Israeli troops mobilize as Gaza assault widens

A Palestinian family reacts as they rush past a burning building after an Israeli missile strike in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. Israeli warplanes pressing one of Israel's deadliest assaults ever on Palestinian militants dropped bombs and missiles on a top security installation and dozens of other targets across Hamas-ruled Gaza on Sunday. Israel's Cabinet authorized a callup of at least 6,500 reserve soldiers, suggesting plans to expand an offensive against Gaza rocket squads that has already killed some 280 Palestinians. AP/Hatem Omar

Ibrahim Barzak and Karin Laub , The Associated Press , Gaza City Mon, 12/29/2008 2:56 PM World
Israel widened its deadliest-ever air offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, targeting a house next to the Hamas premier's home early Monday after pounding smuggling tunnels and government buildings, sending more tanks toward the Gaza border and approving the call-up of thousands of reserve soldiers for a possible ground invasion.Israeli leaders said they would press ahead with the Gaza campaign, despite international criticism and enraged protests across the Arab world. Israel's foreign minister said the goal was to permanently halt the barrages of rocket fire from Gaza that have targeted civilians in growing swaths of Israel's south, but not to reoccupy the Palestinian territory.Early Monday, Israeli aircraft bombed the Islamic University and a central government compound in Gaza City, centers of Hamas power. Witnesses saw fire and smoke at the university, counting six separate airstrikes there just after midnight.Other targets were a guest palace used by the Hamas government and the house next to Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's home in a refugee camp next to Gaza City. He was not home, as Hamas leaders have gone into hiding.At first light Monday, strong winds blew black smoke from the bombed sites in Gaza City over deserted streets. The air hummed with the buzz of pilotless drones and the roar of jets, punctuated by the explosions of new airstrikes. Gaza officials counted at least 310 dead.Hamas fired missiles deeper than ever into Israel, hitting near the Israeli port city of Ashdod, and the Islamic organization continues to command some 20,000 fighters.Yet Hamas leaders were forced underground, most of the dead were from the Hamas security forces, and Israel's military intelligence chief said Hamas' ability to fire rockets had been reduced by 50 percent. Indeed, Hamas rocket fire dropped off sharply, from more than 130 on Saturday to just over 20 on Sunday.Israel's intense bombings - some 300 air strikes since midday Saturday - wreaked unprecedented destruction in Gaza, reducing entire buildings to rubble.On Sunday, crowds of Gazans breached the border wall with Egypt in an apparent attempt to escape the chaos. Egyptian forces, some firing in the air, tried to push them back into Gaza and an official said one border guard was killed.Late Sunday, Israeli aircraft attacked a building in the Jebaliya refugee camp next to Gaza City, killing five people, including a woman and her three daughters, one of them a 14-month-old toddler, Gaza Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said. In the southern town of Rafah, Palestinians said a toddler and his two teenage brothers were killed in an airstrike aimed at a Hamas commander, and in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City a strike killed a man and his wife.Shlomo Brom, a former senior Israeli military official, said it was the deadliest force ever used in decades of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. In the most dramatic attacks Sunday, warplanes struck dozens of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, cutting off a lifeline that had supplied Hamas with weapons and Gaza with commercial goods. The influx of goods helped Hamas defy an 18-month blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt, and was key to propping up its rule.Gaza's nine hospitals were overwhelmed. Hassanain, who keeps a record for the Gaza Health Ministry, said at least 310 people had been killed and over 1,400 wounded over two days of fighting, and that casualties were being taken to private clinics and even homes.Across Gaza, families pitched traditional mourning tents of green tarp outside homes. Yet the rows of chairs inside these tents remained largely empty, as residents cowered indoors for fear of new Israeli strikes.In Jerusalem, Israel's Cabinet approved a call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers in apparent preparation for a ground offensive, in addition to several hundred reservists who have already been summoned to join their units. The final decision to call up more reserves has yet to be made by the defense minister, Ehud Barak, and the Cabinet decision could be a pressure tactic.Israel has doubled the number of troops on the Gaza border since Saturday and also deployed an artillery battery. It was not clear, though, whether the deployment was meant to intimidate Hamas or whether Israel is in fact determined to send in ground troops.Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the territory to hunt militants firing rockets at Israeli towns, but has shied away from retaking the entire strip for fear of getting bogged down in urban warfare.Military experts said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion.The diplomatic fallout, meanwhile, was swift. Syria decided to suspend indirect peace talks with Israel, begun earlier this year. "Israel's aggression closes all the doors" to any move toward a settlement in the region, said a Syrian announcement.The U.N. Security Council called on both sides to halt the fighting and asked Israel to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to open its crossings "for the continuous provision of humanitarian supplies." In a statement, he said eight U.N. trainees and one staffer have been killed.Gaza border official Raed Fattouh said Israel informed him that two key crossings would be open Monday to allow in fuel and aid supplies.The prime minister of Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have relations with Israel, called the air assault a "crime against humanity," and French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned "the provocations that led to this situation as well as the disproportionate use of force."The carnage inflamed Arab and Muslim public opinion, setting off street protests across the West Bank, in an Arab community in Israel, in several Middle Eastern cities and in Paris.Some of the protests turned violent. Israeli troops quelling a West Bank march killed one Palestinian and seriously wounded another. A crowd of anti-Israel protesters in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul became a target for a suicide bomber on a bicycle. In Lebanon, police fired tear gas to stop demonstrators from reaching the Egyptian Embassy.Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on Hamas to renew its truce with Israel. The cease-fire began unraveling last month, and formally ended more than a week ago. Since then, Gaza militants have stepped up rocket fire on Israel.A Hamas leader in exile, Osama Hamdan, said the movement would not relent. "We have one alternative which is to be steadfast and resist and then we will be victorious," Hamdan said in Beirut.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said it was unclear when the Gaza operation would end but told his Cabinet was "liable to last longer than we are able to foresee at this time."Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in cities and towns in Gaza rocket range. Schools in communities in a 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius from Gaza were ordered to remain closed beyond the weeklong Jewish holiday of Hanukkah which ends Monday.

From casinos to family entertainment

Bambang Nurbianto , The Jakarta Post , Macau Sun, 11/16/2008 10:30 AM Travel

Theodore racing car, one example from collections displayed in the Grand Prix Macau Museum. (JP/Bambang Nurbianto)
The common notion of wealthy people flying to Macau just to try their luck in casinos is not always true because there's much more than gambling in Macau.
But having said that, casinos - of various sizes - are easy to find in nearly all the island's hotels.
Portugal returned Macau to its mother country, China, in 1999. It has been diversifying its tourist attractions which include promoting its abundant historical sites and developing modern facilities for shopping, sightseeing and sports.
"Macau offers various kinds of entertainment facilities for all family members. The diversification of the leisure industry is still in process," said chief executive officer of Viva Macau Airline Con Korfiatis.
Seeing gold in the country's economic development and because of an increasing number of tourists to Macau, the airline offers Jakarta-Macau direct flights.
However, it is incontestable that casinos are the main attractions on the island, but other tourist spots are growing in popularity, as proven by how crowded they are everyday by both local and foreign tourists.
Macau is a tiny island measuring about 29 square meters or less than one-twentieth of Jakarta's total area.
You can enjoy all its major tourist attractions in two days using chartered vehicles or three days by public buses.
Public transportation is easy to access and very convenient to use throughout the city. Brochures and guide books provide easy-to-understand directions for getting on the buses, their routes and bus stops.
Senado area, the Macau Old Town, is the most recommended place for visitors who come to the island with all their family members. The area is home to many historical sites which have become more and more touristic, marked with a mushrooming number of restaurants and shops selling food and souvenirs.
For those who like automotive and motorcycle racing, they should not overlook the Macau Grand Prix Museum, which was opened by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in 1993.
The museum displays collections of machines that have competed in and won Macau's Guia circuit. Museum archives include photographs, literature and various items related to the Grand Prix, which was first organized on the island in 1954.
In the same building there is the Wine Museum. Using various media, the museum aims to comprehensively examine its history which not only gives visitors information about wine and grapevines but also traditional and modern wine production.
There are at least 20 museums across the island, including the Macau Museum, the Museum of Arts, the Maritime Museum, the Treasure of Sacred Arts Museum, the Taipa Houses Museum, the Macau Tea Museum, the Communication Museum and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial House.
The Macau tourist office also lists religious buildings as tourist attractions such as Chinese and Buddhist temples as well as old churches.
A-ma Temple is the island's most historical site because Macau's name is derived from A-Ma-Gau or Place of A-ma. The temple is dedicated to the seafarers' goddess and dates from the early 16th century.
The legend has it that A-Ma, a poor girl looking for passage to Canton (Guang Dong), was refused by a wealthy junk owner but a poor fisherman took her on board. A storm wrecked her boat and on her arrival to Macau, she vanished only to appear as a goddess; it is on that spot where the fishermen built the temple.
The modern part of Macau, however, is no less interesting. It boasts contemporary buildings such as Macau Tower which is 338 meters high. The tower's observation deck provides restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk, a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. It also offers the best view of Macau and has been used for adventurous activities.
All these efforts show how Macau's leaders want to convince travelers that the island not only offers gambling facilities, but also other attractions which are friendly for all family members.

