Indonesia fell four places in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017. In the latest edition, which was released on Wednesday (28/09), Indonesia ranked 41st. The WEF stated that despite the many reforms to the nation's business environment, the performance of Indonesia in the index remains one of contrasts. The WEF's competitiveness report assesses the competitiveness landscape of 138 economies, providing a unique insight into the drivers of these nation's productivity and prosperity.

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Reportedly 389 tourists are "missing", believed to be trapped in the area around Mount Rinjani in East Lombok. On Tuesday afternoon (27/09) the 3.7 kilometers high Mount Barujari, located close to Mount Rinjani, erupted. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said authorities are doing their best to locate these tourists, find out their condition and evacuate them. Indonesian authorities have already evacuated more than 1,000 people (mostly foreign and domestic tourists) from the area.

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Regional development bank Asian Development Bank (ADB) has become slightly less optimistic about Indonesia's economic growth in the years 2016 and 2017, although the Manila-based institution emphasizes that Southeast Asia's largest economy remains growing at a healthy pace. In its latest Asian Development Outlook 2016 the ADB cut its forecast for Indonesia's economic growth to 5.0 percent (y/y) in 2016 (from 5.2 percent previously) and to 5.1 percent (y/y) in 2017 (from 5.5 percent previously).

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Indonesia's rupiah currency is performing remarkably well today. By 13:20 pm local Jakarta time the rupiah had appreciated 0.75 percent to IDR 12,943 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index). There are several factors that are pushing the rupiah in a stronger position. Enny Sri Hartati, economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), informed that capital inflows are the result of the government's tax amnesty program and rising foreign direct investment (FDI). Meanwhile, there is the impact of the US presidential debate.

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