Popularity? Who cares, Susilo saysRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, JakartaDays prior to the second round of the presidential election,
polls showed that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was likely to beat
president Megawati Soekarnoputri. More ...
Saudi to host counterterror forumSAUDI ARABIA: The Saudi Arabian government will host the first
international counterterrorism conference from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8,
the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington said on Thursday. More ...
Indian Cultural Center values, promotes traditionJoyeeta Dutta Ray, Contributor, Jakarta In these days of disasters -- both natural and manmade -- trauma,
stress and health problems must be addressed. Sometimes, a little help goes a long way. More ...
World Vision clarifies Allow us to make a correction to a news story published on
page 4 of The Jakarta Post of Feb. 2 under the title "Pope urges
Catholics to help tsunami victims" as it contains some inaccurate
information about our institution.In paragraph 14 of the story it is written "... More ...
PITI to celebrate Chinese New YearYOGYAKARTA: In order to enhance assimilation among different
ethnic groups in Yogyakarta, the Chinese-Indonesian Muslim
Brotherhood Association's (PITI) Yogyakarta chapter will hold a
Chinese New Year celebration at a university mosque here. More ...
Compassion vs complacency For the fourth time in recent months, Malaysia has extended,
now for an indefinite period, the deadline for migrant workers to
register legally with authorities, or else face severe punishment
and deportation. More ...
Sex education, religious and cultural valuesAlpha Amirrachman, Jakarta This newspaper (Jan. 27) reported an alarming result of a
survey concerning premarital sex among youngsters in four big
cities -- Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Bandung. More ...
Separated twin
dies after surgerySURABAYA: Five days after being surgically separated from her
conjoined twin at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, baby Dwipayani
died on Thursday due to heart and lung failure.Her sister, Dwipayanti, meanwhile, is still on life support. More ...
Young people fielded in battle against HIV/AIDSThe Jakarta Post, JakartaAs more young people in the capital are exposed to the spread of
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, a new approach
involving their peers is being heralded as an effective
prevention measure. More ...
Drug case numbers getting higherMulta Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang Despite the heavy prison sentences being handed down, the number
of drug cases heard by the Tangerang District Court has continued
to rise over the past seven years, a court official says. More ...
Another BNI scam ready for trialAbdul Khalik
The Jakarta Post/JakartaJakarta prosecutors are preparing indictments against five
suspects in the Rp 46.5 billion (US$5.17 million) BNI Pondok
Indah scandal. More ...
U.S. urged to restore military cooperation with RIYenni Djahidin, The Jakarta Post, Washington D.C.
A soon-to-be published study recommends that the United States
remove its restrictions on the Indonesian military (TNI). More ...
Pristine forests story of the past Indonesia's rain forests, along with Brazil's, are known as
the lungs of the world. The condition of the country's forests
continues to deteriorate as a result of illegal logging that has
gone on for decades, consequently contributing to global warming. More ...
Legal basis on state firms merger plan questionedThe Jakarta Post, JakartaFollowing objections from ministers over the Office of State
Minister of State Enterprises' plan to merge under-performing
state firms and establish a holding company, the plan has
received another blow. More ...
'Tap water should be free of charge'The tap water rate increase that took effect on Jan. 20 was one
of the automatic increases that will take place every six months
for the next five years. More ...
Russia's unwise war on business Yegor Gaidar, Project Syndicate I want Russia to be a boring country -- at least for the next
few decades. In the twentieth century, Russia set an
unquestionable record for all sorts of upheavals and social
experiments that attracted the world's attention. More ...
Rupiah Rates Feb. 3
Banknote rates Selling BuyingAustralian dollar 1 7,532.05 6,748.59
Brunei dollar 1 5,926.56 5,312.33
Canadian dollar 1 7,836.48 7,024.06
Swiss franc 1 8,113.76 7,274. More ...
