PM Mahathir blames Soros for Asian currency crisis KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad yesterday openly accused U.S. financer George Soros of being behind speculative attacks which have brought down Southeast Asian currencies in recent weeks. "I am confirming that it was George Soros I was talking about," he said after the billionaire, known for his capacity to move global markets, denied involvement in the assault on the Malaysian ringgit and other currencies.

The 'bagan' fishermen and the sea By K. Basrie LABUAN, West Java (JP): A fisherman wistfully expressed a desire to take his bagan (bamboo fishing platform) to President Soeharto's favorite fishing hole in the Sumur area near Ujung Kulon national park. Yayat is one of the hundreds of bagan fishermen in Labuan, on the western tip of Java, who dreams of the glorious days when fish would overflow from their bagan.

Pavarotti shares his life in a book Pavarotti: My World By Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Arrow Books, London, 1996 345 pages Rp 49,700 JAKARTA (JP): Something funny happened to Luciano Pavarotti, superstar, in his homeland of Italy 10 years ago. "I am Luciano Pavarotti," he said to a nine-year-old boy as he tried to cajole him into coming to his concert "as his guest". In China, Peru or Miami Beach, the name might have moved the earth.

Persebaya to meet Bandung Raya in league soccer final JAKARTA (JP): Persebaya will challenge defending champion Bandung Raya in the national soccer league final tomorrow, one day behind schedule due to a tear gas incidence during a semifinal on Friday. Mitra Surabaya and Bandung Raya resumed their game yesterday and the 1-0 score was unchanged throughout the remaining 27 minutes.

Has Mike Tyson met his Waterloo? JAKARTA (JP): The recent Tyson-Holyfield bout was expected to be full of nail-biting suspense. Instead, it collapsed in ear biting, a piercing scream and bedlam. Its outcome was a life-term boxing ban on Tyson. The haunting jingle of "Tyson finished" rings around the world. Pak Karim, goaded by Ahmad, who is rabidly anti-Tyson, hosted a party to celebrate Tyson's downfall. Karim invited Pak Sulaiman, a fanatical admirer of Tyson, on purpose.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. TVRI News 6:25 Morning News 6:45 Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 7:15 Healthy and Fit 7:30 Children's Program: Arena 123 8:00 TV Series: Brudy and Family 8:30 Performances: Warna Warni 9:00 Cartoon Film 9:30 TV Drama: Di Sekitar Kita 10:00 TVRI News 10:30 Music: Album Minggu Kita 11:30 People and Events 12:15 p.m.

'The Frighteners' triumphs as well-crafted schtick By Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan JAKARTA (JP): Balance is hardly the word that comes to mind given the Scream meets Ghostbusters theme. Yet, despite its juggernaut of characters, multi-level sub-plots and slam-bang special-effects, The Frighteners comes off surprisingly balanced. And expensive. And unpredictable.

Portuguese patrimony lives on in Larantuka By Yakob J. Herin LARANTUKA, Flores (JP): As the sun sets in the west and waves batter the coastline, cathedral bells shatter the early evening languor. Just a few hundred meters away, the ascending roar of drums alerts local Moslems to evening prayer. Religious harmony reigns in the city known as Renha Rosari (the Virgin Mary), which was already famed to the outside world in the 15th century and continues to draw tourists today.

Megawati supporters defy gathering ban by police JAKARTA (JP): About 5,000 Megawati Soekarnoputri supporters gathered at her residence last night in defiance of a police ban to commemorate the July 27 1996 riot. Streaming in from various provinces, they gathered at the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) ousted leader's residence to remember the tragedy, the worst seen in Jakarta for 20 years.

Property firms stake claims on west coast The cataclysmic explosion of Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait in 1883 caused massive reverberations around the world. An explosion of a different kind is rocking the area today as major property investors vie to develop luxurious tourist projects. The Jakarta Post reporter, K. Basrie, visited the area last week to probe the development. More articles are on page 9.

'Cave man' finds precious water sources By Gin Kurniawan GUNUNGKIDUL, Yogyakarta (JP): Locals here call out "cave man" when Sudiyono passes them on the streets, but it is a term of respect for the 49-year-old. He may only have a junior high school education but he is considered by many to be a foremost authority on spelelelogy, the scientific study and exploration of caves. He has explored more than 400 underground caves, and one where he almost lost his life has been named after him.

S'pore raises retirement age SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore has raised the retirement age of employees by two years to 62 to combat a perennial labor shortage and give its rapidly aging population a longer stint in the workplace. The move, which comes with measures to reduce employers' costs of retaining older workers, is part of a plan to eventually raise the retirement age to 67 in the island of three million people, news reports said yesterday.

FIFA probes Iraq torture reports ZURICH (AFP): Soccer's ruling body, FIFA, has launched an inquiry into reports that the Iraqi soccer team was tortured by Uday Hussein after failing to qualify for the 1998 World Cup. The claims, published in London last weekend, said the players were beaten on the souls of their feet after losing their Asian Group Nine match 2-1 to Kazakhstan -- ending their hopes of qualifying.

'Ampo', edible clay with health benefits By Gin Kurniawan BANTUL, Yogyakarta (JP): Snaky tendrils of mist overtly cloud the dawn as a septuagenarian trudges down the Alas Sentong hill that fosters her livelihood back to her sequestered home a kilometer away. With faltering steps, balancing wizardry and a back bent by age and 20 kilograms of freshly dug mud, the 76-year-old Wartiyem of Minggiran village, Imogiri, smiles even though the day's work has yet to begin.

Guess What? Okky Asokawati has been a leading light in the fashion world for many years. Today she is also a regular speaker on psychology and etiquette in seminars, and she will soon be the star of a TV film. Okky, 37, has been filming Senandung (Humming a Tune) in Yogyakarta since July 18. Although this is her first starring role in a TV film, Okky said she did not face many difficulties.

U.S. respects ASEAN's decision to admit Myanmar PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (JP): The United State said yesterday that it respected ASEAN's decision to admit Myanmar but called on the organization to persuade Yangon to open political dialog. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said Washington had "strong views" about the admission of Myanmar but "the issue is over" now that Myanmar is a full member of ASEAN.

All-RI finals in women's singles JAKARTA (JP): Wukirasih Sawondari and Irawati Moerid Iskandar will meet at today's All-Indonesia finals of the Governor Cup Women's Satellite championship at the Kemayoran tennis complex. Wukirasih, world ranked 730, struggled before defeating eighth-seeded Keiko Ishida of Japan 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a one-hour- 35-minute match. Irawati overcame Jahnavi Parekh of India 6-2, 6-4 in the same amount of time to reach the finals of the US$10,000 championship.

Some coastal people surrender their land to property frenzy SUNDA STRAIT COAST, West Java (JP): "Looking for a plot of land, sir?" asked the woman in her 40s. "What's the price?" "Rp 350,000 (US$140) per square meter, and it's located next to a street near the beach," she explained. "Okay, I'll take one square meter then," I joked. Maryati smiled, but it was obvious she didn't want to believe I was not as rich as she thought.

Sono Budoyo museum has rooms with a view on history By Ahmad Solikhan YOGYAKARTA (JP): The two ancient cannons stand guard to welcome visitors to the Sono Budoyo museum in Yogyakarta, and protect the 48,000 archeological and ethnographic treasures inside. The cannons date back to 1846 and 1871 during the reign of Sultan Hamengku Buwono III. Along with them in the front courtyard of the pendopo are 16 statues from the Indonesian classic period of the 8th to 10th centuries.