Aftershocks keep Nabire residents in fear Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura A series of aftershocks continued in the devastated town of Nabire, Papua, on Saturday, a day after a powerful earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale left at least 17 people dead and injured dozens. The 89 aftershocks on Saturday morning, ranging from a magnitude of 3 to 4, forced Nabire residents to stay out-of-doors for fear of collapsing structures.

Ganesha bookstore still a beloved Ubud institution Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne, Australia In a place of rapid, sometimes frantic change, it is always reassuring to come across some constants. While we often concede to the need, and even enjoy the fruit of development, deep down we still hanker for the familiarity of what we know. One of the constants of Ubud in Bali is Ganesha bookshop, which is now situated along the main street of the town, opposite the Ubud Post Office.

New Singapore apartments go to great heights Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Singapore The Singapore skyline has changed markedly over the years, and more is in store as its planners look to the skies -- and the sea -- for inspiration. For many people, the Merlion, the fanciful creature with a lion's head and fish tail, is what characterizes Singapore. The city- state's mascot appears on all manner of objects, from key chains, T-shirts, ashtrays and all manner of other typical accessories.

Auction scene: The quest for good art on the block Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta A spate of auctions of Southeast Asian art in recent months has brought both old masters and emerging talent to the attention of buyers, with the market is expanding to include works from less celebrated areas.

S'pore may test all pregnant women for HIV SINGAPORE: Singapore's health ministry wants to test all pregnant women for the HIV virus to curb a rise in AIDS cases, an official said on Saturday. Singapore currently tests less than 30 percent of pregnant women for HIV, said Balaji Sadasivan, who is senior minister of state for health. He said he hopes to implement compulsory screening "as soon as possible," but did not specify when. "I am ...

Big plans for West Sumatra's land of lakes Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang Magnificent Maninjau and Singkarak come to mind when mention is made of West Sumatra's famous lakes, but its so called Twin Lakes area is also being promoted for its scenic beauty.

ASEAN foreign ministers achieve much, but resolve little Meidyatama Soeryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post, Vientiane Southeast Asian foreign ministers completed a day of endless meetings in Vientiane on Saturday, seemingly content in the knowledge that they had achieved much while resolving little. The agenda moved swiftly -- as swiftly as the ushers who manually changed the giant backdrop of the meetings' different designations in the main hall of the ICTC venue.

Febi, Hendri flop in final Febi Widhiyanto and Hendri Susilo Pramono lost in the final hurdle of the doubles event here on Saturday, to sum up Indonesia's woeful performance in the US$6,250 Men's Satellite Tennis Circuit. Febi and Hendri, who were seeded third in the tournament, went down 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to the Chinese Taipei-Malaysian pairing of unseeded Liu Tai-Wei and Si Yew-Ming in the final match at the Hilton Tennis Courts, according to Antara.

Independence spirit lives on in Kris Biantoro Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Held in conjunction with National Heroes Day on Nov. 10, the launching of entertainer Kris Biantoro's autobiography Manisnya Ditolak (The Sweetness of Rejection) looked like a veterans' convention.

Auctions scene: The quest for good art on the block Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta A spate of auctions of Southeast Asian art in recent months has brought both old masters and emerging talent to the attention of buyers, with the market is expanding to include works from less celebrated areas.

Kang Giman Ngatini Rasdi There was a frightened look on the face of Kang (older brother) Giman when he returned from his rice field. He flung his hoe into a corner of the kitchen and hurried into his bedroom. It was still early in the morning and Marti, his wife, had yet to leave for the market. "What's up, Kang?" she asked, worried, coming into the bedroom and seeing her husband's pale face. "You said you'd only be back by the afternoon." "I'm scared!" he replied. His body was quivering.

James' novel tells of gentle clashes of culture Briony Kidd, Contributor/Jakarta The Java Man Jamie James, Metafor Publishing, 2004 400 pp Indonesia is "as exotic as one could possibly wish," finds the middle-aged director of an historic mansion in rural England upon ending up unexpectedly in Yogyakarta.

On the Record: Dewa Artist : Dewa Album : Laskar Cinta (Aquarius Musikindo) A bit like Madonna, although not as sharp, pop group Dewa is noted for its PR savvy and the prescient skill to read the market. The image of cocky band leader Ahmad Dhani, his prowess in creating catchy songs with lovey dovey lyrics, the skillful band's personnel and its quick turnover amid acrimonious departures -- all of them have made Dewa a constant in showbiz headlines for the past 18 years.

