"Big" Idol shows it's all about heartKenny Santana, Contributor, Jakarta, qnoy2k@yahoo.com A new star was born just this August. After months of competing weekly to find the next musical talent, Michael Prabawa Mohede, 22, known as "Big Mike" to his friends, took the Indonesian Idol title beating...

Workshop inspires new ideas in stage design for local theaterChristina Schott, Contributor, Yogyakarta A gray stonewall presents the writing Heroes. Beneath are hanging pictures: Soekarno, Kurt Cobain, Slank, Che Guevara and Munir, together with a newborn baby, a Japanese comic figure and a wayang...

Schiavone to face Davenport in BaliBruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali Top seed Lindsay Davenport was on cruise control in her Wismilak International semifinal on Saturday, with never-say-die Italian Francesca Schiavone beating the odds and reaching the final as well.

New Japanese menu at Edogin Diners through the month of September at the Mulia Hotel, Senayan, should try out the new menu at the Edogin Japanese restaurant in the Mulia Hotel, Senayan.Featuring appetizers and salads, highlights include cold Kobe beef shabu-shabu with orange ponzu sauce, and...

U.S. lawmakers chide Indonesia on West PapuaUNITED STATES: Thirty-five members of the U.S. Congress have called on Indonesia to lift travel restrictions to West Papua and halt the military buildup in the province where a rebellion has simmered for decades.

Govt gives green light for Cepu blockUrip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe government signed a contract on Saturday with state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina and U.S.-based energy giant ExxonMobil to develop the oil-rich Cepu block in another significant step toward ending the four-year dispute...

Top seeds face off in Bali Open beach volleyball finalMoch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali The Bali Open beach volleyball tournament has lived up to the script as the top two seeds -- both Brazilians -- marched to the final after they won their semifinal matches here on Saturday.

Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi to attend HK Disneyland openingSHANGHAI: Chinese A-list actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li will be among the celebrities on hand at next week's opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Govt ready to bite fuel hike bullet: VPMuninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe Vice President has said that government was ready to accept the political risks associated with the decision to increase fuel prices, reiterating that budgetary sustainability would come under even greater...

Magic happens at Hong Kong DisneylandTertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Hong KongWe were warned, but there was no way we could have been prepared for our sojourn to the Magic Kingdom.In a briefing for eight Indonesian media companies held three days prior to the grand opening of Hong Kong...

Beach therapy: Reaching Jakarta escape velocity Metro mad. Hey, what a wacky name. If anything though, it is an understatement. In Jakarta, just the journey down to the supermarket to purchase a shopping trolley full of instant noodles and prophylactics can be enough to turn one into a jabbering,...

Flash Canadian dancers wow punters at BATSKurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Clad in black, the opening act -- two women -- went on stage. Singer Hening breathed into the microphone and her friend, Ratna began playing the keyboard.

Jakarta hotels offer more incentives to lure guestsT. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta Some have desk jobs, but for others work entails travel -- both domestic and international.Thanks to the optimum standards of service offered at many of the world's hotels, business travel can be a pleasurable...

Susilo allays concerns of RI New YorkersKornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, New YorkEveryone in the country may be waiting for the decision on the fuel hike -- so in New York, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono briefed the Indonesian community on Friday evening about the plan, in addition to results...

JP/2/israelSusilo confirms talks with Israel's Shalom NEW YORK: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono confirmed late on Friday an informal meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on the sidelines of the 2005 World Summit, as part of...

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, September 18, 2005Exhibitions* Balinese Wooden Sculpture Kayuning Kayu Essence of Wood, Hadiprana Gallery, Jl. Kemang Raya 30, South Jakarta (Tel. 7194715), 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Sept. 25 * Peter van Dongen Cartoon Exhibition at Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R.

Ministry suspects new human bird flu caseThe Jakarta Post, JakartaAfter recently confirming the country's fourth bird flu fatality, the Ministry of Health reported another suspected case on Saturday.MT, a seven-year-old girl, currently being treated at the Sulianti Saroso hospital in North Jakarta,...

German stage designer Neumann finds inspiration on the streets of YogyaChristina Schott, Contributor, YogyakartaBert Neumann was born in 1960 in the East German town of Magdeburg, and is currently in Yogyakarta by support of the Goethe Institute Jakarta.

In Bali, hotel industry enjoys rosier businessRita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran As soon as you arrive at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, a number of staff of the Bali Intercontinental Resort are ready to greet you warmly, take care of your luggage and immigration papers and escort...