DANCING THE BELLY AWAY

The Jakarta Post Sun, 12/14/2008 9:53 AM Life

Members of the Bellydance Jakarta Dancers perform at the third annual Ball and Recital Bellydance at Le Meridien Hotel on Jl Sudirman Saturday. The event marked the third anniversary of the group.

Ferrari F1 team plans to accelerate cost-cutting

The Associated Press , Milan, Italy Mon, 12/08/2008 7:30 PM Sports Formula One team Ferrari is planning to accelerate its cost-cutting plans for 2009 in the wake of Honda's pullout from the sport. "This process had already begun over the last few years. But now it's going to have a sharp acceleration," team director Stefano Domenicali said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Monday without providing further financial details. Still, Domenicali warned that cuts in F1 spending shouldn't reach the point where it wouldn't allow healthy engineering competition. Ferrari announced in October that it too would leave F1 if the sport's governing body goes ahead with plans to have a sole engine and transmission supplier beginning in 2010. "We're at the forefront in the process of auto racing renewal, which has to remain a technological and sporting competition," Domenicali said. "Ferrari will continue to be a leader. The fans should stay calm." Honda quit F1 on Friday, saying that in the current economic downturn it needs to focus on its core business of making and selling cars rather than spending $291 million a year to race them on Grand Prix tracks. In three seasons, and with such massive investment, Honda managed just one race victory. Ferrari - the oldest team in F1 - has won more than 200 races. Domenicali called Honda's decision "a lightning strike in a clear sky." "It's a big crisis and you can understand the reasons that would force an automaker, faced with thousands of job firings, to engage in such drastic cost-cutting," he said. "F1 has already weathered some very tough times. It's key to react lucidly and avoid mistakes in strategy that you could pay a costly price for when things improve." Ferrari won the constructor's title this season, but Felipe Massa lost the driver's championship to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in the final race. Ferrari does not feel a complete loser, though.

Real Madrid fires coach Bernd Schuster

The Associated Press , Madrid Tue, 12/09/2008 9:16 PM Sports Real Madrid has fired Bernd Schuster two days after the German coach said it would be "impossible" for the two-time defending Spanish champion to win against Barcelona next Saturday. Former Tottenham and Sevilla coach Juande Ramos will immediately replace the 49-year-old Schuster, who was let go only six months after guiding the Spanish powerhouse to its record 31st league title. Fifth-placed Madrid trails leader Barcelona by nine points going into Saturday's "classico" derby. Schuster said Sunday after a 4-3 home defeat to Sevilla that Madrid "would try to play a good game" but that this was Barcelona's season. "Madrid is a team that whichever game it has to play it will go in with maximum motivation to play it," said Ramos, who takes over for the remainder of the season. "Barcelona is playing really well but Madrid is playing well enough to not renounce a victory in any stadium in the world." Ramos is the eighth coach to lead the Spanish club since it fired Vicente del Bosque in 2003. The 54-year-old Ramos' first match in charge will be against Zenit St. Petersburg in the Champions League on Wednesday. Sports director Pedja Mijatovic said that after a Tuesday morning meeting with the board of directors, Schuster and Madrid parted ways "amicably." "We talked about all of the difficulties that we had over the past months ... and we decided to take this decision," Mijatovic said. "He accepted it with great humility." Schuster joined Madrid from Getafe last July, replacing current England coach Fabio Capello, who was fired after leading Madrid to its first league title in four years to snap its longest trophy drought for 53 years. Schuster, who had a contract through 2010, promptly defended the league title easily as Madrid finished 18 points ahead of bitter rival Barcelona. "He did a great job last year and we hoped things would work out, but as you know in the world of football their are streaks you can't shake," Mijatovic said. "We enjoyed our time with him." But fifth-ranked Madrid, which has already qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League, has lost three of its last four league games and is in the middle of an injury crisis. Only three weeks ago, Mijatovic backed Schuster to continue "barring a catastrophe." But Schuster's comments about the match against Barcelona, where he all but threw in the towel, were never likely to be well received. "At the Camp Nou now, it's not possible to win," Schuster said after the match against Sevilla. "They (Barcelona) are playing really well there and it's their year. We can just try and hopefully play a good game." Schuster added that the way Barcelona was "demolishing" opponents, with the Catalans scoring an average of three goals a game, meant that it was their year. Barcelona is unbeaten in 20 matches in all competitions. The news of Schuster's firing comes during a turbulent time at the Spanish powerhouse, with president Ramon Calderon just surviving a vote of confidence at the club's general assembly on Sunday. Three days prior, the youth director quit the club citing Calderon's neglect as the reason for his leaving. Ramos led Sevilla to back-to-back UEFA Cup titles and a Copa del Rey trophy before taking over at Tottenham in October 2007. But he was fired by Spurs after its worst league start for 100 years, only six months after guiding Tottenham to its first trophy since 1999 in February with a League Cup triumph. Schuster was a former star for Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Besides Getafe, Schuster has also coached Spain's Levante - which he led to promotion to the first division in 2004 - Germany's Cologne, Spanish second-division side Xerez, and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk.

BI supervision of banks comes under fire

Aditya Suharmoko , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 12/04/2008 7:39 AM Headlines
Following the Bank Century trouble, the central bank is under pressure to improve its supervision amid the global financial downturn to prevent troubled banks from disrupting the country’s financial sector, legislators warn.
“Global crises impact Indonesia. Bank Indonesia needs to restructure its banking supervision, which is its weakest point,” Dradjad H. Wibowo, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission XI, which oversees financial affairs, said Wednesday.
Last week, the National Police detained Robert Tantular, a key shareholder in ailing Century, for allegedly asking the lender’s management to breach existing bank regulations. That request led to the mess the bank is currently embroiled in.
The government, via the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS), then took over the lender and injected Rp 2.5 trillion (US$208.6 million) to keep it afloat, after the bank’s capital adequacy ratio (CAR) plunged to negative 2.3 percent in early November, from about 18 percent in September.
A bank’s CAR determines how healthy it is financially.
Century was formed in late 2004 through the merger of Bank CIC, Bank Danpac and Bank Pikko.
“Before the merger, I insisted CIC be liquidated, considering its poor track record. But BI gave it room to breathe, resulting in the mess,” Dradjad said.
He said BI, with its exemplary human resources, should take a strict line on banks and enforce heavy sanctions to prevent such incidents from happening again.
“If it continues, people may think Erick (Jazier Ardiansjah) is a hero rather than a rumormonger, because what he said turned out to be true.”
Erick, a Bahana Securities trader, was recently arrested for spreading an email about a deposit run on five banks — Bank Panin, Bank Bukopin, Bank Artha Graha, Bank Victoria and Century.
Fellow Commission XI member Rizal Djalil said BI should record each bank’s ownership structure and money distribution, to gain a clearer picture of the banking sector condition.
The legislators were speaking at a hearing with the Finance Ministry and BI on the issuance of three regulations in lieu of the law on the LPS, BI and the financial system safety net (JPSK).
The government needs House approval for the regulations within three months of their issuance last October, to give them proper legal standing.
The regulations are seen as crucial in preventing a crisis in Indonesia’s financial sector, by allowing the government and BI to take immediate action against a possible crisis that could cause systemic threats to the financial sector, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.
“The JPSK is about (preventing) a systemic threat to the banking system. Without the JPSK, BI may be doubtful of providing a short-term financing facility or an emergency financing facility,” she said.
However, several legislators raised concerns that the regulation could be misused, saying it would grant BI greater authority and hence create a possible repeat of the BI liquidity support abuses from the 1997-1998 crisis.

Dalai Lama says he's anxious to meet Carla Bruni

Associated Press , Brussels Thu, 12/04/2008 9:55 PM World The Dalai Lama has used humor to brush off China's fury over his upcoming meeting with French Pesident Nicolas Sarkozy.The Tibetan spiritual leader told the European Parliament with a chuckle that he looks forward to meeting Sarkozy's "attractive wife," the former model Carla Bruni.Beijing has already canceled a major China-EU summit in protest of the meeting. The session has sparked concern that business ties between the two countries could suffer.China is fiercely opposed to foreign leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama. China regards Tibet as part of its territory.Beijing has denounced the Dalai Lama as a separatist who seeks to end Chinese rule of the Himalayan region.

