Government has finalized regulation on optical discs Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has finalized a draft governmental regulation to give more protection to intellectual property rights (IPR) for software, film and music.

Pirates kill four aboard ship in North Aceh Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra Pirates shot dead four crew members of a ship in waters off North Aceh, after a palm oil company failed to pay the gunmen a Rp 400 million (US$47,616) ransom, police said on Thursday.

Busway service disappoints the visually impaired Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The busway is not for everyone, at least not for a group of visually impaired citizens who found the service not as comfortable as earlier promised. Besides the lack of facilities for the disabled, the poor preparation of the busway service, which began on Jan. 15, has taken its toll with the dismissal of 15 busway drivers for a variety of misdemeanors.

Existing insurance companies won't be dissolved: Official Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru/Riau The government has decided not to dissolve the four existing state-owned insurance firms into the planned national social security programs but obliged them to make adjustments to avoid overlapping and confusion among the public.

Refugees return to slopes of Mount Egon Yemris Fointuna and Jacob J Herin, The Jakarta Post, Kupang/Maumere More than 1,000 of about 5,600 refugees who fled the slopes of Mount Egon after it began erupting last week, returned home as volcanic activity continued to die down on Thursday. Local officials said on Tuesday the returning victims were residents from the Bola and Waigete districts in the Sikka regency who had been evacuated to the town of Maumere.

Embassy will throw a Night Carnival Party that will see the Jakarta Undercover 2, with DJs Rim, Ai and Romy plus 18 sexy dancers and G&L Mardi Gras. From 10 p.m. on. Frozzty Entertainment has a Bush Rush party at the a2 Club, Alila Hotel that will feature DJs Teddy, Oki, Romy and Winky in the main room and DJs Koko, Dimdok, Rivrav, Iman, Pasha and Bro in the Spotlight room, from 10 p.m. on.

Disappointed by visa on arrival We are disappointed and extremely alarmed about the future of tourism on the island of Lombok following the implementation of the new visa-on-arrival policy for the nationals of 21 countries. Lombok has once again been overlooked and is not included as an Indonesian International Gateway where the new policy of visa on arrival is offered.

RI, Australia to open antiterror center Agencies Denpasar, Bali Australia and Indonesia announced on Thursday the planned establishment of an antiterror center in an effort to fight groups like the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his country would give A$38.3 million (US$29.5 million) to the Indonesia Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation.

RI Davis Cup team hopes to beat Japan M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The nonplaying captain and coach of the Indonesian Davis Cup team, Tintus Arianto Wibowo, was upbeat on Thursday about his squad's chances against the Japanese. Despite the wide gap in the individual rankings of the Indonesian and Japanese players, Tintus said that in terms of skill and experience his squad could match the Japanese.

The busway and tinted windows Seen from the bus riders' point of view, busway project is a great idea. It is the only mean of transportation that can take them from Blok-M to Kota, and vice versa, without having to be caught in traffic. Even for some who cannot get a seat during the ride it is still pretty comfortable for them to be on the air-con bus that runs along the traffic-free corridor.

Astra Sedaya issues bonds JAKARTA: PT Astra Sedaya Finance plans to issue Rp 600 billion (US$71 million) in bonds this year to increase funds for auto loans. Astra Sedaya is a finance company owned by Indonesia's largest automaker, PT Astra International Tbk, and GE Capital. The bonds will mature in four years with interest payable every three months, the company said on Thursday as reported by Detik.

Government to blame for stampede in Mina: Gus Dur Tiarma Siboro and A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian government should take the blame for the death of 54 pilgrims in a stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a noted Muslim leader said.

Govt preparing contingency plan for polls Fabiola Desy Unidjaja The Jakarta Post Jakarta In anticipation of the possible delay of the general election, the government has developed a number of contingency plans, a minister said on Thursday. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said that technical or security problems would be the most likely cause of a change in schedule for the elections.

Election commission introduces eligible legislative candidates Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The General Elections Commission (KPU) issued on Thursday a list of 7,786 legislative candidates eligible to contest the polls, one week behind the original schedule. There were some corrections made to the list as the commission had declared 7,756 aspirants qualified for the April general election last week.

2004 elections have it all: Size and complexity Alan Wall Project Manager International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) Jakarta 2. Pat -- Vision and consistency: Missing in policy making? 2 x 30 Visa-on-arrival policy proof of lack of vision and consistency Patrick Guntensperger Business Consultant Jakarta ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com

Bomb suspects not ready for plea JAKARTA: The trial of a Malaysian man charged in connection with a bomb attack on a Catholic church was adjourned for a week on Thursday, to give the defense more time to prepare its arguments. The East Jakarta District Court adjourned the trial of Nor Misuari, alias Nurdin, who is charged with the illegal possession and use of explosives. The explosives were allegedly used to bomb the Santa Anna Catholic Church in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta in July, 2001.