THE ASEAN TODAY

Colour of Woman's Underwear Reveals What Sort of Lover She is

2010-10-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Kamis, 14 Oktober 2010 12:17 WIB

Nothing to hide: Eva Medes, left, recently revealed she felt most comfortable in nude underwear,
KOMPAS.com - Next time you go shopping for underwear, give some thought to what colour you choose. The colour of a woman's lingerie, it appears, tells you what sort of a lover she is, a psychologist has revealed.Red means you're not shy but if you opt for pink, you would never take the lead - white is for willing learners. The poll found 72% of women now opt for nude or flesh toned lingerie when shopping shunning the classic white and black briefs or fancy lacey sets and Debenhams supports this finding with nude sales up 38% increase year-on-year.It seems celebrities may be responsible for the change in the nation's taste in lingerie - with Hollywood siren Eva Mendes revealing recently that she feels most sexy in 'either nude or very basic underwear' and pop starlet Katy Perry choosing a simple nude bra and knickers above sexy lace to wear on the front of Rolling Stone magazine.Expert Donna Dawson drew up her list after a poll for laundry experts Dr Beckmann found almost three quarters of women now opt for 'nude' underwear - which means they have 'nothing to hide'.Dawson said: 'Colours at the warm end of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow), create feelings of excitement and vitality, and can actually raise our blood pressure, heartbeat and breathing rate'Dawson said: ' A nude or flesh-coloured bra denotes a personality that is natural, easy-going, down-to-earth and transparent. This woman is relaxed, with nothing to hide.''A red bra denotes a personality that is passionate, energetic, dramatic and driven.'This woman is not shy about asking for what she wants. Her moodiness and need for drama are also part of her allure.""A pink bra denotes a personality that is romantic and gentle and in need of affection. She is feminine, sensuous and would never take the lead."'A black bra denotes a personality that is individualistic and powerful, as well as sultry. This woman has subtle charms and is deeply passionate.''A white bra denotes a personality that is innocent but open-to-suggestion. A woman who opts for a white bra is usually a willing learner.'

Taiwan Plans to Decriminalise The Sex Trade

2010-10-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Kamis, 14 Oktober 2010 14:51 WIB

A Chinese police officer interrogates a group of suspects detained during a raid on a karaoke bar in Beijing on October 11, 2010. Police officials said that most of the nightlife spots offering prostitutes to clients were run by organised crime gangs, as following 30 years of booming economic growth, prostitution -- once nearly wiped out in China following the 1949 communist revolution -- has flourished.
TAIPEI, KOMPAS.com - Taiwan’s government said Thursday it plans to decriminalise the sex trade by allowing prostitutes to open small-scale businesses. The authorities have been mulling various measures, including the creation of special sex zones, to regulate the trade amid criticism of the existing law, which punishes only sex workers but lets their customers off the hook.The law is due to expire in late 2011, and the interior ministry has proposed new rules allowing small brothels operated by individuals or by groups of three to five sex workers. However, the ministry has ruled out setting up red-light districts or allowing larger companies due to opposition from experts concerned that it would turn the sex trade into a regular industry, it said in a statement.The ministry said it will submit the proposal to the cabinet’s human rights committee for approval by the end of this year after collecting more feedback from the public. A poll released by the ministry in February found that the majority of Taiwanese were in favour of creating special sex zones.Under existing laws, prostitutes face three days in jail or a fine of up to 30,000 Taiwan dollars (950 US dollars) if they are caught providing sexual services. Their clients go unpunished.While there is no official figure for the scale of Taiwan’s sex industry, observers estimate it involves hundreds of thousands of people and generates annual revenues of up to 60 billion Taiwan dollars./ halaman berikutnya-->

Home Wi-fi 'Could be Hacked in Five Seconds'

2010-10-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Kamis, 14 Oktober 2010 14:54 WIB

Security risk: According to new research, a quarter of private wireless networks do not have a password
KOMPAS.com - Wireless internet networks in millions of homes can be hacked in less than five seconds, a study claims today. The wi-fi hacking means criminals can spy on the activities of families, perhaps stealing their identity and banking details to raid their accounts.The hackers could also use the wi-fi access to tap into illegal pornography or upload and download stolen music and movies without being traced. An ‘ethical hacking’ experiment in six cities, using freely available software, found almost 40,000 home wi-fi networks at high risk.Separately, there are concerns about the security of those who use free wi-fi networks offered by coffee shops and other businesses. The study, commissioned by card protection and insurance firm CPP, highlights a ‘cavalier’ attitude to keeping data safe.According to the findings, nearly a quarter of private wireless networks has no password attached, making them immediately accessible to criminals. This is despite 82 per cent of Britons thinking their network is secure.The report also found that hackers were able to ‘harvest’ usernames and passwords from unsuspecting people at a rate of more than 350 an hour, sitting in coffee shops and restaurants.Nearly a fifth of wireless users say they regularly use public networks. CPP fraud expert Michael Lynch, said: ‘We urge all wi-fi users to remember that any information they volunteer through public networks can easily be visible to hackers.’

NASA Bombs The Moon Creating New Dimple

2009-10-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is the first image of the Moon taken from the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite on its approach. Two Nasa spacecraft barrelled towards the Moon at twice the speed of a bullet this afternoon

Saturday, 10 October 2009 8:31 AM
KOMPAS.com - It was billed as one of the most ambitious missions in the history of space exploration. But Nasa's audacious attempt to smash two spacecraft into the surface of Moon in the search for water turned into a damp squib for millions of people today.The £49million 'bombing raid' was supposed to create a six-mile high cloud of dust that would be visible from telescopes on the Earth.But live pictures relayed back from the Moon showed no sign of an impact - even though both craft dived into a darkened crater as planned.Nasa scientists were today analysing the data and images sent back to the Earth to find tell trace traces of ice in the debris.Millions of people had watched live on the internet as the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite and its two-tonne Centaur rocket approached the Moon's south pole.The rocket was first to crash, plunging into the pitch-black Cabeus crater at 12.31pm. Nasa hoped it would blast 350 tonnes of rock and dust into a cloud, leaving behind a dimple the third the size of a football pitch. Travelling faster than a bullet, it was supposed to hit with the force of 1.5 tonnes of TNT and create a mini-crater about half the size of an Olympic pool. The second crash, caused by the smaller LCROSS probe, was to be about one-third as strong.The first crash was filmed by the LCROSS probe, which had detached from the rocket the night before. It beamed live information to Earth from its five cameras and four scientific instruments as it flew above the impact zone before it too smashed into the surface four minutes later.Scientists hoped to find evidence of ice at the bottom of dark craters at the Moon's poles, where temperatures are lower than minus 170C.However, the big spectacle Nasa had promised failed to happen. The webcast images of the crater loomed larger and larger as the satellite approached on its collision course, but still showed no sign of debris.Nasa officials said their instruments were working, but the planned live photos were missing. The only evidence of an impact was a small heat signature picked up by the LCROSS probe's infra-red camera.Expectations by the public for live plume video were probably too high and based on pre-crash animations, some of which were not by Nasa, said project manager Dan Andrews.Nasa's director at the Ames Research Centre which monitored the mission Michael Bicay admitted: 'We didn't see a big splashy plume like we wanted to see.'Prior to impact some scientists had claimed that there was chance that it would be clear within an hour of the collision whether there was water on the Moon. Now Nasa say it will probably be two weeks before they have an answer.Another issue regarding the impacts was the poor lighting, said Mr Andrews. Experts said the images could be essentially 'grey against black'.'What matters for us is: What is the nature of the stuff that was kicked up going in?' he said. 'All nine instruments were working fine and we received good data.'Mr Andrews said the science team was poring through the information - including what are supposed to be good images from ground-based telescopes on Earth - to answer the big question: Is there some form of water under the moon's surface that was dislodged?It will probably be two weeks before scientists will be certain about the answer, he said.Before the crash, mission scientists said there was a chance that if it was really moist under the crater, they'd know about water within an hour. That's not the case now, Mr Andrews said.People who got up before dawn to look for the crash at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory exchanged confused looks instead. Jim Mahon called the celestial show 'anticlimactic'. 'I was hoping we'd see a flash or a flare,' he said.A British expert who helped the American space agency Nasa pick the location near the Moon's south pole said the lunar surface may not have reacted as expected.But Dr Vincent Eke, from the University of Durham, stressed it was still too early to know if the mission had been a success or failure.'If it turns out to be as dull as it looked, I'd imagine the soil just didn't respond as was hoped to being hit,' said Dr Eke. 'It might mean we don't get sufficient data, which would be a shame.'Dr Eke's team discovered strong evidence of hydrogen - a key component of water - within cold permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's poles, where temperatures fall to minus 200C.Finding water, which could be used for drinking, making fuel and providing oxygen, would have major implications for the future of moon exploration.A ready supply of water would make it far more practicable to build lunar bases or launch missions to Mars from the Moon.Dr Eke, who led a study of data from Nasa's 1998 Lunar Prospector mission which revealed hydrogen concentrated in darkened craters, said: 'There's absolutely no doubt that they hit the place they were aiming for, but how material gets thrown out from the surface depends on whether it's rocky or loose. If you hit a sponge, you're not going to see anything.'It sounds like they got an infrared signal, but its too early to predict yet what they're likely to get.'Last month new findings from three spacecraft, including India's Chandrayaan-1 probe, showed that small amounts of water might be chemically bound up with the Moon's soil.Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator for the mission, cautioned: 'We don't anticipate anything about presence or absence of water immediately. It's going to take us some time.'If hydrogen is present as water ice, then the data would imply the top metre of the surface in these craters holds about 200,000 million litres of water in total.Preparation for impact comes as stunning thermal images of the far side of the Moon have been revealed for the first time.The British-made Thermoteknix camera is onboard the LCROSS, and will be one of the instruments that will study the first plume of debris before crashing itself.'The camera has worked flawlessly for nearly 100 days, and counting, in interplanetary space,' said Mr Colaprete.'It provided the first thermal images of the far side of the moon and also images of Earth and the Moon from distances as great as 560,000km and 850,000 km away, respectively.'The MIRICLE camera was developed by pioneering thermal imaging company Thermoteknix Systems, based in Cambridge.Dr Richard Salisbury, managing director of Thermoteknix, said: 'We are delighted to have been selected to play a critical part in Nasa's important mission to find water on the Moon, which is vital for the future of longterm space exploration.'We are all very proud of this achievement.'Sumber : The Daily Mail

World Stocks Lose Gains As Wall Street Flounders

2009-09-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 17 September 2009 10:59 PM
LONDON, KOMPAS.com — European stocks lost their earlier gains Thursday as Wall Street floundered on the open, pushing investors to take profits on this week’s rally, which has seen many indexes reach new highs for the year. Germany’s DAX was up 0.1 percent at 5,703.84, Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent to 5,142.83 and France’s CAC-40 was down 0.1 percent to 3,810.78. Asian markets made strong gains, but U.S. indexes were unable to maintain the previous day’s momentum. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.1 percent at 9,797.75 and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index traded 0.1 percent lower at 1,068.04. U.S. traders were hesitant to extend this week’s rally, which has been driven largely by strong economic data, on fears that the good news may be priced in by now. The figures have supported the claims by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that the recession is “very likely over,” although some analysts say markets need more proof of recovery to sustain gains. On Thursday, data showed housing starts rose 1.5 percent in August, about as expected, indicating the sector’s downturn has bottomed out, although experts believe a recovery will be slow because of high foreclosure rates and weak consumer spending. Other upbeat statistics this week included industrial production on Wednesday — a 0.8 percent rise in August, better than expected — and retail sales on Tuesday. After weeks of caution over the valuation of stocks — with investors worrying that gains since March were not justified and economic recovery would be slow — equities have risen steadily this week. Mitul Kotecha, analyst at Calyon, noted that while momentum is strong and stocks may rise further, “equity valuations are increasingly suggesting some caution.” The increased appetite for risk and rise in stocks has had the knock-on effects of weakening the dollar — which is typically bought as a safe haven — and boosting oil prices and commodities. In Ireland, the benchmark index jumped 2.8 percent after the government announced it would acquire euro77 billion ($113 billion) in defaulting property loans from the country’s struggling banks — and pay 30 percent less. The hope is that a “bad bank” would stabilize the financial sector and free up banks to lend normally once again. Shares in Allied Irish Banks soared 21.7 percent and Bank of Ireland rose 12.8 percent on the news. In Asia, indexes generally rose more sharply than their European or U.S. counterparts, driven in part by unprecedented liquidity from government stimulus spending and low interest rates set by central banks. “Asia is outperforming right now, but this is primarily liquidity driving the market up,” said Peter Lai, investment manager at DBS Vickers in Hong Kong. “I feel the upside opportunities are quite limited but the downsides risks are high, and many people may start looking for opportunities to take profits.” Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average closed up 1.7 percent at 10,443.80 after the central bank raised its assessment of the world’s second-largest economy and kept interest rates at 0.1 percent to nurture a recovery. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.7 percent, China’s Shanghai benchmark rose 2 percent and South Korea’s Kospi added 0.7 percent. Elsewhere, Australia’s market jumped 1.4 percent and India’s Sensex was up 0.5 percent. Among other countries whose main stock measures hit new highs for 2009 on Thursday were India, Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan. Oil prices rose slightly, holding above $72 a barrel. Benchmark crude for October delivery was up 7 cents at $72.58 a barrel by afternoon European time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar rose to 91.33 yen from 90.88 yen late Wednesday in NewYork. The euro gained to $1.4740 from $1.4706.Sumber : AP

The Meaning of Noordin M Top's Death

2009-09-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 17 September 2009 10:50 PM
SOLO, KOMPAS.com — Noordin Muhammed Top, a militant mastermind who eluded capture for seven years and terrorized Indonesia with a string of deadly al-Qaida-funded bombings, was killed during a raid Thursday, the Indonesian police chief said. Police hunting for suspects in bombings of two luxury Jakarta hotels raided a hide-out in central Indonesia, sparking an hours-long gunfight that ended at dawn with an explosion. Four suspected militants died, including Noordin, national police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said. Three suspects also were captured. The operation left behind a charred house with no roof and blown-out walls. Noordin’s remains were found inside the house on the outskirts of the town of Solo in central Java, the main Indonesian island, Danuri said. Fingerprints of Noordin’s obtained from authorities in his native Malaysia and stored on a police database matched those of the body, Danuri said. DNA tests have not yet been conducted. The bodies were flown to Jakarta for autopsies. “It is Noordin M. Top,” Danuri told a nationally televised news conference to loud cheers from the audience of reporters, photographers and TV crews. Documents and laptop computers confiscated from the house prove that Noordin “is the leader of al-Qaida in Southeast Asia,” he said. Hundreds of pounds (kilograms) of explosives, M-16 assault rifles, grenades and bombs were removed from the house as ambulances shuttled away the dead and injured.“We asked Noordin M. Top to surrender, but they kept firing,” Danuri said. “That is how he died. ... He even had bullets in his pockets.” Noordin fled to Indonesia in 2002 amid a crackdown on Muslim extremists in Malaysia in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. He is accused of heading a splinter group of the al-Qaida-funded regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and has been implicated in every major attack in Indonesia since 2002, including two separate bombings on the resort island of Bali that together killed 222 people, mostly foreigners. He has also been blamed for a pair of suicide bombings at Jakarta’s J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in July, an earlier attack on the Marriott in 2003 and a bombing at the Australian Embassy in 2004. “The most dangerous terrorist in Southeast Asia has been put out of commission,” said Jim Della-Giacoma, Southeast Asia project director for the International Crisis Group think tank. “It would have been better if police had managed to arrest him alive, but it appears that this was not an option,” he said. “Unfortunately, Noordin’s death does not mean an end to terrorism in Indonesia, though it has been dealt a significant blow.” In the Philippines, where authorities are fighting an Islamist insurgency in the south, Noordin’s death was welcomed by authorities as a sign that terrorists cannot hide from the law forever. “It’s a major accomplishment, it’s a big blow to their leadership, to their capability to train new bombers,” said Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, who leads assaults against al-Qaida-linked militants. “There are gains being made in the anti-terrrorism campaign in the region.” A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was aware of reports of Noordin’s death. “We are awaiting official confirmation from the Indonesian government,” he said. Dozens of Australians were killed in the 2002 bombing of Bali nightclubs. An Indonesian counterterrorism official said the militants killed Thursday included alleged bomb-maker Bagus Budi Pranato. The captured militants included a pregnant woman who is being treated at a hospital, national police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said. She was in stable condition.Sumber : AP

Did Hitler Play Lenin at Chess?

2009-09-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 6 September 2009 8:43 AM
KOMPAS.com - Their opposing ideologies would be a central part of the most destructive military clash of the 20th century. But here the battleground was just a chessboard.This remarkable picture supposedly shows Adolf Hitler pitting his wits against Vladimir Lenin. And its owners claim it is based on a real chess game between the men 100 years ago. While historians have cast doubt on its authenticity, the family which owns the picture is convinced they can prove it is genuine.The image is said to have been etched in Vienna by Hitler's art teacher, Emma Lowenstramm. It is also said to be signed on the reverse by the men who would go on to lead their respective nations.Hitler was a 20-year-old jobbing artist in the city in 1909 and Lenin - twice his age - was in exile from Russia. The house where they apparently played the game belonged to a prominent Jewish family.In the run-up to the Second World War the family fled and gave many of their possessions, including the etching and chess set, to their housekeeper.Now the housekeeper's great-great grandson is selling the image and the chess set at auction. Both items have a pre-sale estimate of £40,000.The unnamed vendor is confident they are genuine after his father spent a lifetime attempting to prove their authenticity.He compiled a 300-page document that included results of tests on the paper and the signatures. Richard Westwood-Brookes, of auctioneers Mullock's, said: 'The signatures in pencil are said to have an 80 per cent chance of being genuine.'Some experts, however, have questioned the picture's authenticity. Historian Helen Rappaport, author of Conspirator: Lenin in Exile, said the etching was probably a 'glorious piece of fantasy'.She said there was no evidence Lenin had been in Vienna in 1909, adding that 'he was as bald as a bat by 1894' - unlike the man pictured, who has a full head of hair. The items are to be auctioned in Ludlow, Shropshire, on October 1.Sumber : The Daily Mail

Istanbul-Jakarta Flight Service Offered

2009-09-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 6 September 2009 9:21 AM
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Turkish Airlines has opened an Istanbul-Jakarta flight service to increase cooperation between the two countries. "The opening of the service is part of the company’s efforts to widen relations between the two countries," the airline’s chief, Candan Karlitekin, said here on Saturday. He made the statement at the opening of the service, which was also attended by the chairman of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid. The opening of the service had long been awaited by various parties in the two countries, Karlitekin said adding the route to Jakarta was one of hundreds the airline was serving in the world. He said he was optimistic the service would increase the two countries’ relations in the economic field and also in tourism and make the relations between the two countries and their communities closer. "Indonesia is a big country and potential so that the company has considered it necessary to open flights to Jakarta," he said. For the time being flights would still make a stopover in Singapore but in 2011 there would be direct flights, he said. Hidayat Nur Wahid welcomed the opening of the service and hoped it would make the two countries’ relations closer. "I welcome the opening of the service and hoped it would benefit both Indonesia and Turkey," he said. The Istanbul-Jakarta service will be carried out five times a week namely on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday departing at 11.20 pm local times and arriving at 05.25 pm local times. The Jakarta-Istanbul service will also be carried out five times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with schedule of departure at 07.15 pm local time and arrival at 05.40 am local time.Sumber : Antara

Terrorist Infiltrated Indonesian Airline

2009-08-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 1 September 2009 6:16 AM
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — A suspect wanted in connection with hotel suicide bombings in the Indonesian capital infiltrated the national airline in a plot to carry out a “bigger attack,” the police chief said Monday. The suspect, identified only as Syahrir, was recruited by a militant network and had been working as a technician with the airline, Garuda Indonesia, said National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri. Documents seized by police uncovered the plot to strike Indonesia’s airline sector, he said, without providing details about when or how the attack was supposed to have taken place. Syahrir resigned from the airline and remains at large, Danuri said. The blasts at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels on July 17 killed seven people and wounded more than 50 others, ending a four-year pause in terror attacks in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Syahrir is the brother-in-law of a militant suspect shot dead by police earlier this month in an hours-long standoff in Central Java province, Danuri said. The dead suspect, Ibrohim, had been working as a florist at the two hotels for years before smuggling in explosives and the bombers for the July attacks, police say. Danuri declined to provide further information to reporters after making his comments to parliament’s foreign affairs and security committee, but the details appear to support theories by terrorism experts that militants infiltrated potential targets years in advance. Additional evidence was also found about a plot to assassinate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in retaliation for the execution of three convicted Bali bombers in 2008. Danuri provided no further details. Police were still searching for several suspects in the recent hotel bombings, including the alleged mastermind, Noordin Muhammad Top, said to head a breakaway faction of the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah. Indonesia suffered bombings between 2002 and 2005 that together killed more than 240 people, most of them foreign tourists on the resort island of Bali. Danuri said 455 suspected militants have been detained in Indonesia since 2002, and 347 received prison sentences ranging from a few months to the death penalty. Some 192 have served prison terms and been released. One of the four fugitives in the Jakarta hotel bombings was a convicted bomb-maker named Urwah who was sentenced to seven years but released and “returned to his old habitat,” Danuri said. Police have said they were investigating the possibility the July bombings were carried out with foreign funding, which terrorism experts believe could indicate links to al-Qaida. Authorities say the terrorism network was involved in four major attacks in Indonesia, including the two Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005, the J.W. Marriott bombing in 2003, and a blast at the Australian Embassy also in Jakarta in 2004.