Thai PM imposes emergency to clear seized airports

The Jakarta Post , Bangkok Thu, 11/27/2008 10:11 PM World
Thailand's government prepared to crack down Thursday on protesters occupying the capital's two airports, but vowed to resolve the standoff peacefully.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency around the capital's two main airports, which would allow security forces to oust thousands of anti-government protesters from the terminals.
Somchai accused the protesters of "holding the country hostage and the public hostage."
"I do not have any intention to hurt any members of the public," he added, though the imposition of the measures raised the possibility that violent clashes could break out as authorities moved on Suvarnabhumi international airport and the city' older, smaller Don Muang airport.
The declaration empowers the government to suspend some civil liberties, including restricting the movement of people and prohibiting mass assembly in certain locations.
The People's Alliance for Democracy, which has been demanding the resignation of Somchai and his overnment, seized control of Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of all flights in and out of the capital and sending thousands of tourists to hole up in Bangkok hotels.
The standoff, which began three months ago when the group occupied the prime minister's office compoud, has paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry.
Government Spokesman Nattawut Sai-kua earlier called the seizure of the airports "a terrorist act."
"The prime minister says we have to use peaceful means," he sad. "(Security officials) will negotiate (with protesters) first and we will go step by step, adhering to international standard and the law."
The protesters are seeking the resignation of Somchai, whom they accuse of being a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brther-in-law, is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a conflict of interest law.

101 killed as gunmen rampage in India city

Ramola Talwar Badam , The Associated Press , Mumbai Thu, 11/27/2008 3:57 PM World
Teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, a crowded train station and a Jewish center, killing at least 101 people and holding Westerners hostage in coordinated attacks on India's commercial center that were blamed on Muslim militants. Dozens of people were still trapped or held captive Thursday.
Police and gunmen were exchanging occasional gunfire at two luxury hotels and dozens of people were believed held hostage or trapped inside the besieged buildings. Pradeep Indulkar, a senior official at the Maharashtra state Home Ministry said 101 people were killed and 314 injured.
Among the dead were at least one Australian, Japanese and British national he said. Officials said eight militants had also been killed in the coordinated attacks on at least 10 sites that began around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Gunmen also seized the Mumbai headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. Indian commandos surrounded the building Thursday morning and witnesses said gunfire was heard from the building.
Police loudspeakers declared a curfew around Mumbai's landmark Taj Mahal hotel, and black-clad commandos ran into the building as fresh gunshots rang out from the area, apparently the beginning of an assault on gunmen who had taken hostages in the hotel.
Soldiers outside the hotel said forces were moving slowly, from room to room, looking for gunmen and traps. At noon, two bodies covered with white cloth were wheeled out of the entrance and put in ambulances.
A series of explosions had rocked the Taj Mahal just after midnight. Screams were heard and black smoke and flames billowed from the century-old edifice on Mumbai's waterfront. Firefighters sprayed water at the blaze and plucked people from balconies with extension ladders. By dawn, the fire was still burning.
At the nearby upscale Oberoi hoel, soldiers could be seen on the roof of neighboring buildings. A banner hung out of one window read "save us." No one could be seen inside the room from the road.
Officials at Bombay Hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a Japanese man had died there and nine Europeans had been admitted, tree of them in critical condition with gunshots. All had come from the Taj Mahal, the officials said.
At least three top Indian police officers - including the chief of the anti-terror squad - were among those killed, said and A.N. Roy, a top police official.
The attackers specifically targeted Britonsand Americans at the hotels and restaurant, witnesses said.
Alex Chamberlain, a British citizen who was dining at the Oberoi, told Sky News television that a gunman ushered 30 to 40 people from the restaurant into a stairway and, speaking in Hindi or Urdu, ordered everyone to put up their hands.
"The were talking about British and Americans specifically. There was an Italian guy, who, you know, they said: 'Where are you from?" and he said he's from Italy and they said 'fine' and they left him alone. And I thought: 'Fine, they're going to shoot me if they ask me anything - and thank God they didn't," he sid.
Chamberlain said he managed to slip away as the patrons were forced to walk up stairs, but he thought much of the group was being held hostage.
The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, inclding a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.
Mumbai, on the western coast of India overlooking the Arabian Sea, is home to splendid Victorian architecture built during the British Raj and is one of the most populated cities in the world with some 18 million crammed into shantytowns, highises and crumbling mansions. The Taj Mahal hotel, filled with Oriental carpets, Indian artifacts and alabaster ceilings, overlooks the fabled Gateway of India that commemorated the visit of King George V and Queen Mary.
A spokesman for the Lubavitch movement in New York, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, said attacers "stormed the Chabad house" in Mumbai.
"It seems that the terrorists commandeered a police vehicle which allowed them easy access to the area of the Chabad house and threw a grenade at a gas pump nearby," he said.
Around 10:30 a.m., three people were led from the building and escorted away by poice: a woman, a child and an Indian cook, said one witness, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said he did not know the status of occupants of the house, which serves as an educational center and a synagogue.
Early Thursday, state Home Secretary Bipin Shrimali said four suspects had been killed in two incidents in Mumbai when they tried to flee in cars, and Roy said four more gunmen were killed at the Taj Mahal. State Home Minister R.R. Patil said nine more were arrested. They declined to provide any further details.
"We're going to catch them dead or alive," Patil told reporters. "An attack on Mumbai is an attack on the rest of the country."
An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails to several media outlets. There was no way to verify that claim.
The state government ordered schools and colleges and the Bombay Stock Exchange closed Thursday.
Police reported hostages being held at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, two of the best-known upscale destinations.
Gunmen who burst into the Taj "were targeting foreigners. They kept shouting: 'Who has U.S. or U.K. passports?"' said Ashok Patel, a British citizen who fled from the hotel.
Authorities believed up to 15 foreigners were hostages at the Taj Mahal hotel, said Anees Ahmed, a top state official.
It was also unclear where the hostages were in the Taj Mahal, which is divided into an older wing that was in flames, and a more modern tower.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said U.S. officials were not aware of any American casualties, but were still checking.
"We condemn these attacks and the loss of innocent life," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
Blood smeared the grounds of the 19th century Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station - a beautiful example of Victorian Gothic architecture - where attackers sprayed bullets into the crowded terminal.
Photos in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper showed a young gunman - dressed like a college student in cargo pants and a black T-shirt - walking casually through the station, an assault rifle hanging from one hand and two knapsacks slung over a shoulder.
Nasim Inam, a witness said four of the attackers gunned down scores of commuters. "They just fired randomly at people and then ran away. In seconds, people fell to the ground."
Other gunmen attacked Leopold's restaurant, a landmark popular with foreigners, and the police headquarters in southern Mumbai, the area where most of the attacks took place. The restaurant was riddled with bullet holes and there was blood on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers. Gunmen also attacked Cama and Albless Hospital and G.T. Hospital, though it was not immediately clear if anyone was killed.
Early Thursday, several European lawmakers were among those who barricaded themselves inside the Taj, a century-old seaside hotel complex and one of the city's best-known destinations.
"I was in the main lobby and there was all of a sudden a lot of firing outside," said Sajjad Karim, part of a delegation of European lawmakers visiting Mumbai ahead of a European Union-India summit.
As he turned to get away, "all of a sudden another gunmen appeared in front of us, carrying machine gun-type weapons. And he just started firing at us ... I just turned and ran in the opposite direction," he told The Associated Press over his mobile phone.
Hours later, Karim remained holed up in a hotel restaurant, unsure if it was safe to come out.
India has been wracked by bomb attacks the past three years, which police blame on Muslim militants intent on destabilizing this largely Hindu country. Nearly 700 people have died.
Since May a militant group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen has taken credit for a string of blasts that killed more than 130 people. The most recent was in September, when explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas in the capital, New Delhi, killing 21 people and wounding about 100.
Relations between Hindus, who make up more than 80 percent of India's 1 billion population, and Muslims, who make up about 14 percent, have sporadically erupted into bouts of sectarian violence since British-ruled India was split into independent India and Pakistan in 1947.

