Light-to-medium showers are expected to hit Jakarta on Wednesday, with cloudy weather blanketing most parts of the capital, according to the Meterorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
However, the agency has also forecasted cloudy skies in the afternoon for Thousands Islands and North Jakarta.
These two areas, in addition to West Jakarta and Depok, will also experience rainfalls in the evening, it says.
Just as tennis fans were busy debating whether Roger Federer is the greatest player ever, Rafael Nadal provided further evidence that the Swiss star might not even be the best of his generation.
Fifteen months after Federer became the sixth man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles, Nadal became the seventh in 2010 when he won the U.S. Open, his third major in a row after the French Open and Wimbledon.
During a dominant season, the 24-year-old Spaniard wrested back the No. 1 ranking from Federer, and racked up seven titles, including a record-breaking 18th Masters Series win. With an Olympic singles gold and two Davis Cup titles already in the bag, Nadal is fast running out of major prizes to win.
"It has been an incredible season," Nadal said. "One of my best ever, if not the best."
In an average season by his very high standards, Federer saw his streak of 23 Grand Slam semifinals ended by Robin Soderling at the French Open. He also fell in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon, and then lost an epic semifinal match at the U.S. Open despite holding two match points against Novak Djokovic.
Federer still managed to pick up the other two significant titles of the year at the Australian Open and ATP World Tour Finals, the latter with a series of dominant performances that hinted he is not quite ready to fade into the background.
Since 2004, Federer and Nadal have won 24 of the 28 Grand Slam titles and with the pair cleaning up again, there was a sense of familiarity - perhaps even staleness - about 2010.
Just as in 2009, Djokovic and Andy Murray lined up third and fourth in the rankings. Juan Martin del Potro, the winner of the 2009 U.S. Open and the emerging star of that season, spent most of 2010 recovering from wrist surgery and ended it ranked No. 257.
Djokovic may not lose any sleep over not adding to his lone Grand Slam win after he led Serbia to its first ever Davis Cup victory, beating France in the final. He described it as "our biggest success as individuals, as a team, as a country." Italy, meanwhile, won the Fed Cup for the third time in five years, beating the United States in the final.
In the men's year-end rankings, there were no teenagers in the top 100 and the only players to finish in the top 20 for the first time were Jurgen Melzer (age 29), Mardy Fish (29), Sam Querrey (23) and John Isner (25).
That was far from Isner's most memorable contribution to the year. That unraveled over 11 hours, 5 minutes at Wimbledon as he and French opponent Nicolas Mahut played the longest match in history over three days, with the American eventually winning 70-68 in the fifth set.
"It stinks someone had to lose," Isner said of an extraordinary match which captured the public's imagination to such an extent that it even overshadowed Queen Elizabeth II's first visit to Wimbledon in 23 years.
Isner took significantly longer in beating Mahut than Serena Williams did in defeating all seven of her opponents on the way to a fourth Wimbledon title.
But Serena, who also won the Australian Open, did not end the year as No. 1. Nor did Kim Clijsters, the U.S. Open champion and winner of the year-end championship.
That honor went to Caroline Wozniacki, a 20-year-old Dane who didn't reach a Grand Slam final in 2010 but picked up a tour-leading six titles while her rivals fell away.
Serena has not played since stepping on some broken glass at a restaurant and tearing a tendon in her foot shortly after winning Wimbledon. Justine Henin's comeback after a 16-month retirement ended at the same tournament when she hurt her elbow.
Venus Williams managed just one more tournament after Wimbledon - the U.S. Open. Clijsters continues to pick and choose her tournaments around her family life. Jelena Jankovic won a total of four matches from August onward. Elena Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist and former No. 3, retired altogether.
The state of flux in women's tennis at least allowed Francesca Schiavone to provide the feel-good story of the year by winning her first Grand Slam title at the French Open at the age of 29 - at her 39th major.
"This means that everybody has the chance to be who really you want to be, and to do everything in your life," Schiavone said. "This is what happened to me."
Next year could produce some comebacks in women's tennis: Venus, Serena and Henin should return from injuries, while Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic showed signs in 2010 that they might be regaining their lost confidence.
And while Wozniacki will be desperate to back up her top ranking with one of the sport's major titles, Nadal can hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time by winning the Australian Open in January - an achievement that has so far eluded Federer.
The West Java administration estimates there are currently more than 5,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the province, up from 3,598 last year.
This number is the second highest after Papua.
Head of the West Java bureau of social services Riyadi said HIV/AIDS in West Java were most commonly spread through sexual activity.
“Most infections are caused by sexual activity, and following that, through drug injection,” Riyadi said Tuesday.
Riyadi said in order to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS cases, his office would continue to coordinate with health agencies in cities and districts throughout West Java.
That coordination includes counseling, health education, advising on the dangers of casual sex and drugs and providing antiretroviral drugs that are used by people living with HIV/AIDS to stop the reproduction of the virus in the body.
“We are trying to make antiretroviral drugs available not only in hospitals, but also in community health centers, particularly in areas prone to HIV transmission, so it can be easily obtained,” Riyadi said.
He said the West Java administration had a Rp 160 million (US$17,760) budget for the program, while the central government provided Rp 2 billion for the antiretroviral drugs.
The Jakarta Police plan to reroute traffic around Senayan immediately following the second leg of the AFF final on Wednesday night.
Rerouting traffic should assist the thousands of spectators to leave Bung Karno Stadium safely and help to reduce congestion.
“The traffic diversion will only apply after the match finishes,” said police commissioner Royke Lumowa on Tuesday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Due to the lack of available parking spaces, the Jakarta Police Traffic Directorate advises fans to use public transportation and avoid parking close to Bung Karno stadium if possible.
Lawyers of convicted child murderer Baekhuni alias “Babe” said Tuesday they will submit appeal documents to the Supreme Court in the next few days, after Babe was sentenced to death recently.
“We submitted a letter [to the Supreme Court] on behalf of Babe yesterday,” Babe’s lawyer Rangga B. Reikuser said Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
“Now we just need to complete the appeal documents.”
Rangga said the death sentence was not legitimate since he had not been informed that prosecutors had filed an appeal to overturn the previous life sentence verdict issued by East Jakarta District Court.
Last week Jakarta High Court sentenced Babe to death after he was found guilty of sodomizing and killing 14 children.
The National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) on Tuesday announced that there had been 50 train accidents in Indonesia this year, down from the 82 cases in 2009.
“In 2010, train accidents killed 60 people and injured 189,” KNKT chairman Tatang Kurniadi said in Jakarta, adding that technical matters were the main causes of the accidents.
Of the 50 cases, KNKT had only investigated ten, which were classified as severe accidents, Tatang said.
“For these cases we issued 11 recommendations to the directorate general of trains at the Transportation Ministry and to state railway company PT KA.” He said.
Soccer fans protested poor ticketing service offered by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta today.
Hundreds of fans queued for several hours to exchange prepaid vouchers and receipts with tickets to the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup final match between Indonesia and Malaysia on Wednesday.
One fan, Karman, said a lack of manpower had resulted in long delays.
“There needs to be more people manning the ticket booths,” he said.
Another fan, Yusril, said the organizers should have added more booths to speed up the process.
“The organizers are making huge profits on ticket sales. It wouldn’t cost much to add a couple more booths to cut down the number of hours we had to wait,” he said.
Fans had waited for an average of four hours to exchange vouchers and receipts with tickets. (gzl)
Bank Mandiri, Indonesia’s biggest lender by assets, has set a price for its rights issue, valuing its shares at between Rp 4,000 and Rp 6,150, a recent statement shows.
In a short prospectus released Tuesday, the state-owned lender said it would offer 2.34 billion new shares at the beginning of February next year, valuing the rights offer at between Rp 9.3 and Rp 14.4 trillion — the biggest in Indonesia’s stock market history.
“Funds obtained from the rights offer proceeds will be fully used to strengthen the company's capitalization structure, which will be used to expand the company’s business and loan growth,” Mandiri said in the statement.
State-owned Mandiri Sekuritas and Danareksa Sekuritas have been appointed as standby buyers for the shares.
For each 8,985 existing Mandiri shares held on Feb. 10, shareholders will have rights to buy 1,000 new shares offered in the rights issue.
Mandiri will begin offering the shares in a bookbuilding process targeting local and foreign investors in the second week of January, travelling to Singapore, Hong Kong, the US and the UK, Mandiri chief financial officer Pahala Mansury said previously. (est)
Indonesian soccer fans are apparently seeking to retaliate against Malaysia in the upcoming AFF Cup final match after the opposition allegedly targeted local players with laser pointers in the first leg of the finals on Sunday.
Several toy vendors in Jakarta said purchases of laser pointers and smoke balls had increased in recent days, TVOne reported Tuesday.
“May be supporters do not realize police have banned laser pointers,” one of the vendors said.
Police said they would punish soccer fans caught with sharp weapons, fireworks or laser pointers at the second round of the Asian Football Federation (AFF) Cup final at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan on Wednesday.