Philippine police arrest suspected Muslim militant

2009-08-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , Manila Tue, 09/01/2009 10:23 AM World
Police have captured a suspected al-Qaida-linked militant accused of high-profile kidnappings of at least four Americans and dozens of Filipinos in the southern Philippines, officials said Tuesday.Last week's arrest of Hajer Sailani, an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf, in a shopping mall in southern Cotabato city was the latest success of a crackdown that has netted several militants in the country's south and foiled kidnapping and terror plots, police said.Sailani has been linked to the 2000 kidnapping of American Jeffrey Schilling, a Muslim convert who traveled to an Abu Sayyaf jungle stronghold on southern Jolo Island but was held by the militants on suspicion that he was working for the CIA, police spokesman Leonardo Espina said. Schilling escaped eight months later.Sailani also was allegedly involved in the 2001 kidnapping of three Americans and 17 Filipino tourists at the Dos Palmas resort in southwestern Palawan province, which prompted Washington to deploy U.S. troops to the southern Mindanao region to help the Philippine military rescue them, Espina said.American missionary Gracia Burnham survived the yearlong jungle captivity, but husband Martin was killed in the military rescue in 2002. The third American, Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded by the militants on Basilan Island.Espina said Sailani also played a role in the kidnappings of dozens of teachers, riests and students in two Basilan schools in 2000. Most of the hostages were freed or escaped, but at least two teachers were beheaded.The national police "will not rest until all terrorists and criminals are arrested, accounted for and neutralized," Espina said.Among those arrested recently was inno-Amor Rosalejos Pareja, alleged head of the Rajah Solaiman Movement that officials say was behind the 2004 Manila ferry bombing that killed 116 people in the country's worst terror attack.The Abu Sayyaf, which has more than 300 fighters, is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. It is suspected f receiving funds and training from al-Qaida.Although the government has claimed to have crippled the Abu Sayyaf after several U.S.-backed offensives, the group still poses a major threat. It held three Red Cross workers and several others hostage earlier this year, engaged government troops in fierce fighting and planted bombs, including Sunday's blast that wounded two soldiers outside an airport and an air force base on Jolo, about 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of the capital, Manila.

British Steam Supercar Smashes 100-Year-Old Land-Speed Record

2009-08-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

HOW IT WORKS: The engine uses propane gas and 12 boilers to generate the 3MW heat needed to create the steam. The steam flows through more than a mile of tubing to a turbine which drives the rear wheels forward

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 9:24 AM
KOMPAS.com - A British-built steam car has smashed a 103-year-old world land speed record for steam-powered vehicles in the United States. The 25ft-long British Steam Car - nicknamed the 'fastest kettle in the world' - reached an average speed of 139.843mph on two runs over a measured mile at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.Driver Charles Burnett beat the previous record of 127mph set by American Fred Marriott in a Stanley steam car at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1906. Mr Burnett said: 'It was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed every moment of it. We reached nearly 140mph on the first run before I applied the parachute. The second run went even better and we clocked a speed in excess of 150mph. The car really did handle beautifully." The new international record, which is subject to official confirmation by officials from the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), followed a series of cancellations in the past week due to technical difficulties and bad weather. Mr Burnett piloted the car for both runs, reaching a peak speed of 136mph on the first and 151mph on the second, a team spokesman said.Record officials recognise a land speed record as the average speed of two passes made across the same measured distance in opposing directions within 60 minutes of each other. Mr Burnett is a nephew of Lord Montague of Beaulieu, who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 for an offshore water speed record of 137mph.Other members pf the team, based in Lymington, Hampshire, included 48-year-old test driver and father-of-two Don Wales, nephew of the late speed ace Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell. Weighing three tons, the British Steam Car is made from a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis.It burns Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) in 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing. Demineralised water is pumped into the boilers at up to 50 litres a minute to cool the blistering burners, which produce three megawatts of heat.Steam is superheated to 400C and injected into the turbine at more than twice the speed of sound. The car is brought to a stop by large Goodyear tyres, brake discs and a parachute.Project manager Matt Candy said the team turned the car around for its second run with just eight minutes to spare before they would have breached FIA rules.An overjoyed Mr Candy said: 'The first run took place at 7.27am (local time) when the air temperature was a cool 63 degrees. 'The team turned around the car in 52 minutes, with just eight minutes to spare in preparation for its return run.'The British Steam Car takes 2.5 miles to accelerate and after the measured mile, a further 2.5 miles to decelerate, so each run was over 6.5 miles. The FIA requires that the return run takes place within 60 minutes. Compared to the testing we did in Britain, the British Steam Car ran 12 times the distance and twice the maximum speed - all within one hour. It's been a huge challenge for all.'Watching the triumph in the Mojave Desert was Pam Swanston, wife of the team's late project manager Frank Swanston. She said: 'If only Frank was here today. It was his vision that made it a reality. He would be incredibly proud of the team's achievements and always believed we would succeed. Today we celebrate this record for Frank.'Although the team broke the official world land speed record for a steam-powered vehicle, their efforts fell short of an unofficial record set in 1985. The Barber-Nicholls team reached a speed of 145mph in their vehicle, Steamin' Demon, but no attempt was made to have it officially recognised by the FIA.Before the attempt in California, officials from the British Steam Car said they acknowledged the 1985 attempt as the record to exceed. A spokesman for the British team said they intended to stay on in California in an effort to emulate the Barber-Nicholls speed tomorrow.Sumber : The Daily Mail

South Korea troops on high alert amid North Korea threats

2009-05-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , Seoul Thu, 05/28/2009 11:21 AM World South Korean and U.S. troops facing North Korea boosted their alert level Thursday to the highest category since 2006, after the communist regime threatened military strikes on allied troops in escalating tensions over its nuclear test.North Korea threatened Wednesday to attack any U.S. and South Korean ships that try to intercept its vessels and renounced a 1953 truce halting the Korean War fighting, raising the prospect of a naval clash off the Korean peninsula's west coast.The North was responding to Seoul's decision to join a U.S.-led anti-proliferation program aimed at stopping and inspecting ships suspected of transporting banned weapons, including nuclear technology. South Korea announced it was joining after the North's underground test blast of a nuclear bomb.On Thursday, the South Korea-U.S. combined forces command increased the surveillance to level 2 from the present level 3, Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said. He said that was the highest level since 2006, when the North conducted its first-ever nuclear test.The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea.Won said the bolstered level means more aviation surveillance assets, intelligence analysts and other intelligence-collecting measures would be deployed to watch North Korea. He refused to disclose further details.The North has long warned it would consider the South's participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative as a declaration of war against North Korea.The North would "deal a decisive and merciless retaliatory blow" to anyone trying to inspect its vessels, according to a North Korean military statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday.Key world powers, meanwhile, have proposed a range of expanded U.N. sanctions against North Korea in response to its nuclear as well as measures to give teeth to existing bans and ship searches against the reclusive country, a U.N. diplomat said Wednesday.The five permanent veto-wielding council members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - and the two countries most closely affected by the nuclear test, Japan and South Korea, discussed possible U.N. sanctions and other measures for a new Security Council resolution on Tuesday.The diplomat, who is familiar with the talks but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were closed, said there was a clear commitment to go for sanctions in the new resolution and no reluctance from North Korea's allies, China and Russia. But what measures the 15-member council ultimately agrees to remains to be seen.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also said that North Korea faces consequences for its nuclear and missile tests and denouncing its "provocative and belligerent" threats. She also underscored the firmness of the U.S. treaty commitment to defend South Korea and Japan, which are in easy range of North Korean missiles.Pyongyang lashed out at both the U.S. and South Korea, calling Seoul's move to join the Proliferation Security Initiative tantamount to a declaration of war and a violation of the truce keeping the peace between the two Koreas."Full participation in the PSI by a side on the Korean Peninsula where the state of military confrontation is growing acute and there is constant danger of military conflict itself means igniting a war," North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement carried on state media.North Korea's army said it would be "illogical" to honor the 1953 armistice between the two Koreas, given the violations by the U.S. and South Korea, and said it could no longer promise the safety of U.S. and South Korean warships and civilian vessels in the waters near the maritime border.Clinton said North Korea has made a choice to violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, ignore international warnings and abrogate commitments made during six-nation nuclear disarmament talks."There are consequences to such actions," she said, referring to discussions in the United Nations about punishing North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests.She did not provide specifics, saying only that the intent of diplomats was to "try to rein in the North Koreans" and get them to fulfill commitments made in the nuclear talks.Clinton said she was pleased by a unified international condemnation of North Korea that included Russia and China, North Korea's closest major ally and the host of the currently stalled disarmament talks.Despite her tough words, Clinton held out hope that North Korea would return to nuclear disarmament talks and that "we can begin once again to see results from working with the North Koreans toward denuclearization that will benefit, we believe, the people of North Korea, the region and the world."At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs played down North Korea's angry rhetoric, saying the threats will only add to its isolation.He said North Korea has threatened to end the armistice many times in the past but the peace has held.The Russian Foreign Ministry said it voiced "serious concern" about the nuclear test to the North Korean ambassador and urged Pyongyang to respect the U.N. resolutions and return to the disarmament talks.The truce signed in 1953 and subsequent military agreements call for both sides to refrain from warfare, but don't cover waters off the west coast. North Korea has used the maritime border dispute to provoke two deadly naval skirmishes - in 1999 and 2002.North Korea now is believed to have enough plutonium for at least a half-dozen weapons, but experts say it still has not mastered the miniaturization technology required to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.After firing a long-range missile on July 4, 2006, and carrying out its first nuclear test three months later, North Korea agreed in February 2007 to start disabling Yongbyon in exchange for 1 million tons of fuel oil and other concessions. Disablement began in November 2007.The process halted last summer in a dispute with Washington over verifying past atomic activities, and Pyongyang said last month it was quitting the talks altogether.

Barcelona beats Man United 2-0 in Champions final

2009-05-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Winners' high: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is thrown in the air in celebration, at the end of the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, Wednesday (Thursday in Jakarta). Barcelona won 2-0.

Thu, 05/28/2009 8:08 AM Sports Lionel Messi produced something special to help Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final and establish itself as the unofficial best team on the planet.A rare headed goal.Messi usually uses his head to send instructions to his feet on how to humble defenders, and the combination brought him a season-high nine Champions League goals and 38 in total for Barca.The ninth was a looping header over goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in the 70th minute as Barcelona proved itself the best around by outplaying defending champion United and swinging the pendulum of power back from the English Premier League to La Liga."This is the most important victory of my life," Messi said. 'When the second goal came that calmed us down a lot."Samuel Eto'o put the Spanish champion ahead in the 10th minute at Stadio Olimpico and the triumph completed a sweep of titles for 38-year-old Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola in his first season, after wins in the Spanish league and cup. The former Barcelona star, who started as a ball boy at Camp Nou, joins five others who have won the title both as a player and a coach."When I won as a player I was young and it was magnificent," Guardiola said of his 1992 triumph at Wembley against Sampdoria. "But now winning the treble at the first attempt is marvelous."United was chasing its fourth European Cup title, and fourth trophy this season after winning the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup.But United was thoroughly outplayed by the Spanish side, which has 153 league and cup goals this season.Xavi Hernandez floated a diagonal ball onto the United area to find Messi unmarked, and the 5-foot-7 (1.69-meter) Argentina striker - renowned for his deft dribbling and shooting - used his head to redirect it past Van der Sar.The loss left Man United manager Alex Ferguson at 25 titles in 23 seasons. He failed to match Liverpool's Bob Paisley'sthree titles in the competition."We started the game brightly. We were confident and we could have been in front," Ferguson said. "We had the ball but didn't use it very well. ... We defended fantastically all season but they were two shoddy goals."We didn't play as well as we can, but they ae a good team. We have to give them credit. Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta can keep the ball all night. They made it very difficult."South Korean winger Park Ji-sung became the first Asian to play in a Champions League final. He almost scored for United in the opening minute but his shot was deflected wide after Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick was blocked by the goalkeeper. It was the nearest United came to scoring all night.The victory also marked the first Champions League title for Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, who was on the losing side when Arsenal lost to Barcelona in 2006."Finally, I've been waiting for so long to get this title and now finally today," said Henry, who had been doubtful for the final because of a knee injury. "The last five minutes were the longest of my life."United almost went ahead in the opening minute when a needless foul by Yaya Toure on Anderson handed Ronaldo a free kick. His powerful drive was blocked by the hands of goalkeeper Victor Valdes and Park's rebound was deflected for a corner by Gerard Pique.With Barcelona's dangerous forwards barely getting a touch of the ball in the early stages, there was little danger at the other end until the Spanish champions went ahead with their first attack of the game.Iniesta started the move with a break through midfield and found Eto'o on the right. The striker cut inside a weak tackle by Nemanja Vidic and poked a low angled shot around Van der Sar."I think the credit must go to the good play of the team," Eto'o said. "I think the victory is much more important than the goal."The goal changed the pattern of the play with Barcelona's stars settling into their confident style of interpassing. United, chasing the score, was unable to create any real danger. Ronaldo wanted to shoot at every opportunity, but fired wide and headed over.Ferguson reshaped his attack for the second half, sending on a second striker, Carlos Tevez, and later added Dimitar Berbatov. That left United undermanned in midfield and Barcelona continued to create openings.Barcelona could have added more but Van der Sar saved twice from Carles Puyol and Ronaldo was shown the yellow card for some petulant late challenges on the Barcelona captain.

UN climate talks to include WOC statement

2009-05-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

Adianto P. Simamora and Andi Haswidi , The Jakarta Post , Manado Thu, 05/14/2009 9:50 AM World Ocean Conference
Ministerial level talks at the World Ocean Conference are expected to lead to the adoption of the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) on Thursday, to urge the United Nations to integrate ocean issues in the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
Senior officials from 80 developed and developing countries have reached an agreement on the crucial role oceans play in climate change, after two days of intensive talks at the WOC.
“In principle, senior officials from all countries at the WOC meeting have agreed on the draft of the MOD,” Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said Wednesday after opening the Global Ocean Policy Day (GOPD), a side event at the WOC.
“Amendments to the MOD are just a matter of ‘wording’” and comprises about 20 points, he said.Freddy said the officials’ meeting had also agreed on the need for adaptation funds and technology transfer to help developing countries deal with climate change impacts, as drafted in the MOD.
He added the meeting had also agreed on a road map proposed by Indonesia to promote ocean issues at climate change talks before the December talks.
The Copenhagen climate conference – which carries the tag “Seal the Deal” – will bring together world delegates to adopt a new commitment on emissions cuts to replace the existing Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
The Kyoto Protocol requires developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 5 percent to stabilize carbon in the atmosphere, with the main culprits being the energy and forestry sectors.
Indonesia, one of the largest ocean countries, said it was time to also treat the oceans as carbon sinks.
The declaration will be tabled at the 30th session of the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany, in June. More meetings will follow, again in Bonn in August, then in Bangkok in October, before winding up in Copenhagen.
The UNFCCC is an international treaty on environmental issues related primarily to climate change and rolling back global warming.
About 400 climate scientists at the GOPD acknowledged the crucial role oceans played in climate change.
They include Stephen R. Palumbi from Stanford University, Wang Yamin from Shandong University in Weihai, China, and Jo Ann Leong from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
Prior to the opening of the WOC, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived at the Grand Kawanua main venue for a final check.

Federer beats Nadal for Madrid title

2009-05-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press , Madrid Sun, 05/17/2009 11:13 PM Sports Roger Federer has beaten top-ranked Rafael Nadal in a final for the first time in two years to claim the Madrid Open title 6-4, 6-4.Second-ranked Federer broke a sluggish Nadal once in both sets before firing his sixth ace of the match to claim his 15th Masters Series title on the second match point on Sunday.It was only Federer's second victory over his top rival on clay with the other coming at the Hamburg final two years ago. Federer also won here in 2006 when the event was played on indoor hard court.Federer's first title of the season ended Nadal's 33-match clay winning streak going into the French Open, where the Spaniard is going for a fifth straight title.Earlier, top-ranked Dinara Safina of Russia beat Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 to win the women's title.

Spain raises to 44 number of swine flu cases

2009-05-04T05:47:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press , Madrid Mon, 05/04/2009 4:07 PM World Spain's Health Ministry has raised the number of confirmed cases of swine flu to 44.That number means Spain remains the hardest-hit nation in Europe amid the worldwide outbreak.A ministry statement says four new cases have been confirmed in the northeastern regions of Aragon and Catalonia.It says the four have been allowed leave hospital. In all, 38 of the 44 confirmed cases have returned home. Another 67 people are under observation.The statement says Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez is meeting Monday with the national committee set up to monitor the flu epidemic. He is also meeting with Development Minister Jose Blanco to discuss preventive measures to apply at Spain's airports.

Portugal reports 1st confirmed case of swine flu

2009-05-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press , Lisbon Mon, 05/04/2009 7:06 PM National Portugal's health minister says a 30-year-old woman who recently returned from vacation in Mexico is the country's first confirmed case of swine flu.Health Minister Ana Jorge says the woman has recovered but is being kept in isolation at home.Jorge says health officials have located people who have been in contact with the woman since she returned from Mexico.Jorge announced the positive test results from a London laboratory at a news conference Monday.All Portuguese tourists returning from Mexico are being contacted by health officials on board their planes when they land at the country's airports.

