I don't mind the taxi drivers, it's the arsehole airport security that piss me off. Upon arrival I like to go straight upstairs to the departures level, catch a tarif bawah taxi that's just dropped someone off - save the poor bastards a fare-less trip back to town, and save me the outrageous 10,000 surcharge. Those security bastards are always trying to chase the taxis off, or extract a "fine".

The stock market slowdown and drying up of banking liquidity may force mining firms to reduce their spending on exploration, causing commodity scarcity during the next four to five years, an official and a business association said on Wednesday. Simon Felix Sembiring, the senior advisor for finance and economy at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said that firms would face difficulties in seeking financial resources from the market and banks for their expansion.

Manufacturing companies in all industrial estates in Indonesia, especially in Java, have begun to cut production as a result of the global financial crisis that has begun weakening domestic and international demand, Antara reported. Chairman of Industrial Estate Companies Hendra Lesmana predicted the value of manufactured goods will fall to $135 billion in a year starting with the last quarter of 2008 from $150 billion normally.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government intends to centralize the points of entry of foreign-made goods susceptible to smuggling in order to simplify their supervision under the impact of the global financial crisis, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said. "I want the customs directorate general to secure import activities and consider the possibility of centralizing the points of entry of certain commodities," the minister said here Wednesday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Twenty five American companies were planning to make investments in Indonesia in spite of the current financial crisis facing their country, it was learned from a meeting between a US-ASEAN Business Council delegation and the Indonesian minister of industry Fahmi Idris here on Wednesday.

Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - Most Indonesian palm oil producers are ready to use biodiesel fuel to increase the use of crude palm oil while the price of the commodity in the world market has dropped. "After inspecting a number of regions including Riau, I conclude that many palm oil factories were ready to use biodiesel," the executive chairman of the Association of Indonesian palm oil producers (GAPKI), Derom Bangun, said here on Tuesday.