The National Police have called on Indonesian soccer fans to behave themselves when Indonesia plays against Malaysia in the second round of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup final on Wednesday.
“We call on soccer fans to be good hosts,” National Police public relation division tweeted on Tuesday.
Hooligans could tarnish Indonesia’s international reputation, it said.
“Anarchy will limit Indonesia’s chances of hosting future soccer events,” it said.
Police will impose tough disciplinary measures on soccer fans found carrying banned items to the upcoming AFF Cup final match at Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Items banned from the second round of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup final match between Indonesia and Malaysia include sharp weapons, firecrackers and lasers, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman said Tuesday.
Sutarman also said that anyone found carrying dangerous items would be punished and removed from the stadium, kompas.com reported Monday.
Police reminded supporters to remain orderly and not to play tricks such as pointing lasers at players.
“If we win we will be grateful. We have to be proud if our team wins, but we should win justly. If we lose, we still have to play fair. We don’t have to point any lasers at players. That would be unfair, and the world will reprimand us for it,” Sutarman said.
State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina says Indonesia’s stocks of subsidized fuels are secure until mid January.
Pertamina vice president for retail fuels Basuki Trikora Putra said Tuesday that the company still had enough gasoline stocks for 22 days, kerosene for 50 days and diesel for 18 days.
“Approaching the New Year, we are glad to say we have more than enough stocks of subsidized fuels in storage,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the company’s new fuel station in South Jakarta.
Pertamina, he added, had also coordinated with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to set up a task force to supervise fuel consumption across the country.
“The task-force will directly report to us if a fuel shortage occurs and we'll supply the necessary fuels as soon as possible directly to prevent prices from rising,” Basuki said.
Pembangunan Perumahan (PT PP), a publicly listed state firm, aims to book Rp 3.7 trillion worth of contracts in December, bringing its overall total for new contracts in 2010 to Rp 11.5 trillion.
PT PP president director Musyanif said in a statement released Monday that the firm had signed several new contracts in December, including an Attorney Building in Ceger, Jakarta; a 12-kilometer road in East Kalimantan worth Rp 78 billion; the Hotel Natour in Kuta, Bali, worth Rp 158 billion; and other buildings, bridges, toll roads and power plant projects.
“We hope the new contracts will help increase the company’s 2010 revenue and carry over for 2011,” Musyanif said.
With the latest contracts, PT PP has targeted a full-year revenue of Rp 4.5 trillion and a carry over of Rp 6 trillion for 2011. The firm’s net profits are expected to reach Rp 201 billion this year, up 23.3 percent compared to 2009.
“Contracts and revenue composition are still dominated by projects offers from the government and State-Owned Enterprises Ministry,” he said.
Shares in PT PP soared following the announcement, trading at Rp 760 apiece during the Indonesia Stock Exchange’s noon break, up 20 points, or 2.7 percent. PT PP has a total market capitalization of about Rp 3.7 trillion.
Established in 1953, PT PP is among the most renowned construction firms in Indonesia, and was responsible for such historic projects as Hotel Indonesia, the House of Representatives Building, Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java, and several other skyscrapers in the Jakarta CBD. (est)
South Korea's president vowed a relentless retaliation against North Korea if provoked again, saying Monday he is not afraid of a war with the communist North.
The two Koreas have ramped up their rhetoric since North Korea shelled front-line Yeonpyeong Island near the tense western sea border last month, killing four South Koreans. Both sides accuse each other of provoking first.
On Monday, President Lee Myung-bak used much of his regular address to vow to get tougher with any new provocation by North Korea.
"We have now been awakened to the realization that war can be prevented and peace assured only when such provocations are met with a strong response," Lee said. "Fear of war is never helpful in preventing war."
He said South Korea's military "must respond relentlessly when they come under attack."
South Korea has staged a series of military drills - including one on Yeonpyeong Island on Dec. 20 - in a show of force against the North. The South was to begin routine naval firing exercises starting Monday but not on Yeonpyeong and other border islands, according to the Defense Ministry.
North Korea, for its part, has also kept up rhetoric around last Friday's 19th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's appointment as the North's supreme military commander. Kim's military chief threatened last week to launch a "sacred" nuclear war against the South.
On Friday, North Korean soldiers appeared on a state TV program and bragged of participating in the artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong - the country's first attacks on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The two Koreas are still technicallyat war because their 1950s conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. In recent years, several bloody naval skirmishes occurred near their disputed western sea border - drawn by the U.N. at the close of the Korean War.
The secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Bambang Wuryanto, has agreed to plans to make it harder for parties to gain House seats.
For it to develop efficiently, Indonesia with its large number of islands and large population needed less political parties, he said.
“The more parties in parliament, the harder it will be to lead Indonesia effectively,” Bambang said Sunday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Ideally, Indonesia should only have six or seven parties, Bambang said.
However, PDI-P suggested the threshold on the percentage of votes required for the nomination of a presidential candidate remain between 15 – 20 percent.
Earlier, Golkar had suggested both the parliamentary and presidential thresholds be set at 5 percent, which would mean every party with members in parliament would be able to nominate a presidential and vice presidential candidate.
The suggestion was associated with the review of the 2008 Political Parties Law, which is scheduled to be carried out by the House of Representatives in 2011.
A supporter from West Nusa Tenggara passed away during the 2010 AFF Cup final soccer match in Jakarta last night.
One eyewitness said the man, Jalaluddin, 45, of West Lombok, had seemed shocked when Malaysia score its first goal in the 61st minute.
Jalaluddin was then found unconscious after Malaysia scored the third goal in the 73rd minute, he said.
According to metrotvnews.com, Jalaludin was taken to Bima general hospital (RSUD), but doctors there were unable to revive him.
Pamekasan administration has ordered 10,000 face masks from East Java Health Agency to protect residents from harmful volcanic ash that has been erupting from Bromo since Wednesday.
Pamekasan Health Agency chief Ismail Bey said the local supply of masks had run out and some districts, including Pakong, Pegantenan, Proppo and Palengaan, had not received any yet.
“Hopefully the additional masks will be approved so tomorrow we can begin distributing them,” Ismail said Monday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Since Wednesday, the agency had distributed 1,200 masks to residents in two districts, Larangan and Kadur.
“We need to prevent respiratory infections caused by inhaling the ash,” Ismail said.
Five houses were ransacked in Batam while police were busy working to safeguard Christmas Eve celebrations on Saturday.
Three of the houses were in the Kurnia Djaja Alam housing complex, and the other two were in the Plamo Garden complex.
Among the items stolen were LCD televisions, laptops, jewelry and money.
Besides stealing property, the thieves also left the houses in a mess.
Plamo Garden housing security officer Udin said he had first noticed something was wrong when he saw that the front door of the house owned by Surendro was open on Saturday evening at around 11.30 p.m. Udin immediately reported this to Surendro’s neighbors.
The security grill and front door had been forced open with a crowbar, and possessions were strewn about the house, he said.
Batam Kota Police chief Adj. Comr. Heryana, who inspected the location immediately, said the two thefts at Plamo Garden had been inside jobs because the thieves had known the whereabouts of the valuables.
“The thieves seemed to know where to look, because they left the rooms untouched,” Heryana said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Bakrie Life says it can not guarantee whether it will return its customers’ investments.
“We are trying to figure this out as quickly as possible,” Bakrie Life director Timoer Susan said Sunday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Previously, the company failed to return funds invested in its life insurance-based Diamond Investa investment product, Rp 360 billion (US$39.96 million).
The management later promised to return its customers’ principal investments plus interest.
The company said it would begin to make repayments in March, with 25 percent returned in 2010, another 25 percent in 2011 and the remainder in 2012. It was scheduled to make four installments a year, in March, June, September and December.
However, so far the company has only paid two installments of customers’ principal investments, in March and June. Bakrie Life still has a debt of Rp 290 billion.
Capital Market and Financial Institutions Supervisory Agency (Bapepam-LK) chairman Fuad Rahmany said his office had urged Bakrie Life stakeholder Bakrie Capital to inject funds into the ailing company so it could pay its obligations to customers, but said he could not force it to do so.
Fuad only suggested customers file a lawsuit against the firm.
“If not, legally speaking, no one can force shareholders to pay. Bapepam has been stagnant,” he said. The action of violating a promise, Fuad said, could be prosecuted in a criminal or civil liability case.
According to Bapepam’s insurance company division chief, Isa Rachmatawarta, PT Asuransi Jiwa Bakrie (trading as Bakrie Life) had satisfied the necessary criteria for the agency to revoke its business license. However, until last week the agency had not done so.
Yenny Wahid has been elected as the leader of the National Awakening Party (PKB) for the 2010-2015 term.
Yenny was appointed by acclamation during the party’s third national congress. The congress also appointed Kiai Ahmad Syahid as the party’s chief patron.
Congress chief executive Imron Rosyadi Hamid said Yenny was elected after 29 of 33 regional boards across Indonesia chose her to lead the party formed by her late father, Abdurahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.