Indian commandos storm besieged Jewish center

Fri, 11/28/2008 10:37 PM World
Masked Indian commandos dropped from helicopters Friday onto the roof of a Jewish center where suspected Muslim militants were holed up, possibly with hostages, as sharpshooters kept up a steady stream of fire at the five-story building.
The assault came as commandos freed several dozen captives — including one clutching a baby_ from the nearby Oberoi hotel as they searched the building for attackers, on the third day since a chain of militant attacks across India's financial capital left at least 119 people dead.
Security officials insisted their operations were almost over.
"It's just a matter of a few hours that we'll be able to wrap up things," Lt. Gen. N. Thamburaj told reporters.
But less than an hour later, two loud explosions and gunfire rang out at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel, which, on Thursday night, authorities had insisted was cleared of gunmen.
The commando attack on the center run by the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch was punctuated by gunshots and explosions from within the building as forces cleared it floor by floor, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
One camouflaged commando came out with a bandage on his forehead, while soldiers fired smoke grenades into the building and a steady stream of gunshots reverberated across the narrow alleys.
Hundreds of onlookers, many with binoculars, crowded onto roofs and in narrow alleys of south Mumbai, trying to catch a glimpse of the dramatic commando assault.
It was not immediately clear if there were hostages in the building or their fate.
At the Oberoi hotel, groups of captives were rushed out and loaded into waiting cars, buses and ambulances.
Among those released were a group of about 20 airline crew members, almost all Westerners.
Several of the rescued airline staff were in Lufthansa and Air France uniforms.
South African state radio reported that seven South African crew members had also been released from the Oberoi. Lufthansa said that all its seven crew members inside have now been rescued.
Among the others rescued from the hotel several clutched passports, including at least two Americans, a Briton, two Japanese nationals and several Indians.
Some carried luggage with Canadian flags, and two women were dressed in black abayas, traditional Muslim women's garments. The group included one man dressed in chef's uniform who was holding a small baby.
Kuwaiti state media said that at least eight Kuwaiti nationals had been released from the hotel.
"I'm going home, I'm going to see my wife," said Mark Abor, with a huge smile on his face after being released from the Oberoi hotel.
Arbor, from Britian had locked himself in his room during the siege. "These people here have been fantastic, the Indian authorities, the hotel staff. I think they are a great advertisement for their country," he said as security officials pulled him away.
It was unclear how many people remained inside.
The well-coordinated strikes by small bands of gunmen starting Wednesday night left the city shell-shocked.
Late Thursday, authorities said they had completed a rescue operation at the Taj Mahal hotel after about 400 people were brought out and officials said it had been cleared of gunmen. But on Friday morning, army commanders said two to three more militants were still inside with about 15 civilians. "We need to get them out of the rooms they have locked themselves into," said Brig. Bobby Mathews.
A few hours after that, Thamburaj, a security official, said at least one gunman was still alive inside the hotel and had cut of electricity on the floor where he was hiding.
Shortly after that announcement, another round of explosions and gunfire was heard inside the building.
State officials said 119 people had died and 288 were injured in the attacks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed "external forces" for the violence — a phrase sometimes used to refer to Pakistani militants, whom Indian authorities often blame for attacks.
The gunmen were well-prepared, even carrying large bags of almonds to keep up their energy during the fight. Their main targets appeared to be Americans, Britons and Jews, though most of the dead seemed to be Indians and foreign tourists caught in the random gunfire.
The gunmen — some of whom strode casually through their targets in khakis and T-shirts — clearly came ready for a siege.
"They have AK-47s and grenades. They have bags full of grenades and have come fully prepared," said Maj. Gen. R.K. Hooda.
A U.S. investigative team was heading to Mumbai, a State Department official said Thursday evening, speaking on condition of anonymity because the U.S. and Indian governments were still working out final details. The official declined to identify which agency or agencies the team members came from.
India has been shaken repeatedly by terror attacks blamed on Muslim militants in recent years, but most of them were coordinated bombings striking random crowded places: markets, street corners, parks. Mumbai — one of the most populated cities in the world with some 18 million people — was hit by a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.
These attacks were more sophisticated — and more brazen.
They began at about 9:20 p.m. with the shooters spraying gunfire across the Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station, one of the world's busiest terminals. For the next two hours, there was an attack roughly every 15 minutes — the Jewish center, a tourist restaurant, one hotel, then another, and two attacks on hospitals. There were 10 targets in all.
Analysts around the world were debating whether the gunmen could have been tied to — or inspired by — al-Qaida.
"It's clear that it is al-Qaida style," but probably not carried out by the group's militants, said Rohan Gunaratna, of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore and author of "Inside Al-Qaida."
Indian media reports said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility in e-mails to several media outlets. The Deccan is a region in southern India that was traditionally ruled by Muslim kings.
Survivors of the hotel attacks said the gunmen had specifically targeted Britons and Americans.
One of the gunmen "stopped once and asked, 'Where are you from? Any British or American? Show your ID," Alex Chamberlain, a British citizen dining at the Oberoi, told reporters.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. Relations between Hindus, who make up more than 80 percent of India's 1 billion population, and Muslims, who make up about 14 percent, have sporadically erupted into bouts of sectarian violence since British-ruled India was split into independent India and Pakistan in 1947.

Space tourist Simonyi returns

KOROLYOV, Russia (AP) — An American billionaire who paid $25 million for a 13-day trip to outer space returned to Earth on Saturday in a space capsule that also carried a cosmonaut and an American astronaut, making a soft landing on the Kazakh steppe.
The capsule carrying Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian-born software engineer who helped develop Microsoft Word and Excel, arrived after a more than three-hour return trip from the orbital station, a spokesman said at Mission Control outside Moscow, describing the touchdown as a "soft landing."
Simonyi looked ecstatic after rescuers removed him from the capsule, which lay askew on the bleak grassland. He smiled and grinned as he spoke with the support crew.
Also on the return journey were Mikhail Tyurin and Michael Lopez-Alegria, who spent seven months on the international space station.
Tyurin looked pale and tired, but managed a smile in a video link with Mission Control. Lopez-Alegria, the last out of the capsule, sighed with relief.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Earth Moscow Kazakhstan Martha Stewart Microsoft Word Nicholas Baikonur Mir Dennis Tito Michael Lopez-Alegria Fyodor Yurchikhin Russian Mission Control Oleg Kotov Space Adventures Gregory Olsen Microsoft Excel Mikhail Tyurin Anousheh Ansari Charles Simonyi Mark Shuttleworth Russian-leased Daria Soyuz TMA-9
The capsule raced down to Earth after separating from the two other sections of the Soyuz TMA-9 craft following its departure from the station, where one of the final tasks the travelers performed was to move containers with biological experiments from refrigerators on the station into the Soyuz.
"I crossed my fingers all the way, and I am very happy now," Simonyi's brother Tamas said at Mission Control. "Yes, I was nervous, but now it's a big relief to know that he's safe and sound and that the crew is safe and sound."
Simonyi arrived at the station on April 9 — also courtesy of a Soyuz, which flew into space atop a Russian rocket launched from the Russian-leased launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan — along with cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, who remained on the station.
Wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue, Lopez-Alegria's wife, Daria, said she was not nervous "until the last minute."
"He missed him much more," she said, pointing to their 7-year old son Nicholas.
Simonyi, 58, amassed the fortune that made his $25 million voyage possible through his work with computer software, including helping to develop Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
He is also associated with another major American household name: Martha Stewart.
Simonyi was seen off at Baikonur by Stewart, who is a friend, and who also watched the Soyuz dock from Russian Mission Control outside Moscow and spoke to him during a video linkup after he boarded the station. U.S.-based Space Adventures Ltd., which arranged Simonyi's trip, had said Stewart would not be at the site in Kazakhstan or at Mission Control for the landing.
The capsule was initially to return a day earlier, but spring floodwaters in the usual landing area forced space officials to postpone the arrival and use a reserve landing site.
Simonyi followed in the footsteps of Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen and Anousheh Ansari — all "space flight participants" who have traveled to the international space station aboard Russian rockets in trips brokered by Space Adventures.
Briton Helen Sharman in 1991 took a trip to the Soviet station Mir that she won through a contest, and a Japanese journalist traveled to Mir in 1990 with a ticket that reportedly cost $12 million.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Updated document.write(niceDate('4/22/2007 4:53 AM')); 4/22/2007 4:53 AM

Hollywood actors guild to seek strike

The Associated Press , Los Angeles Sat, 11/22/2008 6:54 PM Life The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday it will ask its members to authorize a strike after its first contract talks in four months with Hollywood studios failed despite the help of a federal mediator.The guild said it adjourned talks overnight with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after two marathon sessions with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez.SAG - representing more than 120,000 actors in movies, television and other media - said in a statement it would launch a "full-scale education campaign in support of a strike authorization.""We have already made difficult decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to reach agreement," the statement said. "Now it's time for SAG members to stand united and empower the national negotiating committee to bargain with the strength of a possible work stoppage behind them."The statement did not specify what led to the impasse, saying only that "management continues to insist on terms we cannot responsibly accept." A SAG spokeswoman said she would not comment further. A call to the movie producers group, known as the AMPTP, was not immediately returned.SAG's national board has already authorized its negotiating committee to call for a strike authorization vote if mediation failed. The vote would take more than a month and require more than 75 percent approval to pass.SAG is seeking union coverage for all Internet-only productions regardless of budget and residual payments for Internet productions replayed online, as well as continued actor protections during work stoppagesBut the studio alliance said it was untenable for SAG to demand a better deal than what writers, directors and another actors union accepted earlier in the year, especially now that the economy has worsened.Earlier this week, the producers' group said it had reached its sixth labor deal this year, a tentative agreement on a three-year contract with the local branches of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, accounting for 35,000 workers.The stagehands alliance accepted Internet provisions that were modeled on agreements with other unions, the producers group said.Actors in prime-time television shows and movies have been working under the terms of a contract that expired June 30, with the hope of avoiding a repeat of the 100-day writers strike which shut down production of dozens of TV shows and cost the Los Angeles area economy an estimated $2.5 billion.

