DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

With no windows, the gloomy, gray building looming four stories above the rice fields in a remote village in Indonesian Borneo resembles nothing more than a prison. Hundreds of similar concrete structures, riddled with small holes for ventilation, tower over village shops and homes all along Borneo’s northwestern coast. But these buildings are not for people. Specifically, the swiftlet, which builds its nests inside. Zulkibli, 56, a government worker who built his giant birdhouse in the village of Perapakan in 2010, supplements his income by harvesting the swiftlets’ nests and selling them for export to China.

Locations: Indonesian Borneo, Perapakan, China

The isles of Manhattan and Pulau Rhun could hardly be farther apart, not just in geography, but also in culture, economy and global prominence. Rhun, in the Banda Sea in Indonesia, has no cars or roads and only about 20 motorbikes. Most people get around by walking along its paved footpaths or up steep stairways, often toting plastic jugs of water from the numerous village wells or sometimes lugging a freshly caught tuna. But in the 17th century, in what might now seem one of the most lopsided trades in history, the Netherlands believed it got the better part of a bargain with the British when it swapped Manhattan, then known as New Amsterdam, for this tiny speck of land.

Organizations: Manhattan Locations: Manhattan, Pulau Rhun, Banda, Indonesia, Netherlands, New Amsterdam

MALANG, Indonesia—When the tear gas got to Hutriadi Hermanto and his friend Faris Brahmanto in the stands of an Indonesian soccer game earlier this month, it hit them hard. Mr. Faris said he felt like he couldn’t breathe. A large crowd had already gathered on the staircase that descended to the exit. There was pushing and shoving, and people were falling down. Some leapt over others to the front, or stepped on arms, legs, chests to make it out alive.

Search resuls for: "Nyimas Laula"

3 mentions found