World health officials race to stem deadly flu

2009-04-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press , Mexico City Tue, 04/28/2009 1:30 PM World World health officials, racing to extinguish a new flu strain that is jumping borders, raised a global alert level to an unprecedented level as the outbreak claimed more lives in Mexico. The U.S. prepared for the worst even as President Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans."At this time, containment is not a feasible option," said Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, which raised the alert level to Phase 4. With the swine flu having already spread to at least four other countries, authorities around the globe are like firefighters battling a blaze without knowing how far it extends.At the White House, a swine flu update was added to Obama's daily intelligence briefing. Reacting to the first domestic emergency of his presidency, Obama said the outbreak is "not a cause for alarm," even as the U.S. stepped up checks of people entering the country and warned U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico."We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.The European Union health commissioner suggested that Europeans avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the United States. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus.Mexico, where the number of deaths believed caused by swine flu rose on Monday by one-third to 152, is the suspected ground zero of the outbreak. But Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova late Monday said no one knows where the outbreak began, and implied it may have started in the U.S."I think it is very risky to say, or want to say, what the point of origin or dissemination of it is, given that there had already been cases reported in southern California and Texas," Cordova told a press conference.It's still not clear when the first case occurred, making it impossible thus far to determine where the breakout started.Dr. Nancy Cox of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said she believes the earliest onset of swine flu in the United States happened on March 28. Cordova said a sample taken from a 4-year-old boy in Mexico's Veracruz state in early April tested positive for swine flu. However it is not known when the boy, who later recovered, became infected.The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3.Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.Fifty cases - none fatal and most of them mild - were confirmed in the United States. Worldwide there were 79 confirmed cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland. Thirteen are suspected in New Zealand, and one is suspected in both France and Israel.Symptoms include a fever of more than 100, coughing, joint aches, severe headache and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.Amid the alarm, there was a spot of good news. The number of new cases reported by Mexico's largest government hospitals has been declining the past three days, Cordova said, from 141 on Saturday, to 119 on Sunday and 110 Monday.In a bid to prevent mass contagion, Mexico canceled school nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government is considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation. The Cinco de Mayo parade celebrating Mexico's defeat of a French army on May 5, 1862 and Mexico City's traditional May 1 parade were canceled. More than 100 museums nationwide were closed.At the Mexico City's international airport, families grimly waited for flights out of the capital or country, determined to keep their masks on until they touched ground somewhere else.Three games involving Mexico City soccer clubs were played with no spectators over the weekend. Decio de Maria, secretary general of the Mexican soccer federation, said plans for future matches would be announced on Wednesday."The idea is to look for the fewest number of games that have to be played behind closed doors," he said. "If it's necessary, we'll play all the matches behind closed doors. We don't foresee canceling any games."Many residents of Mexico City wore blue surgical masks, though the CDC said most masks offer little protection. The epidemic in Mexico has been deadly, with many victims in their 30s and 40s - not the very old or young who typically succumb to the flu. So far, no deaths from the new virus have been reported outside Mexico.It could take 4-6 moths before the first batch of vaccines are available, WHO officials said. Some antiflu drugs do work once someone is sick.Napolitano, the U.S. Homeland Security chief, said Washington is dispatching people and equipment to affected areas and stepping up information-sharing at all levels of government and ith other nations.Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director, said his agency is aggressively looking for evidence of the disease spreading and probing for ways to control and prevent it.Flu deaths are nothing new in the United States. The CDC estimates that about 36,000 people died of flu-related cases each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States. But the new flu strain is a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to.Besser said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalize in the U.S."I wouldn't be overly reassured by that," Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, sounding a cautionary note.The best way to keep the disease from spreading, Besser said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent handwashing, covering up coughs and sneezes, and staying away from work or school if not feeling well.Governments in Asia - with memories of previous flu outbreaks - were especially cautious. Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used in the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers from North America. South Korea, India and Indonesia also announced screening.In Malaysia, health workers in face masks took the temperatures of passengers as they arrived on a flight from Los Angeles.China said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival had to report to authorities.WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley singled out air travel as an easy way the virus could spread, noting that the WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any time.European and U.S. markets bounced back from early losses as pharmaceutical stocks were lifted by expectations that health authorities will increase stockpiles of anti-viral drugs. Stocks of airlines, hotels and other travel-related companies posted sharper losses.

No travel warning issued on swine flu: Govt

2009-04-28T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 04/28/2009 4:03 PM National Health Minister Siti Fadilla Supari said Tuesday that the government would not issue any travel warning to prevent Indonesian from going to countries where swine flu has been detected.Siti said the government only remind the people to check their health before going to those countries.“Those who want to go to Mexico better take care themselves,” she said during a press conference at the Health Ministry building in Jakarta.The pandemic has killed over 100 people in Mexico and the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 40 cases in the US, six in Canada and one in Spain. Possible cases are being checked as far afield as Israel and New Zealand.The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3.Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.Siti said the government has prepare Oseltamivir, which was already used for bird flu. The minister said the government still have three million doses of Oseltamivir and would add more if needed.

Thailand extends state of emergency in capital

2009-04-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Tini Tran , The Associated Press , Bangkok Sun, 04/19/2009 6:19 PM World Authorities on Sunday extended a state of emergency in Thailand's capital, saying efforts to restore security were still incomplete after anti-government rioting last week and a brazen attack on a protest leader.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva met with security agencies to discuss the potential for more protests, riots or attacks in Bangkok, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.Officials decided to retain the state of emergency because the situation is still "problematic, but as soon as things have calmed down, it will be lifted immediately," Panitan said."More and more, things are back to normal but there are still elements of concern," he said.In his weekly television address Sunday, Abhisit sought to ease tensions and defended his government's actions in deploying troops to quell the violent protests that had paralyzed the capital. Two people were killed and more than 130 injured during the unrest, which pitted angry protesters against soldiers and residents."What the government did was to restore peace for the benefit of all Thais. More importantly, it was to allow the government to continue working," Abhisit said."What I'd like to reiterate is that nobody has won and nobody has lost from the past events," he said.The anti-government protesters, known as "red shirts," want former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return to power. Thaksin, who fled overseas to avoid a corruption conviction, was ousted by a 2006 military coup.Police said six or seven men may have been involved in the pre-dawn attack Friday on Sondhi Limthongkul, an outspoken media tycoon and Thaksin opponent.Police spokesman Maj. Gen. Suporn Pansua said investigators were studying a surveillance video taken from an intersection near the attack in an attempt to identify the assailants.Video from the street surveillance camera showed two pickup trucks were following Sondhi's vehicle shortly before the shooting, he said.The assailants opened fire at Sondhi's car with M-16 and AK-47 rifles, riddling the windshield with bullet holes and shattering the windows on one side. Sondhi was slightly injured, while his driver was seriously wounded and an aide in the car also was hurt.Sondhi, a founder of the People's Alliance for Democracy, helped organize and lead rival "yellow-shirt" protesters who helped force Thaksin's ouster in 2006 and then drive his allies from power last year.Sondhi's supporters come mainly from the middle class and educated elite of Thai society, and include royalists, academics and retired military. Thaksin's backers are mainly from the rural poor who like his social welfare programs.Last year's "yellow-shirt" demonstrations, which paralyzed the government for months and occupied the capital's airports for a week, ended after court rulings removed two Thaksin-allied governments, paving the way for Abhisit's rise in December.That prompted the protests by the "red-shirts," who say Abhisit has no popular mandate to rule. Their demonstrations drew up to 100,000 people in Bangkok two weeks ago and forced the cancellation of a regional summit.The protest leaders called off the demonstrations last Tuesday after facing a major military crackdown

Obama declares US not at war with Islam

2009-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Tom Raum , The Associated Press , Ankara Mon, 04/06/2009 6:45 PM World Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as U.S. president, declared Monday the United States "is not and will never be at war with Islam."Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims."Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.For instance, at a news conference earlier with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, he dealt gingerly with the issue of alleged genocide committed by Turks against Armenians during World War I, urging Turks and Armenians to continue a process "that works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive."Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite channels, carried Obama's speech live."America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be based on opposition to al Qaida," he said. "We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.""We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country," Obama said.The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber packed with Turkish lawmakers who filled the sea of orange leather chairs.Except for a couple instances of polite applause, the room was almost completely silent throughout his speech. There was a more hearty ovation toward the end when Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish government's battle against PKK, which both consider a terrorist group, and again when he declared that America was not at war with Islam.Obama also heard applause in response to his statement that the U.S. supports Turkey becoming a member of the European Union.Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same period. Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to label the events of those times.In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama's best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes a key ally. It is important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans, but it has a low profile elsewhere.In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.Obama's visit is being closely watched by an Islamic world that harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.In talks with Gul and Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama hoped to sell his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He hoped to find welcoming ears given the new U.S. focus on melding troop increases with civilian efforts to better the lives of people in both countries.Obama recognized past tensions in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, but said things were on the right track now because both countries share common interests and are diverse nations. "We don't consider ourselves Christian, Jewish, Muslim. We consider ourselves a nation bound by a set of ideals and values," Obama said of the United States. "Turkey has similar principals."Obama's trip to Turkey, his final scheduled country visit, ties together themes of earlier stops. He attended the Group of 20 economic summit in London, celebrated NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg, France, and on Saturday visited the Czech Republic, which included a summit of European Union leaders in Prague.Turkey is a member of both the G-20 and NATO and is trying to get into the EU with the help of the U.S.Turkey has the largest army in NATO after the United States. It and tiny Albania, recently admitted, are the only predominantly Muslim members of NATO.In 2003, Turkey opposed the war in Iraq, and U.S. forces were not allowed to go through Turkey to attack Iraq. Now, however, since Obama is withdrawing troops, Turkey has become more cooperative. It is going to be a key country after the U.S. withdrawal in maintaining stability, although it has long had problems with Kurdish militants in north Iraq.Turkey maintains a small military force in Afghanistan, part of the NATO contingent working with U.S. troops to beat back the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a safe haven along the largely lawless territory that straddles Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. Turkey's participation carries enormous symbolic importance to the Muslim world because of its presence in the fight against Islamic extremism. Albania, one of the poorest nations in Europe, has a small contingent in Afghanistan.Turkey has diplomatic leverage with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Legitimacy of election results comes into question

2009-04-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Dicky Christanto , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Mon, 04/13/2009 9:21 AM Headlines
The brouhaha surrounding the voter lists and the numerous election violations have sparked protests from losing political parties and civil society groups that could undermine the legitimacy of the polls.Politicians, activists and scholars have pointed their fingers at the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the government, with some even taking legal action against them.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), which had agreed to form a coalition in parliament and for the upcoming presidential election, have said they would file a lawsuit against the KPU and the government for omitting many eligible voters from the official voter lists.
Activists from the National Amendment Council estimated the figure of eligible but unregistered voters could reach millions, and called on the KPU to organize another round of voting for these voters.
“At least another election should be organized for those eligible voters who were not registered. This is the responsibility of the KPU and the government,” Chalid Muhammad told a press conference Sunday.
He urged these "disenfranchised" voters to take legal action if another election was not forthcoming.
Effendy Ghazali, who also attended Sunday’s press briefing, estimated the number of eligible but unregistered voters could top 10 million people, assuming 20 voters were left out from each of 528,217 polling stations across the country.
The KPU added 23.3 million more eligible voters to its 2009 voter lists for a total of 171.3 million, compared to 140 million in the 2004 elections.
These new additions, however, left many perplexed, as most of them were simply “ghost” voters or redundant names.
“We found names of infants or names of people who had already passed away,” Effendy said.Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) member Bambang Eka Cahya disagreed and slammed the group as biased. He suggested the activists come up with real data, and not make assumptions.
“Don’t just assume things that you don’t know for sure. I agree there were so many mistakes in this election, but to just make assumptions is just not fair,” he said.
Bawaslu, meanwhile, reported on Sunday that cases of ballot mix-ups, where ballots destined for certain regions went to other regions, made up most of the poll irregularities.
“About 159 cases of ballot mix-ups were registered as of 7 p.m. on Saturday; this is the most rampant form of [election] irregularity,” said Bawaslu member Wahidah Suaib.
The National Amendment Council suggested the government replace KPU members for failing to organize the legislative elections well.
“We don’t want to jeopardize the upcoming presidential election by risking incompetent people organizing the election,” Chalid said.
Hadar Gumay from the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro), however, disagreed, saying that replacing KPU members was just too risky.
“It would be better for us to wait until the whole election process is over. It is too risky to replace them now, even though I agree these people are incompetent,” he said.

US space tourist blasts off to space station

2009-04-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

New frontier tourists: Russian cosmonaut and crew commander Gennady Padalka, left, and American astronaut Michael Barratt, right, crew members of the 19th mission to the International Space Station, ISS, are seen prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday. (AP/Mikhail Metzel)

David Nowak , The Associated Press , Baikonur Fri, 03/27/2009 4:18 PM Travel

A Russian capsule carrying U.S. billionaire space tourist Charles Simonyi sailed into orbit Thursday after blasting off in a roar of fire for the international space station.The Soyuz rocket, with a Russian-American crew, lifted off on schedule from the Baikonur cosmodrome facility into overcast skies over northern Kazakhstan's barren steppe.Simonyi, a 60-year-old software designer who paid $35 million for his second trip on the Soyuz, joined Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and American astronaut Michael Barratt in the cramped capsule, where they will sit for nearly two days before hooking up Saturday with the station, orbiting some 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the Earth.

Minutes after blast-off, TV cameras from inside the Soyuz showed Padalka and Barratt waving for the camera and giving the thumbs-up OK sign.At viewing stands about a mile (kilometer) away, scores of officials, reporters and relatives watched the launch, including Simonyi's 28-year-old Swedish socialite wife Lisa Persdotter, who wept and clutched at the coat of her mother."I'm very, very happy. It was very, very smooth," she said afterward. "But I'm very emotional," she added.Minutes before liftoff, Persdotter said she had recently quit her work to plan their lives together, which she said would not include any form of space travel after Simonyi returns. "I am so nervous," she said.Barratt's wife, Michelle, watched smiling as the rocket rose into the clouds: "We feel great, it was a great launch." she said afterward.

Also watching was Paul Allen, a co-founder of software giant Microsoft Corp., where Simonyi worked for many years."It's fantastic to see a launch, but when it's one of your friends, it's just something so special.," he said.Asked if he would be interested in going to space sometime, Allen said he would consider it; not on the Russian capsules or U.S. shuttles, but on one of his own crafts. In 2004, Allen used his Microsoft fortunes to bankroll SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first private, manned craft to reach space.Richard Garriot, an American former space tourist, praised the Russian space program for its reliability."It's so amazing about how they do this over here. On time, every time, perfectly," he said.While Barratt and Padalka will join the current station's permanent crew, Simonyi will return to Earth 13 days later — a trip that will make him the first two-time space tourist and, for the foreseeable future, the last.The space station's permanent crew is expanding from three to six, leading Russian officials to rule out space tourism from Baikonur for now.

Against G20 bioenergy

2009-04-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Jakarta Post Thu, 04/02/2009 1:53 PM National

A number of environmental activists rally at the British Embassy in Central Jakarta, protesting the G20 summit that will pledge to increase areas for plantations for bioenergy. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

Thousands of protesters, police for NATO summit

2009-04-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

David Rising and Scott Sayare , The Associated Press , Baden, Germany Thu, 04/02/2009 9:41 PM World Tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on two southwest German towns and the French city of Strasbourg Thursday to protest a cross-border NATO summit marking the alliance's 60th anniversary.
Twenty-eight world leaders will attend the two-day summit that begins Friday, including President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In a bid to prevent violence, France has temporarily reinstated border controls with its immediate neighbors for the meeting.
In Strasbourg, protesters gathered on park benches in the city's famed Old Town, in the "orange zone" where the public is allowed but where security is high.
Small squads of riot police marched through as protesters wrapped in rainbow peace flags distributed fliers and chatted with passers-by.
Gregorio Yong, a Colombian activist, said NATO was "a synonym of war."
German authorities estimate that up to 25,000 protesters will take part in several demonstrations in the German cities of Baden-Baden and Kehl, while France's interior minister has suggested 30,000 to 40,000 could show up in Strasbourg, where a camp has been set up to house demonstrators.
German and French police have said 2,000 to 3,000 members of the violence-prone "black block" - so-called for the black clothes and hoods they wear - are expected.
Some 15,000 German police - including 31 riot squads - and 9,000 French police will be on hand.
Protest organizers have called for peaceful demonstrations to highlight their complaints, including anti-war, anti-globalization, anti-capitalist and disarmament platforms.
The German chapter of the left-wing Attac group, which is calling for the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan and an end to the military alliance, climate protection and a "just world economy," was organizing conferences, camps, demonstrations and blockades.
"The world leaders will be confronted with our protest and our call for a peaceful world," said Attac spokeswoman Gudrun Reiss. "We're calling for massive participation."
The Berlin Anti-fascist Left group said it was sending at least 10 busloads of demonstrators.
"It must be made clear to people that there is no peaceful political alternative to the dissolution of NATO," the group said.
After an evening protest Thursday in Baden-Baden, the main demonstration begins Friday at noon in Kehl. The activists plan to march across the Rhine river into Strasbourg, with another protest planned for Saturday.

Taufik Hidayat claims Indian Open badminton title

2009-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , Hyderabad, India Sun, 03/29/2009 7:54 PM Sports

Winning party: Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat (right) and Malaysia's Muhammad Hafiz Hashim pose for photographs at the Yonex Sunrise India Open 2009 badminton tournament in Hyderabad, India, on Sunday. Second-seeded Taufik defeated Hashim 21-18, 21-19 on Sunday to clinch the India Open men's singles title. AP/Mahesh Kumar A
Second-seeded Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia defeated Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia 21-18, 21-19 on Sunday to clinch the India Open men's singles title, while top-seeded Pi Hongyan of France took the women's event.Taufik, winner of all previous six meetings with Hashim, exuded confidence in his strokes and succeeded in inducing errors from his Malaysian opponent."The score was close; winning a title is always very satisfying," Taufik said.
"This win will give me a lot of confidence for the world championships at this venue in August. There's a bit of drift inside the stadium here, so it takes time to get used to the shuttle in the high tosses. I think, I read the drift much better than him."Pi, ranked fourth in the world, rallied to beat fifth-seeded Julia Wang Pei Xian of Malaysia 17-21, 21-15, 21-14 in the women's final.Pi, whose last title came at the 2006 Singapore Open, is six years older than Wang and used her experience to slow the rallies with high tosses to the back court after having lost the opening game."Wang's a very tough opponent. She beat me two years ago, but here I felt I was in control," Pi said.
"It was tough to come back after losing the first game. I then decided to slow down the game, thinking it would suit me better."In the men's doubles final, the experienced Malaysian duo of Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah defeated the new Singapore combination of Hendri Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya 21-9, 21-11.Ma Jin and Wang Xiao Li of China downed Vita Marissa and Nadya Melati of Indonesia 21-14, 21-13 for the women's doubles title.Marissa also teamed up with Flandy Limpele to beat V. Diju and Jwala Gutta of India in the mixed doubles final.