Israel to free 250 prisoners before Muslim holiday

The Associated Press , Nablus Sat, 11/22/2008 7:31 PM World Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel will free hundreds of prisoners as a goodwill gesture before an upcoming Muslim holiday.Abas said at a conference in the northern West Bank town of Nablus on Saturday that Israel will release 250 prisoners before Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim holiday.The holiday is expected to take place on Dec. 8. Muslims follow a lunar calendar, and the expected date of religious holidays can vary slightly.Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced last week he'd release the prisoners.A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prime Minister says Olmert is expected to set a release date after he meets with Abbas again.The issue of thousands of prisoners are in Israeli jails is extremely sensitive for Palestinians.

Yudhoyono : RI, Brazil should help solve global problems

Thursday, 20 November 2008 18:05 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEBRASILIA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that Indonesia and Brazil need to develop the potentials they have in common in order to contribute to the solution of global problems such as the present world financial crisis. "Indonesia and Brazil are not merely a natural partner but also a partner in seeking for important contributions and solutions to global issues," the president said after a bilateral meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, here on Wednesday. After the bilateral meeting, the relevant ministers of the two countries signed several memorandums of understanding (MoU) in the framework of a strategic partnership cooperation agreed earlier. The MoUs among other things contained agreements to cooperate in the fields of energy, agriculture and poverty eradication. The president said that the partnership cooperation would further step up meaningful relations and cooperation in various fields particularly in the current global financial crisis. "This endeavor is increasingly important amid the global financial crisis which needs our common efforts to overcome it. I see the need for us to unite our respective potentials, excellence and experience," Yudhoyono said. He said that Indonesia and Brazil as a country with big agricultural potentials could exchange and complement their respective products. The president said that the two-way trade between the two countries in the last nine months reached US$1.7 billion and needed to be further increased. In the meantime, President Lula also hoped that the trade volumes of the two nations would be increased in order to improve the welfare of both nations. President Lula said that the trade volumes of the two states were recorded at US$1.5 billion in 2007. This year it was expected to reach UA$2 billion and US$3 billion next year.(ann)

Indonesia to buy 6 jet fighters, 18 armored vehicles from Russia

Friday, 14 November 2008 19:16 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEMOSCOW - Rosoboronexport has signed deals to sell six Su-30 Flanker-C jet fighters and 18 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles to Indonesia, an official at Russia`s arms export monopoly said on Wednesday.Nikolai Dimidyuk, Rosoboronexport`s special programs director, said Indonesia could also buy other Russian warplanes as well as Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters."Indonesia is still very interested in Russian fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft," he told Ria Novosti.He expressed confidence the Russian Finance Ministry would soon approve a $1 billion loan for Indonesia. "We are sure that this loan will be used to buy arms," Dimidyuk said. He added that Indonesia had asked Russia to modernize its Soviet-era weapons and equipment. "All of their Soviet-made weapons are obsolete," he said.(lnd/ann)

Peter Eastgate

He Joins Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and Others

Peter Eastgate, the 22-year-old World Series of Poker main event champion, has become a client of the poker player representation agency Poker Royalty.The Denmark native is now the newest “name” poker player thanks to his WSOP championship win, and Poker Royalty, the poker player representation firm with a who’s-who list of clients, plans on helping him earn much more than the $9.1 million he won Tuesday morning.Poker Royalty, which just opened a European office in London last month, represents what it call the kings and queens of poker, and they include Daniel Negreanu, fellow Dane Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, Scotty Nguyen, Greg Raymer, Phil Hellmuth, and others.The next question is which online poker room Eastgate will sign on with as a professional. He was one of PokerStars’ “PokerStars Six,” which the site built an online promotion around. (The other five final table players on the “six” team were runner-up Ivan Demidov, third-place finisher Dennis Phillips, fourth-place finisher Ylon Schwartz, sixth-place finisher Darus Suharto, and seventh-place finisher David Rheem.)Eastgate should prove to be a marketable player in Europe for whichever site signs him. The Dane is still mastering the English language, but for the poker-mad continent that is Europe, it seems the sky’s the limit for him.Poker Royalty has been successful is landing non-poker advertising gigs for some of their clients. Hellmuth appeared on WSOP-sponsor Milwaukee Best’s beer cans this summer, Negreanu, Hellmuth, and Nguyen all have starred in a Diet Pepsi commercial, and Gavin Smith served as the national spokesman for Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey

BY: BOB PAJICH bob.pajich@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Wednesday Nov 12, 2008 02:35 PM

Obama seeks more help for ailing auto industry

The Associated Press , Washington Wed, 11/12/2008 5:25 PM World World leaders hoping to meet President-elect Barack Obama at an economic summit in the U.S. capital this weekend will be disappointed. But as he works on forming his new government, Obama is finding it difficult to remain on the sidelines as Democrats in Congress line up in support of a financial bailout for the ailing U.S. auto industry. Obama has urged the Bush administration to do more to help U.S. automakers and aides said he raised the issue with President George W. Bush on Monday in their first face-to-face meeting at the Oval Office. Officials familiar with the conversation Monday said the president replied he was open to the idea. Obama does not plan to be in Washington or receive foreign visitors in Chicago over the weekend. He long ago ruled out attending this weekend's summit, saying the U.S. has only one president at a time, and it's still Bush. Before the election, Bush announced that the world's 20 largest industrialized nations and emerging economies would meet in Washington this Saturday. Obama's aides plan to keep tabs on - and possibly participate in - the summit where world powers hope to craft remedies to the global financial crisis. "We have one president at a time, and it's important that the president can speak for the United States at the summit," John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, told reporters Tuesday. Podesta, however, noted that Obama had urged such a summit during the presidential campaign. Leaders attending the G-20 meeting are certainly interested in Obama's economic stance. In phone calls last week, Obama accepted congratulations from leaders of countries including Canada, France, Italy, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. The global financial crisis was among the topics he discussed with key U.S. allies. On Tuesday, he spoke with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, the homeland of Obama's father. The president-elect held his first news conference last Friday after he and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met privately with economic advisers. Obama's message: "We are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime, and we're going to have to act swiftly to resolve it." A new Associated Press-GfK poll found nearly three quarters of Americans now saying they think Obama will make the changes needed to revive the struggling U.S. economy after his inauguration on Jan. 20. That's a greater percentage of people expressing confidence in the Obama's campaign message of hope and change than the 52 percent who actually voted for him a week ago. It includes 44 percent of Republicans - an indication that many people who did not pick him are caught up in the wave of optimism that has swept the country since the 47-year-old Illinois senator's groundbreaking election to the highest office in the country. On Tuesday, Obama huddled in private in Chicago with top advisers planning for the transfer of presidential power. He took a break only for a short public appearance to place a wreath at a memorial honoring fallen troops to mark the Veterans Day holiday. His aides say no Cabinet positions are to be announced this week, though White House staff positions may be filled later in the week. On Tuesday, Obama hired veteran Democrats Sam Nunn, a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Warren Christopher, President Bill Clinton's first secretary of state, to head his transition teams at the Pentagon and State Department, senior government officials and others said. Aides to Obama said the president-elect raised the idea with Bush of an administration point person on autos with a portfolio aimed at improving the long-term health of the companies. Bush repeated his position, recently stated by staff, that he is open to helping automakers. Also, amid discussions over whether a new economic stimulus measure is needed, Obama focused on his desire for it while Bush stressed that his main priority for any post-election action out of Congress is passage of a free trade agreement with Colombia, said people familiar with the conversation between the two men. The sources declined to be named publicly because of the private nature of the talks. Reflecting the delicate dance of a meeting between outgoing and incoming presidents, Bush repeated his position that he is open to helping the automakers without making firm commitments. "In no way did the president suggest that there was a quid pro quo," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. But, she added, "he did talk about the merits of free trade." In September, Congress approved $25 billion in loans to automakers to help them retool plans to build more fuel-efficient vehicles, and thus become more competitive in the global marketplace. Though the administration is working to give automakers quick access to that money, it still would likely not come fast enough - or in big enough amounts - to satisfy the drowning companies. Over the weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked the administration to consider expanding the $700 billion bailout for financial firms to include car companies. The administration has concluded automakers are not eligible under the main, stock-purchase part of the program. The debate comes as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are burning through cash and bleeding jobs. Analysts are predicting that GM, in particular, might not last the year without a government bailout. The AP-GfK survey found that seven in 10 of those surveyed, or 72 percent, voice confidence the president-elect will make the changes needed to revive the stalling economy. Highlighting anew how the Iraq war has faded as a paramount public concern, only half of people said they wanted Obama to make a U.S. troop withdrawal a top focus upon taking office. Instead, 84 percent said strengthening the economy should be a top-tier priority. Eighty percent also named creating jobs as a No. 1 order of business. The AP-GfK poll was conducted Nov. 6-10 and involved cell and landlines telephone interviews with 1,001 adults. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