Receiving less votes, former South Kalimantan deputy governor Rosehan was nominated for the position by the South Kalimantan board, while two other boards abstained.
Meanwhile, besides Kiai Ahmad Syahid, other candidates including Tuan Guru Turmudzi, Kiai Dadang and Gus Yusuf Kudlori also emerged in the election.
However, the majority voted for Kiai Ahmad Syahid, Imron said.
Achmad Inggemar Laguna WK, popular radio personality and comedian, died due to complications from kidney failure, on Sunday night, December 26, at around 9 p.m. at RS Premier Bintaro surrounded by family and friends.
A commemorative prayer service is being held this morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at his family home at Jl. Punai 2, No. 10, in Sector 2, Bintaro. Burial will be at 12 noon at Tanah Kusir Cemetery.
Laguna WK, born on March 2, 1971, is probably best known to the public as his radio and stage persona “Mimi Been”, a host of the long-running “Rush Hour” radio talk show that aired twice a week regularly from December 1996 to August this year.
In film circles Laguna WK is better known as the founder of Vi.eM Production House, and the producer of the 2010 feature film “At the Very Bottom of Everything”.
Before going into film production and comedic entertainment, Laguna WK, who studied art and fashion design in Singapore and Indonesia, had made a name for himself as a fashion designer with his own “Laguna” line in 1999-2003.
He is survived by his mother, Hetti WK and several siblings.
A recent report released by Charta Politika Indonesian political research institute says the Bank Century bailout and case of graft suspect Gayus H. Tambunan were the most popular issues in Indonesia in 2010.
“[These] were the most popular issues because of their relation to law and politics, involving a lot of players,” Charta Politika research director Yunarto Wijaya said Monday as reported by kompas.com.
Research for the report was conducted by analyzing the contents of six national newspapers, Kompas, Indopos, Seputar Indonesia, Rakyat Merdeka, Republika and Media Indonesia, from Jan. 2 to Dec. 20.
Of a total of 14,963 articles, the Bank Century case dominated 13 percent of the articles, followed by the Gayus H. Tambunan case which occupied 10 percent.
Issues related to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second Cabinet were found in 5 percent of articles, while those related to the national congress of his party shared the fourth place with stories on terrorism at 3 percent.
The Pakistani military says dozens of militants attacked five checkpoints in a region near the Afghan border, sparking a clash that killed three soldiers and 24 insurgents.
The fighting occurred in the northwest's Mohmand tribal area overnight Thursday.
A statement from the Frontier Corps security force, a paramilitary division of the military, says that around 150 militants staged the attacks on the checkpoints. At least 12 soldiers also were wounded in the clash.
The information is difficult to verify independently because access to the region is restricted.
Mysterious lights in the sky and even a flying saucer are among the reported UFO sightings detailed in classified documents released by New Zealand's military this week.
The thousands of documents cover more than 50 years of New Zealanders' reports of encounters with unidentified flying objects.
Most files suggest natural explanations for the sightings, including meteors and reflections off boat lights.
Among the reports was one from a man who wrote a letter in 1955 to inform authorities he had seen flying saucers, even witnessing one take off.
The files also cover the country's best-known UFO mystery in 1978 in the southern island town of Kaikoura. A cargo plane reported strange lights following it and air traffic controllers detected radar blips that they could not explain.
The documents showed the government carefully took note of such reports, even if some citizens only received a polite thanks for their theories.
New Zealand's Defence Force released thefiles Wednesday under a freedom of information request.
State flag carrier Garuda Indonesia announced Friday that the company still served its European route despite the extreme weather Europe had been experiencing recently.
“Our schedule to Europe is still normal,” Ikhsan Rosan, Garuda’s public relations officer, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He said no flights on the route had been canceled.
European countries have been experiencing extreme winter in recent weeks, with heavy snowfall and a drop in temperature. The condition has disrupted the transportation system, particularly air transportation.
Currently, flies the Garuda Jakarta-Amsterdam route. It plans to open four other routes to Europe, namely Italy, Britain, France and Germany in February, next year.
The Malaysian national soccer team aims to score 3-0 against Indonesia in the first match of the final round of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2010, which will be held at the Bukit Jalil national stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 26.
“I predict that we will win 3-0 here,” the vice chairman of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
He added that a 3-0 score would increase the chances of a Malaysian victory in the second match of the final round, which will be held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Dec.29.
He further said that the Malaysian team was in high spirits and that a win would “be a turning point in the rise of and quality of soccer in this country”.
State bank PT Bank Negara Indonesia has allocated Rp 520 billion (Rp 57.7 million) daily for its automated teller machines (ATM) during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday.
Usually BNI prepares Rp 400 billion daily for ATMs.
“We have increased the cash amount for ATMs by up to 30 percent, or to Rp 520 billion, every day during the holiday,” Tachi Basyir, the BNI public relations officer, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Friday.
BNI has 4,400 ATMs across the country, excluding 10,000 ATM links and 15,000 ATM bersama
According Tachi, BNI has also strengthened security around ATMs using information technology
“The BNI command center will also monitor the ATMs,” Tachi said
Over the weekend, several BNI branches will be open for limited transactions, such as withdrawals and transfers between BNI accounts.
The supposed kidnappers of 50 Central American migrants who disappeared in southern Mexico last week called a family in the United States demanding a ransom, a Roman Catholic priest who first reported the abductions said Thursday.
But they contacted relatives of a migrant who had escaped after the Dec. 16 assault, said the Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, who runs a migrant shelter in the southern state of Oaxaca.
The abductors probably thought he was still in the group, Solalinde told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, adding that he reported the call to Central American and Mexican authorities.
"We're calling the governments of Central America in case they know of any other calls for ransom," he said.
It was another apparent confirmation of the massive abduction, which Mexican authorities initially denied when they were contacted by the foreign ministry of El Salvador on Tuesday with the complaint.
Witnesses said the majority of those kidnapped are Salvadorans, and Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez continued his criticism of Mexico for initially ignoring the abduction, calling the government's response "hasty and unfortunate."
"We believe you can't deal with these problems by ignoring them," he told a news conference Wednesday night. "Rather, they should be recognized and thoroughly investigated."
Mexico's ministries of the interior and foreign relations released a joint statement Thursday promising to step up the investigation into the alleged abductions and asking Central American governments to provide them with any information they have on the case.
Besides El Salvador, the 30 men, 15 women and five children are from Honduras and Guatemala, according to witnesses, who are being interviewed by the Mexican Attorney General's Office. The kidnapping allegedly happened near Chahuites, Oaxaca, after gunmen held up a train in which the migrants were traveling.
The alleged crime comes just months after the horrific massacre of 72 mostly Central American migrants in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas in August, a tragedy that caused Mexico to replace its top immigration official in September.
That massacre has been blamed on the Zetas drug gang. Solalinde said he has information that the supposed kidnappers of the 50 also have ties to the Zetas. Mexican authorities would not comment on a possible connection.
It was not clear how the criminals would have gotten information about the family of an escaped migrant, but Solalinde said he knows of cases in which abductors travel for a while with migrants before kidnapping them to gain their confidence.
Mexico is the transit route for thousands of illegal migrants seeking to reach the United States, with many falling victim to gangs and organized crime.
Witnesses reported that those kidnapped were beaten with machetes and their belongings were taken.
The victims minutes earlier had escaped a raid on the same train by Mexican police and military, in which they arrested 92 alleged illegal migrants.
The National Human Rights Commission reported in 2009 that nearly 10,000 migrants are kidnapped a year by gangs. The commission also has opened an investigation into last week's reported abduction.
The Banjarbaru Police precinct in South Kalimantan has conducted security checks at several churches in preparation of Christmas celebrations.
The Banjarbaru Police’s head of operations, AKP Made Suarjana, said the checks were conducted to anticipate unwanted incidents.
He added that the South Kalimantan Mobile Brigade bomb squad (Brimob) would assist in performing security checks at two large churches.
“Sweeps will be conducted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so Christians can conduct Christmas Mass in peace and comfort,” he said as reported by Antara news service.
Another five churches will be heavily guarded by 10 police officers the day before and after Christmas celebrations, he added.
Authorities in Hong Kong have launched an investigation into an incident last month in which a Finnair jet made a wrong turn onto a taxiway and attempted to take off.
The Civil Aviation Department says the Airbus A340-300 bound for Helsinki turned onto the taxiway at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of Nov. 27. An air traffic controller realized there was something wrong, told the pilot to stop rolling and aborted the takeoff in time. No one was injured.
The department released a preliminary report Thursday. It said more in-depth investigation will be done "before any conclusions can be drawn."
Mail bombs exploded in the hands of employees at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, seriously wounding two people and triggering heightened security checks at diplomatic missions just as holiday deliveries deluge their mailrooms.
Italian investigators suspected the attacks were the work of anarchists, similar to the two-day wave of mail bombs that targeted several embassies in Athens last month - including those of Chile and Switzerland.