Rory keen to copy Tiger's playing quality

2009-03-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Bali Tue, 03/03/2009 1:51 PM Sports
In a bid to reach the playing level of world No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, Indonesian Rory Hidayat Hie exercised his patience, endurance and mettle at the US$1.25 million Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open 2009 golf tournament in Pecatu, Bali.
The 20-year-old said his idol, Woods, never backed down when he made mistakes, and stayed focused and always tried to retrieve the momentum by firing more points.
"I have to improve my mental shape, to be more positive. If I make mistakes, I have to be able to come back and quickly fix them," the Indonesian No. 1 golfer said Saturday.
Rory is on the right track, indeed.
Despite a difficult and windy course, he managed to card a respectable 2-under 266 after another even par on Sunday. He was the only one of 13 Indonesians to make the cut.
Last year, three professional local golfers and an amateur stormed to the cut at the Cengkareng Golf Club just outside Jakarta. But this year, the challenge at the New Kuta Golf and Ocean View sent home 75 professional and amateur golfers to see the remaining 69 players vying for the $208,330 top prize.
Rory birdied on the second and sixth holes only to have a bogey on the fifth hole for a 1-under on the front nine. Going back to the clubhouse, two other bogeys at the 13th and 15th holes seemed to cost Rory, but were neutralized by another birdie at the 16th.
The only Indonesian golfer in the event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour, Rory shot a 2-under on the first day and made even par in the other rounds.
He fell short of a place in the top 20, but he still pocketed $8,909 after finishing in joint 32nd spot.
Rory, who turns 21 in September, said the ability to up the challenge during his American tour had given him confidence about becoming a professional golf player.
"I felt sure I would be good as a pro," said the soft-spoken young man who was named the 2008 California player of the year.
He owes the achievement partly to his family, especially father Tommy Hidayat.
Tommy, 55, introduced Rory to golf when he was 4. Rory said he was handed a plastic golf stick to practice with on the driving range.
"It looked like he preferred soccer *over golf* at that time. But when he was 10, he showed his talent in golf and played it more seriously," said Tommy, who often caddies for his son on tournaments, including at the Bali event.
Tommy gave Rory tips on reading the wind and advice on the shots, but never insisted on what should be done during the tournament.
"It's really up to him whether to take my advice or not. After all, he is the one playing," Tommy said.
With only a few tournaments at home, Tommy decided to bring Rory to California 10 years ago, along with the whole family.
"You can learn from other players better play at tournaments," Tommy said.
The decision to move was worth it, as Rory, who turned professional last year, won several titles, including the 2008 Southern Highlands Intercollegiate, the 2008 US Stanford Intercollegiate and the 2007 USC Invitational tournament.
He also won the Mercedes-Benz Tour, part of the Asian Tour, on his pro-debut at the Imperial Golf Club in Karawaci, Tangerang, in 2008.
Shortly after that event, he advanced to the final stages of the European Qualifying School, a great achievement never before equalled by any Indonesian golfer.
Rory said he practiced his strokes every single day and always tried to look for things he could improve on to perform better.
"It's the way professional golfers do it, and I have decided to become one," he said.

RI soccer player dies after match

2009-03-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Mon, 03/16/2009 4:27 PM Sports
BALIKPAPAN, Indonesia: Jumadi "Pele" Abdi, center back for soccer club PKT Bontang, died Sunday morning after undergoing surgery and intensive treatment for an abdominal problem caused during a match against Persela Lamongan on Saturday.
During the match, Jumadi collapsed after getting kicked in the lower abdomen by Persela back Deny Tarkas in the 35th minute, and was immediately taken to PKT Bontang Hospital. Doctors said his intestines had ruptured, causing multiple organ infections.
Jumadi played for Pelita Purwakarta and Persita Tangerang in the Main Division. He also played for PKT Bontang in the Super League Division last year. -JP

Indonesian shuttlers seek redemption at Swiss Open

2009-03-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

Niken Prathivi , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 03/10/2009 2:45 PM Sports
Leaving Birmingham empty-handed following their total failure to reach any of the finals at the recently concluded All England Super Series, Indonesia's shuttlers now turn to the Wilson Swiss Super Series for redemption.
Indonesia's best hopes Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir will again bear the burden of winning a title at the tournament, which starts on Tuesday.
Despite their world No. 1 ranking, Nova and Liliyana fell in quarterfinals to the Indonesian-Russian pairing of Flandy Limepele and Anastasia Russkikh.
"Logically, Nova and Liliyana have a bigger winning chance *than the rest of the Indonesian team* because they are world No. 1. I hope the other players can bounce back," Lius Pongoh, an official from the Badminton Association of Indonesian (PBSI), told The Jakarta Post.
"I want the players to be fired up at the Swiss event."
Head coach Christian Hadinata said that despite taking any silverware from the All England, the players would not lose hope of winning a title at the US$200,000 Swiss event.
"We can assess their chances from the draw. They should all put in a better performance than they did at the All England. I really expect we can bring home a title from the Swiss series," said Christian, a former doubles star in the 1970s.
In the main draw, which begins Wednesday, Nova and Liliyana will meet non-seeded David Lindley and Suzanne Rayappan of the UK in the first round. Should the Indonesian pair win that match, they would then meet either Han Sang-hoon and Kim Min-jung or Ko Sung-hyun and Ha Jung-eun of South Korea in the second round.
If Nova and Liliyana advance to the quarterfinals, the top seeds would likely face fifth seeds Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark. Seventh seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand and second seeds Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung might be the opponents to tackle in the next stages, if the Indonesians make it that far.
In the men's singles, Indonesia will put its hopes in Taufik Hidayat and Simon Santoso, with world No. 5 Sony Dwi Kuncoro cutting short his European trip due to injury.
Taufik, traveling on his own after his decision to drop out of the national camp, reached the semifinals at the All England, where he crashed out at the hands of Malaysian nemesis and world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.

Indonesia leads Kuwait 2-1 in Asia-Oceania Davis Cup

2009-03-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

Blontank Poer , THE JAKARTA POST , SURAKARTA Sun, 03/08/2009 10:06 AM Sports Give me a pound: Christopher Rungkat (right) and Ketut Nesa Arta celebrate winning a point against Mohammad Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq of Kuwait during the Asia-Oceania Group Two Davis Cup match in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday. The home pair won 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. JP/Blontank Poer
Indonesia took the lead over Kuwait after Christopher Rungkat and Ketut Nesa Arta won their doubles match in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday.Christo and Nesa came back from a set down to defeat Mohammad Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Indonesia now leads 2-1, following a 1-1 score after the opening day, when the home side’s point was also contributed by Christo.
On Saturday, Christo once again showed his credentials as Indonesia’s number one player. He displayed a flurry of tricky shots, with the opponents failing to get around the incoming ball well.
However, their efforts paid off only after they managed to overcome a dismal start, partly due to Nesa’s nervousness.
“It’s a new experience for Nesa, but he’s the sort who is able to lift his game. He became more relaxed in the later stages,” Christo said.
After the opening debacle, the Indonesian pair was unstoppable, winning the remaining sets and putting the hosts in the driving seat ahead of Sunday’s matches.
The lineup has not been announced yet, but Christo will likely take on Ghareeb, whose world ranking in the top 400 is more than 1,000 places higher than the young Indonesian’s.
“Ghareeb is on 400 in the world, while I’m on 1,495. But that doesn’t matter. I’m ready to win the match. I will prove it on the court,” Christo said.
Team manager Kresno Merdiko said they had been optimistic about winning the doubles encounter.
“Now let’s hope we can win both matches on Sunday,” he said as quoted by Antara.

Davis Cup: Christopher runs hot but Indonesia held to a 1-1 on first day

2009-03-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Blontank Poer , The Jakarta Post Sat, 03/07/2009 12:10 PM Sports
Indonesian No. 1 tennis player Christopher Benjamin Rungkat lived up to expectations to produce a point against Kuwait, but the hosts had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the start of their Davis Cup tie here Friday.
Christopher put on a commanding show in his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Muhammad Ahmad Rabeea, before Kuwait leveled the score when its No. 1 Mohammad Ghareeb defeated Sunu Wahyu Trijati 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Indonesia and Kuwait are in the Asia/Oceania Group II of the men’s team tennis competition.
Rabeea lauded Christopher’s win. “He has the skill and was in top form. He played really well,” he said. He added he had no complaints about the heat or the court at the Manahan Tennis Center in Surakarta, Central Java.
In stark contrast to Christopher, Sunu put in a dismal performance, going down easily in the first two sets despite support from the home crowd.
He tried to lift his game in the third set, making the match a tightly contested tussle. But Ghareeb managed to hold off the Indonesian’s resilience to round up the set for his victory.
The two teams will resume play on Saturday in the doubles, with Indonesia deploying Ketut Nesa Artha and Prima Simpatiaji against Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq.

Nadal gives Spain 2-0 lead over Serbia

2009-03-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press , Benidorm Sat, 03/07/2009 9:24 PM Sports Top-ranked Rafael Nadal routed Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 Saturday to give defending champion Spain a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five Davis Cup series with Serbia.Nadal broke the 47th-ranked Serbian seven times on the outdoor clay surface, winning 10 straight games at one stage, to put the Spaniards on course to clinching a second-round berth in a single day.Doubles will be played Saturday afternoon with Spain's Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez scheduled to take on Nenad Zimonjic and Novak Djokovic, although Serbia may opt for Viktor Troicki over Djokovic.David Ferrer of Spain upset the third-ranked Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the first singles match at Terra Mitica amusement park.

BPMigas in doubt over five firms tax debts

2009-02-22T13:57:00.001-08:00

Aditya Suharmoko and Alfian , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Sat, 02/21/2009 10:36 AM Business
Upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas expresses doubt over the validity of a Finance Ministry document stating that five oil and gas contractors owe the state US$113 million in unpaid income tax bills.
“It seems that the Finance Ministry has received inaccurate data from her staff [the director general of budget management],” BPMigas’s chairman R. Priyono said through a SMS on Friday.
According to a document presented at a meeting between Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and a House of Representatives’ committee Thursday, five oil and gas firms — ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc, Joint Operating Body (JOB) of Pertamina and Golden Spike Raja Blok, Kangean Energy Indonesia Ltd, Santos UK (Kakap 2) Ltd and JOB Kodeco Energy Co. Ltd — owe the state US$113 million in unpaid income tax.
The document states that the biggest debtor is Kangean with US$45 million in debt, followed by JOB Kodeco Energy Co. Ltd with total debt at $32.23 million.
ExxonMobil owes US$22.82 million of unpaid income tax, JOB Pertamina–Golden Spike US$10.62 million and Santos UK US$2.39 million.
Priyono did not give details on the inaccuracy of the document.
“You better ask the directorate general for taxation,” he said.
But, the director general of taxation Darmin Nasution could not give clear answers. He suggested journalists ask his colleague Anny Ratnawati, director general of budget management, for confirmation.
“We are still pressing claims and seeking clarification. Several contractors have begun the payment,” said Anny through SMS.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Development Finance Comtroller (BPKP) Didi Widayadi said that as of December 2008, the five contractors had an obligation to pay a total US$120.94 million in income tax.
“By Dec. 31, the five contractors have paid US$37.45 million. Thus, the remaining unpaid income tax is about US$83.49 million,” Didi said.
ExxonMobil spokesperson Manan Budiman has denied the report, saying that the reportedly $22 million debt mentioned was still under legal dispute.
“ExxonMobil always fulfills its tax obligations,” he said.
Spokesperson for Santos, Dody Mochtar, said the company had paid the income tax. “We paid the US$2.39 million tax by Jan. 31, 2009,” he said.
Pertamina gave the same response. Spokesperson Anang Rizkani Noor said that under the JOB scheme, Pertamina shared responsibility with its partner, the Golden Spike Raja Blok Ltd.
“Pertamina has paid its portion of income tax. Maybe you could confirm with Golden Spike about the unpaid income tax mentioned by the Finance Ministry,” he said.
However, efforts to seek clarification from Kangean, which is the biggest debtor according to the document, were unsuccessful.
Kangean is conducting activities as part of a production-sharing contract, with Energi Mega Persada Tbk (EMP) as a partner.
EMP is a subsidiary of PT Bakrie and Brothers, a business conglomerate controlled by the family of Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.
Indonesia’s oil and gas contracts order private contractors to pay income tax based on as much as 48 percent of their gross revenue, while state-owned Pertamina’s obligation is only 40.5 percent.

Japan to help RI guard rupiah, says Mulyani

2009-02-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

Rendi A. Witular , THE JAKARTA POST , PHUKET Sun, 02/22/2009 9:04 AM Headlines
Indonesia and Japan inked Saturday a bilateral cooperation agreement aimed at warding off currency speculators from the ailing rupiah amid the deepening global economic slowdown.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Japanese Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Shinsuke Suematsu forged the long-awaited deal during a special meeting of finance ministers from member countries of the ASEAN + 3 organization on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket.
Under the deal Japan has agreed to double its existing bilateral swap agreement with Indonesia to US$12 billion, strengthening Indonesia’s foreign currency reserves in case of a sharp depreciation in the rupiah against the U.S. dollar. The latest central bank data shows Indonesia’s foreign exchange reserves currently stand at $50.87 million.
Bank Indonesia (BI) uses the reserves to supply the financial market with the greenback to help ease volatility in the rupiah, which has depreciating to above Rp 12,000 per US dollar. Under the planned revision of the state budget the government has set the currency at an average of Rp 11,000 against the dollar for this year.
While the declining value of the rupiah is in part good for exports, it creates greater harm, especially when it comes to the country’s ability to pay dollar-denominated government and private sector debts, as well as its ability to financing international trade.
Mulyani said the support from Japan would help increase the stability of the Indonesian economy and complement its current, strong foreign reserve position.
“The deal with Japan, which is a very progressive move, will ease speculation on the rupiah because Indonesian foreign currency reserves are getting bigger and stronger. This will boost confidence in the market and in businesses,” Mulyani said.
“Although the Indonesian economy remains sound, there’s still a need for a second-line of defense to fully anticipate the worst from the impact of the global economic crisis,” she said.
The deal is part of the Chiang Mai Initiative, inked in Thailand in 2000, which is aimed at creating a network of bilateral swapping arrangements among ASEAN+3 countries to address short-term liquidity problems in the region and to supplement the existing international financial arrangements.
ASEAN+3 includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos — as well as three East Asian nations — Japan, China, and South Korea.
The ministers are expected to come up with concrete measures to help cushion the region from the fallout from the US-led financial crisis.

Titi Kamal to take up singing for her supper

2009-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA Wed, 02/11/2009 10:28 AM People

JP/R. Bertho Wedhatama
JAKARTA: It seems that Titi Kamal is now such an accomplished actress that she must turn to music for her next challenge.
Titi is not giving up acting, but is going to give her vocal chords a good workout. The movie star will release her new album on Feb. 20.
In her singing debut, Titi performs a duet with Anji, the vocalist of band Drive, in the second song on the album, titled “Resah Tanpamu” (Restless without You).
“This song is for those who have a long distance relationship,” Titi said, as quoted by detik.com on Tuesday.
Titi said she had admired Anji for quite a long time. “Anji is so talented and I really like his distinctive voice.”
The actress, who gained her popularity through film Mendadak Dangdut (Suddenly Dangdut) said she had to have a few lessons because she had some lingering problems with her breathing.“I do a lot of swimming and gym to train my breathing,” Titi said.
She said that thanks to Anji’s professionalism, she learned plenty about singing from him. “He has a lot of flying hours while I’m just learning so I guess I learned enough from him,” Titi said of Anji, whose girlfriend is Rini, the 2007 Indonesia idol. —JP

EU warns markets must be kept open amid crisis

2009-02-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Raf Casert , The Associated Press , Brussels Wed, 02/11/2009 10:24 PM Business
The European Union's top two officials warned countries' on Wednesday not to shield their economies with protectionist measures, which would only worsen the financial crisis and risk unraveling the EU project.
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who holds the EU presidency, announced two additional summits of the 27 government leaders over the next three months to tackle "the critical situation, unprecedented for many decades."
The leaders will discuss the economy, but Topolanek insisted they also need to make sure "certain xenophobic, protectionist and other reactions in some member states" do not start to undo EU cooperation. "It is a great challenge for the European project."
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also warned vigorously against retrenchment and economic nationalism.
"It is very tempting to draw back into your national protectionist quarters, to come out against workers rights, freedom of movement," Barroso said after meeting Topolanek.
"We have to do battle against economic nationalism and internal domestic protectionism."
The strong appeal appeared to be a criticism and rejection of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent moves to shield French companies in wake of the crisis.
Over the past week Topolanek faced off against Sarkozy, who was accused of trying to shield his market with illegal subsidies and seeking to close foreign plants of French companies to maintain employment at home.
Topolanek said that as EU president he would make sure the EU's open-market rules are respected.
"The healing process is not about members going against the rules on which EU is based," he said. "Perhaps, this is surprising for some."
Barroso's EU executive commission is currently investigating a euro7.5 billion ($9.8 billion) French car bailout package, fearing it might include illegal competition-distorting measures.
"We will need to scrutinize very carefully the details of the subsidies," Barroso warned. "We need to maintain the integrity of the single market which is the source of Europe's prosperity."
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon will visit Barroso on Thursday to discuss the controversial plans.
In Britain, too, the recession has caused friction. Resentment over the employment of foreign workers at an oil refinery project in northeastern England sparked a series of wildcat strikes demanding local workers get priority over foreigners.
Barroso said he had a simple piece of advice for leaders at the upcoming summits.
"Don't try to go it alone because that would be tragic for Europe but also have tragic repercussions for you and your countries. If one country tries to go it alone others might decide to do likewise," he said.
Government leaders will meet a first time on March 1 in Brussels to discuss ways for pulling their economies out of the slump. A regular EU economic summit is scheduled for March 19-20 in Brussels.
Topolanek said that another employment summit will then be held in Prague in May.

Women reject polygamy, choosing divorce

2009-02-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Abdul Khalik , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Mon, 02/02/2009 9:29 AM Headlines
An increasing number of Muslim women are choosing to divorce their husbands rather than continue in a polygamous marriage, data from national Islamic courts show.
The courts recorded that in 2006 there were nearly 1000 cases of divorce resulting from wives’ disagreeing with their husbands marrying another woman, an increase from figures in prior years.
Director General for Islamic guidance at the Ministry for Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar said Sunday he believed the number of divorce cases linked to disputes over polygamous marriages increased again in 2008 and would continue to rise throughout 2009.
“There has been a significant increase in divorce because women have been rejecting polygamy in recent years,” he said.
Muslim scholar Siti Musdah Mulia said the data indicated Muslim women were becoming increasingly aware of their rights and also more economically independent.
“The data shows women are now daring to fight for their rights and reject male domination. They are now saying, 'What is the point in continuing a marriage when I am miserable'", she said.
Siti, a lecturer at the State Islamic University in Jakarta, said women were becoming more independent and educated, two factors leading to a greater sense of worth and place.
She said Muslim women were becoming increasingly aware of their rights and potential through the tireless efforts of NGOs and women activists who have launched campaigns against polygamy.
“This is a good sign. Efforts by organizations to raise awareness surrounding women's rights has begun to pay off, even with discussions surrounding polygamy seeing a revival among Muslims with the release of the movie Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love),” said Legislator Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Verses of Love, a film about the conditions experienced by women in polygamous relationships, was one of Indonesia's blockbuster films last year. Along with millions who flocked to see it, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, also made prominent appearances at cinemas to see the flick.
Many high-ranking officials praised the film while activists accused it of acting as propaganda encouraging polygamy.
Meanwhile, polygamy is on the rise across Indonesia.
The Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) received 87 reports of polygamy last year, up from 16 in 2007.