‘Admiral Cheng Ho’ catches the eye of AGO

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 11/13/2008 7:49 AM Headlines
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has turned its attention to former justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra in a Rp 400 billion (US$36 million) graft case after all of his implicated former colleagues dropped his name on the witness stand.
Assistant attorney general for special crimes Marwan Effendi said Wednesday that Yusril, who played the lead role in TV series Cheng Ho, would be questioned next Tuesday.
“All suspects and witnesses have blamed him but we are yet to find indications of his involvement. But when we do, we will enforce the law,” Marwan said.
The AGO has arrested Syamsuddin Manan Sinaga, incumbent director general of legal administration at the ministry, and two of his predecessors, Romli Atmasasmita and Zul-karnain Yunus, over their involvement in the case.
The case centers on the distribution of funds allegedly embezzled from a legal administration website run by the ministry’s directorate general of legal administration, provided by private company PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD).
The website, www.sisminbakum. com, had since 2001 allowed legal entities to register for permits and nominate notaries. The services on offer ranged in price from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1 million.
The directorate general received 200 applications daily from notaries throughout the country, generating monthly revenue of Rp 5 billion to Rp 9 billion, AGO data shows.
The prosecutors said that instead of submitting the money to the state coffers as non-tax revenue, SRD took 90 percent of the revenue, while 4 percent went to the ministry and the rest to ministry officials, distributed by seniority.
Secretary-general, the AGO says, received Rp 5 million per month and directors general Rp 10 million.
Romli, a professor of law, Syamsuddin and Zulkarnain said they had just followed the decision signed by Yusril, their boss at that time.
Yusril, who is also a former Cabinet secretary, admitted to signing the 2000 decree appointing SRD to build the website, and another 2000 decree on the activation of the system.
“But there’s no violation of the law in the decrees. I can appoint the company because the project doesn’t use state money,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Yusril said income at ministerial levels was non-tax revenue as stipulated by a government decree signed by the President, and added that the President had never issued a decree requiring income generated by the website be transferred to the state as non-tax revenue despite the system running for eight years.
“So, what is the legal basis for the AGO to define the income as non-tax revenue if the government decree doesn’t exist?” Yusril said.
“The system never used state money as it was purely built by a private company. Doesn’t the AGO realize this?”
However, legal expert Irman Putra Sidin said it was unclear whether the officials had received the money and if Yusril had benefited from it.
“If there is evidence that officials received money from the website then it is a gratuity. The prosecutors should charge them under the 1999 corruption law,” he said.

Jakarta celebrates the Menteng Kid’s victory

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 11/06/2008 7:56 AM Headlines
Jakarta shared the anxiety and the joy of the U.S presidential election won by new Indonesian darling Barack Hussein Obama on Wednesday.
It was a special day for students of Obama’s former school SDN Menteng 01, Central Jakarta, who gathered at the school’s hall to watch the final results pour in. Several pictures of Obama during his school years there were prominently displayed.
A 15-minute silence has been held here every day since Monday to allow the students to pray for Obama’s victory.
“Every day we have something different to pray for, but since Monday we have prayed for him,” said principal Kuwadiyanto.
Obama, or Barry as he was affectionately called during his time in Indonesia, enrolled in the school — then named SD Besuki — as a third-grader in 1968. He previously attended the Fransiskus Asisi Catholic School, also in Central Jakarta.
Obama’s historic election as the next U.S. president was a dream come true for his supporters in Indonesia.
“I think it’s good motivation for the children to study hard and set their dreams high,” Kuwadiyanto said.
Israella Dharmawan, Barry’s former teacher at Fransiskus Asisi and an avid follower of the U.S. election, said she was proud and touched by Barry’s win.
“I hope to see him become a good president and keep his campaign promises,” she said, adding he was good, cheerful and easygoing as a young boy.
“I remember he once wrote two stories titled ‘My mother, my idol’ and ‘I want to be a president’,” she said.
Obama’s former classmates at SDN Menteng 01 also recalled the times they spent at Café Pisa, Menteng, with the now U.S. president-elect.
Obama moved to Indonesia at the age of six with his mother Ann Dunham and his Indonesian stepfather Lolo Soetoro. He lived in Jakarta from 1967 to 1971.
In the rest of the capital, Jakartans cheered the election of Anak Menteng (the Menteng Kid) as America’s first black president.
“Though I am not an American, I am very happy to hear that a child who studied in Menteng will be the next U.S. president,” Sugiyono, a taxi driver, said after hearing radio reports of Obama’s win.
The U.S. Embassy and USINDO organized a U.S. Election Day event at the InterContinental Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. Most of the guests were non-Americans.
“It’s no longer a U.S. election,” one guest said. “It looks like an international election. People all over the world are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the election.”
Among U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume’s invited guests were presidential spokesmen Dino Patti Djalal and Andi Mallarangeng, former ministers Emil Salim and Alwi Shihab, members of the House of Representatives, scholars, journalists and diplomats.
Despite their busy schedules, the British, Swiss, German, Austrian, Brazilian, Mexican, Jordanian, Tunisian, Palestinian and Singaporean ambassadors turned up to witness the historic moment.
Enda Nasution, who chairs the Obama for Indonesia society, celebrated Obama’s victory with 300 members of the group, which was founded over the Internet.
“It’s great to be part of history. No one thought Obama would win the U.S. presidency,” Enda said.

Malaysia backs Kosovo independence, angers Serbia

The Associated Press , Kuala Lumpur Sat, 11/01/2008 11:52 AM World Malaysia on Saturday defended its recognition of Kosovo as an independent state - a move that caused Serbia to expel the Southeast Asian nation's ambassador.
Serbia's Foreign Ministry said late Friday that Malaysian envoy Saw Ching Hong had 48 hours to leave because his country had recognized Kosovo.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim insisted his government's decision was meant to "help meet the aspirations of the Kosovo people in wanting an independent country."
Kosovo, a former Serbian province, declared independence in February. About 50 countries, including the United States and European Union members, have recognized its independence.
However, Serbia refuses to recognize the split. It has asked for a U.N. court's opinion on whether the secession was legal.
Malaysia plans to establish diplomatic ties with Kosovo at a suitable time, Rais added in a statement issued Saturday through the national news agency Bernama.

Medvedev congratulates Obama on historic victory

The Associated Press , Moscow Wed, 11/05/2008 9:30 PM World Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has congratulated Barack Obama on his election victory and is hoping for constructive dialogue with the incoming U.S. president.The Kremlin says Medvedev sent Obama a congratulatory telegram Wednesday in which he stressed that cooperation between the United States and Russia was important for global security and stability.The statement came shortly after Medvedev sharply criticized the U.S. in his state of the nation speech.In the telegram, Medvedev said there is "solid positive potential" to improve relations but more must be done. He said he is counting on Obama to engage in constructive dialogue that would take both countries' interests into account.Ties between Russia and the U.S. were seriously damaged by Russia's war in August with neighboring Georgia.

