https://www.scmp.com/rss/7678/feed Chris McCall is a freelance writer en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In a far-off corner of Indonesia is a hot, dusty island half frozen in time. Its towering grass-roofed houses and rare birds, beautiful horses and deadly staged battles, along with its ancient animist religion, make a visit to Sumba seem like a step back into the distant past. But change is coming to this mystical isle. It may appear isolated, in Indonesia's remote southern Nusa Tenggara chain, but Sumba is close to Australia and plans are afoot for Bali-style development. In Prai Yawang, a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1860987/next-bali-can-sumba-indonesia-marry-tourism-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1860987/next-bali-can-sumba-indonesia-marry-tourism-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2015 14:48:07 +0000 East Timor's fragile new prosperity has been built on the US dollar. Ditching the dollar, economists say, could make or break its economy. But it might be on the cards. The central bank in Dili is an unimposing building, but the Banco Central de Timor-Leste has come a long way from its origins as the United Nations "Central Payments Office" (CPO), and has earned a reputation for financial prudence. In the streets outside, the results are plain to see, in terms of advertising hoardings, people... https://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/1809546/oil-rich-east-timor-weighs-risks-ditching-us-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/1809546/oil-rich-east-timor-weighs-risks-ditching-us-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2015 11:54:33 +0000 Smoke is rising again over Australia's drought-stricken bush, but this time the flames are from orange trees. For the small farming community of Waikerie, on the banks of Australia's iconic Murray River in the region once known as the country's fruit bowl, bonfires of dead or dying citrus trees are an increasingly common sight this year. Weighed down by debt and two years of severe drought, farmers have 'turned off' many of their citrus trees, depriving them of increasingly expensive irrigated... https://www.scmp.com/article/652270/lifeline-under-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652270/lifeline-under-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Sydney When a young humpback whale somehow found its way last week into Sydney's Pittwater, at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, its heart-rending plight drew international attention. But the case of Colin, as the ill-fated calf was dubbed, was not unique - much of Sydney's wildlife is in peril. The city's environment is fighting a losing battle against development and its side effects, including pollution, pleasure boats and abnormal threats like alien seaweeds that have escaped from home... https://www.scmp.com/article/650542/whale-not-only-creature-risk-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/650542/whale-not-only-creature-risk-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000 From 2004, Indonesia will have a vastly modified political system. The changes were approved at the recent annual session of the supreme People's Consultative Assembly, or MPR. They bring Indonesia much closer to the norms of other democracies and light years away from the controlled system of former president Suharto. Key among the changes is a total revamp of the look of the MPR, the supreme institution of state. In the past it consisted of the smaller House of Representatives, or DPR, plus... https://www.scmp.com/article/388492/reforms-haul-politics-modern-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/388492/reforms-haul-politics-modern-era?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2002 16:00:00 +0000 A deal between Indonesia and rebels fighting for independence for the Aceh province was thrown into doubt at the last minute yesterday as a major rebel faction said it would carry on fighting. The Free Aceh Movement is set to sign an agreement with Jakarta in Geneva today for a three-month 'humanitarian pause' that is meant to let the ravaged province re-establish calm after years of human rights abuses and a war that has killed thousands. But Teuku Don Zulfahri, the movement's... https://www.scmp.com/article/316416/rebel-faction-vows-keep-fighting-negotiators-gather-aceh-signing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/316416/rebel-faction-vows-keep-fighting-negotiators-gather-aceh-signing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 May 2000 16:00:00 +0000