Agenda Retrospective Films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder at Teater Utan Kayu and Galeri Lontar, Jl. Utan Kayu No.68H, East Jakarta, Phone: 8573388; Fax: 8573387; E-mail: aldero@cbn.net.id, from June 12 through June 18. Rainer Werner Fassbinder succeeded in fostering the New German Cinema throughout the world in the 1970s. In his 14 years of moviemaking, Fassbinder produced 44 films including the controversial 15-hour Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Aging Ni Ketut Cenik gives her body and soul to dance By Gotot Prakoso JAKARTA (JP): She is all of 78 years, but Ni Ketut Cenik can still show the moves which built her reputation. She elongates her body, her hands curving into the agem, the fundamental moves of Balinese dance. Her eyes race up and down and from left to right, her every move copied by the three girls behind her.

Which teams people follow in Euro 2000 JAKARTA (JP): As Euro 2000 approaches, soccer fans are busy predicting who will win the title. Despite the excitement of being able to watch all 31 matches on TV, aired live by RCTI and SCTV, some people have opted to watch the live matches in the company of others at cafes or hotels. The Jakarta Post interviewed public figures to ask their opinion about who they think will win the second biggest soccer championships event on earth after the World Cup.

Le Meridien holds another cheese festival By Tim Cooper JAKARTA (JP): It's not always easy to find great cheese in Indonesia. The annual Cheese Festival at Le Meridien Hotel, is therefore a popular event. By the number of people who attended the launch party of this year's festival, held from the June 6 to June 14, looks as if it will be no exception.

Gus Dur's right eye in 'excellent condition' SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (JP): Doctors in the United States declared on Friday (local time) that President Abdurrahman Wahid's right eye is in excellent condition, but indicated his vision is not likely to fully recover. Randal J. Olson, director of the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, said the President's vision was actually better than it was before and there is no need for any additional surgery.

Bengkulu rocked by three fresh tremors JAKARTA (JP): Three more earthquakes, measuring between 4.9 and 6 on the Richter scale, struck Bengkulu on Saturday. National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency spokesman Waan Tarmin said the strongest tremor jolted the province at 5 a.m. Waan said the epicenter was located 253 kilometers southwest of Bengkulu, some 74 kilometers below the Indian Ocean. First quake hit the area at 1:32 a.m. with a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale.

Divine Desy a devil for media JAKARTA (JP): There is no love lost between entertainer Desy Ratnasari and the media. Their relationship has been put to the test by reporters' unrelenting coverage of the actress-singer's romantic ups-and- downs and, most recently, a drug scandal. Her pale beauty and off-screen exploits are selling points in a public fascinated with celebrity gossip.

Out in left field as soccer mania hits home JAKARTA (JP): It's that time of the year again. In the next few weeks people will be walking around with a dazed-as-a-Disney- dwarf look from lack of sleep. It's the time when the television repairmen are called out to homes across the world to tweak the antenna to that perfect hundredth of a degree for the picture-perfect image. The refrigerator has been stocked with drinks and eats as if the world was coming to an end and food was going out of style.

Epi leather a gentle touch from a giant name By Bruce Emond JAKARTA (JP): For many of us it's all about the name, or rather that distinctive monogram, when it comes to Louis Vuitton. Regardless of the style, the quality of the craftsmanship or the range of products, we cannot help chewing over whether what we see being toted before us on city streets is the genuine article or a superb knockoff.

Saving our economy From Media Indonesia The exchange rate of the rupiah is once again fluctuating so that at one period it was as low as Rp 8,000 per US$1. This tendency has not only caused alarming concern to the community, but has also increased people's economic burden. People in the business world needing U.S. dollars to import raw materials, or for the settlement of their debts, will be very much affected in their business activities by the declining value of rupiah.

Five men burned alive JAKARTA (JP): Five suspected holdup men were mobbed and burned to death by an angry crowd after being caught demanding money from passengers of a mikrolet public minivan in East Jakarta on Saturday. The five gang members, already listed on the local police's most wanted list, met their tragic deaths at the Jl. TB Simatupang and Jl. Raya Bogor intersection at 2:15 p.m., shortly after their victims daringly screamed for help.