US stocks slip after GDP report, mixed earnings

2009-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Madlen Read and Sara Lepro , The Associated Press , New York Fri, 01/30/2009 10:12 PM Business Stocks turned lower Friday as investors worried that the U.S. economy, though perhaps not as troubled as feared in late 2008, is only getting worse.The Commerce Department said gross domestic product, the widely followed measure of the economy, shrank at a 3.8 percent pace in the final three month of the year. That compared with a 0.5 percent decline in the previous quarter.Friday's reading was much better than the 5.4 percent drop economists expected.Still, the figure could be revised lower in the months ahead - and some analysts believe th economy has been contracting in early 2009 at an even faster pace. Earnings reports have been disappointing, and layoffs have been piling up."GDP is a backward-looking piece of information," said Craig Peckham, market strategist at Jefferies & Co. "It's hard to pinpoint a highly convincing case that e economic and earnings picture will improve."Exxon Mobil Corp. last year surpassed its own record for annual earnings by a U.S. company, but saw a big drop in profit during the fourth quarter. Chevron Corp.'s fourth-quarter results also suffered from the late-2008 plunge in oil prices.And consumer-products company Procter & Gamble Co. said that while fourth-quarter quarter profit jumped 53 percent after selling its Folgers coffee business, sales dipped 3 percent on weakening demand for its products - which include Tide detergent, Olay skin cream and Crest toothpaste.Declining sales are also hitting Honda Motor Co. hard - the Japanese automaker slashed its 2009 profit target by more than half as its earnings dropped 90 percent in the latest quarter.And Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. said it will cut 20,000 jobs worldwide as it reported a $1.46 billion loss for the fourth quarter.In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 48.91, or 0.60 percent, to 8,100.10. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.92, or 0.70 percent, to 839.22, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 7.92, or 0.53 percent, to 1,499.92.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 0.52, or 0.11 percent, to 452.72.On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average sank 226 points, while other indicators tumbled more than 3 percent, on news that unemployment claims reached a record high and that new home sales hit a record low. This erased all of the gains from the previous day, when stocks soared on hopes that the government will take bad debt off banks' books.Volatility has been high this week, with the market zigzagging on a mix of earnings and economic news as investors try to determine what the rest of 2009 will bring. Unrelenting concerns about the shaky banking industry have also kept investors from buying with confidence.A bit of good news came from Amazon.com Inc. late Thursday, which reported that its fourth-quarter profit rose 9 percent and easily surpassed analysts' forecasts. The online retailer also provided an optimistic forecast for 2009.Amazon shares rose $8.85, or 17.7 percent, to $58.85.Exxon rose $1.53, or 2 percent, to $78.53.Chevron rose 97 cents to $71.59.Procter & Gamble fell $1.94, or 3.3 percent, to $56.28.Bond prices rose early Friday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 2.80 percent from 2.87 percent late Thursday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, rose to 0.24 percent from 0.23 percent.

Bush leaves note for Obama in Oval Office

2009-01-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press , Washington Tue, 01/20/2009 7:24 PM World Continuing a White House ritual, President George W. Bush left a note in the Oval Office for President-elect Barack Obama, wishing him well as he takes the reins of the executive branch. The White House on Tuesday declined to provide specific details of the message the two-term Republican left for the incoming Democrat, saying only that Bush wrote it on Monday and left it in the top drawer of his desk. "The theme is similar to what he's said since election night about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Tuesday. During his last moments in the Oval Office, former President Ronald Reagan scribbled a note for his successor on a notepad with a turkey insignia that said "Don't let the turkeys get you down." He, too, slipped the note in the presidential desk for his successor, President George H.W. Bush. Four years after that, the elder Bush left a note for President Bill Clinton. And eight years after that, Clinton wrote a note for Bush, and included a copy of the message he had received from Bush's father. Bush's final half-day as president includes a goodbye to Washington and a hello from fellow Texans. On Tuesday morning, the president and first lady Laura Bush will welcome Obama and his wife, Michelle, to the White House. The Bushes, the Obamas, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, and leaders of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will have coffee in the Blue Room. After the swearing-in ceremony for Obama at the Capitol, Bush will take a helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base, where he'll make private remarks inside a hangar. The Bushes then will fly to Midland, Texas, on the familiar blue-and-white presidential aircraft, although it will be called Special Air Mission 28000 instead of Air Force One because Bush will no longer be president. While the inauguration frenzy continues in Washington, thousands of well-wishers are expected to greet the Bushes at Centennial Plaza in Midland - the same place the president stopped on his way to the nation's capital for his own inauguration in 2001. While Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut, he spent his childhood in Midland. He returned there as an adult in the 1970s and met the future first lady. After the rally, the Bushes are flying to Waco, Texas, on their way to their 1,600-acre (650-hectare) ranch in nearby Crawford.

Pope gives Obama his blessing

2009-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press , Vatican City Tue, 01/20/2009 9:28 PM World Pope Benedict XVI is giving Barack Obama his blessing and prayers as the American becomes president. The Vatican released the text of a telegram Benedict sent Obama a few hours before the presidential swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. In the telegram, the pope told Obama he was praying that God would grant him "unfailing wisdom and strength" in carrying out his responsibilities. Benedict also urged Obama to stick to his resolve in promoting understanding and peace among peoples. The pontiff also expressed hope Obama's leadership would help Americans use ethical principles and spiritual values in building a just society. Benedict said attention must be paid to the poor, the outcast, the hungry and "those who have no voice."

India appoints ambassador to ASEAN

2009-01-08T03:44:00.001-08:00

Veeramalla Anjaiah, , The Jakarta Post, , Jakarta Thu, 01/08/2009 10:37 AM World
India has appointed one of its top diplomats, N. Ravi, as its ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which it is a dialogue partner.
The Secretary-General of the 10-member regional grouping, Surin Pitsuwan, welcomed the decision and said he hoped that it will boost relations between India and the ASEAN.
"ASEAN has enjoyed a close partnership with India since 1995 when it progressed from a sectoral dialogue partner to become a full dialogue partner," Surin said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"I believe ... Ravi's appointment will further enhance ASEAN-India strategic partnership that has since spanned political, security, economic and social dimensions."
Ravi will not be based in Jakarta.
"He will be based in New Delhi and he will come to Jakarta from time to time to attend ASEAN meetings," the Indian Embassy's political counselor Muktesh Pardeshi told the Post on Wednesday.
Ravi is currently working as the Secretary (East) at India's Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
Ravi, who joined the foreign ministry in 1973, is not new to the ASEAN region. He worked as Indian ambassador to Vietnam from 2004 to 2006 and is currently in charge of Southeast Asian affairs in New Delhi. He has also served in Belgrade, Tokyo, Thimpu, Munich and Moscow in various capacities for Indian diplomatic missions.
In late August 2008, both India and ASEAN concluded negotiations on a Trade in Goods Agreement with an aim to establish a free trade area encompassing 1.7 billion people with a combined GDP of US$2.3 trillion.
The ASEAN Secretariat said that negotiations on a Trade in Services and Investment Agreements between the two began recently.
India's trade with ASEAN countries is around $40 billion with a joint goal of increasing this to $50 billion by next year.
According to Surin, India is the seventh ASEAN Dialogue Partner to have appointed its ambassador to the regional grouping. The other six are the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand

Symbolic meeting with predecessors marks Obama day

2009-01-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

THE PRESIDENT CLUB: President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday with former presidents (from left) George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. AP/J. Scott Applewhite

Steven R. Hurst , The Associated Press , Washington Thu, 01/08/2009 12:55 PM World

President-elect Barack Obama lunched at the White House on Wednesday with the current chief executive and three former presidents, a symbolic show of support that Obama said provided "advice, good counsel and fellowship."Before the meeting - the first such in the executive mansion since 1981 - Obama told Americans that reforming massive government entitlement programs would be "a central part" of his effort to control federal spending, even as he pushes Congress to appropriate hundreds of billions of dollars to jolt the crumbling economy.At the gathering less than two weeks before Obama's inauguration, the president-elected stood for photos flanked by former President George H.W. Bush on one side and his son, President George W. Bush, on the other. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, both smiling broadly, stood with them."I just want t thank the president for hosting us," Obama said."All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office," said Obama, who takes office Jan. 20. "For me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary."Durng the brief photo opportunity, the current president wished Obama well before all five men headed to a private lunch that lasted about 90 minutes."One message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed. Whether we're Democrat or Republican we care deeply about this country," Buh said. "All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual."Bush and Obama also met privately for roughly 30 minutes in the Oval Office before the lunch. Details of the one-on-one meeting, coming just 13 days before Obama's inauguration, were not revaled although they were expected to focus on grim current events - the war in the Gaza Strip and the crippled U.S. economy.And all parties were determined to keep details of what was discussed at the lunch confidential.Describing the gathering in only broad terms, Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs aid: "The president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office, as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now. The president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years."While Obama pledged to take a knife to unnecessary goverment spending and to reform entitlements, he provided few details at the news conference where he named Nancy Killefer to the newly created position as chief performance officer. She is assigned the tasks of eliminating government waste and improving efficiency.The promise to cut unnecessary government spnding, coincided with a Congressional Budget Office estimate that Obama would inherit a $1.2 trillion federal deficit for fiscal 2009."We expect that discussion around entitlements will be a part, a central part of those plans," Obama said. "And I would expect that by February, in line with the announcement of at least a rough budget outline, we will have more to say about how we're going to approach entitlement spending."For the first time, Obama gave a ballpark price tag for his massive economic plan designed to put a floor under the country's deepening recession. Aides have said it could cost as much as $775 billion over two years. Outside economists have suggested as much as $1.2 trillion would be needed."We expect that it will be on the high end of our estimates but will not be as high as some economists have recommended because of the constraint and concerns we have about the existing deficit," Obama said.On Thursday, he plans to give a speech on the economy at George Mason University in Virginia where he will lay out his reasons for pressing Congress to quickly approve his still-evolving economic plan.Meanwhile, lawmakers have been distracted by an ugly bit of political theater that unfolded in Congress on Tuesday when the Senate barred Roland Burris from taking Obama's vacated Illinois Senate seat. Burris was appointed by the state's embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich, who stands accused of trying to sell the position to the highest bidder.On Wednesday, Burris met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the Senate Democrats looked for a way to defuse the standoff and set forth the legal steps under which they would welcome him into the Senate.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate is awaiting a court ruling in a case that tests whether the Illinois secretary of state is required to sign Burris' certification.Burris, who would be the Senate's only black member, said Wednesday he expects "very shortly" to represent the state of Illinois in the U.S. Senate.Also Wednesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the incoming chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she intends to support President-elect Barack Obama's choice for CIA chief, Leon Panetta. Feinstein had earlier expressed reservations about the choice of Panetta, a former White House chief of staff without a formal background in the intelligence community. Obama had not consulted with Feinstein before making the choice, and subsequently apologized to her for the lapse.

Pope calls for cease-fire in Gaza

2009-01-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press , Vatican City Thu, 01/08/2009 6:30 PM World Pope Benedict XVI has called for a cease-fire in Gaza and the resumption of peace talks. He says a cease-fire is indispensable for restoring acceptable living conditions to the population and has condemned violence in "whatever form it takes." The pontiff also says it is crucial that political leaders who can work for reconciliation emerge in upcoming elections. Israel is scheduled to hold elections Feb. 10. Benedict's new appeal came as part of a broad-ranging speech Thursday to the Holy See's diplomatic corps. He has also encouraged efforts to get Israelis and Palestinians to hold peace talks. Israel says its offensive in Gaza is aimed at stopping Hamas rocket fire. Nearly 700 Palestinians have died in the attacks.

Israeli troops mobilize as Gaza assault widens

2008-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-09T15:25:00.002-08:00

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

2008-12-09T15:25:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-04T10:28:00.002-08:00

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

2008-12-04T10:28:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-28T08:17:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

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.
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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

2008-11-22T05:12:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-22T05:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-22T05:07:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-15T07:32:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T14:58:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-30T23:15:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-27T15:16:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

Crowds at Games below expectations

2008-10-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

Indah Setiawati and Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar, Bali Thu, 10/23/2008 11:05 AM Asian Beach Games
The dragon boat competition ending Tuesday gave visitors a spectacle because it was held with the nice scenery of Suwung Water Reservoir near Denpasar as its backdrop.
It was cleared from garbage ahead of the games.
In the racing lanes, it was a competition worth watching with Indonesia and Myanmar locked in the latest round of a rivalry in the men's races and Indonesia managing to come up on top over China in the women's.
However, the showcase, which delivered an overall collection of four gold and two silver medals for the hosts, fell short in the cheering gallery.
The so-called VIP seats, where spectators got the best view of the races, were largely occupied by organizers, media workers and officials from the seven participating teams. Few people were seen scattered along the banks of the man-made lake, located near Simpang Siur area.
Spectators were also sparse at Serangan Island, where the sailing and windsurfing competitions were taking place. The expectation of a huge crowd did not materialize either at the beach soccer venue in Mertasari and beach volleyball venue in Sanur.
Bodybuiding and surfing, which have already wrapped up competitions, should have drawn spectators with both events held in public places, where locals and tourists flock everyday.
"I asked some people why they were not coming to watch. Some say they cannot stand the heat,"Sony Subrata, a marketing and public relation officer with the Bali Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee (BABGOC), said.
He said the organizers had campaigned hard, promoting the Games extensively through print, electronic and broadcast media, including on foreign channels the BBC, CNN, ESPN, the Discovery Channel and CNBC, and local channels TV One, Trans 7, RCTI,TPI, SCTV and Indosiar.
Fliers and guidebooks containing competition schedules were distributed in shopping malls and hotels, he said.
"Around 100 volunteers distributed 10,000 fliers three days ahead of the opening ceremony. Twenty thousand flags were placed on the island's streets to alert people about the big event,"he said Still, it has not steered people's anxiety.
I Made Sudira, who works in a villa in Jimbaran, came to Suwung Water Reservoir, but thirty minutes after the competition was over.
"I'm coming to watch the dragon boat competition.You know... it refreshes my mind after work," he said. He was not alone. Some others came, but they just missed the races.
I Wayan Sudi said many were interested to watch, but they did not know the schedule or the venues.
"We should have encouraged hotels to promote this event to their guests. I hope the sport events can be merrier next time. The promotion effort should have been bigger," he said.
Reza Heryoga said his classmates wanted to watch the beach soccer but they were fazed by ticket prices of Rp 75,000 (US$7.6).
"We were disappointed to learn that the tickets were that expensive.We actually planned to watch it tomorrow."
Soccer, volleyball and pencak silat are the only three of 19 sports charging spectators entrance fees. The organizers have loosened up so that entry tickets are compulsory only for semifinals and finals.
The woodball competition does not attract many spectators except for guests at Ayodya Resort Bali. Indonesian team manager Dominicus Sutrisno said this was because the game was not popular in the country yet. Furthermore, people are reluctant to travel far to Nusa Dua, he said.
The hotel's compound was selected as it provides competition fields that meet international standards.
"We would like to play at a venue where many people could watch, but we couldn't because we needed a venue that had both grass and sand grounds.
"That's why the competition is held here, where we can set up five grass fairways and seven sand fairways."

Japan, China, SKorea to set up financial watchdog

2008-10-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 23 October 2008 10:34 WIB
WASPADA ONLINETOKYO - Japan, China and South Korea will set up an Asian watchdog body to monitor the health of financial institutions in a bid to counter global economic chaos, reports said Wednesday.They hope to have the first meeting in Tokyo next month and also invite other Asian nations including the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Yomiuri Shimbun said.It would serve as a regional version of the Financial Stability Forum, a panel that advises the Group of Seven major economies and exchanges information among them, Kyodo News said, quoting unnamed sources.Japan also hopes the meeting would discuss enhancing controls on the financial system, Kyodo said.The move came as US and European leaders called for an emergency summit in November to discuss ways to restore the battered global financial sector.Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is also sounding out whether the South Korean and Chinese leaders can travel to Japan by the end of the year for an inaugural three-way summit to tighten their relations.Japanese government officials declined to comment on the reports.(lnd/ann)

What role for returning Aceh rebel?

2008-10-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

What role for returning Aceh rebel?
By Lucy Williamson BBC News, Banda Aceh

Hasan di Tiro returns to a much-changed Aceh. Photos: Fauzan Ijazah
It must have been a strange moment for Hasan di Tiro.
Looking down from the steps of the plane at Aceh's new international airport, what would he have seen?
Rows of dignitaries and TV cameras, here to mark the return of an exiled rebel; his family, frail and wilting in the morning heat; and lined up on the tarmac, waiting to greet him, his former guerrilla fighters, now name-tagged and in suits.
For a man who slipped away in secret 30 years ago, it was a statesman's return.
Of course, Aceh has changed a lot in that time too.
The fact that Indonesia has allowed him back at all is a sign of how much.
Three years ago, in the aftermath of the devastating Asian tsunami, and under the glare of international attention, his rebel group the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) gave up its bloody fight for Acehnese independence and settled instead for autonomy within Indonesia.
But Hasan di Tiro's image - part royalty, part rebel leader - has outlasted all those changes.
Almost royalty
Truckloads of supporters, most of them too young to remember the last time he was here, began arriving in the Acehnese capital, Banda Aceh, days before he returned.
Young men like Neh who talk about a very personal attachment to this remote, elderly rebel. "We miss him like a son to a father," he told me.
Or like Sayeed, just a few months old when Hasan di Tiro slipped out of Aceh.
"I miss him," he said. "I want to see his real face, not a picture in the internet or the newspaper. I'm happy he's coming back, because he's the one person who really cares about Aceh."
Not bad for a man who has lived in exile for three decades.
But then Hasan di Tiro has two things going for him.
Firstly, he founded GAM back in 1976 and led the 30-year fight for independence and control of Aceh's rich natural resources.
Secondly, he really is almost royalty here - he is a descendant of Aceh's old rulers.
Some people here would like to see him take on a similar role again, to speak up for Acehnese interests under the province's new autonomy deal.
But of course not everyone would welcome that. Others resent di Tiro for his absence during the long bloody years of conflict. Many suffered as a result of it, and not everyone here was in favour of independence anyway.
But his appearance at the main mosque in Banda Aceh can still draw several thousand people, neatly packed into its wide open spaces, all hoping for a glimpse.

Several thousand greeted Hasan di Tiro's appearance in Aceh
The question is, now that the separatist war has ended, what will Hasan di Tiro do with all his popularity?
This is being billed as a personal trip, the wish of an old man to revisit his homeland.
But the signs point elsewhere. It has been a highly organised event. And one organised by his former guerrilla colleagues - it is they who have largely managed his security, journalist access and crowd control.
Some of these men are now running for parliament under the banner of GAM's new political party - part of the terms agreed under the peace deal. Called the Aceh Party, it is expected to do very well indeed in elections due next year.
And its logo was everywhere during this trip; the hallmark of Hasan di Tiro's return.
Aceh Party flags peppered the crowds that came to see him - and the trucks that brought them. Party officials in party T-shirts helped with airport security as he arrived.
There had been some careful preparation of the crowds. Nobody who arrived in groups from the districts would talk about politics. But that couldn't hide the smell of it.
Powerful figure
For men like Sayeed and Neh - and some of their older neighbours - the independence fight wasn't just about splitting from Indonesia, it was fuelled by the desire to get a better deal for Acehnese; a greater share of the province's resources, prosperity and control over their own affairs.