Red Cross officially closes fund-raiser JAKARTA: Chairwoman of West Jakarta's Indonesian Red Cross
(PMI) Anny Fadjar Panjaitan officially closed the branch's fund-
raising campaign on Thursday. More ...
Doctors taking kickbacks from pharmaceutical firmsLi Shi, China Daily/Asia News Network, Beijing People have long suspected that there are dirty bribery deals
between pharmaceutical sales agents and doctors, driving up the
prices of drugs and adding to the suffering of patients. More ...
Tony has musical poetry with unusual tonalityCarla Bianpoen, Contributor, JakartaWhen Tony Prabowo's music resounds at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman
Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, on Friday and Saturday nights,
the public will be treated to musical poetry of a different kind. More ...
Global Stock Index Feb. 3 Latest %Change
New York
DJ Indus 10596.79 +0.43 Feb 2
Nasdaq 2075.06 +0.31 Feb 2
S&P 500 1193.19 +0.32 Feb 2
Toronto
S&P/TSX 9303.94 +0. More ...
Three students left in Poso schoolPALU, Central Sulawesi: Prolonged conflict in Poso regency has
brought down the number of students in an elementary school here
to three. More ...
Immunization Key to Saving World's Poorest ChildrenYoweri Museveni
and Jens Stoltenberg
Yale Center for the Study of
Globalization As national leaders -- one in Scandinavia, the other in East
Africa -- we awaken each day to dramatically different realities. More ...
Influx of illegals from Malaysia continuesRidwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe massive influx of illegal immigrants returning from Malaysia
continued on Thursday despite a decision by the neighboring
country's government to extend an amnesty. More ...
Govt continues to get criticized over performanceThe Jakarta Post, JakartaThe first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's
administration have passed. More ...
Esia aims to boost customer to 4m by 2008The Jakarta Post, JakartaBakrie Telecom's fixed-wireless phone provider Esia aims to boost
its number of customers to 4 million by 2008 from around 250,000
currently, a company executive said on Thursday. More ...
TV Today: Friday, February 4, 2005
.TB.30" .90"TVRI
.tb .30" .90" 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings6:00 News: Berita Pagi7:00 Cartoon: Maya The Bee8:30 Music: Asik-Asik 10:30 Religious Teachings1:00 p.m. More ...
44 people die of rabiesKUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The government of Lembata regency
here declared an emergency situation on Thursday after 44 people
died in the past week due to rabies. More ...
Siemens expects 20 percent sales growth in 2005The Jakarta Post, JakartaDriven by a high demand in the electrical and communications
industry, PT Siemens Indonesia (Siemens) -- local affiliation of
Germany's engineering giant Siemens GA -- is projecting 20
percent growth this year, said the ... More ...
JP/ /Susilo's 100 Days and the tsunamiThe first hundred days of President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono's
mandate have passed and the pundits, predictably, are
pontificating. More ...
'Seren Taun' ritual attracts big crowd
Nana Rukmana
The Jakarta Post/Kuningan, West Java
Far from the sophistication of modern metropolitan cities,
hundreds of people have turned up for the Seren Taun ritual
procession in the small Cigugur village in Kuningan regency, West
Java. More ...
Infrastructure development unlikely to spur growthUmar Juoro, Jakarta The government's intention to stimulate the economy through
infrastructure development, which will be accelerated by Bank of
Indonesia's easing of legal lending limits related to the
financing of infrastructure and other ... More ...
Rp 863b allotted to secure conflict, border areasKurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe Ministry of Defense has reduced its 2005 budget proposal for
security operations in conflict and border areas to Rp 863.31
billion (US$92.82 million). Of that amount, Rp 616. More ...
House for rent, anyone?Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda AcehEfendy has been unable to sleep for three days. It's not the
aftershocks that continue to rattle the tsunami-stricken province
keeping him awake, but the order he received to move out of his
rented house. More ...