Menteng students overjoyed with Obama's win

The Jakarta Post Wed, 11/05/2008 3:02 PM Jakarta "Obama... Obama... Obama... We love you!" yelled hundreds of students from all grades in a Menteng elementary school in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, as they watched results come in for the U.S. presidential election.Students and teachers were overjoyed to suspend classes, gather in a 1,500 square meter ballroom and witness how a former student of the school became elected the next president of the United States.Headmaster Kuswadiyanto said the teachers and students had been starting their school day differently during the past few days."Every morning before lessons start, we've been praying for Barry, hoping for him to win the election," Kuswadiyanto said, as quoted by kompas.com.As tallies on the television screen grew and confirmed Obama's win, all the students expressed their happiness by running around, scattering all over the place, dashing out of the ballroom and roaming the schoolyard even though rain was pouring down.Obama's victory was also their victory. They were proud that the one-time Menteng student had became the leader of the most powerful country on the planet. "I want Obama to come here so we can talk with him," said Ajo, a fifth grader.The teachers said the school would pray for Obama again on Thursday. "We want to express our thankfulness, so we will continue praying for him.... Today we are just enjoying this victory with the students," Kuswadiyanto said. (and)

Baku: An exciting place to explore

Veeramalla Anjaiah , The Jakarta Post , Baku Sun, 10/26/2008 10:59 AM Travel
Are you looking for a new exotic place to explore? Do you want to see features of both Asian and European cultures in one city? Do you want to see a city where Muslims, Jews and Christians live in harmony? Then Azerbaijan's capital Baku -- the pearl of the Caspian Sea -- is the place for you.
Azerbaijan, a small but oil-rich country in the South Caucasus, is the new kid on the block of the world tourism industry.
More than 90 percent of its population is Shiite Muslim. It is not, however, an orthodox country. It has one of the most modern, secular, liberal, tolerant and open societies in the Islamic world.
"We had a very difficult period of being unknown in the world tourism market due to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Abulfas Qarayev, told The Jakarta Post recently.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijan territory, was seized by Armenian troops in a 1990s war.
Azerbaijan's beauty, richness, culture and ultimately its geostrategic position -- a juncture on the Great Silk Road, between the Mediterranean, Caspian, Black and Azov seas -- has attracted various tribes, travelers, invaders, traders and missionaries throughout history. More recent patrons include oil companies and even film director Michael Apted, who shot parts of the 1999 Bond film The World is not Enough here.
In this former Soviet Union state of 8.7 million people, Baku has everything.
"It was a surprise for me. Baku looks like more an European city than an Asian one," Laura Shuurmans, a Jakarta-based free-lance writer, said recently.
A city rich in culture and history, Baku has unique and varied architecture -- ranging from grand mansions with Roman and Gothic themes to a walled old city complete with cobbled streets, narrow alleys, ancient buildings and interesting historical places.
As in any other ancient city, the best and easiest way is to explore Baku is on foot. While in Baku, there is one place you will go to, more than once. In Baku all roads lead to Fountain Square. If it is dining and shopping you're after, or simply looking to meet up with friends and enjoy the night life, head to Fountain Square. It's the most popular place in the city for locals and visitors alike.
Built in the 1860s by the famous Azerbaijani architect Hajibababeyov (1811-1874), Fountain Square is home to numerous Western-style shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Here you can find street hawkers and a playground for children: It's the spot to hang out. It's on Sunday evenings however, that the square really comes alive. A parade of beautiful Azeri girls hit the town and everybody wants to be there.
Baku or Baki (which means a city of winds in the Azeri language) is in fact comprised of three cities -- the old town (Cheri Shekher), the boom town and the Soviet-built town.
Tourists will find the walled old town, a world heritage site, the most interesting as all the major attractions of Baku are found here.
Baku's landmark Maiden's Tower, a key shapped medieval tower, stands tall on the shore of Caspian Sea. The tower is a place worth seeing in Baku city. (JP/Veeramalla Ajaiah)
Every city has its landmark and for Baku it's Maiden's Tower, a medieval tower with a strange keyhole shape. Built as a guard tower and observatory in 12th century, Maiden's Tower or Kiz Kulesi is worth seeing. There are many stories to explain how it was named, the most accepted being that a maiden committed suicide by jumping from the top. Local people told us that distressed people still sometimes repeat maiden's act.
A set of stairs will take you to the top of the tower, which, at a height of more than 30 meters will provide good exercise. From the top you will find the best view of Baku and the Caspian Sea.
But beware of the biting wind, which comes rolling off the rough Caspian Sea and sweeps through the city's streets. The Shirvanshah's Palace, a 15th century royal palace, is a must see tourist site in Baku. (JP/Veeramalla Ajaiah)
Another of Baku's historical attractions is the Shirvanshah's Palace, a 15th century royal palace with a mosque, minaret and mausoleum.
On our way to Shirvanshah's Palace, there were numerous tempting artisan and carpet shops. But prices of these items are as high as the Maiden's Tower. Don't worry thought, if you have a local guide or bargaining skills developed from years of shopping at Tanah Abang market, the prices will come down by more than half.
It is easy to loose your way in the labyrinthine old city. But not to worry, just hail a cab and ask to go to the usual place: Fountain Square. The most surprising thing was that even the locals sometimes get lost. This is because Baku is changing very fast, due to the oil boom. Many Azeris, however, point out that they are not part of the boom.
The rapid influx of oil dollars means that the whole city looks as if it is in a beauty parlor. Multistory buildings are being constructed, old buildings and roads are undergoing renovations -- all over the city.
In the evening, one should not miss beautiful Boulevard. Running parallel to Baku's sea front, Azeri people enjoy leisurely strolls here. The 100-year-old Boulevard, now a national park, is also a popular spot for young lovers. The streets, decorated with lights, add to the ambiance.
Baku is also home to numerous museums. My favorite was the State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and Decorative Applied Arts (formerly the Lenin Museum), which has a very rich collection of centuries-old colorful carpets. The Azerbaijan State Museum of Art, State History Museum, Museum of Independence and the Museum of Musical Culture of Azerbaijan are also worth a visit.
The city also has a vibrant nightlife -- you can find music ranging from disco and jazz to operas and classical Azeri dances. One can even enjoy belly dancing at one of the caravansarai's (ancient inn) in the old town.
A picturesque view of Baku Bay. Baku city has been undergoing a complete modernization, thanks to its oil boom. (JP/Veeramalla Anjaiah)
On the outskirts of the city, you can explore not only numerous beaches, but also places like Gobustan, where 12,000-year-old rock carvings are preserved, and Ateshgah -- a Zoroastrian fire temple built in the 18th century.
Near Baku, the most interesting place in Azerbaijan is Oil Rocks, a town on the Caspian Sea. Built during the Soviet era, Oil Rocks has 200 kilometers of streets built on a former landfill. It is here that several scenes of The World is not Enough were shot. Further away from Baku you will find tourist places like Sheki, Ganja and Guba.
The most interesting part of the experience is the great Azeri cuisine, which is similar to Turkish food. Lamb kebabs, dolmas, caviar, yogurt soups, salads, bread, pillav and tomatoes, as well as many fresh fruits, will make your mouth water.
Baku and Azerbaijan in general are blessed with so many qualities that will provide fond memories for tourists. But it is above all, their warmness, generosity and hospitality that Azeri people are well known for. Last year around 1.3 million tourists visited Azerbaijan, a veritable leap from the 44,934 who came in 1995.
Baku has all the ingredients, and has invested billions of oil dollars, to ensure its spot as a popular international destination in the years to come. It might just be that one has to hurry up to see the original Baku, before it turns into a new star in global tourism industry.
Travel tips
Getting there: The United Arab Emirates' Emirates airlines flies daily from Jakarta to Dubai. From Dubai Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flies to Baku six times in a week and from Baku to Dubai seven times a week. A two-way ticket may cost approximately US$1,800.
What to see
Fountain Square, Maiden's Tower, Shirvanshah's Palace, Old town (Cheri Shekher), Gobustan, Ateshgah fire temple, State Art Gallery, State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and Decorative Applied Arts, Boulevard, Oil Rocks in Baku and surrounding areas
Where to stay
Hyatt Regency, Holiday Inn, Absheron Hotel, Caspian Palace, and Radisson SAS Plaza and numerous budget hotels
Where to eat and what to eat
Karavanserai: An underground restaurant in the midst of walled city. The food is traditional Azeri with lots of lamb and Caspian fish. There are also regular Azeri music, magic shows and belly dance. Yacht Restaurant: This yacht-shaped expensive restaurant on Caspian Sea offers delicious Azeri food and drinks.
Currency
One can bring in unlimited foreign currency to Baku with proper declaration. But you can't take Azeri currency manats out of the country. Azeri manat might be stronger than U.S. dollar but it is not accepted outside Azerbaijan. All manats must be exchanged before we leave Baku.

