High School Gangsters, Papuan Hostages, and More Paradise Papers: The VICE Evening Bulletin

Indonesian-Owned Pulp and Paper Company Named In Paradise Papers Leak
April, one of the world's largest pulp and paper companies, was named in the Paradise Papers leaks for moving billions of US dollars through a series of off-shore accounts. The company, which is owned by Indonesian tycoon Sukanto Tanoto, was also able to use its offshore companies to secure tax-free loans to expand its business—the cutting of huge swaths of Indonesian rain forest. —ICIJ

High School Gangs are Making a Comeback In Jakarta
It's been five years since the capital had to deal with a serious outbreak of school brawls, but a recent incident in South Jakarta that left one student dead has some wondering whether high school gangs are back. The deceased student was a member of a teenage gang called "Texas," according to police. —Kompas

Armed Group Takes Thousands of Papuan Villagers Hostage
An unidentified group has been holding around 1,300 villagers from two villages in Mimika, Papua, hostage for three days. The hostages are still allowed to go on with their daily activities, but no one can leave their village. The group's motive is still unclear. —Detik

Indonesia Has Hundreds of Indigenous Religions, But They are Only Being Recognized Now
For decades, local religions have been considered "wrong" and "deviant." This week, the Constitutional Court took a big step toward the acceptance of indigenous faiths by ruling that believers of some 245 native religions can now write the catch-all he catch-all "Believers of the Faith," in the religion field of their national identity card. Previously, they had to either leave the field blank or choose one of the six religions recognized by the state: Islam, Catholicism, Christianity (Protestantism), Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. —VICE

Men Involved in Kim Jong Nam Assassination Left Malaysia
New details of the North Korean agents allegedly involved in assassination of Kim Jong Nam emerged on Thursday as Malaysian officials admitted that they were unable to arrest two of the men because they had fled to the North Korean embassy. Both held prominent roles in the regime, with one working as the second secretary to the ambassador and the other as a manager at the state-owned Air Koryo. —The Straits Times

The Thermostat Drops In Thailand
Thailand is a tropical country, but a recent—and unexpected—drop in the temperature has some Thais shopping for winter clothes. Recent nights the temperature has dropped as low as 12 degrees Celsius. —Coconuts

UN Scolding Could 'Seriously Harm' Talks With Myanmar, Suu Kyi Says
The UN Security Council previously said that it had “grave concern" over reports of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar's Rakhine state in a stern warning to Burmese officials. Now the country's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi says these comments could "seriously harm" their talks with Bangladesh—where more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have sought safety. —Reuters

South Korea Eyes Deeper Ties With Southeast Asia
South Korean President Moon Jae-in unveiled his “New Southern Policy” on Thursday that promises greater trade ties with Southeast Asian nations. “Korean diplomacy in Asia has been more towards Japan, China and Russia. But I see that it should expand to new horizons and Indonesia has good prospects,” Moon said. —Reuters

There's More to Sichuan Cuisine Than Hot Pot
You can't say you love Sichuan cuisine if you haven't tried underrated dishes like maocai and fresh mudfish. But even then, nothing beats a good spicy hot pot. —VICE

Drake Wants a $160,000 First Edition of 'Harry Potter' and Other Fun Facts

There's nothing wrong about treating yourself. Drake would agree to this, since he is eyeing a $160,000 USD first edition of Harry Potter as a birthday gift to himself, he told The Hollywood Reporter. —Noisey

Having a Crush is Bad For My Health

It may start out cute. Then it turns into anxiety and disappointment. Crushes are not worth it. —VICE