TV Program: Sunday, November 28, 2004 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Documentary 7:30 Children Show 9:00 Music: Delta 10:30 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 11:00 TV Drama 12:30 p.m. English for Fun 1:00 News: Berita Siang 3:00 English News Service 4:30 Documentary 5:00 Robocon 6:30 Documentary 7:00 News: Berita Nasional 7:30 TV Drama 8:00 TV Drama 9:00 Italian League (Live) 10:30 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 11:00 Puppet Show TPI 5:30 a.m.

Inscriptions a reminder of one man's dream At 86 years, Hotel Niagara is not nearly as grand as it must have been in its former incarnation as a villa for a wealthy Chinese trade baron. Once the tallest building in the country (it is also said to have been the first in the then Dutch East Indies to have used a mechanical elevator), it still stands out among the more modern structures on Jl. Dr. Sutomo in the district of Lawang in Malang, East Java.

12 killed as train rams minivan in Tegal Nana Rukmana and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon/Semarang Twelve people were killed and another severely injured on Saturday when an executive class train smashed into a Toyota Kijang in Tegal municipality, Central Java. All of the victims were members of an extended family, and were on their way home from attending a graduation ceremony at a nursing college in Tegal for Triana Sari, 22.

East Java: Niagara Hotel stands tall amid urban sprawl Emmy Fitri and Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Lawang, East Java Niagara Hotel was something special way back when, a sumptuously constructed villa in the green hills outside of Malang in East Java. Today, it's not what it once was, but a few intriguing remnants of its former glory remain.

Hasyim still mulling NU reelection bid Blontank Poer and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta/Yogyakarta Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi said on Saturday that he had yet to make up his mind on whether to seek reelection during the organization's 31st national congress, to be held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 in Surakarta, Central Java.

Big plans for West Sumatra's land of lakes Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang Magnificent Maninjau and Singkarak come to mind when mention is made of West Sumatra's famous lakes, but its so called Twin Lakes area is also being promoted for its scenic beauty.

Inscriptions a reminder of one man's dream house At 86 years, Hotel Niagara is not nearly as grand as it must have been in its former incarnation as a villa for a wealthy Chinese trade baron. Once the tallest building in the country (it is also said to have been the first in the then Dutch East Indies to have used a mechanical elevator), it still stands out among the more modern structures on Jl. Dr. Sutomo in the district of Lawang in Malang, East Java.

Powerful women who know our dirty laundry Santi W.E. Soekanto, Contributor/Depok For many people in my neighborhood, the most powerful woman in recent years was not Megawati Soekarnoputri, but Mrs. Sleman. She does the laundry for at least four families and knows all about people's dirty laundry, so to speak.

Fire guts Kebon Kacang apartments INDONESIA: Fire razed two units of a low-cost apartment in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta, on Saturday at around 2:15 p.m. Firefighters managed to put out the fire 15 minutes later. "We could reach the apartment quickly because it is located near to the Tanah Abang fire station," said Central Jakarta Fire Department chief Sarjono. The fire department deployed eight trucks and 48 firefighters to extinguish the fire. There were no fatalities.

Korean products in the spotlight Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta As over 20 minutes of dynamic moves and music came to a climax, five male Koreans, performing the traditional dance, Samul Noli, stopped suddenly, with several seconds of silence preceding thunderous applause.

Money grubbing at an ancient site The parting words of the boat ticket seller -- "The fare only covers your roundtrip, the rest is your own responsibility once you get there" --before heading across Lake Batur to Trunyan in Kintamani district, Bali should have been fair warning. Trunyan, one of the Bali Age traditional Balinese villages, is famous for its open-air cemeteries, where bodies are placed within the protection of bamboo enclosures.

Documentary about Indonesia wins top award Agencies, The Hague Stand van de Maan (The Shape of the Moon), a film by Dutch director Leonard Retel Helmrich about the impact of political and social upheaval on an Indonesian family, won top honors at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) on Friday.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, November 28, 2004 Exhibitions * Arts by Canadian artist Ken Pattern, at Four Seasons Hotel (Regent), Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. B-4, South Jakarta, Dec. 3 to Jan. 15. * Fine Arts Agoes Jolly Sendiri, Galeri Cipta II, Taman Ismail Marzuki Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta, until Dec. 4. * Painting Rediscovering Indonesia by Italian Maestro Agostino De Romanis, Gedung Arsip Nasional (the National Archive Building), Jl. Gajah Mada 111, Central Jakarta, (Tel.