Swiss Ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni, speaking to reporters outside his embassy, said the device that exploded had been mailed, but he didn't say from where.
The bomb at the Chilean embassy was mailed from inside Italy, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. But Chilean Ambassador Oscar Godoy said it wasn't yet clear if the package - a medium-sized envelope big enough to hold documents and addressed to the cultural attache - had been mailed or delivered by a messenger.
"There were no flames, just a little smoke," said Godoy.
The bombs seemed aimed to injure if not maim or kill those opening them.
Surgeons removed an iron bolt that had embedded itself in the chest of the Chilean embassy employee who opened the package, said Massimiliano Talucci, a spokesman for Umberto I Polyclinic, where the man was hospitalized. The Chilean also suffered a serious hand wound and face injuries, and risks losing the sight in one eye. The Swiss official suffered hand and chest wounds.
Chilean envoy Godoy denounced the explosion at his mission as "an absolutely irrational and brutal act," and said there had been no threats to indicate it could be a target.
The North Jakarta police precinct will deploy more than 1,000 officers to safeguard 142 churches in North Jakarta in lieu of Christmas celebrations today and tomorrow.
According to Adj.Sr.Comr. Rahmadi, the deputy chief of the North Jakarta Police precinct, 1,031 officers will back up the security at churches with more than 1,000 churchgoers.
As many as 569 officers would guard the location while the remaining 462 would be on the ready at the command posts, he said, as reported by beritajakarta.com.
He further added although the police has not received any Christmas threat, officer were on full alert to ensure the safety of Christmas celebrations.
The Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) has opposed government plans to import rice, saying Indonesia has millions of tons of rice in stock.
Previous reports said Indonesia would import between 850,000 and 1.3 million tons of rice by the end of 2010.
“The import is not necessary. The Central Statistic Agency [BPS] anticipates Indonesia will have a surplus of 8-9 million tons of rice this year,” HKTI deputy chairman Sutrisno Iwantoro said as quoted by kontan.co.id on Wednesday.
While some areas in Indonesia had rice stocks others lacked rice, he said.
“The distribution of rice is mismanaged. This needs to be improved,” he said.
Declaring that members of the U.S. military will no longer be asked to lie, President Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise Wednesday and signed a landmark law repealing the ban ongay men and women serving openly in the armed services.
The signing ceremony was a breakthrough moment for the U.S. gay community, the military and for Obama himself. The president vowed during his 2008 campaign to repeal the law and faced pressure from liberals, a significant base in his Democratic party, ho complained he was not acting swiftly enough.
The new law is the second of three expected victories in what's turned out to be - for Obama - a surprisingly productive post-election Congress. Weeks after his self-described "shellacking" in the Nov. 2 vote, he has won opsided approval of a tax cut compromise with the opposition Republicans, and the Senate is poised to deliver his top foreign policy goal: ratification of a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
The new law affecting the military ends the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy that forced gays to hidetheir sexual orientation or face dismissal. Its repeal comes as American public opinion on such issues as gay marriage and gay rights in general has grown more tolerant.
"I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you, your contry wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known," Obama said.
The service chiefs must first complete implementation plans before lifting the old policy - and they must certify to lawmakers that it will not damage combat readiness, as critcs charge. But Obama said: "We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done."
The two events, signing the tax bill and ending the ban on gays in the military, however, could not have been more different in tone.
The tax deal divided Democrats and forced Obama to accept extensions of tax cts for the wealthiest, a step he had promised to not take. With Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at his side during that bill signing, Obama seemed dutiful and subdued.
Wednesday's signing of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" had the feel of a political rally. Speaking in the Interior Department's auditorium, Obama appeared in his element as shouts of "Thank you, Mr. President!" interrupted him.
"I couldn't be prouder," Obama said.
Obama hailed the "courage and vision" of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and praised Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, who advocated changing the law.
"No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love," Obama said.
The Pentagon now must begin addressing the practical consequences of the law. Guidelines must be completed that cover a host of questions, from how to educate troops to how sexual orientation should be handled in making barracks assignments.
While officials have avoided timetables, the process will probably take months.
Born 17 years ago as a compromise between President Bill Clinton and a resistant Pentagon, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy became for gay rights campaigners a notorious roadblock on the way to full acceptance.
Military and administration officials are wrestling with numerous legal questions raised by the end of the ban - knowing that courts are waiting in the wings. They include what to do about pending expulsion proceedings, and when those ousted under the old policy might apply to rejoin the armed forces.
According to Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center (TMC), there will be 12 rallies in Jakarta today.
Four rallies were scheduled to commence at 9 a.m. in front of the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry on Jl. Gerbang Pemuda; in front of Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) office in the Gelora Bung Karno stadium complex; in front of the PT Telkomsel office on Jl. Gatot Subroto; and in front of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia also on Jl. Gatot Subroto.
Later, a protest was scheduled to be held in front of the Singaporean Embassy on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
At noon, four rallies were to be held in front of State-Owned Enterprises Ministry on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan; in front of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Merdeka Utara; in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office on Jl. HR Rasuna Said; and in front of the Finance Ministry on Jl. Dr. Wahidin.
Two more protests were scheduled to be held from 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in front of the Home Ministry on Jl. Merdeka Utara; and in front of the Presidential Palace.
Later another rally has been scheduled in front of the palace from 4 to 5 p.m.
The National Unity Forum (FPN), which comprises 17 small political parties with votes less then the parliamentary threshold, says it will file a judicial review should a new bill pass into law.
“We have serious issues with the bill. This kind of bill will destroy our democracy. We need to do something about it,” FPN secretary general Didik Supriyanto said Wednesday.
Didik said among the objections was a provision that states that the parliamentary threshold would be 2.5 percent in order for political parties to be able to seat a representative at the House of Representatives.
“It’s very obvious that the whole debate on the parliamentary threshold is aimed at preventing small parties like us from growing. We will ask the Constitutional Court to annul it,” he said.
He said another objection was a clause in the bill that states that parties must have branches in 75 percent of existing provinces.
“For a small party, this is almost impossible to implement,” he said.
As many as 16 small parties created the FPN in order to balance the country’s political party situation. Osman Sapta, chair of the Regional Unity Party (PPD), is the forum’s speaker while Didik, who is a member of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), is the forum’s secretary-general.
The FPN has no representatives in the House but does have dozens of legislators in local government bodies.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored hat tricks Wednesday to lead Real Madrid to an 8-0 rout of Levante on Wednesday in the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey.
Ronaldo has now scored 25 goals in 24 matches in all competitions for Madrid this season.
Mesut Oezil and Pedro Leon also scored Wednesday asJose Mourinho's team dominated the first leg at Santiago Bernebeu stadium from the start, shrugging off its indifferent form in the 1-0 league win against Sevilla at the weekend.
"The result is good for us and our fans because they wanted an exhibition of football and I believe we put one on," said Benzema, who brought his campaign total to nine goals.
Benzema scored the sixth-minute opener by slaloming through the defense and beating goalkeeper Gustavo Munua with a low strike.
Oezil doubled Madrid' advantage four minutes later after Ronaldo had recovered the ball near the halfway line and raced forward to set up the Germany playmaker near the penalty spot.
Benzema added Madrid's third in the 32nd, charging into the area to finished off a pass from Angel Di Maria. The France striker set up Ronaldo inside the six-yard box for the fourth right on halftime.
Benzema chipped Munua from a great pass by Di Maria in the 70th, before Ronaldo scored in the 72nd and 74th minutes.
Leon capped the demolition in the 90th.
Mourinho said he was more pleased with how Benzema played than the goals he scored.
"He made movements to support his teammates and then pressured to recover the ball when we lost it," the Portuguese coach said. "When you make good positional adjustments, you normally have a good game."
Simao Sabrosa's first-half penalty gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol with both teams having a player sent off.
Simao converted the 33rd-minute spot kick after Espanyol defender Jordi Amat was ruled to have handled in the area.
Atletico winger Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off in the 42nd minute for head-butting Espanyol forward Jesus Datolo, and the visitors went a man down when Victor Ruiz was sent off in the 68th.
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo recently said Simao will soon be transferred to Besiktas in Turkey, and the Portugal winger received a standing ovation from the crowd at Vicente Calderon stadium when he was substituted late.
"I want to thank Simao like the fans have," Atletico coach Quique Sanchez Flores said. "He is a brilliant player and it has been an honor to coach him."
Koffi Romaric scored twice in Sevilla's 5-3 win over Malaga, Jose Ulloa hit a hat trick to give Almeria a 4-3 win over Mallorca, and Getafe beat second-division team Real Betis 2-1.
On Tuesday, Athletic Bilbao ended Barcelona's 10-game winning streak by holding the Catalan club to a scoreless draw. Also, Valencia and Villarreal ended 0-0 and second-division team Cordoba drew 1-1 with Deportivo La Coruna.
The second legs will be played on Jan. 4 and 5.
At Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, Alejandro Alfaro put Sevilla ahead with a rising shot in the 11th.