Obituary: Myrna Soekasah JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's sports community lost a highly dedicated role model when Myrna Hardjolukita Soekasah passed away Saturday at 9.15 a.m. at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital due to breast cancer. Myrna, formerly a platform diver, had suffered the illness since 1996. After being treated in Rotterdam for several months, she was taken to the hospital on Monday. Wahyu Myrnawati was born in Jakarta on Sept. 8 1953.

Long wait is over for Lombok handicraft makers By Ahmad Junaidi MATARAM, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): The island's handicraft makers are breathing a deep sigh of relief after several months when they felt the life was being choked out of them. Foreign visitors are slowly coming back to Lombok after last January's sectarian riots which devastated the local tourist industry.

RI hacker nabbed SINGAPORE (DPA): An Indonesian youth who hacked into the computer server of a Singapore research and development institute while studying in Australia was arrested on coming to the city- state to study, it was reported on Saturday. The 15-year-old boy, who was released on 10,000 Singapore dollars (US$7,000) bail, was nabbed at his relative's apartment and his new computer seized, The Straits Times said.

Minahasa bamboo trumpets find new home By R. Agus Bakti YOGYAKARTA (JP): Multifunctional bamboo is a fixture in houses around the world for utensils, furniture and beautiful handicrafts. It has long served a different use in North Sulawesi's Minahasa region. In an area famed for its scenic beauty and the people's love of music, bamboo is shaped into elegant trumpets which produce a melodious sound.

Jakartan named Miss Indonesia 2000 JAKARTA (JP): Bernika Irnadianis Ifada, a 23-year-old university student from Jakarta, was crowned as Miss Indonesia 2000 on Saturday evening. Bernika was chosen over the other 29 contestants and became the fifth winner of the pageant at the Tanah Airku theater of the Beautiful Indonesia-in-Miniature Park (TMII) complex in East Jakarta. "I didn't expect this," she said shortly after being crowned by her predecessor, Alya Rohali.

New magazines square off for readers By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): The appearance of several new fashion/lifestyle magazines may be the opening salvo in an impending media war in the Indonesian market. Indonesian Bazaar was launched in extravagant fashion on May 31 at the Dharmawangsa in South Jakarta. Local magazine a+ made its debut the week before. They join dewi, Kosmopolitan and neo- in the local market. Which ones will stand the heat and rise to the top?

Miss Universe: 'I don't know about beautiful' By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): Lara Dutta, the reigning Miss Universe and second Indian to win the title, had no idea as to how similar the two cultures of Indonesia and India really are. She found that out just a few days ago when she visited the Indonesian consulate in New York to get a visa.

Tour de ISSI back on track JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) will stage the Aspirin Tour de ISSI 2000 from Aug. 30 to Sept. 10, after being absent for eight years due to financial restraints. Chief of the organizers, Denny Gumulya, said the tour would cover 1,315 kms of road in 10 stages from East Java to Jakarta. The route passes through Surabaya, Malang, Kediri, Surakarta, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Purwokerto, Tasikmalaya, Bandung and Sukabumi.

Jakarta gears up for Euro 2000 Soccer fans everywhere are digging in for the long haul of Euro 2000. Businesses in Jakarta and other major cities in the country are also sizing up opportunities to score rich profits during four weeks promising excitement, shattered dreams and sleepless nights. JAKARTA (JP): Millions set up camp in front of their television sets at 11:45 p.m. Jakarta time on Saturday.

Training shows a living can be made from seashells By Kosasih Derajat CIREBON, West Java (JP): A workshop and vocational training exploring seashell handicrafts may not pique the interest of seasoned urbanites. Yet they are important for people living in coastal areas with an abundance of clams and oysters, but who have not been able to exploit them as materials for artistic creations.

Contestants claim beauty pageants more than meets the eye By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): If some women want to become doctors and some others prefer to do little else but write, why should the ambition of those who lust after the title of the most beautiful woman in the universe be considered lesser? After all, beauty pageants are no longer mindless fun indulged in by youngsters as they wait for a degree or a husband.