JP/8/DAY City of Rome Award goes to RI's 'Night in the Daytime' Emmy Fitri The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Young filmmakers, who are struggling to make a name for themselves in Indonesia's depressed industry, might find that acclamation awaits them overseas. Director Lukitasari W. Sunowo -- known here as a competent director of television ads -- is among those Indonesians who have been awarded at overseas film festivals.

Celebrities from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China to hold charity show for quake victims Helen Luk Associated Press/Hong Kong Celebrities from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China will perform a fund-raising show next week for tsunami victims in devastated southern Asia, organizers said Friday. Hong Kong singers Andy Lau, Kelly Chan, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Alan Tam are among the stars who will perform at Friday's four-hour show, local newspapers reported.

President Bush finally roused himself from his vacation in Crawford, Texas, to telephone his sympathy to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and to speak publicly about the devastation of the tsunamis in Asia...and he took issue with an earlier statement by UN emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, who had called the overall aid efforts by rich Western nations "stingy." We beg to differ. Egeland was right on target.

JP/4/scene UGM extends aid to Acehnese students YOGYAKARTA: Gadjah Mada University (UGM) offered on Thursday to pay living costs for its 304 Acehnese students, whose families were affected by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. "We have prepared an initial fund of Rp 15 million. They are welcome to apply for the January allowance. If necessary, they may also request an extension to cover the next few months," UGM rector Sofian Effendi said.

In defense of a constitutional economy A. Irmanputra Sidin Jakarta The Constitutional Court has, in the last two weeks, issued two historic decisions in the economic sector, namely constitutional reviews of Law No.20/2002 on Electricity and Law No.22/2001 on Oil and Gas. The main basis of the reviews is that "branches of production that are essential to the state and dominate the livelihood of the masses shall be controlled by the state.

JP/18/PATUNG Surabaya's four-faced Buddha, a religious tourism asset Indra Harsaputra The Jakarta Post/Surabaya Without squinting, Buddhist culture researcher Sirichai from Mahidol University, Thailand, focused his gaze with amazement and delight on the four-faced Buddha statue at Sanggar Agung (Great Temple) in Surabaya's coastal amusement park, Taman Ria Kenjeran. "I'm visiting this place specially to see this gold-plated statue.

JP/9/NELLY Nelly, housewife, teacher and successful businesswoman Syofiardi Bachyul Jb The Jakarta Post/Padang It came as a great surprise to 40-year-old Nelly Izmi, when she received the news that the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) was planning to award her for her entrepreneurial skills.

Court ruling 'surprises' energy sector Eddy Satriya Jakarta Economic changes coupled with advances in new technology, the need to conduct good-governance practices, and intensifying pressure to reduce the central government's role have significantly brought new developments to the provision of public utilities and infrastructure in many developing countries.

Indonesian economics: Old habits die hard Satish Mishra Wherever you look -- in national daily newspapers, in academic journals, at ministerial seminars, at industrial road maps put forward by leading business associations and at those annual gatherings of the economic cognoscenti -- it seems obvious that old habits really do die hard.

Satish Mishra Head/Chief Adviser of UNSFIR (UNSFIR is a joint project of the Indonesian government and UNDP) Countries, like individuals, it would seem, need acclaim and recognition. When the front cover of the Economist magazine, just after July 5, 2004, the first round of presidential elections, carried the caption "shining example", it was taken to signify that Indonesia had turned the corner in its transition to democracy.