Minister: Japan ready with money for IMF bailout

Yuri Kageyama , The Associated Press , Tokyo Fri, 10/31/2008 12:24 PM World
Japan is ready to provide some of its ample cash for any International Monetary Fund bailouts for struggling nations to help stabilize the growing gobal financial crisis, the finance minister said Friday.
Japan will make that offer along with proposals about accounting standards and other regulatory adjustments needed to fix the growing economic woes at a world summit in Washington Nov. 15, Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa told reporters.
Nakagaa did not say the acceptance of its proposals would be needed to get any of the money but he said Japan expects to play a greater international leadership role on the international stage.
He said the IMF has about $210 billion funds but that may not be enough.
"Japan is ready if that prove insufficient," he said, adding that Japan has $1 trillion in possible funding from its foreign currency reserves. "We see lending to the IMF basically as risk-free."
He did not give specifics of what Japan's proposals may be, stressing that Prime Minister Taro Aso was still hammering out details.
Nakagawa reiterated his earlier remarks and the views of other Japanese politicians that Japan wishes to exercise political leadership in offering its money and experience in wresting itself out of its bad debt woes of the 1990s.
He said Europe and the U.S. have historical experience with the Great Depression, but Japan has more recent experience and is in a better position to share its expertise.
"We were able to get ourselves out of our problems without help from any other nation," he said at the Japan Press Center.
Earlier this week British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the International Monetary Fund needs more money to bail out struggling countries.
Brown has called on countries such as China and the oil-rich Persian Gulf states to fund the bulk of an increase in the International Monetary Fund's bailout pot. The IMF is giving Hungary, Iceland and Ukraine loans and is in discussions with Belarus.
The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday it is creating a new program to get money quickly to developing countries with strong economies that are facing cash crunches in the global financial crisis.
Nakagawa said countries need to respond quickly and work together to get out of the financial problems that started with the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis and is now spreading around the world.
"Japan is taking leadership," he said.
He said Japan was also doing its part domestically with stimulus spending packages and regulatory changes to prevent a further plunge on the Tokyo stock market.
On Thursday, Tokyo unveiled a stimulus package worth 27 trillion yen ($275 billion) to shore up the world's No. 2 economy, including benefits to households, loans to small- and mid-sized businesses and discounts on highway tolls.

MANUEL GOING TO THE CHAPEL

Mon, 10/27/2008 11:38 PM World

Manuel "Meme" Uribe is pushed into the dance hall where he and Claudia Solis will get married in Monterrey, Mexico, on Sunday. Uribe, who tipped the scales in 2006 at 1,230 pounds (560 kilograms), earning him the Guinness Book of World Records' title for the world's heaviest man, lost 550 pounds (250 kilograms) with the help of Solis, whom he met four years ago. (AP/Monica Rueda)

Govt to destroy contaminated Chinese milk products

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 10/28/2008 1:35 AM National
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Monday that the authorities had confiscated a total of over 478,000 packs of melamine-contaminated milk and milk products imported form China, and they would destroy all of them.
However, the minister said that the government would not publicize it "for reasons that I could not tell. But I assure you that they will all be destroyed."
Early in September melamine-contaminated milk formula was found in China, that had sickened thousands of babies and killed some of them.
In a belated response, the Indonesian government recalled all Chinese milk products from the markets and prohibited their importation and distribution.
The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) then raided markets and confiscated products found to be contaminated with melamine.
The products found being distributed in the local markets included Guozhen (full cream milk powder), two kinds of Oreo Stick Wafer, two kinds of M&M's candies, Snickers biscuits, blue-packed White Rabbit candies, red-packed White Rabbit, Soybean Drink With Milk (yellow packs), Soyspring Instant Milk Cereal and Soyspring Instant Peanut Milk.
Meanwhile, BPOM said Monday it would continue to withdraw Snickers biscuits and M&M's chocolate candies despite latest tests showing low melamine contents.
BPOM chief Husniah Rubiana Thamrin acknowledged that results of repeat tests proved that both products contained low melamine contents, but the agency would continue with the withdrawal.
"Indeed there have been re-checks and the results show that the melamine content is low. But according to our standard operating procedures if a brand is already declared to contain melamine it has to be withdrawn and destroyed," Husniah Rubiana Thamrin was quoted by Antara as saying on Monday.
She said the policy was taken to assure consumers that all food products sold in the country are safe to consume.
"This will also be good for the companies concerned because it would convince the people that their products are safe to eat," she added.
The producer of Snickers and M&M's, PT Mars Symbioscience Indonesia, has said that all of its products are safe to eat.
The company's president Noel Janetski said in a statement that his side and BPOM had conducted a re-test on the products, and the results showed that the content of melamine in M&M's was below the tolerated limit, and Snickers did not contain any melamine. (rid)

Hasan Tiro and Aceh peace

The Jakarta Post Fri, 10/24/2008 1:35 PM Opinion
Hasan Tiro is not only a symbol of the Acehnese people's identity, but also a maker of and witness to history. Alongside Buya T. Daud Beureuh, Tiro is a promising figure for developing sustainable peace in Aceh. Tiro played a great role in Helsinki in August 2005 to help the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) achieve a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that contains a comprehensive and progressive agreement for embracing a peaceful future for Aceh.
Tiro's homecoming to Aceh this year on Saturday, Oct. 11, after several decades of living abroad, should be widely appreciated. He represents not only the Acehnese people's long journey through the peace-building process, but also that of all Indonesians.
The 2009 election has already raised some tensions in Aceh. Thirty-eight national political parties will be competing with six local ones. Research conducted by an early warning team from the SERAP program of CCA-CIDA has shown that from June to September 2008 several potential causes of conflict emerged. Political terror increased, as did negative media headlines. The lack of political knowledge in the community is challenging the emergence of local parties. Controversy between national and local parties occurred under the poor performance of the Independent Election Commission (KIP) and the Election Monitoring Team (Panwaslu).
Meanwhile, to achieve a peaceful election in Aceh, all functional actors are strongly expected to perform at their best from now on. The KIP must get accurate data on voters immediately. The police must carry out their tasks in dealing with political terrorism. Local governments must learn not to control, but to cooperate and collaborate with other institutions. Local political parties must seek some capacity-building support to increase their members' political knowledge.
After the Helsinki MoU in 2005, the House of Representatives passed a Law on the Government of Aceh (Law No. 11/2006). But to this day, there has been only one government regulation on local political parties (PP No. 20/2007).
Aceh still needs 11 regulations to support the implementation of the peace agreement, as cited in the Helsinki MoU and Law No. 11/2006, such as the regulation of law enforcement for human rights and the regulation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR).
The latter is subject to different points of view. The first view is that the KKR Aceh could be established after a nationwide commission had been established. However, our Constitutional Court (MK) annulled the regulation on the national KKR. Another view states that the KKR Aceh could be established without the national one using local community mechanisms. A third view is that the KKR Aceh has already been established, via Articles 229 to 259 of Law No. 11/2006.
To this day, the Aceh Reconstruction Council (BRA) has not effectively contributed to the reintegration process. Held up by bureaucratic procedures in the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Social Services Ministry, only 30 percent of the reintegration fund has been dispensed. Furthermore, instead of using the money to strengthen conflict victims' capacity, the council has dispensed it in a mostly charitable manner. With such an enormous allocation of funds, the BRA has been focusing only on physical activities or construction. It has not contributed to capacity-building activities toward the development of peace in Aceh.
Tiro's homecoming was a beautiful moment for the official leaders and elites to reunite in developing a sustainable peace in Aceh. There is still a lot of work to be done since the peace agreement; such work can easily be done collaboratively.
The establishment of a reconciliation council (KKR), to name one of the tasks, will come before the spoilers of peace can be detected. They could be individuals, or any programs that would lead to social envy, injustice, inadequate economic access for tsunami and conflict victims, and wealth and employment issues.
Other tasks are: 1) strengthening local democratic instruments by empowering ex-combatants to become politicians; 2) expanding marginal groups' access to political, economic, bureaucratic and other governmental institutions; and 3) accelerating the establishment of the Human Rights Court and the KKR to resolve former cases of conflict and maintain a sense of justice among conflict victims.
Moreover, for all of the people of Aceh, the upcoming election is the right time to vote for their best representatives and leaders. It is a breakthrough toward sustainable peace. We shall then put our focus and energy toward supporting Aceh in creating a peaceful democratic party in 2009.
The writer is chairman of the Titian Perdamaian Institute. He can be reached at ichsanmalik@gmail.com