Local hotels, cafes gear up for World Cup soccer fiestaBy Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang JAKARTA (JP): Can't get to France but desperate to celebrate this year's World Cup soccer fiesta in true style? Look no further, help is at hand.

More ...

---

Action film rule in Jakarta theaters JAKARTA (JP): Die-hard fans of action and suspense movies can currently get their eyeful at the city's cinemas. Below is a synopsis of a few currently playing.US Marshals. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey Jr. Director: Stuart Baird.

More ...

---

Guess What? Farouk Afero Ex-boxer Farouk Afero is doing his best to support the reform movement.No, the 59-year-old is not going to return to the professional boxing ring. But the national film award winner is doing more than his share to save the disintegrating national film industry.

More ...

---

Media join W. Cup competition off the pitchBy Edith Hartanto JAKARTA (JP): Despite the economic crisis, the mass media realize the importance of keeping soccer fans satisfied and are battling to outdo one another as the World Cup approaches.

More ...

---

Football a welcome respite to daily grind JAKARTA (JP): Political and economic reform has been discussed daily topic for the past five months, but World Cup soccer will undoubtedly become the number one topic of conversation among Indonesians for the next 30 days.

More ...

---

Thursday, May 21, 1998 Tumble down in the fall you made yourself having through years with once strong hands formed these writhing islands to fit a Javanese play of shadows. But strong hands turned to blackened claws; Garuda masked, degraded as a grasping bird.

More ...

---

World Cup mania on a roll in Jakarta The World Cup kicks off in France in just three days, but the frenzied anticipation has been building here for several weeks. Many wonder whether the sporting diversion will put the sizzling reform agenda on the back burner for a while.

More ...

---

Salim Said resigns from Jakarta Arts Council JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) Salim Said and six other board members tendered their resignations Friday, following rancorous demands they step down.

More ...

---

Habibie offers `accelerated evolution' JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs reform brought about through an evolution, not a revolution, President B.J. Habibie said yesterday."We have to realize that everything must be allowed to evolve. But the process can be accelerated.

More ...

---

Daring new production house breathes life into RI filmsBy Sori Siregar JAKARTA (JP): Somewhere in Tokyo, a place called Graha Indonesia exhibits and sells sculptures of Irian Jaya's Asmat tribe.A new addition is a counter where visitors can watch videos of Indonesian television dramas.

More ...

---

Children's curiosity must be nurtured When I read the article written by Laila Faisal about the lack of students' curiosity in classrooms, I just grinned. As a student, I have behaved exactly as she described -- declined to ask questions for fear of looking stupid.

More ...

---

Just call me Rudy, says the President JAKARTA (JP): "You can just call me Rudy," gestured President B.J. Habibie.

More ...

---

Bantul Council finally agrees to axe Sri Roso YOGYAKARTA (JP): Bantul Council (DPRD) unanimously agreed to sack Regent Sri Roso Sudarmo yesterday after he admitted offering bribes to smooth his election to another term in office.

More ...

---

The serious side to RI comics Komik Indonesia (Indonesian Comics); By Marcel Bonneff; Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia in cooperation with Forum Jakarta- Paris, Jakarta 1998; 226 + x pp JAKARTA (JP): Comics can be claimed as the most widely consumed form of reading.

More ...

---

Ancestry: A bad word in Indonesian JAKARTA (JP): Ancestry: It's something quite a lot of people reflect on with pride. There are associations in the U.S.

More ...

---

TV todayTVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Sari Berita Sepekan 6:30 Morning Focus 6:45 Healthy and Fresh 7:00 Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 7:30 Children's Program: Arena Kami 8:00 Children's Program: Kumbang and Family 8:30 Children's Program: Nuansa Anak 9:30 Creative Program: Widya Wahana ...

More ...

---

Dealer aims at European marketBy Chandra Johan BANDUNG (JP): In September last year, art dealer Jais Dargawidjaja created a stir in the local art world by exhibiting works of world class maestros.

More ...

---

SpotlightPhoto A: RanoJP/leoHE'S AN ENVOY NOW: Actor Rano Karno (second from left), the leading character in the popular Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Si Doel the School Boy) television series, poses with other members of the cast who were also appointed Friends of Unicef.

More ...

---

Pakpahan relishing life on the outsideBy Ati Nurbaiti JAKARTA (JP): The sun was shining on a small garden with a tiny brook and bridge reminiscent of Japanese landscaping.

More ...

---

Military court opens Trisakti trial JAKARTA (JP): The first court-martial session of the Trisakti shooting incident was held at the Military Court in East Jakarta yesterday, as hundreds of students, police officers and the media teamed the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

More ...

---

ToothlessBy Ode Barta Ananda "Have I lost my good looks, San?" Katil was trying to close his mouth tightly. The feeling of loss and sadness was apparent.Santi just smiled, or more precisely she was smiling thinly, not unlike Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

More ...

---

'Silat' comics linked to Star Wars?By Laila Faisal JAKARTA (JP): In his book Komik Indonesia, the French researcher Marcel Bonneff writes that every comic within the silat (a form of martial arts) genre shares a common thread.The hero travels through four stages during the story.

More ...

---