Titi Kamal to take up singing for her supper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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