Asia still has chance to beat bird flu: Asia still has a chance to beat the spread of bird flu among humans, despite fears it may mutate into a form that can spread human-to-human, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. The latest outbreak, which has killed or prompted the culling of millions of fowl across Asia, has officially caused 12 deaths in Vietnam and Thailand. "We have no pandemic, we have very few cases, there is no indication whatsoever of ... any widespread ...

One injured in clash in Luwuk PALU, Central Sulawesi: One person was critically injured when a group of youths attacked several kiosks in Banggai regency on Sunday. The incident occurred after a kiosk owner reprimanded a youth for urinating behind his kiosk in Kilo Lima, Luwuk district, Banggai regency. The youth took offense at being reprimanded and later returned with a group of friends, who attacked the kiosks and fought with the traders and local residents, who the youths outnumbered.

Five commit suicide on Feb. 1 JAKARTA: The police were busy on Sunday as five people reportedly committed suicide across the city on the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, or Idul Adha. No information was immediately available on what might have motivated them to take their own lives. Bram, 41, a resident of Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, was found dead in a hotel room in Mangga Besar, Central Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon. An insecticide spray was found on the bedside table.

Nasti fosters the love of reading Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Poet Ezra Pound once said that a book should be a ball of light in one's hand, and that man reading should be man intensively alive. That may be just a timeworn quote for many people, but not for Nasti M. Reksodiputro. Her need to read is th same as her need to breathe. "Reading nourishes your brain to be more creative," said Nasti, one of the four founders of the Wandering Books Foundation (Yayasan Pustaka Kelana).

TV Program: Tuesday, February 3, 2004 TVRI .TB.30" .90" 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Entertainment News: Selebrita 7:30 Children Show: Pentas Ceria 8:00 Music: Sik Asik 10:00 TV Drama 12:00 p.m.

PT DI workers march to Jakarta BANDUNG: Some 4,000 employees of ailing state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) marched to Jakarta on Monday to attend a hearing of the company's labor dispute at the manpower ministry. "We would like to ensure that the hearing will free from government intervention," said labor union secretary A.M. Bone. The first hearing of the industrial dispute settlement between 6,000 laid-off employees and PT DI is scheduled for Tuesday.

No-warrant raids disguised extortion, robbery Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A group of bogus police detectives are raiding unwary Jakartans' homes and searching them on the street, in a spate of extortions and robberies, police say. On Jan. 4, a passenger on a public minivan was forced to take out his wallet and show it to three men who said they were detectives. The three accused him of being a suspect they were looking for and then took all his money.

Indonesia's election 2004: The rules and their impact Indonesia's 2004 elections: Predicting is harder than ever Part 1 of 2 Jusuf Wanandi Member, Board of Trustees Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta 2. TNI -- Indonesian military strides forward again in politics 1 x 30 Indonesian military strides forward again in politics TNI strides forward again in politics Irman G. Lanti The Straits Times Asia News Network Singapore

Fire guts upmarket mall MEDAN, North Sumatra: Medan Plaza was gutted by fire at dawn on Monday. The Medan Fire Department dispatched fire trucks to the scene to extinguish the fire. No fatalities were reported. The fire gutted the mall when Medan residents were preparing to observe Idul Adha (Islamic Day of Sacrifice). Police are looking into the cause of the fire. -- Antara

Battle in lending market getting fiercer Burhanuddin Abe, Contributor, Jakarta Many people dream of owning their own house and car. But to make this dream come true, they need a large sum of money at their disposal. Houses and cars have soared in price since the economic crisis hit this country in mid-1997. The crisis caused banks to curb their lending to consumers and increase interest rates considerably. As a result, for many the dream of owning houses and cars remained a dream.

Election delay looms as ballot printing falls behind schedule Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Fears of a possible election delay are looming larger as the General Elections Commission (KPU) conceded on Monday that ballot papers would not be printed until Feb. 5, four days behind the original schedule of Feb. 1.

Families want Mina victims flown home The Jakarta Post, Jakarta "I don't know what to say. I was the first to hear the news through a phone call. It was a shock," Ridha Triwahyuni, 20, said on Monday in tears at her home in Lumajang regency, East Java. Ridha's father Misnadi, 55, mother Dwi Duwang Siti Aminah, 50, and grandmother Tasrukah, 65, were among the 48 Indonesian pilgrims killed in Sunday's stampede in Mina, a valley located just outside Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

JP/18/UTAN03 Twice as many orangutans, but the future just as bleak The most detailed count of wild orangutans in the last decade has found that there are between 50,000 and 60,000 orangutans left in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo, twice as many as had been estimated in recent years.

Acehnese hold little hope for elections Nani Farida and Ridwan Max Sijabat The Jakarta Post Banda Aceh/Jakarta While the provincial government has predicted Aceh's elections will run successfully, many Acehnese are pessimistic they will be democratic or deliver a desired outcome. Authorities have given assurances of free and fair elections, which begin in the province on April 5.

At least 48 stampede victims from Indonesia A. Junaidi and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government confirmed on Monday that 48 Indonesian pilgrims were among 251 victims of Sunday's stampede in a valley near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during a stone-throwing ritual. As of Monday, the government had only been able to identify 39 of the dead Indonesian pilgrims.

'I'm OK with or without tinted car windows' The city administration will impose a new regulation on tinted car windows this month to support the implementation of the new three-in-one traffic policy. With clearer windows it will be easier for police officers to determine whether a mannequin or joki (person hired to be a passenger) is inside a vehicle. The maximum opacity limit allowed is 30 percent, half of the currently permitted opacity.

Love of books sparked by curiosity Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta With fewer and fewer students reading literary works, calling them "dull and boring", a scholar of literature blamed the teachers for not making reading interesting. Nasti M. Reksodipuro, a retired lecturer of the School of Literature at the University of Indonesia, pointed out that teachers should give a brief introduction about a certain book.

Graft and tax collection From Koran Tempo I agree with Taufiequrachman, chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), who has called on the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) to issue a ruling that corruption is forbidden according to Islam. While it is true that such a ruling by MUI would help efforts to eradicate corruption, it means little in law enforcement. In fact, our legislation needs an overhaul. Take, for example, the taxation regulations.

Amien-Susilo, an ideal pairing? From Koran Tempo Reform of the nation is going nowhere, so the idea of Amien Rais and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the country's prospective leaders seems appropriate in order to restart the process. Amien Rais has been one of the initiators of reform. He is legally flawless, a professor, not part of the New Order and has a good commitment to reform. Though some dislike him, at least he deserves a chance to prove himself.