Jose Rondon equalized for Malaga in the 19th with an individual effort, and teammate Quincy Qwusu-Abeye outpaced the defense and crossed for Rondon to score his second in the 26th.
Sevilla drew level again when Alvaro Negredo headed home a cross by Romaric in the 32nd, but Rondon returned the favor to set Qwusu-Abeye to score Malaga's third in the 41st.
Romaric made it 3-3 in the 67th with a left-footed shot off a pass from Frederic Kanoute, and the Sevilla midfielder picked up his double with a header in the 82nd.
Diego Capel capped Sevilla's win a minute later with a shot from inside the area.
Ulloa put Almeria ahead from the penalty spot in the seventh minute, but Mallorca equalized with a volleyed strike from Canadian midfielder Jonathan de Guzman in the 22nd.
Seven minutes later, Ulloa's header gave Almeria the lead back, but Mallorca's Victor Casadejesus leveled at 2-2 two minutes before halftime.
Ulloa set up strike partner Kalu Uche to head in Almeria's third in the 67th, and Ulloa added Almeria's winner five minutes later.
Pierre Webo pulled one back late for Mallorca with three minutes to play.
At Benito Villamarin stadium, Nicolas Fedor hit Getafe's opener in the 27th with a left-footed shot, and midfielder Pedro Rios got Getafe second with a long-range strike in the 35th.
Jorge Molina pulled one back for Betis in the 88th with a penalty.
A number of senior state officials and community leaders are scheduled to watch the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup first final match between Indonesia and Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday.
Among them are:
Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono and wife
Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Andi Alfian Mallarangeng and wife
Administrative Reforms Minister Evert Erenst Mangindaan and wife
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad and wife
Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar and wife
Education Minister Mohammad Nuh and wife
House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie
Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD
Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum
House of Representatives Commission IX vice chairman Irgan Khairul Maghfur
Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin
Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar said that his office would coordinate with the Football Association of Malaysia to welcome them.
"Even though they come not in the capacity of a state visits, we should respect them,” Da'i said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the scale Richter shook Meulaboh, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) at 7.01 a.m. this morning.
According to Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the temblor’s epicenter was 45 kilometer southwest Meulaboh at a depth of 15 kilometers.
The quake did not trigger tsunami.
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" held on to the top spot at international theaters for another weekend with $24.5 million in 48 territories and a cumulative global total of $163.4 million.
In the No. 2 spot and boasting 51 territories, the highest of any film in the international top 20, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" impressively crossed the $800 million mark and earned $22 million in its fifth weekend of release.
"Tron: Legacy" made its international debut in third place with just over $20 million in 26 territories as it crossed the $70 million mark worldwide.
Outside of the top 10, "Due Date" in its seventh weekend in the international marketplace proves that the comedy of Zach Galifianakis is funny pretty much anywhere in the world. The road film continues to play in 40 territories on its way to a $200 million global total.
Here are the top 20 movies at international theaters last weekend, followed by international gross for the weekend (excluding North America), number of theater locations, number of territories, worldwide gross to date (including North America), and number of weeks in release as compiled Wednesday by global media measurement company Rentrak Corp. and provided by Hollywood.com:
1. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," $28,483,911, 9,393 locations, 48 territories, $163,390,348, three weeks.
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I," $22,037,129, 8,448 locations, 51 territories, $811,226,442, five weeks.
3. "Tron: Legacy," $20,039,092, 5,571 locations, 26 territories, $71,063,849, one week.
4. "Tangled," $13,634,791, 6,371 locations, 21 territories, $226,087,872, four weeks.
5. "Megamind," $13,275,967, 4,726 locations, 38 territories, $234,787,342, eight weeks.
6. "The Tourist," $11,094,161, 4,736 locations, 15 territories, $54,415,206, two weeks.
7. "Yolki," $6,802,672, 581 locations, one territory, $6,802,672, one week.
8. "Kamen Rider," $4,411,883, locations NA, one territory, $4,411,883, one week.
9. "Natale in Sudafrica," $4,307,124, locations NA, one territory, $4,307,125, one week.
10. "La Banda Dei Babbi Natale," $3,433,414, locations NA, one territory,$3,433,415, one week.
11. "Due Date," $2,964,977, 2,547 locations, 40 territories, $190,674,434, seven weeks.
12. "Space Battleship Yamato," $2,807,797, locations NA, one territory, $27,214,812, three weeks.
13. "Burlesque," $2,364,286, 2,195 locations, eight territories, $38,332,026, four weks.
14. "Around the World in 50 Years," $1,991,383, 682 locations, 13 territories, $44,261,904, eight weeks.
15. "Klovn: the Movie," $1,911,838, 126 locations, one territory, $2,356,141, one week.
16. "Love and Other Drugs," $1,902,848, 1,093 locations, one territory, $30,772,903, four week.
17. "Un Balcon Sur La Mer," $1,849,794, 311 locations, two territories, $2,397,881, one week.
18. "New Kids Turbo!," $1,831,161, 108 locations, two territories, $4,839,136, two weeks.
19. "Jjae Jjae Han Romance," $1,697,100, locations NA, one territory, $10,926,636, three weeks.
20. 'Av Mevsimi," $1,564,227, 467 locations, one territory, $9,159,288, three weeks.
Graft suspect Gayus Halomoan Tambunan is hopeful South Jakarta District Court presiding judge Albertina Ho will be fair in issuing her verdict after prosecutors demanded he serve 20 years’ imprisonment in relation to his lengthy and politically charged tax fraud case.
“Regardless of the indictment, I am sure Mrs. Albertina Ho will remain objective and issue a verdict based on facts,” Gayus said Wednesday.
Previously, Albertina had acquitted Andy Wahab from charges after prosecutors demanded he serve 17 years in prison, he said.
“I hope the same will happen for me.”
Gayus said there were numerous errors in the indictment, including allegations he had met his former lawyer Haposan Hutagalung at the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta. According to Gayus, the meeting was held at the Park Lane Apartments (also in Jakarta) in June.
South Korea on Thursday mobilized hundreds of troops, tanks, helicopters and jet fighters for a massive military exercise aimed at sending North Korea a message of strength amid high tensions on the peninsula.
The firing drills set for later in the day near the Koreas' heavily armed land border signaled that South Korea is willing to risk further escalating tensions with North Korea, which shelled a southern island off the Koreas' western coast on Nov. 23, killing four South Koreans and stirring fears of war.
The attack was portrayed by Pyongyang as a retaliation for southern military exercises on Yeonpyeong island that day.
South Korea has conducted 47 military drills this year similar to the one planned for Thursday, which was scheduled in response to the North Korean attack, an army officer said on condition of anonymity citing department rules. Thursday's drill will be the biggest-ever wintertime joint firing exercise that South Korea's army and air force have staged, an army statement said.
"We will completely punish the enemy if it provokes us again like the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island," Brig. Gen. Ju Eun-sik, chief of the army's 1st armored brigade, said separately.
South Korean forces are on high alert even though the North backed down from its threat to again retaliate over a separate firing drill the South held Monday on Yeonpyeong in disputed western waters.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950s conflict ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. The past month's military tension, however, has been the worst in several years.
The North has made conciliatory remarks in recent days - telling a visiting U.S. governor it might allow international inspections of its nuclear programs - but Seoul is mindful of past surprise attacks and still is bracing for possible aggression.
The White House dismissed concern that South Korea's exercises could lead to any escalation of the situation.
"I think exercises that have been announced well in advance, that are transparent, that are defensive in nature, should in no way engender a response from the North Koreans," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a briefing on Wednesday.
South Korea's navy also began annual four-day firing and anti-submarine exercises Wednesday off the country's eastern coast. That area has been less tnse recently but in the past, the North has used eastern waters as a submarine route for communist agents to infiltrate South Korea.
The Koreas' recent military skirmishes, including last month's artillery bombardment, have been in the tense western waters, where Pyongyang does not recognize the U.N.-drawborder.
Thursday's air force and army drills will involve 800 troops, F-15K and KF-16 jet fighters, K-1 tanks, AH-1S attack helicopters and K-9 self-propelled guns. They will take place in Pocheon, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) north of Seoul and about 21 miles (33 kilometers) south of the North Korean brder.
Seoul has relocated more artillery on Yeonpyeong island following last month's shelling and plans to deploy Israeli-made Spike missiles there soon, Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unidentified military official. The Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm the report.
North Korea, meanwhle, indicated to visiting New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that it was prepared to consider ways to work with the South on restoring security along the border.
Richardson praised Pyongyang for refraining from retaliation and said his visit to the North provided an opening for a resumption of negotiations aied at dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea pulled out of six-nation talks to provide Pyongyang with aid in exchange for disarmament in April 2009, but since has said it is willing to resume them.
The White House, however, rejected the idea, saying Pyongyang needed to change its "belligerent" behavior first and was not "even remotely ready" for negotiations.
In Seoul, a senior South Korean government official said the military would remain prepared for the possibility of a "surprise" attack in coming days. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Separately, about 200 South Koreans attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening for the four South Koreans killed by North Korea's attack on the Yeonpyeong.
