an issue last May when local media used the platform to broadcast live video of a university lecturer who was locked in a six-hour standoff with police who were seeking him in the shooting deaths of two colleagues. After negotiations for his surrender failed, he fatally shot himself, a moment that was shown live.

Russian Prosecutors Seek 3½ Years for 'Pokemon Go' Blogger

Russian prosecutors requested a 3½ year prison sentence Friday for a blogger charged with inciting religious hatred for playing "Pokemon Go" in a church. Prosecutors made the request as the trial of Ruslan Sokolovsky, 22, wrapped up in the city of Yekaterinburg. A judge said a verdict in the case would be issued May 11. Sokolovsky posted a video on his blog showing him playing the smartphone game in a church built on the supposed spot where the last Russian tsar and his family were killed. He has been in detention since October. He is charged with inciting religious hatred. It is the same offense that sent two women from the Pussy Riot punk collective to prison for two years in 2012. "Honestly, I'm really in shock that the state prosecutors asked for 3 ½ years," particularly because it wasn't a violent offense, Sokolovsky was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying. He said he is studying and working and could lose everything, if he is sent to prison. The state RIA Novosti news agency quoted his lawyer, Alexei Bushmakov, saying he hoped for acquittal or a suspended sentence.

ASEAN Shelves Declaration On Rights Of Migrant Workers

ASEAN member states have failed to reach a consensus on a highly anticipated migrant workers' protection instrument, prompting the region's senior officials to shelve the declaration for the next summit in November. For months Indonesia and the Philippines had played up the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of Migrant Workers' Rights, an instrument that would provide robust protection for all migrant workers in the region. Now, Jakarta found itself in the minority of those who insist on the declaration's legally-binding nature, as even Manila was resigned to the idea of a non-enforceable instrument, said Jose AM Tavares, the Foreign Ministry's director general for ASEAN affairs, who said Indonesia would need to rethink its strategy on pursuing an enforceable instrument. "The issue will [be discussed] beyond the upcoming ASEAN summit, even though there will still be a statement pushing for its adoption by year's end," Jose said after concluding a preparatory ASEAN senior officials meeting in Manila on Thursday, emphasizing that ASEAN labor ministers would convene next month for a follow-up meeting. "We hope to conclude the instrument in the coming months, so that it can be tapped as an outcome document at the November leaders' summit," Jose added. ASEAN is currently split between sending states of migrant workers, like Indonesia and the Philippines, and receiving countries, like Malaysia and Brunei, on issues related to the protection of migrant workers, particularly the undocumented ones.