Online plan needs substance to keep it from sinking
Fei Li
China Daily/Asia News Network
Beijing When the Government Online Initiative was launched in 1999
with great fanfare, hopes were high that the project would lead
to a more efficient information flow and interaction between the ... More ...
Megawati could lose PDI-P top job in Bali
M. Taufiqurrahman and Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, JakartaClearly worried that she could face the same fate as former
Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung, Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri warned President ... More ...
Govt to issue declaration on hazePEKANBARU, Riau: The government and security personnel in Riau
province will soon issue a joint declaration to call on people
and companies to stop slash and burn practices that lead to
forest fires. More ...
Fuel prices to go up soon, BI set for rates increaseRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government will raise fuel prices by up to 30 percent in the
first quarter of this year in a bid to lower the fuel subsidy. More ...
Govt red tape retards infrastructure investmentRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, JakartaLast month's much-hyped Infrastructure Summit has apparently not
been able to spur government bureaucrats into action,
particularly on the issue of promised regulations to streamline
the process for foreign ... More ...
Earthquake jolts MataramMATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: A mild earthquake jolted Mataram
city and its surrounding area on Wednesday night, but no
immediate fatalities were reported. The 5. More ...
EU to grant fishing vessels to RI fishermenThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta The European Union (EU) is accelerating attempts to pass a policy
to grant tsunami-stricken nations used fishing vessels, in
addition to training assistance for local fishermen in operating
the vessels and in fisheries ... More ...
New ministry to focus on technologyMuninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has defended its move to upgrade the Office of the
State Minister into a full-blown portfolio ministry, saying it
would help develop information and communications technology
(ICT) in the ... More ...
Dutta promotes Indian culture Joyeeta Dutta Ray, Contributor, JakartaArup Kumar Dutta is a man of few words. Ask him to speak about himself and he is left groping for
words. But ask him to speak on literature or culture and a stream
of eloquence pours forth. More ...
Group to host vigil in U.S. USA: The Washington-based Society for Indonesian-Americans
(SIA) will organize a nationwide candlelight vigil commemorating
the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, South Asian
countries and Africa on Feb. 4. More ...
Children told to write to Acehnese JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kicked off a
national pen-pal movement for children in tsunami-ravaged Aceh
and Nias on Thursday, urging children across the country to write
to children there in order to help ease their suffering. More ...
Conjoined twin dies after op SURABAYA: Five days after being surgically separated from her
conjoined twin at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, baby Dwipayani
died on Thursday due to heart and lung failure.Her sister Dwipayanti, meanwhile, is still on life support. More ...
City seeks investors to build buswayDamar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, JakartaHoping to build another 12 busway corridors across the capital
within three years, Sutiyoso's administration has invited
investors to participate in the projects. More ...
Bloody thumbprint causes campaign stir in LampungOyos Saroso H.N, The Jakarta Post, LampungAn official of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-
P) Way Kanan branch in Lampung was shocked to find that a
petition filed by residents included a bloody thumbprint. More ...
RK Dasgupta, The Statesman/Asia News Network, Calcutta Where is Mahatma Gandhi today may not be a rhetorical
question. It is a relevant question today. We do not hear of the
Mahatma either in our conversation or in our political addresses. More ...
Youngsters fielded in battle against HIV/AIDSThe Jakarta Post
JakartaAs more young people in the capital are exposed to the spread of
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, a new approach
involving their peers is being heralded as an effective
prevention measure. More ...
One hurt in gang brawl JAKARTA: A man identified as Ucok Saragih was injured in a
brawl on Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto in Menteng, Central Jakarta, late
on Wednesday. More ...
JP/11/ATWGroup to host
vigil in U.S. USA: The Washington-based Society for Indonesian-Americans
(SIA) will organize a nationwide candlelight vigil commemorating
the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, South Asian
countries and Africa on Feb. 4. More ...