They observed a moment of silence and placed flowers on a makeshift mourning site in central Seoul. "We, the survivors, should remember their sacrifice and make efforts to ensure that their sacrifice will not be in vain," said Choi Hong-jae, a 42-year-old executive.
Mid-sized lender Bank Bukopin has set pricing for its rights shares at between Rp 480 and Rp 560 apiece, aiming to raise Rp 1.15 trillion from the offering, it said in a statement published on Tuesday.
Bukopin will offer 2.04 billion new shares in February 2011, representing 25 percent of the enlarged equity. In the offering, holders of three Bukopin shares will be entitled to buy one new share.
“All of the proceeds will be used as the company's working capital to expand credit,” Bukopin said.
The new shares will be officially listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Feb. 9, 2011.
“CIMB Securities Indonesia, as stand-by buyer, will purchase all of the offered shares if they are not absorbed,” the lender said in the statement. (est)
Cloudy weather is forecast to blanket most parts of Greater Jakarta, except the Thousand Islands regency, Tangerang and Bogor, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says.
Thousand Islands, Tangerang and Bogor will experience light to medium showers, it added.
The agency also forecast light and medium rains will hit the capital in the afternoon until evening.
East Jakarta is an exception as it will have cloudy weather.
Jakarta’s temperature will range from 24-32 degrees Celsius.
China's biggest electricity provider, State Grid, says it has invested $989 million to acquire seven Brazilian power companies and their transmission facilities.
A notice by State Grid on the website of the government agency that manages state assets says the investment includes a 30-year concession to operate the Brazilian power grids that can be renewed in 20-year contracts once it expires.
The deal marks a further expansion of State Grid into overseas markets following a similar investment in the Philippines.
It has come to this: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is complaining that someone leaked a Swedish police report on his alleged sexual offenses.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Times, Assange complained about reporting in the rival newspaper The Guardian, which is one of several publications that has been helping WikiLeaks edit its trove of secret US diplomatic files in exchange for an early look at them.
The Guardian published details Saturday of the Swedish police report in which two women accuse Assange of rape, based on what it described as "unauthorized access" to prosecutors' files. Assange claimed the newspaper was "selectively publishing" parts of it, and questioned the timing of the leak, saying it was given to the paper a day before his bail hearing last week.
"The leak of the police report to The Guardian was clearly designed to undermine my bail application. It was timed to come up on the desk of the judge that morning," Assange was quoted as saying in Tuesday's paper. "Someone in authority clearly intended to keep Julian in prison, and shopped (the report) around to other newspapers as well."
Assange, who is contesting a Swedish extradition bid, was freed on bail last week under strict conditions including that he stay at the home of a supporter in southern England, wear an electronic tag, observe a curfew and post a bond of 200,000 pounds ($310,000). He faces his next court hearing Jan. 11.
Swedish officials want to question Assange about allegations stemming from separate encounters with two women in Sweden over the summer. The women have accused Assange of sexual crimes including rape, molestation and unlawful coercion. Assange denies the allegations, which his lawyers say stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex." He has not been charged.
The Times quoted Assange as saying there is "very suggestive evidence" that the two women were motivated by revenge, money and police pressure.
In an editorial, The Guardian defended its coverage, saying it "is unusual for a sex-offense case to be presented outside of the judicial process in such a manner, but then it is unheard of for a defendant, his legal team and supporters to so vehemently and publicly attack women at the heart of a rape case."
In a BBC interview aired Tuesday, Assange said he believed the women behind the allegations "found out that they were mutual lovers of mine and they had unprotected sex and they got into a tizzy about whether there was a possibility of sexually transmitted diseases."
The women's lawyer, Claes Borgstrom, has said they went through similar experiences with Assange and decided to go to the police together to seek advice on what to do. A policewoman who heard their accounts decided that Assange had probably committed a sex crime of some kind and passed the case to a prosecutor.
Borgstrom has criticized Assange for suggesting that the allegations are part of a smear campaign against him and WikiLeaks, which has begun to release what it says are more than a quarter-million leaked US embassy cables, infuriating the United States and governments around the world. Borgstrom says the case has nothing to do with Assange's website or any wider conspiracy against it.
Asked by the Times whether he is promiscuous, Assange replied: "I am not promiscuous. I just really like women."
He said WikiLeaks had received "tremendous" public support, even when he was in jail.
"I was handed a card by one of my black prison guards. It said, 'I only have two heroes in the world: Dr. (Martin Luther) King, and you,"' he told the newspaper. "That is representative of 50 percent of people."
Assange didn't immediately return calls Tuesday seeking comment.
Yenny Zannuba Wahid, daughter of the late former president Abdurrahman Wahid, is seeking reconciliation with Muhaimin Iskandar, the current chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), saying it would be for the betterment of the party and its followers.
Yenny acknowledged that the reconciliation was actually the idea of her father, widely known as Gus Dur, one of the founders of the party.
“Let us honor the last will of Gus Dur, who had great plans when he established the party,” she said.
Yenny said the moment had come for conflicting factions in the party to come together and settle their differences.
“I will ask Muhaimin to participate at the upcoming national conference in Surabaya. In fact, if he is planning to name a candidate for the chairmanship once again at the conference, it’s all right with me,” she said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.
The Corruption Eradication Commission said that free tickets for the 2010 Asian Football Federation Cup match were considered a form of gratuity and it was thus forbidden for public officials to accept any.
“We ask that officials receiving the tickets report to the KPK immediately,” KPK deputy Mochammad Jasin said Tuesday in Jakarta as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com newswire.
However, he said that the rule applied only to tickets and not invitations.
Officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, have been spotted watching the matches at the Gelora Bung Karno sports stadium in Senayan.
The last match was on Sunday, when the Indonesian national team defeated the Philippines by 1-0. The next match, in which Indonesia will face Malaysia, is slated for Dec. 26 in Kuala Lumpur, with the second leg on Dec. 29 in Jakarta.
South Korea has begun annual naval exercises off its east coast as tensions with North Korea remain high.
The drills beginning Wednesday and ending Saturday are on the opposite coast from the disputed sea border where North Korea shelled a front-line island a month ago.
But South Korea's military is on high alert following firing exercises from the island Monday.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff officer says navy ships will fire artillery and conduct anti-submarine exercises. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.
Most of the Koreas' recent military skirmishes have taken place near the western sea frontier drawn by U.N. forces at the close of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea rejects the boundary.
Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng said his office was talking Malaysia into allocating tickets for Indonesian supporters for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 final match between Indonesia and Malaysia at Bukit Jalil stadium in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday.
He said Indonesia would do the same thing for Malaysian supporters at the second final match at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Dec. 29, if Malaysia agrees on allocating the tickets.
“We’re holding talks about the issue with Malaysia; our ambassador there is talking them into it. We want some tickets allocated for Indonesian citizens living in Malaysia, as well as those who will have to fly from here to watch the match,” Andi said after a Cabinet
meeting at the Vice Presidential Office.
He refused, however, to disclose exactly how many tickets he wanted Malaysia to allocate.
Indonesia will meet Malaysia in two final matches after defeating the Philippines in two semifinal matches in Jakarta last week, both by scores of 1-0.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who watched the semifinal matches with the Philippines in the Bung Karno Stadium, has said he also wants to watch the final match between Indonesia and Malaysia in Jakarta.
A key witness in the Susno Duadji trial provided testimony wherein details given failed to match those already provided by convicted case broker, Sjahril Djohan.
The witness, police officer Adj. Sr. Comr. Syamsul Rizal, testified at the South Jakarta District Court that he met Sjahril at the residence of former National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji on Dec. 27.
Sjahril was convicted for bribing Susno to ease pressure on a case involving fish breeder PT Salmah Arowana Lestari.
Syamsul claimed he went to Susno's residence to obtain Susno's signature on an assignment form.
"I came on Dec. 27, as written on the assignment form," Syamsul said.
He needed the signature to authorize his departure for the Netherlands in pursuit of a drug case, he said.
Syamsul further added that he had to refer to the date which Susno wrote while signing the form to point out the date of his visit because he forgotten it.
However, the date he mentioned failed to match the date previously supplied by Sjahril.
According to Judge Haswandi, Sjahril had previously testified that the visit took place on Dec. 4.
The difference in dates prompted Haswandi to inquire whether somebody had directed Syamsul's answers.
"Nobody has directed me," Syamsul replied. (gzl)
Residents of southern Japanese islands scrambled to community centers early Wednesday when a strong offshore quake briefly triggered a tsunami alert, but the 7.4-magnitude temblor prompted only a mild swelling of waves.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, which struck at 2:20 a.m. (1720 GMT Tuesday) about 80 miles (130 kilometers) off the southern coast of Chichi Island in the Pacific Ocean and was felt as far away as Tokyo.
