Helmi Arman, Economist The U.S. dollar has weakened over a broad range of currencies except the rupiah. Increased uncertainty over fuel subsidies may be to blame. The dollar has to weaken. That's the view one finds in almost all corners of the market nowadays. The dollar bears do have a point. America is running a large current account deficit, house prices and interest rates are heading downwards, and the economy may be set for a slowdown.

Indonesians led the foreign purchasers of apartments in Singapore during the first semester of this year, beating other major foreign buyers such as Malaysians and Indians. Data released by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) shows that during the first half of this year, Indonesians bought around 1,300 properties, almost 22 percent of the total number of properties bought by foreign buyers.

A senior prosecutor must bribe his own colleagues with Rp 40 million (US$4,400) to get his son a job with the prosecutor's office? Where is their esprit de corps? Why aren't they satisfied just extorting ordinary people? "You must remember that all people are equal before the law," my son said when I expressed my disbelief over the experience of his friend, a fresh graduate from a well-known law school.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The focus of Ericsson's future investment in Indonesia will be addressed to multimedia. This is because the growth of third generation (3G) cellular telephone customers in Indonesia is predicted to continue increasing until 2012. Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Telefonaltiebolaget LM Ericsson, said that in the five years, said Carl-Henric, Ericsson is targeting that communication users will increase up to five billion people.

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has a total of 150 oil fields, but only 58 fields are in production process with production of around 900,000 up to one million barrels per day. The remaining 92 oil fields are in the process of exploration with a high failure rate, Chairman of the Oil Technical Expert Association (IATMI) Kuswo Wahyono said here On Wednesday.

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Having steered its new Investment Law through parliament, the government's next step will be to lay out the red carpet for local and international investors by easing the bureaucratic obstacles to doing business in Indonesia. "We want to convert the red tape into a red carpet," Muhammad Lutfi, chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), told the Indonesia-Australia Business Conference on Tuesday.