China downs S. Korea to retain Uber Cup Novan Iman Santosa and Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Peerless China retained the Uber Cup women's team badminton championship for the fourth consecutive time on Saturday, romping past South Korea 3-1 before a sparse crowd at Bung Karno Indoor Stadium here.

Checked ;JP; ANPAc..r.. Telcoms-cells-trend Life lies in your mobile phone Debbie A. Lubis Contributor/Jakarta With today's fast-paced lifestyle when data, voices and sounds travel without borders, mobile phones have become a must-have item. Many people in big cities like Jakarta rely completely on these tiny but sophisticated gadgets.

'Foreign fare is something to chew on' Presenters and emcees come and go as TV stations change their schedules, but Muhammad Farhan, more popularly known as Farhan, is among those who has stayed around on the small screen. The 34- year-old's popularity, forged during his days as the jovial host of the Pesta variety show, is growing, thanks to his new talk show Lepas Malam on Trans TV. Farhan, who is also host of the station's Tebak Harga, the local version of the U.S.

Boot-camp program bridges ethnic divisions Sean Yoong, Associated Press, Rembau, Malaysia Striving to shed old ethnic and cultural divisions, Malaysia is conscripting its young into a boot-camp-style national service program designed to cultivate patriotism, discipline and, especially, tolerance. But the early going has been marred by clashes among the 85,000 young men and women randomly drafted for the first class.

Musician Indra still true to his roots Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Amid a crowd of young girls in pink tutus at a ballet school owned by former top ballerina Farida Oetoyo, a group of noted jazz musicians chatted in a music studio inside the building. Indra Lesmana, pianist Riza Arshad and Farida's son, drummer Aksan Syuman, were among them, talking on a diverse topics, ranging from music to presidential elections, as well as making jokes on their shortage of cash.

GAM frees 22 hostages but keeps Fery The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The family of television cameraman Fery Santoro had their hopes dashed yet again, as he and many other hostages the Acehnese rebels had been holding were not among the 22 civilian captives freed on Saturday. The 22 are among more than 200 people who have been detained by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) over the course of a military operation to crush the guerrilla force in May last year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden-based Ericsson has had its presence in Indonesia since 1907. Ericsson has not only been involved in the development of the country's telecommunications infrastructure but equally important supplied equipments, systems, and solutions to its customers in Indonesia. Below is an excerpt of an interview with PT Ericsson Indonesia's President Director Mitch Lewis.

This special page is published in observance of World Telecommunications Day, which is celebrated worldwide on May 17. The special page reports the challenges and opportunities in the country's telecommunications sector. USO project: Connecting the unreachable Hendarsyah Tarmizi The Jakarta Post/Jakarta In May 1844, Samuel Morse transmitted the first message by telegraph. The message was heard 37 miles away and it changed history, forever.

Officials held over graft allegations INDONESIA: Prosecutors in Padang, West Sumatra, have detained since Saturday 10 of 45 councillors charged with corruption. Padang Prosecutor's Office chief Muharnis said on Saturday that they were detained for fear that they might abscond while prosecutors prepared charges against them. Besides the 10, three other councillors are being prosecuted at Padang District Court. Prosecutors are preparing charges against the remaining 32 councillors.

Miffed Gus Dur blasts KPU over ban on presidential bid Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid severely criticized the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Saturday for banning him from contesting the presidency on medical grounds, saying he would be nonactive in his political party.

Producing graduates via world-class education Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta National plus universities are becoming increasingly popular among local parents and even among expatriate parents because of the unquestionable quality of the education they offer. These universities have introduced international standards to their curricula, one of the major strengths that lures students, and several of the universities have received international accreditation.

Chinese, Danes poised for cup history Novan Iman Santosa and Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta Sunday's Thomas Cup final is likely to provide yet another entertaining encounter when favorite China will be challenged by Europe's best team Denmark. Whichever team wins the encounter will be crowned the new champion after Indonesia, which had held the trophy since 1994, crashed out in the semifinals on Friday.