Supporter are now looking ahead to elections next spring
Much of that was delivered in the peace agreement. Yet while GAM may have stopped fighting for a separate state, but the struggle to safeguard Aceh's interests in relations with Jakarta continues. And it's likely to be the battleground for next spring's elections.
In that sense, Hasan di Tiro has it all - nationalist credentials, a blood line to Aceh's old sultan and 30 years of exile that have kept him apart from the new party politics.
But it's doubtful how big a role he could actually play, even if he wanted to.
He's an old man now; too frail even to deliver his own speech at his welcome rally; more like an elder statesman than a campaigner.
Yet he's still a powerful figure, and as a poster boy for his former colleagues-turned- politicians, he's probably irresistible. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7665752.stm

Indonesia hopes Cambodia, Thailand to exercise restraint

2008-10-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 16 October 2008 08:44 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEJAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed the hope here on Tuesday that Cambodia and Thailand would exercise restraint and be able prevent an open conflict on the border in the spirit of Asean solidarity. He made the statement upon arrival at the Halim Perdanakusumah from visiting East Java after receiving a report from foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda that the situation on the border between Cambodia and Thailand was tense again and open to the possibility of a military conflict. "Soon after arriving here I immediately talked with Prime Minister Hun Sen on the latest situation on the border. I hoped no armed conflict would take place and dialogue could be continued in line with the peaceful spirit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)," he said.According to him Prime Minister Hun Sen said a worse situation could be prevented because Cambodia also wanted to settle the problem peacefully through bilateral negotiations with Thailand."It was also mentioned that tomorrow (15/10) there will be a working group meeting to discuss the conflict," he said.President Yudhoyono said Hun Sen had assured him he would prevent the situation from escalating and settle it peacefully with Thailand."I have also called Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to convey my worries because if the conflict continues it will become worse. Moreover, now when we are still concerned with overcoming the financial crisis," he said.He said the Thai prime minister also said that he had a strong will to settle the conflict peacefully.On October 21, he said, the two countries would also hold a more substantive formal meeting to seek a peaceful solution of the problem."I will continue monitoring their good will, moreover Indonesia as one of the Asean founding fathers is expected to be able to help solve the conflict," he said. Minister Hassan Wirajuda had earlier talked with Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan who had also been concerned over the development on the border of the two Asean common member countries.Pitsuwan who was formerly Thai foreign minister hoped Indonesia could play a more role in preventing possible armed conflicts and would push the two countries to continue their bilateral talks.Due to the latest development Thai prime minister Sochai Wongsawat had cancelled his plan to visit Indonesia on October 22 and had assigned his foreign minister to come to Indonesia.On the cancellation President Yudhoyono said he could understand it and hoped the situation would be better.In the past few months Thailand and Cambodia had disputed an area around an old Khmer temple of Preah Vihear located on the border between the two countries.The tension escalated in July after the temple was declared a world heritage belonging to Cambodia by the UNESCO, angering Thai nationalists who still consider it their country`s.The situation led to a military tension with around 1,000 Cambodian and Thailand soldiers facing each other for six weeks before the two sides later in August promised to withdraw.Talks to discuss the withdrawal of the remaining soldiers from around Preah Vihear Temple scheduled last month were cancelled following a political upheaval in Thailand.(lnd/ann)

Thai-Cambodia border situation "back to normal": Thai P.M.

2008-10-15T14:46:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, 15 October 2008 23:38 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEBANGKOK - Thailand`s premier said Wednesday the situation has returned to normal after fighting broke out on the border with Cambodia and insisted Thai troops did not start the exchange.Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said fighting in disputed patches of land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border was "small scale", and said they had now subsided."We are not the ones who ignited the violence," Somchai told reporters."The situation has returned to normal now and this evening the foreign ministry will hand over an aide memoir to a Cambodian diplomat," he said."It is not serious and I am convinced there will be resolution," he added.Thailand`s army spokesman has said one Cambodian soldier was killed and four Thai troops were injured in Wednesday`s clashes, which came after a days of tension between the neighbours.Cambodian army officials have insisted that Thai troops fired first after they strayed into Cambodian territory.Tensions between the neighbours flared this week after failed talks on Monday aimed at cooling a months-long stand off over land near Preah Vihear.Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen then issued an ultimatum to the Thai side to leave or risk conflict after he accused more than 80 Thai soldiers of entering one of a handful of disputed areas.(lnd/ann)

Gunfire at the border

2008-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

BangkokPost.com
Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat urged Thai nationals in Cambodia to leave for home immediately after a Wednesday afternoon military battle along the disputed border left two Cambodian soldiers dead and five Thai soldiers wounded.
"Thai businessmen who have no need to be in Cambodia now, please rush back to Thailand," Sompong told reporters.
"We have our evacuation plan ready," he added.
In the Northeast, officials told residents of the border to be ready to move out quickly in case hostilities resume and escalate.
Thai and Cambodian troops fired rockets and small arms at each other for about 10 minutes at the border of Kantalak district, Si Sa Ket province at around 2.30pm.
The incident reportedly occurred three kilometres from Phreah Vihear temple, and at the site of an Oct 3 clash which left two Thai soldiers and one Cambodian wounded. Thailand issued an official protest to the Cambodian government over that alleged border incursion.
Cambodian army commander Brig Gen Yim Pim said fighting had "paused" after the battle, as commanders tried to negotiate a cease-fire.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the two countries' foreign ministers were talking. Both sides said they wanted a peaceful resolution. "Cambodia is a good neighbor. We will use peaceful means. If there is violence, we have to negotiate," he said.
dpa reported from Phnom Penh
Cambodia said Wednesday that it was forced to bypass the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a mediator in a violent border dispute with neighbouring Thailand because Thailand is current chairman, thus making the group partial.
At a press conference broadcast on national television, and to which most foreign diplomats to Cambodia were summoned,Foreign Minister Hor Namhong again alleged Cambodia was being provoked and said it would seek an impartial international mediator.
"Thailand is the current chair of the Asean," Hor Namhong said, announcing that without drastic changes, Cambodia would go to a higher international body for a resolution because of that.
Cambodia’s Preah Vihear governor Prieb Tan claimed that Thailand started shooting at the Cambodian army first. Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, meanwhile, claimed that Cambodian soldiers started the shooting first by firing about seven to eight shots onto the Thai soil so Thai soldiers had to defend themselves by firing them back using small weapons.
According to Col Sansern, four Thai army rangers were wounded while one Cambodian soldier was killed in the incident.
On Tuesday, Col Sansern reiterated that Thailand would not shoot first, but warned that Thai troops were ready if Cambodian forces encroach into Thailand. The Thai army is ready to confront any incident to protect the country’s sovereignty, he said.
Meanwhile, Thailand put air force fighter jets and C-130 transport planes on alert. The C-130s have been used in a previous operation to bring Thais back home from Phnom Penh.
"Normally we have fighter jets on stand-by at various regional headquarters ready for operation within five minutes, but under the current circumstances we have increased our readiness," Grp Capt Montol Suchookorn was quoted by the AFP news agency.
"I do hope the use of force is the last resort," he added.

East Timor signs energy deal with SKorea, say officials

2008-10-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 14 October 2008 22:21 WIB
WASPADA ONLINESEOUL - East Timor has signed a deal allowing South Korea to import natural gas from its Greater Sunrise gasfield by 2013, officials here said Tuesday.The deal reached in Dili would also allow a South Korean consortium led by state-run Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) to seek out other gasfields in the country, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement.The deal represents East Timor's first energy pact with a foreign country since it gained independence in 2002, the ministry said."We have yet to complete discussion on the annual amount of natural gas to be imported from East Timor," a ministry official told AFP.He said the Greater Sunrise field is believed to hold enough gas to meet South Korea's energy needs for seven years.The field is part of the Joint Petroleum Development Area, shared by East Timor and Australia.South Korea is the world's largest importer of natural gas.(lnd/ann)

Indonesia shares stable as trading resumes

2008-10-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Zakki Hakim , The Associated Press , Jakarta Mon, 10/13/2008 3:50 PM Business

Indonesian authorities announced fresh measures to prevent the global credit crisis from hitting localbanks Monday and stocks halted steep falls as trading resumed aftera three-day suspension.
The benchmark JSX index dropped more than 6 percent in theopening half-hour, the first trading since Wednesday when a 10percent drop prompted authorities to suspend trading mid-session.
The index later swung to a profit and was up 0.5 percent at1,458.18 points.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government wouldguarantee private savings of up to US$210,000 (2 billion rupiah) andmake it easier for banks to obtain short-term loans from the centralbank.
"The global financial crisis has disrupted banking systems ...These conditions can have a negative impact to the stability ofnational banking" in Indonesia, she said.
More favorable lending terms at the central bank will remain inplace for as long as necessary to ensure liquidity, she said.
The market was closed Wednesday amid a freefall that drove downthe index 21 percent last week amid panic that the U.S. financialcrisis could trigger a global recession.
Responding to the turmoil, Indonesian authorities announcedinitial measures last week to secure capital flows, including easingregulations for share buybacks and corporate financial reservelimits.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged state companies torepurchase shares, doubling to 20 percent a buying limit andscrapping compulsory shareholder approval.
Most Asian markets recovered from record loses last week,seemingly encouraged by government guarantees of bank transfers inEurope.
But the Indonesian measures didn't seem to be having the desiredeffect, and commodities stocks, banks and mining companies were downsharply Monday.
Leaders in Indonesia, which suffered a devastating financialmeltdown in the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, have sought toreassure investors that the country's fundamental economy remainsstrong

Hasan Tiro visits Aceh's hero graves

2008-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ati Nurbaiti , The Jakarta Post , Banda Aceh Sun, 10/12/2008 11:16 AM National
Aceh's former resistance leader, Hassan Di Tiro, prayed briefly by the grave of Aceh hero Sultan Iskandar Muda on Sunday morning and is scheduled to visit the grave of another hero, respected ulema Syech Abdul Rauf, at Syiah Kuala cemetery.
Organizers say, after paying his respects, Tiro will visit Ule Lhee, the coastal area of Banda Aceh that was devastated in the 2004 tsunami.
"It's the tsunami which preceded the Helsinki memorandum of understanding (MoU)," said Muzakir A Hamid, an assistant of Tiro, referring to a peace agreement between the Free Aceh Movement (which Tiro had chaired) and the Indonesian government.
Later, in the tentative Sunday schedule was a visit to the grave of Tiro's ancestor Tengku Cik Di Tiro, a national hero in Indrapuri district, some 25 kilometers east of Banda Aceh.
Tiro arrived in his homeland Aceh on Saturday, after 29 years of living in exile, mainly in Sweden. Now, he is a Swedish citizen.
"The freedom and peace across Aceh today is a precious gift from Allah. Never before in Aceh's history of colonialism and occupation by foreign nations, have the people gained freedom and peace in general, as they have today," Tiro said in a statement read by his assistant, Malik Mahmud, in front of thousands of people at Baiturrahman Mosque in Banda Aceh on Saturday.
A former female combatant, Fatimah, was among the speakers who addressed the crowd on Saturday.
Fatimah said she and her group of female combatants (inong bale) were still trying to meet Tiro, who is considered by many Acehnese as wali nangroe (inheritor of Aceh).
"I am satisfied. I saw him up-close yesterday, but my friends said maybe our eyes were not yet blessed."
Fatimah conveyed her gratitude to Tiro who had "opened the eyes of the Acehenese," enabling them to understand "our history".

News focus: Hasan Tiro`s home coming expected to support peace in Aceh

2008-10-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

By BustanuddinJakarta, (ANTARA News)- After about 30 years of living in exile, Tgk Muhammad Hasan Tiro, 83, former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leader, who has become a Swedish citizen, now has an opportunity to return home in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province.Hasan Tiro, who came from Tiro village in Pidie district, was expected to arrive at Sultan Iskandar Muda airport in Banda Aceh on Saturday (Oct.11, 2008). Report said that from Sultan Iskandar Muda airport, Hasan Tiro would proceed to Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf`s residence in Banda Aceh and later meet local people at the Baiturahman grand mosque.Hasan Tiro will spend most of his time in his birth place in Pidie district, Aceh Party spokesman Adnan Beuransyhah said here on Friday.Regarding his home coming, many people from various districts in Aceh have started to converge on the provincial capital of Banda Aceh to welcome Hasan Tiro.People from Aceh`s eastern coastal areas and other districts such as Pidie, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen, North Aceh, and East Aceh have started arriving here since Thursday in trucks, minibuses and motorcycles."We have come here at our own expense just to meet Hasan Tiro in person," said M Fakri, a resident of North Aceh district."To ensure security during Hasan Tiro`s visit, KPA will deploy a 60-man task force in uniform and 300 others with special identity cards," said Abu Razak, Aceh Transitional Committee (KPA) spokesman.He made the statement after a closed-door meeting to coordinate preparations for Hasan Tiro`s return to Aceh.The meeting was led by Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) provincial administration official Said Mustafa, and attended by Iskandar Muda Military Command officials, Aceh police officials, and a number of KPA officials.Abu Razak said he had coordinated the KPA`s security plan with Aceh police because special security arrangements were the responsibility of the law-enforcing agencies, including the police.In the meantime, National Police Headquarters spokesman Inspector General Abubakar Nataprawira said in Jakarta on Thursday,there would be no special security arrangements for the former Aceh separatist leader. "If he wishes to come, he is free to do so. For his security, well, there will be no special arrangements as we consider him to be an ordinary individual, not a state guest," Abubakar said.He said the police saw him not as a former GAM leader but as a foreign citizen making a visit to his home village."The GAM problem is already settled. So, there is no more GAM. If he wants to visit Aceh, he can do so freely," he said.While in Aceh, Tiro who is now a Swedish citizen would meet with the Aceh governor and members of the local community as well as his relatives.Hasan Tiro controlled GAM for almost 30 years from Sweden, aiming to establish a state in Aceh separated from the unitary state of Indonesia.The movement`s efforts to achieve its goal through armed struggle came to an end following the signing of a peace deal with the Indonesian government on August 15, 2005.Meanwhile, NAD police spokesman Senior Commissioner Ghufron said the police would not take special security precautions during Hasan Tiro`s visit."The police`s task is to ensure security, and special security arrangments are only meant for the president or head of state," Ghufron said.He also said the police were still uncertain which areas needed to be guarded during Hasan Tiro`s visit because the KPA had yet to give a written report about it.Earlier, on Monday, another Aceh police spokesman, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Farid Ahmad Saleh, said police had yet to receive a written report on the plan of Hasan Tiro to visit Aceh."We have not received any written report about Hasan Tiron`s planned visit to Aceh. We only know about it from the media," Saleh said.More than 100 journalists from 75 media including foreign ones have been registered to cover Tiro`s home visit, Adnan Beuransyah said. Meanwhile, Army chief of staff, Jend. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo told the press in Surabaya on Thursday that Hasan Tiro`s planned visit to Aceh will not disturb security in the province.There is no special security guard for Tiro as he is an ordinary person, the Army chief said.On the other hand, Theo L Sambuaga, chairman of House of Representatives (DPR)`s commission I overseeing foreign, defense and information affairs said here on Friday that there was no problem with Hasan Tiro`s visit to his hometown in Aceh.Tiro`s visit to Aceh will be meaningful if as a respected figure he can affirm that Aceh is part of the Unitary State of the Indonesian Republic (NKRI). "We welcome his arrival here as a figure whom Aceh people look up to, even though he has not become an Indonesian citizen," Sambuaga said.Muzakkir Manaf, chairman of the Aceh Transnational Commission, said in Banda Aceh on Wednesday that Tiro`s return would help strengthen peace as recommended in the Helsinki Accord.(*)

Thousands descend on Banda Aceh to greet Hasan Tiro

2008-10-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

Hotli Simanjuntak and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Jakarta
"Wellcome to Acheh Veranda, Prof.DR.Muhammad Hasan Di Tiro. Kuta raja. From KPA/Masses of Pase."
This was the greeting in broken English splashed across banners attached to two large trucks on Friday, a day before the most senior leader of Aceh's former resistance leader was expected in the provincial capital.
Hasan Tiro, 83, a Swedish citizen, is expected to arrive on a chartered flight from Kuala Lumpur at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, on what he has called a long-delayed visit to his homeland. He will be accompanied by an entourage including more than 100 former combatants of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
On the trucks, some 60 members of a traditional rapaii percussion group were practicing to greet the man one well-wisher described as "the real Wali of Aceh", the grandson of resistance fighter Teungku Cik di Tiro historically entrusted by the ulema to lead Aceh.
"We can't wait to meet him," said a leader of the percussion group, Ibrahim M. Jali of Matang Kuli in North Aceh.
By late Friday afternoon, thousands more vehicles had streamed into the capital, having clogged the road all the way from North Aceh since morning.
Many honking vehicles carrying waving passengers on top were adorned or painted with the red-and-black flag of the Aceh Party (Partai Aceh), based on the colors of the GAM, the republic's former enemy.
"A soldier tossed a bottle of water at us on the way," one man said. "So what? Our party flag is legal, so if they don't like it that means they don't respect their own government."
Many also brought tents and stoves, and enjoyed simple hot meals of rice, noodles and a few meatballs each.
The well-wishers are currently concentrated in two other locations -- another park and the Unsyiah campus -- as well as in Ratu Safiatudin, which is nearest to the governor's office.
"It's easier to monitor them in these three areas," said Aceh Party spokesman Adnan Beuransyah.
"The 'Wali' will make a brief speech at the mosque, but this is still tentative," he added.
The supporters were all prepared to spend a night or two in the capital's parks, which have a number of buildings such as replicas of traditional structures, although sanitation facilities are limited.
Aceh Vice Governor M. Nazar said of the complaints that "party accessories are unnecessary. Hasan Tiro did not return for Partai Aceh but for peace and because he misses his homeland."
Governor Irwandi Yusuf, who has been receiving medical treatment in Singapore, is now well and will join Tiro from Kuala Lumpur, Nazar said.
On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said his office had granted Hasan Tiro a social visit visa valid for 60 days and had worked with related ministries to facilitate his arrival in a chartered plane.
"(Former GAM leader) Malik Mahmud sent us a letter for help to facilitate the visit. Now all documents have been cleared, so there's no problem regarding his arrival," he said.
"However, we have to remind the agents managing the visit to make sure that everyone in the entourage is well-documented, including the foreigners."
Theo Sambuaga, chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I on international and defense affairs, said Friday he hoped Hasan's visit would send a strong message to the Aceh people to help sustain peace there.
"I urge him to emphasize three things while he's in Aceh," he said.
"He needs to urge the Aceh people to maintain reconciliation, to pursue development and to emphasize that Aceh is an integral part of Indonesia."

