Bali

Bali's hotel ban: A long overdue step to address overcrowding, environment

Authorities need to come up with a solution to mange the rampant overdevelopment that's become Bali's hallmark

Bali imposes construction freeze to tackle overtourism, protect environment

Bali reportedly deported 340 foreign nationals last year for violations, including illegal activities and inappropriate behaviour

Indonesia halts new hotel, villas construction in Bali: Here's why

"The construction of new hotels, villas, and nightclubs would be paused," Indonesian authorities said

Indonesia expects to sign $3.5 bn business deals at 2nd Africa forum

"The partnership between Indonesia and Africa so far has significantly increased trade volumes and trade agreements," President Joko Widodo said during his opening speech for the forum on Monday

Musk arrives in Indonesia to launch Starlink satellite internet service

Elon Musk arrived in Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Sunday to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the world's largest archipelago nation. The billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of social platform X arrived by private jet on the idyllic island of the gods, which is renowned for its tropical beaches, terraced rice paddies, mystical temples and colorful spiritual offerings. Musk is slated to launch the service alongside Indonesian President Joko Widodo in a ceremony later Sunday at a public health clinic in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali. Musk will also sign an agreement on enhancing connectivity in the country's health and education sectors, said Indonesia's Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who welcomed Musk at the airport. Pandjaitan, a close ally of Widodo, did not provide more details about the agreement between the Indonesian government and Musk's SpaceX, the aerospace company that operates Starlink ...

Elon Musk scheduled to visit Indonesia for Starlink's launch: Minister

Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, a close ally of President Joko Widodo, said Musk would launch the service on the holiday island of Bali alongside the Indonesian leader

Balancing the redlines: How G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration came about

The G7 grouping led by the US wanted stronger condemnation of Russia for its aggression against Ukraine

Bali was Bali and New Delhi is New Delhi: EAM on Ukraine in G20 declaration

The G20 leaders declaration avoided mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and made a general call to all states to follow the principle of respecting each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, in what is largely seen as a climbdown by the Western powers on the conflict. India managed to hammer out an unexpected consensus among the G20 countries on the contentious issue through a series of hectic negotiations with emerging economies such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia playing a leading role in reaching the breakthrough. Sources said these three countries also helped in drafting the text that drew every member nation's approval. The declaration issued at the G20's Bali summit last November had deplored in the strongest terms the Russian aggression against Ukraine while most members strongly condemned the war. "With regard to the comparison with the Bali Declaration, I would only say Bali was Bali and New Delhi is New Delhi. I mean, Bali was a year ago," External

India fulfilled 87% of 15 key Bali commitments: G20 Research group

The European Union ranked first on the Bali commitments with a 97 per cent score, followed by Australia and Germany, and Canada, Korea and the United Kingdom

Powerful earthquakes rock Indonesia's Bali, Java islands, no casualties

A powerful earthquake and an aftershock rocked Indonesia's resort island of Bali and other parts of the country on Tuesday, causing panic but no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centred 181 kilometers northeast of Gili Air, a tiny island near the coast of Lombok Island, next to Bali, at a depth of 513.5 kilometers. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks. The agency put a preliminary magnitude at 7.4. Variations in early measurements are common. A 5.4 magnitude aftershock hit the same area a few minutes later just before dawn. Many residents and tourists rushed out of their homes and hotels toward higher ground after reporting powerful shockwaves, but the situation returned to normal after they received text messages saying the quake had no potential to trigger a tsunami. "I thought the walls were going to come down o

Bali wants tourists to follow its list of dos and don'ts: Check it here

The governor of Bali has sent out a new list of dos and don'ts for tourists after many videos have surfaced showing disrespectful and illegal behaviour in popular tourist spots

Will oppose any step back from Bali statement on war, says France FM

Under Pillar One of BEPS, multinational enterprises with global turnover above 20 billion euros and pre-tax profit above 10 percent of revenue will have to pay 25 percent of the profit before tax

Asia's travel hotspots Bali, Chiang Maiquiet quiet, await Chinese tourists

Just a handful of Chinese visitors were posing for photos and basking in the sun this week in the market and plazas near Chiang Mai's ancient Tha Phae Gate, one of many tourist hotspots still waiting for millions of Chinese travellers to return. The beaches and temples of destinations like Bali and Chiang Mai are the busiest they have been since the pandemic struck three years ago, but they're still relatively quiet. Still, Chanatip Pansomboon, a soft drinks seller in the Chinatown district of Chiang Mai, a scenic riverside city in northern Thailand, was upbeat. He trusts that with the number of flights from China steadily increasing, it's only a matter of time. If a lot of them can return, it will be great as they have buying power, Chanatip said. The expected resumption of group tours from China is likely to bring far more visitors. For now, it's only individual travellers who can afford to pay, with flights costing more than triple what they normally do, who are venturing ...

Bali's water crisis threatens local culture, food production, UNESCO sites

Far from Bali's beaches and hotels, farmer I Ketut Jata stands on a mountainside, staring at terraced land that is too dry to grow the rice his family has long relied on for food and income. It is no longer possible to work in the fields as a farmer," he says. Bali's water crisis is worsening from tourism development, population growth and water mismanagement, experts and environmental groups warn. Water shortages already are affecting UNESCO sites, wells, food production and Balinese culture and experts say the situation will deteriorate further if existing water control policies are not enforced across the island. A tropical, volcanic island in the center of Indonesia's archipelago, Bali relies on water from three main sources: crater lakes, rivers and shallow groundwater. A unique traditional irrigation system, called the subak, distributes water through a network of canals, dams and tunnels. The subak, made a UNESCO site in 2012, is central to Balinese culture, representing the

Best of BS Opinion: Unwelcome reminder, Beyond Bali, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Beyond Bali

India's presidency must make G20 more relevant

Indonesian passenger ferry carrying 271 people catches fire near Bali

A passenger ferry carrying 271 people caught fire Wednesday off Indonesia's resort island of Bali, but there were no immediate reports of casualties and evacuation efforts were ongoing, rescue officials said. The Mutiara Timur I was carrying 236 passengers and 35 crew members when it caught fire in the Bali Strait, about 1.5 km (a mile) from Karangasem beach. Dozens of rescuers, navy sailors and local fishermen were trying to evacuate people to two navy ships and and there were no immediate reports of injuries, said Bali's search and rescue agency head Gede Darmada. We are still focus on evacuation efforts, Darmada said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated. Photos and video released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed rescuers in inflatable boats evacuating the passengers to a navy ship while black smoke billowed from the burning ferry. The ferry was heading from Lembar port in West Nusa Tenggara province from East Java's Ketapang town, according t

Missile that hit Poland 'unlikely' to have been fired from Russia: Biden

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that it was "unlikely" that a missile that killed two in NATO-ally Poland was fired from Russia, but pledged support for Poland's investigation into what it had called a "Russian-made" missile. Biden spoke after he convened an "emergency" meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia on Wednesday morning for consultations on the attack that killed two people in the eastern part of Poland near the Ukraine border. "There is preliminary information that contests that," Biden told reporters when asked if the missile had been fired from Russia. "It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we will see." The president, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early on Wednesday to express his "deep condolences" for the loss of lives. Biden promised on Twitter "full US support for and

PM Modi interacts with world leaders at Bali in G20 summit in Indonesia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with several world leaders during the ongoing 17th G20 Summit in Bali, including US and French Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, as well as Rishi Sunak

All eyes on Russia as G20 leaders gather in Bali to discuss global crises

PM Modi to emphasis India's priorities as country takes over G20's annual presidency at the end of the meet