As the deadline for the passage of the investment bill draws near, members of House of Representatives' Commission VI and government representatives in charge of steering the bill through the House held an informal meeting Monday evening to hammer out an agreement on the remaining points of contention.

If conservative values aren't making way for more liberal views in this young democracy, how should marketers, media owners, media buyers and advertising agencies respond? That's a question I've been asked by many these last few weeks. I've also been asked to "stop pontificating and offer some directions instead". This is easier said than done, if only because I'm conscious of the fact that different people respond to the same information differently.

so much buzz around ethanol as an alternative fuel. As a result of this push toward ethanol production, we're seeing the higher prices of food such as cereal, drinks (fructose), etc. I heard about this bush-like plant in Africa that is supposed produce oil. Here is the direct quote from Washington University in St. Louis website. "The plant is primarily used as a hedge because it is very hardy and inedible.

Brazil signed an ethanol agreement with Indonesia on Thursday (15/3/07), Brazilian daily O Estado de Sao Paulo reported. In the near future, Indonesia is expected to receive $12 billion investments from international companies to develop its ethanol production. In line with this context, Jakarta may become one of the biggest ethanol suppliers in southeastern Asia in the next few years and Brazil seeks to guarantee its share on that market, the report noted.

State-owned power firm PT PLN is seeking a partnership with private investors to build a 250- MW hydro power plant in South Kalimantan. "We are trying to figure out what kind of financial options are suitable for this project," PLN business unit oversight and civil engineering head Kabul Sutijono Sugeng told The Jakarta Post on Monday (12/3/07).

Bank Central Asia (BCA), the country’s second largest lender, aims to boost its consumer loans by 50% to Rp13.5 trillion ($1.47 billion) by the end of 2007 from Rp9 trillion last year, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Monday (12/3/07). BCA vice president Aswin Wirjadi said growth would be supported by demand from home financing. Consumer financing comprised about 17% of BCA's total loans. The bank aims to increase its outstanding loans by Rp10 trillion this year from Rp61 trillion last year.

The automotive industry predicted a sharp increase in car sales starting this month with improved macroeconomic conditions and purchasing power. The Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (Gaikindo) said car sales are forecast to reach 30,000 units in March, bringing total sales to 80,598 units in the first quarter of the year, up 1.6% from the same period last year.

State-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom said it will team up with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) to expand coverage of its global data communications services. Telkom and SingTel target to dominate the Asian market with a capitalization of $500 million, Telkom executive general manager Alex Sinaga said in an Antara report on Thursday (15/3/07). Sinaga said through the cooperation, he is optimistic Telkom will have a dominant market share both in Indonesia and Asia.

Indonesia and Malaysia may establish a joint commodities bourse to sell crude palm oil and natural rubber, The Jakarta Post reported on March 10. The report said Vice President Jusuf Kalla had told a meeting in Jakarta between officials of the Malaysian and Indonesian chambers of commerce that a shared trading platform would allow the two countries to exercise more control over market prices for their two major commodities and avoid direct competition for a share of export markets.

A total of 13 overseas companies from China, Thailand and Australia are to invest a total of $120.5 million in fishing and fish processing ventures around the country, an official from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry says, The Jakarta Post reported.

The House of Representatives is expected to pass the long-awaited new investment bill that will offer tax and duty incentives to both local and foreign investors. The government has agreed in principle that incentives can be offered not only to new investors, but also to those who expand their businesses, Bisnis Indonesia quoted Irmadi Lubis, a member of the House committee tasked to discuss the bill, as saying on Thursday (15/3/07).

Data packages containing information on disaster-free regions in Indonesia will be made available through a service provided by the National Coordinating Agency for Land Survey and Mapping (Bakosurtanal). It is hoped the service will help identify suitable, disaster-free locations for businesses, as well as for evacuation purposes when disasters hit.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT. Saratoga Investama Sedaya owned by national businessman Sandiaga S. Uno, is planning to invest in crude palm oil (CPO) business in Papua and Kalimantan. "We are allocating around 10-20 percent out of our total investment this year (for the CPO business)," Sandiaga said here over the weekend. The company is also launching a fund raising to collect up to about US$300 million for the purpose.

JAKARTA -The opening of a new US$1.1 billion gas pipeline would appear to mark a rejuvenation of Indonesia's until now woefully inefficient natural-gas sector and boost the fortunes of publicly listed, majority state-owned gas-distribution company PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN). But enduring regulatory uncertainty and allegations of foul play among PGN's top managers threaten to scupper those prospects. After a four-month delay, PGN's 375-kilometer pipeline came on-stream on March 11.