The overlooked attractions of Central Java's north coast

2008-10-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Tim Hannigan , Contributor , Semarang, Central Java Sun, 10/05/2008 10:40 AM Travel The gunpowder smell of fresh rain in the night air hit me as I climbed down from the train in Semarang. By the time I reached the station gates and had clambered into a waiting becak (pedicab), a thunderous -- and highly unseasonable downpour had begun.
I peered from beneath the becak's dripping hood as it rolled along the empty streets. This was an old city, and I caught glimpses of heavy Dutch rooflines, crumbling columns and arched windows. Shadowy figures sheltered beneath shuttered balconies, and other becaks rolled swiftly through the wet night, their drivers straining urgently at the peddles.
I stopped at the only place open on this dark street: a caf* in a high-ceilinged old building with slow-circling fans. The walls were decorated with photographs of Semarang in years past, and the caf* was known simply as "No. 29" (opposite Blenduk Church). I ordered a plate of juicy sate and a glass of iced tea, and sat peering out at the wet darkness. The rain continued to fall.
Semarang is not high on any must-see list for travelers. Overshadowed by its southern counterpart, the touristic behemoth of Yogyakarta, it's easy to forget that this coastal city of 1.5 million people is the capital of Central Java, and one of the oldest settlements in Indonesia.
With a couple of days to spare I had decided to eschew the more obvious attractions of Yogyakarta to see what this lesser-known place and its surrounds had to offer -- if only it would stop raining!
Colonial history, Chinese culture
To my relief, the dry season returned the following morning. I picked my way over the puddles back into the old part of the city -- still sometimes known by its Dutch name, the Outstadt.
While Yogyakarta is a truly Javanese city, Semarang is the archetypal port, built on colonialism and immigration.
Semarang's history can be traced back to the first millennium -- ancient by Indonesian standards -- but it was in the colonial era when trade networks spread from the harbors of Java that it came into its prime.
The ruler of the ailing Mataram kingdom, Amangkurat I, ceded Semarang to the Dutch in 1677 after they came to his aid against the Madurese renegade Trunajaya. Semarang soon developed into a seat of colonial government and commerce.
The loudest echoes from this era can be felt around Jl Jendral Suprapto, the street that my becak had rolled along through the rain the previous evening.
The atmospheric gloom had cleared with the dawn, but what had been ominous silhouettes in the wet darkness, now revealed themselves as fine 18th and 19th Century buildings.
This was an area of hipped roofs, stocky columns and some of the finest Dutch domestic architecture I had seen in Indonesia. Best of the colonial buildings was Gereja Blenduk, the domed Church of Immanuel opposite the caf* where I had eaten the night before. Built in 1753, it is still one of the most important Protestant churches in Semarang.
Its heavyset white clock towers and red brick dome were bright against a clear blue sky.
Wandering along narrower alleyways south of the church, I found my way to the edge of the river that once carried trading ships into the very heart of the city. This was an area of tiny doorways and outdoor kitchens. Fighting cocks preened themselves haughtily under wicker baskets and finches twittered in bamboo cages hanging from trees.
I followed the river south to the 18th Century Tay Kak Sie Chinese temple. It is an impressive building with dragons writhing along its bowed roofline. Inside, old ladies raised bunches of smoking joss sticks before the altars while old men with bony knees sprawled on benches outside. The air was thick with the heavy scent of incense.
Semarang has a large ethnic Chinese population. There is a suggestion that the name of the place may be a corruption of that of the famous Chinese Admiral Zheng He, who came here in the 15th Century and to whom another temple on the outskirts of the city is dedicated.
Across the river I wandered into Chinatown. Here there were old shop-houses and more temples at unexpected street corners. Flashes of red and gold showed above the counters of pharmacies and hardware stores.
Semarang's modern center lies to the south of all this history, focused on the broad expanse at the heart of Simpang Lima, a five-road intersection lined with hotels and malls.
Shopping is not my scene, so after tracking down an edible souvenir, the local speciality known as wingko babad -- small, sticky coconut-flavored cakes -- I retreated north and took refuge in another relic of the colonial age.
Toko Oen is a venerable institution, a restaurant that has hardly changed since it opened its doors in 1936. The heat and traffic noise seemed to stay respectfully outside and four superannuated Chinese women sat dabbing at homemade ice cream at a table near the door. I slipped into a creaking wooden chair and settled down to read the newspaper over coffee and cakes.
Hindu temples at high altitude
The next morning I headed for the hills. Yogyakarta may have Borobudur, but Semarang has its own classical temples within easy reach of the city.
A battered local bus carried me south. Ahead, the ghostly outline of Gunung Ungaran formed like a photograph from the haze, and soon we were rattling along a rising road through green forests. Just beyond the little hill resort of Bandungan, 45 minutes from Semarang, I left the bus and took a motorbike taxi up a narrow lane through fields of cabbage and potatoes, into the clouds.
It was a weekday afternoon and the cool hamlet of Duran, 1200 meters above the sizzling coastal plain, was deserted. I left my bag in a little caf* on the edge of an empty car park at the end of the road, and made my way uphill to the temples of Gedong Songo.
Strung out among the pine trees and terraces above Duran, these 8th Century Hindu temples have a truly stunning location. And as the light faded and skeins of damp mist crept down the high slopes, I was the only person there to enjoy it.
Gedong Songo means "nine buildings" in Javanese, something that may puzzle modern visitors: There are only six distinct temple groups. It is said that the name has its origins in the dubious counting skills of early Dutch surveyors who ignored the more evocative local name: Candi Banyukuning, Temples of the Yellow Water.
These finely decorated temples were dedicated to the worship of Shiva. Bug-eyed demons grimaced above entranceways and naga or dragons flanked the steps. In the wall, niches carvings of Ganesh (Shiva's elephant-headed son) and the goddess Durga had survived, all with swollen bellies and tilted hips.
Inside the empty inner chamber of one the buildings, a small pile of petals and a curl of incense ash showed that someone was still venerating these places.
I picked my way along the white stripe of the footpath, zigzagging through the forest. The valley below had disappeared under smears of bruised cloud and the pine trees hung limp in the damp air. There was a faint odor of sulfur. I found its source -- and that of the temples' old name -- at the bottom of a narrow ravine where smoke was issuing from the cracked rocks, and steaming water was bubbling in shallow, yellowish pools.
There was a small bathing pool here where the geothermally heated water was at perfect bath temperature for this cool climate. After a relaxing dip I hurried downhill and found a clean, quiet guesthouse in the village.
Mountain vistas at dawn
A crimson stain was seeping along the eastern edge of the morning as I hurried uphill at first light. The blue mist of the evening had gone and the only mark on the slopes was the sulphury smoke from the hot springs.
It was cold and I kept moving swiftly until I reached the temple on the highest ridge. Shards of sunlight were spilling across the mountainside now and a warming breeze was lifting from the valley.
A sea of pale cloud all but covered the landscape of fields and forests below, but I could just pick out the faded mirror of Rawa Pening Lake away to the south. Beyond it, rising in a smooth purple cone was the high summit of Gunung Merbabu, and peering over its western shoulder, trailing a smudge of pale smoke, was the belligerent peak of Merapi. To the west another pair of high volcanoes -- Sumbing and Sundoro near Wonosobo -- were slipping away into the rising morning.
Semarang might not have a kraton (palace) or endless reams of batik, but it has palpable relics of another side of Javanese history. And if the dignified remains of the Gedong Songo don't match the giddying splendor of Borobudur, they do occupy one of the most stunning locations in Java.
As I sat there, alone and untroubled, the warmth of the new sun on my face, the sound of insects creaking in the forest, I thought of the hordes of sweating sightseers that would already be swarming up the steps of Borobudur, just 50 kilometers to the south. I was glad that I had come here -- and it had stopped raining!

Dalai Lama's surgery ends successfully: aide

2008-10-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , New Delhi Fri, 10/10/2008 1:44 PM World Surgeons successfully removed a gallstone from the Dalai Lama on Friday, just days after doctors had cleared the Tibetan spiritual leader during a medical checkup, a spokesman said. Chhime R. Chhoekyapa called the surgery "a simple, routine procedure." The Nobel Prize-winning Buddhist elder, seen by many as the embodiment of Tibet's struggle for more freedom in China, was hospitalized in New Delhi on Thursday. He had arrived in New Delhi earlier in the week for a checkup, his second in as many months, and aides said afterward that the 73-year-old had been cleared to resume foreign travels. In August, the 73-year-old Dalai Lama was admitted to a Mumbai hospital and underwent tests for abdominal discomfort. His aides said then he was in good condition but doctors advised him to cancel a planned trip to Europe and rest, saying he was suffering from exhaustion. The Dalai Lama normally spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetan struggle. He lives in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala, where he set up his government-in-exile after fleeing Tibet following a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. He was originally scheduled to return to Dharmsala on Thursday. News of the surgery sparked worries in Dharmsala, where the Dalai Lama remains the central figure - both spiritually and politically - for thousands of exiles. While the exile community has become increasingly divided in recent years between followers who support his pacifist approach and a bitter younger generation demanding stronger action against China, he remains deeply revered. "I have been thinking about this for a long time. He is 73 and will not always be around," said Tenzin Ngodup, a 28-year-old exile who escaped from Tibet into India in 1997. "What would happen to us when he is not around? I get very worried. People in Tibet have a lot of hope and faith that since he is here, something good will happen in Tibet. If the Dalai Lama goes, they will lose all hope." After a March outbreak of violence in Tibet, China stepped up its campaign to vilify the Dalai Lama, blaming him for the unrest, which Beijing says was part of a campaign to split the Himalayan region from the rest of China. The Dalai Lama has denied the allegations, saying he is only seeking greater autonomy for Tibet to protect its unique Buddhist culture.

Finland's Martti Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize

2008-10-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , Oslo Fri, 10/10/2008 4:19 PM Headlines Finland's ex-president Martti Ahtisaari received the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East."The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to 'fraternity between nations' in Alfred Nobel's spirit," the committee said in announcing the prize.Ahtisaari's efforts in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East drew much praise from the five-member committee."For the past 20 years, he has figured prominently in endeavors to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts," the citation said, mentioning his work in conflicts from Namibia and Aceh to Kosovo and Iraq."He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa," the citation said.Speaking to NRK Norwegian TV, Ahtisaari said he "was very pleased and grateful" at receiving the prize.Asked what he considered his greatest achievement, he spoke of peace talks in Namibia in 1989 and 1990, which the committee said "played a significant part in the establishment of Namibia's independence."By selecting Ahtisaari for the prize, the Nobel committee returned to traditional peace work after tapping climate campaigner Al Gore and the U.N. panel on climate change last year.Ahtisaari, 71, has had a broad career in politics and in peacemaking.A primary school teacher who joined Finland's Foreign Ministry in 1965, he spent 20 years abroad, first as ambassador to Tanzania and then to the United Nations in New York.He was U.N. undersecretary of state for administration and management from 1987 to 1991, heading the U.N. operation that brought independence to Namibia in 1990.In 2007, Ahtisaari's office - Crisis Management Initiative - started secret meetings in Finland between Iraqi Sunni and Shiite groups to agree on a road map to peace.He told NRK he hoped that winning the prize would make it easier to raise more money for his initiative.The talks, based on the format of peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland, included 16 delegates from the feuding groups. They "agreed to consult further" on a list of recommendations to begin reconciliation talks, including resolving political disputes through nonviolence and democracy.In August 2005, Ahtisaari helped end 30 years of fighting between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government with peace talks in Finland, which he initiated and mediated with Crisis Management Initiative. A peace agreement, signed in Helsinki, followed seven months of negotiations between the two parties, which he initiated and mediated.Ahtisaari was also chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina working group in the international peace conference on former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1993, and was special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on former Yugoslavia in 1993.

Aceh’s Hasan Tiro arrives in Kuala Lumpur

2008-10-05T03:46:00.001-07:00

The Jakarta Post Sun, 10/05/2008 3:01 PM National
Former supreme leader of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Muhamad Hasan Di Tiro arrived in Kual Lumpur on Saturday where he met with several former GAM leaders, an activist said.
"The latest news we have is that he stays at the home of the Swedish ambassador to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur," Sahdan, a non-governmental organization (NGO) activist in Aceh, said as quoted by state news agency Antara on Sunday.
Sahdan and a number of reporters from Aceh who have also been here tried to meet and interview the former GAM leader but they lost his trace and did not know where Hasan Di Tiro was.
"He is possibly staying at Concorde hotel in Kuala Lumpur, or Vistana hotel, Klang, Selangor where GAM leaders held a meeting, but latest rumors have it that he is staying at the Swedish ambassador's house," Sahdan said.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed that the former GAM leader who lived in exile in Sweden had arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning.
Hasan Di Tiro planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for several days to meet representatives of the Indonesian government. He would then be taken to Jakarta before being flown to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, his home town.
"According to plan, there will be representatives of the Indonesian government who will meet him and take him to Jakarta before he returns to Aceh," the source said.
A spokesman of the Aceh Transitional Committee (KPA), Ibrahim Bin Syamsudin, said Hasan Di Tiro would be greeted by KPA officials and Ulemas from Aceh.
During his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Hasan Di Tiro will be accompanied by figures who were involved in the peace negotiations between the Indonesian government and GAM in Helsinki.
It was reported that former Indonesia's chief negotiator Hamid Awaluddin (now Indonesian ambassador to Russia) was accompanying the GAM former supreme leader, while leaders from GAM who accompanied him were Malik Mahmud and Zaini Abdullah.
Besides, peace initiator of the Interpeace Juha Christensen also accompanied him.
It was also reported that Hasan Di Tiro would fly directly from Subang Airport of Malaysia to Sultan Iskandar Muda International airport of Aceh. They have hired two airplanes with a capacity of 72 seats.
Whether or not Tiro would fly to Jakarta first before heading to Aceh will depend on Jakarta's lobby. (and)

China milk scandal spreads

2008-10-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

SEOUL - SOUTH Korea, Australia and Japan on Saturday pulled melamine-contaminated sweets and drinks from supermarket shelves amid a widening scandal over Chinese milk products tainted with the toxic chemical.
Authorities in Seoul ordered Mars and Nestle to pull three products after melamine, which is usually used for making plastics, was detected in snacks made in China by the multinationals.
The industrial chemical had been found in M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size, both produced by Mars, and Kit Kat chocolate bars imported from Nestle Tianjin in China, Korea Food and Drug Administration said.
'Mars is recalling these products because it is legally obligated to do so following the announcement by the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA),' Mars said in a statement.
Melamine has been blamed for making thousands of infants ill and killing four in mainland China after it tainted baby milk powder in one of the country's worst ever product safety scandals.
China is struggling to limit the damage to its food safety reputation as a growing number of countries have decided to suspend imports of Chinese milk products or withdraw them from sale over the scandal.
Mars said while it was complying with the South Korean request, the melamine levels detected were too small to pose a health risk, and called for a standard reporting limit of the industrial chemical across Asia.
'Minute traces of melamine are commonly found throughout the global food chain and melamine levels below 2.5 ppm are not deemed to indicate adulteration with melamine,' it said. There was no immediate comment from Nestle Korea.
A KFDA official said South Korea does not allow any level of melamine in food. 'No melamine in food is our standard,' he said.
World Health Organisation food safety expert Peter Ben Embarek said earlier this week that many countries had only recently fixed limits for melamine in food as 'melamine has nothing to do with the food chain'.
The chemical was added to milk before being sold to dairy manufacturers in a bid to falsely boost protein readings, Chinese authorities have said.
A fourth Chinese milk product has been withdrawn from sale in Australia after tests revealed it was tainted with melamine, Food Standards Australia New Zealand said in a statement.
'Consumers are advised not to consume Kirin milk tea made in China,' the organisation said.
The Australian food watchdog has already recalled White Rabbit sweets and Chinese-made Cadbury chocolate eclairs, while importers of Lotte Koala Biscuits have undertaken a precautionary withdrawal of the product.
A Japanese importer, meanwhile, began recalling Chinese chocolates suspected of being contaminated with melamine.
The western Japanese city of Osaka said a test showed the chemical had been detected in 'Chocolate Pillows' imported from China by Osaka-based NS International.
While there had been no reports of health problems, the city ordered the importer to recall some 86,000 packages of the chocolates on the grounds that the company may have violated the food sanitation law.
A growing number of countries throughout Asia as well as Africa are banning products over the scandal but it has also hit Europe.
The European Union recently banned all imports on Chinese milk-related products for children such as biscuits and chocolate on top of a long-standing embargo on Chinese dairy products like milk and yoghurt. -- AFP

Zahid to run for deputy president because it will be vacated once Najib becomes president

2008-10-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 04 October 2008 00:57 zen

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said that he has decided to run for the deputy president’s post in the upcoming party elections after coming to a conclusion that current deputy vice-president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will be taking over the president’s post. He said "I have no intention of stepping ahead of any leader. My decision is based on my conclusion that Najib will take over the president's post. Why should I delay the announcement? The divisions will start their nominations on that day... let the grassroots members decide," -Zen, MalaysiaToday

12 Indonesians drown in Malaysia boat accident: Police

2008-10-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 01 October 2008 01:51 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEKUALA LUMPUR - Twelve Indonesians heading home for the holidays drowned early Tuesday when their wooden boat overloaded with more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Malaysia, maritime officials said.The boat, believed to be carrying 130 mainly illegal migrant workers, sank 1.2 nautical miles off Port Klang on Malaysia's west coast en route to Indonesia's Sumatra island."We suspect the boat was overloaded. It is a wooden boat meant for carrying goods and not for ferrying people. But it is usually used to carry illegals," local marine police chief Marzuki Ismail told AFP.Eleven of the victims were women, including one who was pregnant, said local police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop."This has been certified after a hospital post mortem," he said.Police said they believed the Indonesians were heading home for the Eid al-Fitr holidays, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Survivor Nur Najihah, 22, said the boat capsized so quickly that she lost her grip on her 14-month-old son, Indra Putra Asli, the state Bernama news agency reported.She swam into the open sea to search for him before discovering that he had been rescued by other passengers.The bodies were found floating near where the boat capsized 10 minutes after setting sail from a forested area near Westport in Port Klang, heading for Tanjung Balai in northern Sumatra.Malaysia has launched a 60-strong search and rescue operation involving teams of divers and has recovered 112 survivors - 79 men, 30 women, two toddlers and an 8-month old infant.It is not known how many people remain in the water.Mohamad said the survivors would be brought to the local police station."We are investigating six of the survivors who are believed to have masterminded this operation of illegaly ferrying Indonesians across the borders," he said.There are an estimated 1.1 million legal foreign workers, mostly Indonesians, in neighbouring Malaysia, officials have said, and unknown number of illegal workers.(j01/ann)

More BN MPs interested to defect - Wan Azizah

2008-09-22T05:03:00.001-07:00

Monday, 22 September 2008 13:21 zen

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the President of the PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) said that there has been more Barisan Nasional MPs who are keen to cross over to the opposition and that her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been holding discussions with them. She said Anwar is making extra effort to meet more MPs as some were sent to Taiwan and Hong Kong,” -Zen, Malaysiatoday

Australia wants same security priority with Indonesia

2008-09-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

Friday, 19 September 2008 10:36 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEBRISBANE, Australia - The Australian government wanted to make sure of the presence of a similar comprehension between Australia and Indonesia."The comprehension about security priority between Indonesia and Australia will enable both countries to use their defence forces to become efficient and effctive in creating security and regional stability," Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said here Thursday.Fitzgibbon is visiting Indonesia and Timor Leste in September 17 to 19. In Jakarta, Fitzgibbon and Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono will discuss the development of the cooperation initiative and the identification of numbers chances to be involved. The discussion is aimed to help improve the two countries` relations."Like any other broader bilateral relations, Australia-Indonesia defence relations desribes our interest in regional security," Fitzgibbon said.(j01/ann)