Twin degrees - perfect combination for students Rudijanto, Contributor/Jakarta The partnerships between Indonesian and overseas universities in providing more international curricula and offering double degree programs in many ways constitute a blessing for many students here. Obtaining two degrees simultaneously, one from an established foreign university and another from an Indonesian one, seems to be the perfect combination for some Indonesians, who will willingly pay whatever it takes.

Gang pulls off RI's biggest train robbery Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung About 40 people hijacked three Serayu economy-class train cars and robbed all passengers on board, making it the worst train robbery in the country's history, an official said on Saturday. The thieves robbed the passengers as the train headed to Kroya, Central Java, from Jakarta, on Thursday, said state train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Bandung operations spokesman Sukendar Mulya.

Swiss German University prepares for the Future No one can live without food. But only a few people are aware of the complexity of the technology of food processing. Take rice, for example. Indonesia, a country where most of the people eat rice, is actually facing a big problem with rice storage which causes a loss of up to one-third of the harvest or about US$2.2 billion a year, says Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid, Rector of Swiss German University (SGU).

Facing the music on new talent shows Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Popstars who? The fresh-faced five-member group formed from Trans TV's Popstars talent program popped up to make an appearance on Lepas Malam late-night talk show a few weeks ago. They hit the not too high notes and made all their well- choreographed moves, the Indonesian equivalent of S Club 7 without the Disney TV series or a gaggle of teenybopper followers.

I take the blame for the defeat: Chairul Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has pleaded that members of the team should not point the finger of blame at each other for Indonesia's failure in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup badminton championship on Friday.

On the Selves SBY, Sang Democrat (SBY, a Democrat) By Usamah Hisyam, et al Dharmapena Publishing, Jakarta, March 2004 xx + 1,003 pp Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the man who would be king, or at least president, of this nation. Popularly known simply as SBY, the fatherly figure is ahead in the polls as the people's choice for the presidential elections in July; this biography, written in friendly hands, is designed to put him in his best light.

Lust with some dust: Erotic art from yesteryear on show Joe Kuhlmann, Contributor, Jakarta It's all about sex, baby. The dark wooden sculptures of mystic ancestors with their phalluses, the delicately ornamented golden mamuli jewelry, doors from traditional houses in Timor displaying two -- or more -- female breasts on each of them. But is it really all about increasing our carnal knowledge? The Dharma Mulia Galleries claims just that in putting together a quite explicit ethnographic exhibition.

Crank up the volume with Linkin Park, Missy Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Recent concert lineups have not been very satisfying: A bevy of fading divas, aging rock stars and a shrieking Latino heartthrob, among others. But the relatively high number of concerts by foreign artists here in the past year sure is a good sign that there is growing confidence in the security situation.

S'pore's Goh urges Asia to back U.S. SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, back from a trip to Washington and London, urged Asia and Europe to help the United States succeed in Iraq for the sake of global stability and security. "If America departs unceremoniously and leaves behind an Iraq in shambles, its credibility and resolve to fight terrorism will be severely degraded," Goh said Friday night at a dinner organized by the European Chamber of Commerce.

Making a racket Fans from all walks of life and from all over the world, from the host city to distant Germany and South Africa, have one at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium in Jakarta over the past two weeks, lending support to their teams in the Thomas and Uber Cups team competitions. Indonesian fans, long known for their fanatical support of their teams, seem to be showing a bit more sportsmanship and tolerance this time around.

Investment in education towards global society Suroso, Contributor/Yogyakarta One form of investment to which Indonesian people do not pay enough attention is investment in the field of education. This has resulted in the fact that Indonesia lacks a competitive advantage in its economy and human resources.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, May 16, 2004 Exhibitions * Painting A Street called Margutta by Remo Rapetti at Multifunctional Room, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Jl.H.O.S Cokroaminoto No. 117, Central Jakarta, until May 30. * Sex and the City - an exhibition of Indonesian erotic art from the 13th to the 20th century. Stone, terracotta, bronze, wood, textiles, gold and silver at Dharma Mulia Galleries, Jl. Ciputat Raya No. 50 (Tel. 7492850), 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., until May 31.