"It shook quite violently. I'm sure everyone was scared," said Kenji Komura, principal at a high school on Chichi Island.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued an alert for a tsunami of up to 6 feet (2 meters) for Chichi and nearby islands and warned of a milder tsunami for the southern coasts of the main Japanese island. It later lifted all warnings and said a minor swelling of about 1 foot (30 centimeters) was observed on Chichi's shorelines about 40 minutes after the quake.
Scores of residents of Chichi, which is about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Tokyo, and nearby Haha islands rushed to community centers and school buildings before the warnings were lifted. Island fisheries official Tomoo Yamawaki said fishermen moved boats from the coast "to protect them from the tsunami."
The quake took place at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers), the Meteorological Agency said. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.4.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.
Firebrand Muslim cleric and terrorist suspect Abu Bakar Baasyir underwent successful cataract surgery Monday.
Baasyir's lawyer, Ahmad Michdan, said Baasyir was able to see with his left eye, which was the one operated on.
“He can see things that are close now, but he needs glasses to see long distances,” he said Tuesday as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.
Baasyir underwent surgery at Aini Eye Hospital. It is expected he will stay there until Wednesday, or until he has made a full recovery.
Indonesians living and working in Malaysia are concerned they may not be able to spectate at the Asean Football Federation Cup final first leg on Dec. 26 because the host nation may reserve the vast majority of its tickets for Malaysians.
Anshari, a worker from East Java, said he had started looking for a ticket on Tuesday to ensure he could attend the match.
“I am afraid of not being able to get a ticket,” he said as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.
Ali Hisyam, an Indonesian student in Kuala Lumpur, said he was also scouring for a ticket.
“I have called the local soccer association, they said the tickets will be available on Thursday,” he said.
The Jakarta police dismissed 38 of its officers in 2010, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Baharudin Djafar says.
Of that number, 23 were dismissed for desertion, eight were involved in drug cases, and seven were dismissed for various forms of misconduct, including theft, receiving stolen goods, fraud, and abandoning their spouse.
“They don’t have any rights any more in the police, in terms of salary, other rights and police attributes,” said Baharudin as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday.
The Jakarta government has reiterated its ambition to build six underground stations as part of the Mass Rapid Transit system by 2016.
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said on Monday his administration had begun to acquire land along the planned MRT route from Lebak Bulus to Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, a total distance of 15.5 kilometers, Tribunnews.com reported.
Of that distance, the MRT will run above ground for 10.5 kilometers.
The six underground stations will be at the Al Azhar Mosque, Istora Senayan (Ratu Plaza), Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas, and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
The seven above-ground stations will be in Lebak Bulus, Fatmawati, Cipete Raya, Jalan H. Nawi, Blok A, Blok M, and Jalan Sisingamangaraja.
The budget for the MRT line is expected to reach Rp 15 trillion (US$ 1.6 billion).
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez withdrew his transfer request on Monday following "clear-the-air talks" that the club hopes will remove any instability as it chases the Premier League title.
City announced that Tevez's contract, which has 3 years to run, remains unchanged and that the Argentina international has "expressed his absolute commitment to the club."
Tevez retained the captaincy for Monday's game against Everton and received a warm reception from the home fans, but could not prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 loss that leaves City third, two points behind leader Manchester United.
The defeat soured the mood at Eastlands following the earlier news that Tevez, the club's top scorer and highest paid player, had had a dramatic change of heart.
Nine days previously, he rocked the club by demanding a move and claiming he had fallen out with Eastlands officials. Tevez's adviser also said the player was unhappy with the team's failure to qualify for the Champions League this season.
City, though, believed the transfer request - which it immediately refused to sanction - was motivated by Tevez's desire to secure a more lucrative contract with the club he joined in 2009 from Manchester United.
The standoff was reminiscent of Wayne Rooney's brief fallout with United in October, but unlike its fierce rival, City appears to have forced its star striker to back down without offering improved terms.
"Manchester City can confirm to its fans that 'clear the air' talks have been held with Carlos Tevez," the club said in a statement. "During the meeting Carlos expressed his absolute commitment to the club and formally withdrew his transfer request. Carlos' contract remains unchanged and both Carlos and the football club are keen to focus on the opportunities that lie ahead."
Tevez is seen as pivotal to City's hopes of winning the top flight title for the first time since 1968. His 10 league goals have put City on course for a top four finish and qualification for the Champions League.
"Carlos is a world class player whose contribution since he joined the club has been invaluable," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "I am pleased that we are now able to focus on pure football matters and to be able to look forward to Carlos continuing to play a significant role in the club's progress."
The statement contained no direct comment from the 26-year-old Tevez, and Mancini did not reveal what had prompted Tevez to change his mind.
"I think that it's not important," Mancini said "It's important that the situation was clear in this moment and everything went in a good way, that's important."
Mexican officials say investigators have begun probing a massive oil pipeline explosion that killed 28 people.
Valentin Meneses is interior secretary for the state of Puebla, where the blast took place in the town of San Martin Texmelucan.
Meneses says a commission has been formed in tandem with state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos to investigate.
He said Monday that 32 homes were completely destroyed and 83 partially damaged by the blast.
Authorities say thieves attempting to siphon crude caused a leak in the pipeline, and the spilled oil was later ignited by a spark from an unknown source.
Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia will support Indonesia’s national team in the away leg of the 2010 Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup 2010 final at Bukit Jalil stadium in Kulala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Dec. 26.
“We are hoping to see a lot of ‘red’ worn by the 3 million workers in the first leg of the AFF Cup final,” Aburizal Bakrie, the Golkar Party chairman, said in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by Kompas.com.
There are millions of Indonesian workers in Malaysia.
The national team’s coach, the Democratic Party chairman and the Indonesia Soccer Association (PSSI) shared the same view.
“I hope to see at least half of the stadium filled with people wearing red and white,” Alfred Riedl, the national team’s coach, said Monday.
The Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) asked the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to organize migrant workers to support Indonesia. The association said it would also meet with the Malaysian local organizing committee about arranging tickets for the supporters, as well as their security.
The South Tangerang Elections Commission has set Feb. 27 next year as the date for the re-run of the mayor elections, after the results of the first effort were thrown out by the Constitutional Court.
The ballots from the re-run will be counted from Mar. 4 to 22.
The commission said no campaigning of any kind would be allowed ahead of the re-run. The candidates, it said, could run social programs, but did not elaborate, Metrotvnews.com reported.
All candidate tickets will appear on the ballots in the re-run. The tickets are Airin Rachmy Diany-Benyamin Davnie, Arsid-Andre Taulani, Yayat Sudrajat-Narodom Sukarno, and Rhodiyah Najibhah-Sulaiman Yasin.
The Constitutional Court ordered the election be repeated after finding that Airin Rachmy Diany and Benyamin Davnie's victory had benefited from vote rigging.
Vietnam says strong winds have left five people dead and 51 others missing in the South China Sea, off the country's coast.
The government's disaster agency says the winds triggered by a cold spell caused 22 fishing vessels and a container ship to capsize between Thursday and Sunday.
It says three sailors from the container ship and 155 fishermen were rescued.
The agency said in a statement Tuesday that rescuers are searching for the missing, which include 23 sailors from the Vietnamese container ship and 28 local fishermen from three fishing vessels.
Vietnam is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people a year.
Thirteen rallies are scheduled to be held in Greater Jakarta today, according to Jakarta Police Traffic Management Centre (TMC).
Three rallies are expected to start from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the West Jakarta District Court on Jl. S. Parman, at the Health Ministry on Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, and in front of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta.
At 9 a.m., two demonstrations are expected at PT. Barito Pacific Timber (Wisma Barito Pacific Tower Jakarta), on Jl. S. Parman Kav. 62-63, West Jakarta, and at the State Enterprises Ministry on Jl. Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta.
At 10 a.m., three rallies will be staged in front of the Depok Legislative Council, in front of the City Hall on Jl. Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, and in front of Savage Building, PT. Palyja on Jl. Penjemihan Pejompongan, Central Jakarta.
Three groups of people will hold protests starting at 10 a.m. in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission office on Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, at the National Police headquarters on Jl. Trunojoyo and at the National Police Commission office on Jl. Tirtayasa VII, South Jakarta.
A protest is scheduled for 10.30 a.m. at PT. Gema Karya Abadi on Jl. Imam Bonjol KM. 44. 2 Sukadanau Cikarang Barat, Bekasi.
From 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., a rally will take place at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl. M. H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta.
Terror suspect Abu Bakar Ba’asyir is scheduled for cataract surgery on Monday at Aini Eye Hospital on Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.
It was unclear if the firebrand cleric’s left knee would also be treated despite a report that said it would be examined, Ba’asyir’s attorney Luthfie Hakim said as reported by tempointeraktif.com news portal.
Ba’asyir, who has been in police custody since August, allegedly endorsed fund-raising activities for a terrorist training camp in Aceh.
The Indonesian government wants a 7.5 percent increase in the nation’s small and medium industries sector in 2011, up from a 4.8 percent increase in the sector this year.