U.S. policy on nuclear weapons in the mireJonathan Power, London The sixtieth anniversary of the Red Army's liberation of
Auschwitz is barely over when we are reminded of Russia's
determination to make the 60th anniversary of the Soviet conquest
of German-occupied Eastern Europe into another ... More ...
Defense ministry prepares draft to amend TNI lawsTiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe Ministry of Defense is drafting a review of Defense Law No.
3/2002 and Indonesian Military (TNI) Law No. More ...
U.S. Dollar Rates Feb. 3 Latest %Change
Yen 103.94-97 +0.28
Euro* 1.3034-35 +0.06
Sterling* 1.8911-14 +0.31
Swiss franc 1.1933-39 +0.05
Canadian dollar 1.2378-84 -0. More ...
Experts testify against Puteh in corruption caseThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta Experts testified at the graft trial of suspended Aceh Governor
Abdullah Puteh on Thursday and stated that the defendant violated
administrative procedures in the purchase of a Russian-made
chopper and that the aircraft ... More ...
'Seren Taun' brings out the crowdsNana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post/Kuningan, West JavaFar from the sophistication of modern metropolitan cities,
hundreds of people have turned up for the Seren Taun festival
procession in the small Cigugur village in Kuningan regency, West
Java. More ...
EU to grant fishing vessels to RI fishermenThe Jakarta Post
Jakarta The European Union (EU) is accelerating attempts to pass a policy
to grant tsunami-stricken nations used fishing vessels, in
addition to training assistance for local fishermen in operating
the vessels and in fisheries ... More ...
Two suspected airport thieves shot deadMulta Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, TangerangTwo suspected members of a gang that has been stealing luggage at
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for the past three years
were shot and killed by airport police on Thursday. More ...
Singaporean's bribery claim probedAbdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, JakartaPolice are investigating alleged bribery involving five police
guards after a Singaporean arrested for theft, Tang Khen Seng,
32, alias Jeremy, told local television stations that he had paid
his way out of detention last ... More ...
Business urged to shun tax collusionRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, JakartaWith collusion and corruption between businesses and tax officers
showing little signs of abating, President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono has urged an end to the practice to prevent a high-cost
economy. More ...
Ministry of information to focus on technologyMuninggar Sri Saraswati
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The government has defended its move to upgrade the Office of the
State Minister into a full-blown portfolio ministry, saying it
would help develop information and communications technology
(ICT) in ... More ...
House team blames alleged graft on poor haj managementRidwan Max Sijabat
The Jakarta Post/JakartaThe House of Representatives claims it has uncovered systemic
corruption that contributes to the poor management of the annual
haj pilgrimage and led to poor services during the recent
pilgrimage ... More ...
Another BNI scam to go to trialAbdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, JakartaJakarta prosecutors are preparing indictments against five
suspects in the Rp 46.5 billion (US$5.17 million) BNI Pondok
Indah scandal. More ...
Angie must get a game plan to reach the top After disappointing results and waylaid by injury, Indonesia's
Angelique "Angie" Wijaya gave the Australian Open a miss last
week. More ...
Local direct election fails to get voteAgus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, PurbalinggaThe direct election of the heads of regional government is four
month away but enthusiasm is still low in Purbalingga regency,
Central Java. More ...
Earthquake wrecks 3,000 houses BANDUNG: An earthquake jolted several parts of West Java,
damaging at least 3,287 houses in southern Garut, Bandung
regency, on Wednesday afternoon.The worst affected area was Pada Awas village in Garut, where
53 houses were flattened by the 5. More ...
JP/20/RETIKA'I don't want to be overwhelmed by grief'Dedy Ardiansyah
Contributor/Banda AcehIt is really painful to lose loved ones. Only a few people can
overcome the grief that comes with this loss. More ...
'Graft' blamed for poor haj managementRidwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe House of Representatives claims it has uncovered systemic
corruption that contributes to the poor management of the annual
haj pilgrimage and led to poor services during the recent
pilgrimage season. More ...