The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Jakarta's property values are expected to rise by about 50 percent if the government revises its regulation on foreign nationals' right to own property, an analyst predicts. The government is looking into extending property usage rights by foreign nationals from 25 years, with two extensions of 20 and 25 years possible, to a straight 70-year contract, but still is holding back on letting foreign nationals own property outright.

Tuesday, 09 September, 2008 | 13:02 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Although many Starbucks branches in Australia and the USA have been closed down, Starbucks Coffee Indonesia intends to add more branches. “We have continued to grow every year, by about 20 percent,” said Farah Milda, Starbucks Coffee Indonesia's Marketing and Communications Head, in Jakarta on Monday (8/9). Farah explained that Starbucks Coffee Indonesia plans to have nine new branches in Indonesia by November 2008.

The House of Representatives enacted on Wednesday a much-awaited amendment to the income tax law aimed at spurring economic activities by providing lower rates and more incentives to businesses, The Jakarta Post reported. Income tax for corporations will be set at 28% flat next year, replacing the current progressive system, and will be further reduced to 25% at the start of 2010.

The large number of expatriates living in Bali with temporary stay permits (Kitas) could cause an increase in the number of permit violations, head of Ngurah Rai Airport's immigration office Jusuf Hadi has said, The Jakarta Post reported. "The number of expatriates with Kitas is very high -- in my opinion, too high," Hadi said Wednesday.

Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Fried onion from Palu, Central Sulawesi, has entered the world market for its unique flavour, a local official said here Monday. Head of Central Sulawesi`s Investment Coordinating Board, M Hadjir Hadde, said that the fried onion was always included in national and international exhibitions so that it became widely known.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Twenty-five companies are interested in making an investment in large-scale corn agribusiness in Indonesia, manager of PT DuPont country manager Mardahana said. Many investors were interested in developing large-scale corn plantations in the country in view of the current high price of corn in the world which is predicted to remain as such until 2017, he said here on Monday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program does not fail, Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said at a hearing with House of Representatives said here Monday. "According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, in the first semester of this year, the number of foreign tourists has reached 3.4 million. If the number continues to increase, by the end of the year, there would be 6.4 million foreign tourists visiting Indonesia," Wacik said.

Monday, 08 September, 2008 | 18:07 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Responding to investors’ demand in the industrial sector, PT Intiland Development will allocate US$ 2 million to develop the second stage of Ngoro Industrial Park on a 240-hectare land in Mojokerto, East Java. “Most of the investors come from Taiwan, Korea and China,” Intiland’s associate secretary, Theresia Rustandi said in Jakarta last week. The budget will be allocated from Ngoro Industrial Park’s operating cash flow.