“We expect 7.5 percent growth next year over this year’s output, which is predicted to reach Rp 14 trillion [US$1.55 billion],” Industry Ministry SME chief Euis Saedah said on Sunday evening, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com news portal.
“We are looking to push SME growth to 12 percent a year so that SMEs can contribute 50 percent of gross domestic product by 2025,” Euis said.
The ministry would develop SMEs outside Java and its handicraft and pottery industries to reach its target, she said.
“We will develop the precious stones processing and crude palm oil derivative industries,” Euis said.
There will be 12 rallies in Jakarta on Monday, according to Jakarta's Traffic Management Center.
There will be rallies at 8 a.m. at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, and the Manpower Agency in Bekasi at 9 a.m.
Rallies are expected to start at 10 a.m. at Pos 8 Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta; the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry on Jl. Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta; again at the KPK; the National Police headquarters on Jl. Trunojoyo, South Jakarta and at the Attorney General’s Office on Jl. Sultan Hasanudin, South Jakarta.
At 11 a.m. demonstrations are expected at the MTR 2 Hotel & Lounge on Jl. Boulevard Bukit Gading Raya, North Jakarta; the Greater Jakarta Tourism Office on Jl. Kuningan Barat, South Jakarta and the Home Ministry on Jl. Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta.
Rallies are expected to start at 2 p.m. at the KPK and at PT. Semakin Makmur (SEMAK) Cikupa, Tangerang.
Indonesian coach Alfred Riedl says fellow AFF Cup finalist Malaysia has become a stronger team after losing to Indonesia in the group stage.
“We have a 50-50 chance. We have beaten Malaysia 5-1 in the group stage, but they are now different,” he said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com news portal.
Riedl asked his players to concentrate on Malaysia after they twice defeated the Philippines 1-0 in the semifinal leg matches.
Malaysia beat Vietnam 2-0 in the first leg of semifinals and held them to a 0-0 draw in the second.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry has chosen the theme "The Protection of Neglected Children in the Effort of Poverty Eradication" for its commemoration of International Human Rights Day on Dec. 20.
The event was held in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy, the European Union and UNICEF.
According to the National Development Planning Agency, 32 million Indonesians, or 14.4 percent of the population, lived in poverty in 2010. (gzl
The number of asylum seekers believed killed when their boat smashed into rocky cliffs along an Australian island has risen to 48.
Thirty bodies have been recovered since a rickety boat packed with Iraqi, Iranian and Kurdish asylum seekers smashed into the rocks on Christmas Island last week.
Forty-two people were rescued from the churning surf. Officials have been interviewing survivors in attempts to determine how many people were on board so they can clarify how many are still missing.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday it appears about 90 asyum seekers were on the boat, which means 18 people remain unaccounted for.
She says it's likely that the bodies of some of those people will never be recovered.
The Indonesian national team will reap a Rp 2.5 billion (US$280,000) bonus after its victorious advance to the 2010 Asean Football Federation Cup finals.
Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) chairman Nurdin Halid said on Sunday evening that he would give the bonus to the players himself, as reported by kompas.com news portal.
Indonesia twice defeated the Philippines 1-0 in the semifinal leg matches for the 2010 AFF Cup.
The Red-and-White squad will meet Malaysia in the finals on Dec. 26 in Kuala Lumpur and Dec. 29 in Jakarta.
South Korea will go ahead with live firing drills Monday despite North Korea's threat to retaliate, the South's military said, sharply ramping up tensions as the U.N. failed to find a solution.
Marines will conduct the one-day artillery drills on Yeonpyeong Island - shelled by a North Korean artillery barrage last month - and the exact timing will be determined by weather conditions, an officer at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
South Korea's military will "immediately and stenly" deal with any possible provocation by North Korea, the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department rules.
Residents, local officials and journalists on the island were ordered to evacuate to underground shelters because of possible attacks by North Korea, he said.
Yonhap nws agency, citing an unidentified military officer, said the firing may start as early as around 11 a.m. (0200 GMT). The Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said he couldn't confirm the report.
The orth has warned of a "catastrophe" if South Korea goes ahead with the drills.
The North has said it would strike back harder than it did last month, when two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed on the island.
The U.N. Security Council failed Sunday to agree on a statement to address rsing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said the United States and other council members demanded that the council condemn North Korea for two deadly attacks this year that have helped send relations to their lowest point in decades. But diplomats said China strongly objected.
After eight hours of closed-door consultations Sunday, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who called the emergency council meeting, told reporters "we were not successful in bridging all the bridges."
Although some countries still need to consult capitals, Rice said "the gaps that remain are unliely to be bridged."
The South Jakarta District Court is expected to issue verdicts on Monday for four defendants implicated in a deadly brawl in Blowfish Bar and Kitchen in South Jakarta in April.
Prosecutors have demanded that the defendants - David Too, Rando Lili, Bernardus Malelak, and Kanor Lolo - be sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.
The South Jakarta District Court is expected to announce on Monday verdicts in the cases of graft suspect Andi Kosasih and his former attorney, Lambertus Palang Ama.
Andi was accused of conspiring with graft suspect and former low-level tax official Gayus Tambunan to reduce his companies’ tax payments.
The businessman alleged that Rp 28 billion (US$3.1 million) discovered by investigators in Gayus’ bank account was a payment for a land deal he made with Gayus.
Lambertus Palang Ama allegedly brokered the suspect land deal.
Prosecutors demanded that Andi be sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and fined Rp 6 billion and that Lambertus be sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment and a Rp 150 million fine.
Prosecutors alleged that the land deal was bogus and falsified to appear as if it occurred before Gayus was involved in Andi’s case.
The House of Representatives passed the revised bill on the 2008 Political Parties Law during the plenary meeting Thursday.
The bill was passed with the unanimous agreement of lawmakers.
"The government and the House of Representatives have succeeded in agreeing to changes in the 2008 Law on Political Parties," said Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi.
He added that the changes were necessary to keep abreast of the public's political demands and developments of Indonesia's democracy.
Key changes in the passed law include the formation of a body within political parties to settle internal disputes, reducing the number of people initially forming a political party from 50 to 30, and requiring each political party to submit a financial report to the government on the use of the state budget. (gzl)
The Jakarta Police will deploy an extra 3,000 officers to beef up security during the soccer match between Indonesia and the Philippines tonight following the confirmed schedule that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will attend.
Personnel will be stationed in the vicinity of the Bung Karno Sports Complex as well as along the roads around it to help ease the expected heavy traffic gridlock.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Baharudin Djafar said police would team with the organizers to mount five giant screens to allow those without tickets to watch the match outside the stadium.
The National Police patrol boats, Bisma 520 and Jalak 635, intercepted 16 Vietnamese boats, arresting their 157 crew on the Natuna waters in Riau Islands, allegedly for illegal fishing.
Bisma 520 tugging eight boats to Batam, arrived this morning, and Jalak 635 pulled another eight boats to West Kalimantan.
Bisma 520 commander Comr. Sigit N Hidayat said that these boats failed to show any legal documents and they were charged for violating the 2004 Fisheries Law and the 1992 Aviation and Immigration Law.
Police seized from them 20 tons of fish worth Rp 11 billion (US$1.22 million)
“We've submitted all the evidence to Riau Island Police,” Sigit was quoted by kompas.com as saying.
The Association of Indonesian Public Accountants (IAPI) announced that Suyanto, the witness who testified in last week’s trial of money laundering suspect Bahasyim Assafie, was not registered as a public accountant, despite being widely quoted as one.
"He is not a member of the IAPI. We checked and he does not have an accountant permit from the Finance Ministry," Tarko Sunaryo, IAPI's secretary-general said.
Last Tuesday, Suyanto testified as an expert witness in former tax official Bahasyim's case. Various media quoted him as a public accountant.
Bahasyim, whose Rp 61 billion ($6.8 million) wealth is stored in more than 10 bank accounts under his and his family members' names, is suspected of money laundering and extortion.
During his testimony, Suyanto said the money was gained through legal means such as businesses and investments.
Suyanto also said the suspicious transfer of Rp 1 billion from Kartini Mulyadi's account to Bahasyim wife's account, to the family's fund manager, and back to the wife's account, was because Kartini was lending them money for business and the family had intended to return the money.
Tarko said that Suyanto was discovered to be staff at a public accountant's office.
"If he was acting under a superior's order [and was claiming to be a public accountant] then the superior could be given a sanction," Tarko said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is keeping to his promise that he will watch the 2010 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup semifinal match between Indonesia and the Philippines tonight at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) secretary-general Nugraha Besoes confirmed the information.
“The President bought 400 VVIP tickets,” he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
A VVIP ticket costs Rp 500,000 (US$55.5), meaning that Yudhoyono spent Rp 200 million to attend the match.
The match's organizer has raised the ticket price for the West VIP section from Rp 205,000 to Rp 350,000. Tickets for the East VIP section also rose from Rp 150,000 to Rp 250,000 while tickets for other seating categories increased from Rp 25,000 to Rp 50,000.