Drunk tourist hijacks car, knocks down five people in Bali

2008-09-21T06:03:00.001-07:00

Thursday, 18 September 2008 21:10 WIB
WASPADA ONLINEKUTA, Indonesia - Denpasar police have detained a Brazilian tourist who killed at least one person and seriously injured four others while driving a hyjacked car at high speed apparently under the influence of alcohol. The Brazilian, identified as Guilherme Guades (24), ran the car against a girl, Atik (23), who was riding on a motorcycle on Legian Road in Kuta on Thursday. Atik died on the spot. Before hitting Atik, Guades also knocked down four motorcycle riders in his drunken spree. The four sustained injuries so serious they had to be admitted to the intensive care unit of Sanglah General Hospital. The dead girl`s body was also taken to Sanglah General Hospital where doctors conducted an autopsy. According to several eyewitness, Guades who was at first riding a motorcycle bumped into a parked car at round 07.15 local time. He fell to the ground but after he was able to get on his feet again, he stopped a slow-moving car and, after pulling out its driver, drove off in the car in southern direction at high speed. During his trip in the hijacked car, he ran down four motorcylists and only stopped after hitting Atik on her motocycle.Meanwile, Denpasar Police Chief Senior Commissioner Gede Widana confirmed that police had detained Guades for causing the death of one person and injuries to four others. In a preliminary investigation, police had found indications that Guades had consumed liquor only a short while before. "Our preliminary conclusion is that Guades was drunk but we still need to develop this clue further in the field," Widana said.(j01/ann)

FOOD INSPECTION

2008-09-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Jakarta Post , Makassar Thu, 09/18/2008 4:29 PM National

A police officer observes the expiry date of formula milk in a store inMakassar on Thursday during a raid held with Food and Drug MonitoringAgency (POM) of some stores and hypermarkets. The authorities saidexpired products appeared more often in the markets over the past fewweeks, prompted by the increase in demand during the holy month ofRamadan. (JP/Andi Hajramurni)

World markets tumble on Lehman news

2008-09-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Emma Vandore , The Associated Press , Paris Mon, 09/15/2008 6:45 PM Business A feverish sell-off in Europe turned markets sharply lower on Monday after the double-fisted blow from Wall Street news that Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch would be sold to Bank of America.European benchmarks were punished following sharp losses across Asia: the FTSE-100 share index was down 3.37 percent in London, the Paris CAC-40 was off 4.47 percent and Germany's DAX 30 index of blue chips sagged 3.18 percent.The falls were led by insurance and financial stocks, with shares in French insurer AXA SA down 9.6 percent, Germany's Commerzbank AG falling 6.5 percent, and Swiss bank UBS AG down 6.7 percent at euro197.57 ($277.90).Britain's Barclays, which had considered a combination with Lehman Brothers but walked away, was down 10.1 percent."We will have a shakeout today and there will probably be more damage in the afternoon when the U.S. gets going," said Stephen Pope, chief global market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe in London.Europe's major central banks moved quickly to calm markets Monday, pumping billions of euros and pounds into the financial system. The European Central Bank loaned euro30 billion but said it received 51 bids for euro90.3 billion (US$127 billion) on its one-day tender with a bid rate of 4.25 percent - a clear sign that demand for cash is over the top.Similarly, the Bank of England offered up 5 billion pounds (nearly US$9 billion, euro6.4 billion) in a three-day auction - but bids were nearly five times higher, at 24.1 billion pounds. (euro30.4 billion; US$43 billion)The Zurich-based Swiss National Bank said it was also providing liquidity in "a generous and flexible manner" at an overnight rate of 1.9 percent, but wouldn't say how much was on offer.Speaking at an awards ceremony at Frankfurt city hall, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said policymakers must be "extraordinarily alert" for jitters in financial markets, spooked by the credit turmoil that stems from now-toxic subprime mortgage debt."It is an ongoing market correction with episodes of high level of volatility, it is what we have experienced since now a long period of time and is going on," he said.The 158-year-old Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed Monday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was crippled by US$60 billion (euro43 billion) in soured real-estate holdings and unable to find an investment partner to throw it a lifeline.Officials from the government and various banks failed to find a solution during weekend meetings. During the talks, when Bank of America balked at buying Lehman, the government urged it to buy investment bank Merrill Lynch instead. The US$50 billion (euro36 billion) deal stops speculators whose next target after Lehman would have been Merrill, Cantor Fitzgerald's Pope said.The moves will create a "firebreak in the financial structure," and once disappointment that Lehman didn't manage to make a deal has been digested, stocks will start to recover, he said."You are going to have a torrid day today, probably tomorrow as well, but then I think people are going to start thinking there's some opportunity out there to be engaged," he said.Before that, markets also have to react to a possible restructuring of the world's largest insurance company, American International Group Inc. The company said Sunday it is discussing options with outside parties to improve its business. The Wall Street Journal said on its Web site Sunday that AIG may announce a turnaround plan Monday that would involve selling assets such as its aircraft leasing business.A global consortium of banks, meanwhile, announced late Sunday a US$70 billion (euro49.77 billion) pool of funds to lend to ailing financial companies, a move geared toward preventing a worldwide panic on stock and other financial exchanges. The U.S. Federal Reserve chipped in with more largesse in its emergency lending program for investment banks.The dollar declined against euro, which rose to US$1.4241 from US$1.4215 late Friday in New York. The pound rose against the dollar, to US$1.7948 from US$1.7937.Crude oil for October delivery was trading down more than US$4 to as low as US$96.31 a barrel on the NYMEX Web site Monday morning. It is the lowest the price has been since February this year.Asia's biggest stock exchanges in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea were closed for holidays, but every market open closed deep in the red.India's Sensex tumbled 3.4 percent, Taiwan's benchmark plummeted 4.1 percent and Singapore dropped 3.2 percent.Macquarie Group Ltd., Australia's largest investment bank, plummeted 10.3 percent. In Taiwan, Shin Kong Financial Holding lost 6.9 percent.But there could be more turmoil to come when the U.S. wakes up. Aurelio Maccario an economist with UniCredit in Milan said the reaction in Europe and Asia has been more contained than it could have been."Everyone is waiting for the U.S. markets to open, let's see how the day unfolds," he said

Tutu says Israel may have committed war crime

2008-09-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

Eliane Engeler , The Associated Press , Geneva Mon, 09/15/2008 8:52 PM World Archbishop Desmond Tutu said Monday that Israel may have committed a war crime by shelling Beit Hanoun in 2006, but that Palestinians also were at fault for firing rockets at Israeli civilians.Israeli and Palestinian authorities should prosecute people on both sides who attacked civilians in the town in Gaza and in neighboring Israel, Tutu said in a report to the 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council."In the absence of a well-founded explanation from the Israeli military ... the mission must conclude that there is a possibility that the shelling of Beit Hanoun constituted a war crime," Tutu said in the report.Israel's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Aharon Leshno-Yaar, refused to discuss the war crimes allegation because Israel rejects the validity of Tutu's report.Tutu's mission to Beit Hanoun was "another regrettable product of the Human Rights Council," Leshno-Yaar said.Israel maintains that the body, which is dominated by Muslim and African nations, has focused excessively on criticizing Israel."It is regrettable that this mission took place at all," Leshno-Yaar told The Associated Press.The report was Tutu's final assessment of an investigation requested by the council into the November 2006 Israeli-Palestinian fighting.Israel declined three times to grant visas to the Nobel peace laureate and his U.N.-appointed fact-finding team to investigate the killings of 19 civilians in an Israeli artillery barrage, the report said. The team finally traveled to Beit Hanoun via Egypt in May - 18 months behind schedule.Israel's firing of artillery toward Beit Hanoun showed "a disproportionate and reckless disregard for Palestinian civilian life," Tutu said.He also said the firing of Palestinian Qassam rockets in neighboring Israel must stop and should be investigated.Leshno-Yaar said he was "furious" that Tutu's report "de facto legitimizes Hamas control of Gaza.""This does not serve the interests of Israel or the Palestinians or the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians," he said.He was referring to the Islamic militant group whose violent takeover of Gaza 15 months ago created a split among Palestinians, with Hamas ruling Gaza and their moderate Fatah rivals controlling the West Bank.In addition to meeting with representatives of the Palestinian authority, Tutu met with senior members of Hamas.The rights council asked Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, to assess the living conditions and basic rights of victims, address the needs of survivors and make recommendations on ways to protect Palestinian civilians against further Israeli attacks.The Beit Hanoun shelling, which Israel said was unintended, came after its troops wound up a weeklong incursion meant to curb Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel from the town.Palestinian militants frequently use Beit Hanoun as a staging ground for their rocket attacks on Israel."Those firing rockets on Israeli civilians are no less accountable than the Israeli military for their actions," Tutu said.He said an independent investigation should be undertaken into the violence on both sides and that Israel should pay reparations for the victims."It is not too late for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation of the shelling to be held," he said.But Leshno-Yaar said Israel's own investigation into the incident that found that hitting civilians was accidental was sufficient. He noted that the results had been shared with the United Nations."There is no need for such a mission by the Human Rights Council and by Archbishop Tutu," he said.Tutu also called on Israel to stop preventing Palestinians from accessing medical services by restricting the movement of medical goods and people in and out of Gaza.

Temasek loses last appeal

2008-09-13T05:19:00.001-07:00

Desy Nurhayati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Sat, 09/13/2008 10:01 AM Headlines
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling by the nation's anti-monopoly body that found Temasek Holdings Pte, a Singapore-based investment firm, guilty of violating the antitrust law.
The earlier ruling by the Business Competition Supervisory Agency (KPPU) said Temasek had breached anti-monopoly laws by indirectly owning shares in both PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) and PT Indosat -- in a move that could have been used to help fix prices.
However, the decision may have little impact, as Temasek subsidiary Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT) Pte sold its entire stake in Indosat to Qatar Telecom (QTel) in June in a deal worth US$1.8 billion.
Temasek now only indirectly owns Telkomsel, the nation's largest mobile-phone operator, through Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel), another of its subsidiaries. It controls a 54 percent stake in SingTel, which in turn owns 35 percent of Telkomsel.
Temasek and its units have all denied any wrongdoing, and said they would fight all the way to prove their innocence, including possibly taking the case before an international arbitration.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court also scrapped two stipulations from the earlier ruling prohibiting Temasek from selling its holdings to affiliate companies and restricting each buyer to a maximum 10 percent stake.
"The ruling by the Central Jakarta Court applies, except for point number six, which says each share buyer is limited to no more than 10 percent and that buyers must not be associated with Temasek Holdings," said Supreme Court spokesperson Nurhadi Jakarta on Friday.
According to Bloomberg, that should remove any legal obstacle to the sale of the Indosat stake to QTel.
"There shouldn't be any problem now with the stake sale (because of the decision to ease those restrictions)," Ananda Lukmansyah Sjarkawi, an analyst at PT Andalan Artha Advisindo Sekuritas, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
During a visit to Indonesia last June, QTel chairman Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani said the divestment of the stake was still subject to a decision by the Supreme Court.
Temasek itself is still undecided on whether take the case to arbitration.
"Temasek Holdings is disappointed with the verdict announced today by the Indonesian Supreme Court," said Goh Yong Siang, Temasek's managing director for international and strategic relations.

Jakarta to implement "car free day" every week

2008-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Jakarta Post Thu, 09/11/2008 9:10 PM Jakarta
The Jakarta car free day will be held every Sunday instead of once a month as previously implemented, according to the City Administration.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo on Thursday told reporters that cleaner air was essential for creating healthy living, which should be in line with the city's growth in prosperity.
"(The car free day) will be implemented once a week soon," he said.

Fauzi also hinted that the no car day, which spans from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., may be implemented at other routes besides the Sudirman-Thamrin road.

"Only this way we can get more appreciation from the world while creating a healthier Jakarta," he said.

According to an official figure from the city administration, on Sept. 22, 2007, the car free day initiative reduced dust pollution by 36.85 percent and carbon monoxide by 50.3 percent.

However, recently some analysts said traffic congestion caused by the initiative was producing more pollution from idle cars compared to normal traffic conditions.

Indonesia: A nation without sense of urgency

2008-09-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Anand Krishna , Jakarta Thu, 09/04/2008 10:14 AM Opinion
It was not pleasing to hear prof. Jeffrey Winters of Northwestern University, U.S., criticizing us on local television here that we, Indonesians, lacked a sense of urgency.
Many considered his observation unfriendly. One of our high officials remarked cynically, "What do bule (slang term for white people) know about us?"
Well, my dear Tuan Pejabat (Mr. Official), the so-called bule do know about us. And for that matter, so do Chinese, Japanese, Indians, even Africans and Middle Eastern people.
What better evidence can there be of their knowledge about us than the volume of literature written by them about our culture and heritage -- and the success stories of their entrepreneurs in this country?
Compare their success stories in our country with the success stories of our (non-white skinned) people in their countries.
Sorry, Tuan Pejabat, but they are more knowledgeable about us than we are about them.
Some time back, I was in the neighboring country of Singapore to attend an important conference. And, there was this man dressed very simply, who sat through my entire presentation, taking up his seat with the rest of the audience.
At the end of my presentation, when he rose to congratulate me, one of the organizers introduced us.
"He is our Minister for ...."
Wow! Our ministers here, when invited to a conference, would normally stay only to hear themselves speak. After the opening or closing ceremony, they would immediately disappear. No wonder most of them have no idea whatsoever of what is happening in real life. They live in castles of their own imagination. Blame not our scholars who do the same, for they just follow suit.
Instead of listening to other speakers at the conference, we would rather play golf, socialize with friends or even accompany our wives to go shopping. Of course, at taxpayers' expense!
Recently, a lady told me she was being offered a "sure" seat in parliament, of course at some cost. The middleman who made the offer said, "It is not much, you can afford it. You can make much more than that in four years."
So, then the lady asked, "Why four years, I thought the seat was for five years?"
The middleman explained, "Look my dear lady, you actually need no more than one year for the return of the investment. The second year is to save something for your rainy days. The third year is to help your kids and kin. The Fourth year is to show your appreciation to your would-be supporters in the next election. But, the fifth year must be kept dry. No hanky-panky. You must work for your constituency to ensure their votes again."
I feel our present parliamentarians did not have such a fine middleman to advise them. That is why even during their last years in office, they still pay no attention to what is going on outside.
Back to our sense of urgency: On Aug. 28, 2008, a young maiden in her twenties, Istiqomah, was beaten up by a group of radicals in the courtroom, witnessed by police personnel, attorneys, et cetera.
Surprisingly, these radicals are being defended by some of our best lawyers, in the name of professionalism.
I shall try to "connect" myself with one of them and initiate an imaginary dialogue ....
"Why Sir?" I ask.
"I am a professional. They are my clients," he replies.
I try to convince him they were not on the right side. What is his priority, what is his urgency? Defending a client for the sake of professionalism, or saving the country from disintegration. Clearly, those radicals have crossed all limits.
To this, he says, "Well, my client says the same thing about you guys -- that you have crossed the limit. They are trying to save the country too."
So the famous lawyer had no sense of urgency to ask his own conscience as to how they were trying to save the country?
Was it by yelling "Kafir!" (infidel) in the court room?
Was it by intimidating people sitting beside them, yelling "Keluar! Bonyok! ..." (Get Out! We Will Smash You!)?
Was it by asking others in the courtroom to show their ID cards, maintaining that non-Muslims were not supposed to attend the hearing of their supremo?
My dear Mr. Attorney-at-Law, where is your sense of urgency? What is your priority? What if your child, your daughter or your sister was maltreated in the way Istiqomah was maltreated that day?
You are right Prof Winters. We do lack a sense of urgency. Our religious leaders are busy organizing interfaith dialogues in the five stars, but are not bothered about what radicals are doing on the streets, supported by our corrupt officials and politicians without a conscience.
The other day, they again displayed a show of force by circling around Jakarta on motorbikes without helmets. They challenged the authorities in the name of their human/religious rights, saying "Our cap is our religious identity".
I was so relieved to hear the newly elected Constitutional Court chief Prof. Mahfud MD say he did not agree with religious based bylaws that have now become popular in several districts.
He has some sense of urgency, for he knows the religious-based bylaws may disintegrate this nation. But aside from him, who else has a similar sense of urgency?
Our ministers? No, they are too busy partying and spending lavishly on the weddings of their children, nephews and nieces.
Our representatives? No, they are too busy jalan-jalan (out and about) to make full use of their remaining time in office.
The supremos of our political parties? They are busy contesting for seats.
But, do not despair. We still have our "selves" to respond to Prof Winters' challenge.
Let us develop the necessary sense of urgency to deal with the problems faced by our nation.
The writer is a spiritual activist (www.anandkrishna.org; www.californiabali.org, www.aumkar.org).

Bali bombers execution postponed until after holy month

2008-09-03T10:08:00.002-07:00

The Jakarta Post Wed, 08/27/2008 3:36 PM National
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has officially postponed the executions of three convicted Bali bombers, Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra, until after Ramadan.
Assistant attorney general for general crimes Abdul Hakim on Wednesday said the decision was made to allow the convicts to experience what would be their last Ramadan.
According to Islam, during the holy month Muslims must not eat or drink between dawn and dusk for 29 or 30 days. Many Islamic teachings believe the act purifies Muslims of all their sins.
"It has been postponed so as to avoid excesses," he said as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com on Wednesday. The execution, he said, would be carried out after Ramadan ends on Sept. 30.
Earlier, Attorney General Hendarman Supandji set a deadline for the executions to be carried out before the start of Ramadan on Sept. 1.
Abdul denied the decision was a result of pressure from certain parties and it came straight from the attorney general.
The three terrorists, now detained at a maximum security prison on Nusa Kambangan Island in Central Java, were sentenced to death in 2002 after being found guilty of masterminding the bombings in Kuta, Bali, year that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. (and)

Malaysian music industry wants Indonesian songs restricted

2008-09-03T10:08:00.001-07:00

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 09/03/2008 6:29 PM Life
The association of Malaysian music industry employees, Karyawan, has demanded the local authority limit the number of Indonesian songs on radio broadcasts, Antara news agency reported Wednesday.
Karyawan head Ahmad Abdullah said the association planned to propose to the Malaysian Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Minister, Shaziman Abu Mansor, a broadcasting ratio of 90 percent Malaysian songs and 10 percent Indonesian.
"The association will accept an 80:20 ratio," said Ahmad, who added that the association was supported by several Malaysian artists and was planning to meet with the minister on Thursday.
The association said Malaysian radio stations play too many Indonesian songs, hurting the Malaysian music industry by increasing sales for Indonesian music.
The radio producers, however, argue they are only following market demand.

The three top Malaysian radio stations -- Era FM, Hot FM and Suria FM -- air their own Indonesian music charts every Sunday morning.
Malaysian rock star Amy Search said radio stations would turn Malaysia into Jakarta every night by playing Indonesian songs until dawn.
Catering to market demands, many Malaysian telecommunications companies sponsor Indonesian band concerts in the country. (dre)

ASEAN agrees to trade pact with Australia

2008-08-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press , Singapore Thu, 08/28/2008 4:52 PM World Southeast Asian countries said they reached a tentative agreement with Australia and New Zealand on a comprehensive free trade pact aimed at boosting the US$48 billion annual trade between the nations.Economic ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, said in a joint statement with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand that the countries have "completed the negotiations and forged a comprehensive single undertaking free trade agreement."The statement didn't say the terms of the pact, adding that "a small number of bilateral market access issues" must be resolved, and that each country must approve the agreement before a final signing in December.ASEAN officials also said they had struck a free trade deal with India on goods, but not on services and investment. ASEAN and India had about $38 billion of trade between them last year.ASEAN officials also said they had made "substantive progress" toward an investment agreement with China.Those two agreements are also expected to be finalized and signed in December."The ministers see the agreement as paving the way to enhancing the region's economic integration and to deepen and broaden the trade and investment among the twelve participating countries," the statement said.The trade agreement would cover goods, investment, services, and intellectual property, the statement said. The value of goods traded between ASEAN countries and Australia and New Zealand jumped 17 percent last year to US$48 billion, led by ASEAN exports.