Garuda targets 35.2 million passengers in 2015

Indonesian flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia has announced that it is targeting to transport 35.2 million passengers in 2015, based on continuing positive signals from the Indonesian economy, the airline’s director says.

An Attorney General’s Office (AGO) official says the prosecutor monitoring commission has received 1,500 reports regarding problematic prosecutors so far this year.

Stop the slaughtering: An activist wearing an orangutan mask plays dead in front of the Jakarta Police Headquarters during a rally staged by ProFauna Indonesia protesting the slaughter of orangutans in Kalimantan by palm oil producers. An investigation is currently being carried out by the National Police Not ready yet: Imparsial operational director Bhatara Ibnu (From left to right), program director Al Araf and Research Coordinator Gufron deliver the organization’s stance on a discourse on giving military officers the right to vote in general elections. Imparsial argued that the military was not ready to participate in a democratic election. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) Tax men: Two tax officers collect data from a shop owner in Temanggung, West Java, on Thursday, as part of a tax census and education program. (Antara/Anis Efizudin) We want more: Thousands of labor workers stage a rally in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday, creating massive traffic congestion. The workers were demanding that the local government raise workers’ minimum pay. (Antara/M. Agung Rajasa) On tap: An employee of Pertamina Hulu Energy Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ) is working at the firm’s production site in Blanakan district in Subang, West Java, on Thursday. PHE ONWJ supplies gas for a power plant and Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, and for fertilizer producer Pupuk Kujang’s factory in Cikampek, Central Java. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama) Newlyweds: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s youngest son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, touches the forehead of his bride, Siti Rubi Aliya Rajasa, during their wedding ceremony at Cipanas State Palace in West Java on Thursday, while the President and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono look on. The Navy Day: Cadets stand on the sail yards of the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtemoc as it arrives at the port of Acapulco, Mexico, marking the Day of the Navy on Wednesday (Thursday in Jakarta). The sail training vessel Cuauhtemoc, named after the last Aztec emperor, returned to port after being at sea for nine months. The new speaker: In this photo taken on March 23, 2011, Peter Slipper (right) the deputy speaker of Australia’s House of Representatives, meets with Rebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, in Parliament House, Canberra. Australia's Parliament elected opposition lawmaker Slipper as its new House speaker on Thursday.

GM to export $900 million in autos, parts to China

The Associated Press | Mon, 01/24/2011 11:23 AM | Business

General Motors Co. says it plans to export $900 million in vehicles and parts to China under a two-year agreement signed with its flagship joint venture, Shanghai GM.

The agreement was among various trade and investment deals signed in connection with Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States, the company said in a release Sunday.

Vehicle exports will be worth $500 million and components worth $400 million under the agreement. The amount of GM's current exports, excluding the deal, was not immediately available.

"We are committed to working with both countries to promote bilateral trade," Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group.

China overtook the U.S. to become the world's biggest auto market, by sales of new vehicles, in 2009. Last year, passenger car sales rose by a third to 13.7 million vehicles, while total vehicle sales topped 18 million.

GM's strong growth in China and other fast growing emerging markets has proven a lifeline in tough times, helping to offset lagging growth in the U.S. and Europe.

Shanghai GM sold 1.03 million vehicles in China last year, as the country's leading passenger car maker. Overall, GM and its joint ventures sold 2.35 million vehicles in China in 2010, up nearly 29 percent from a year earlier.

During the summit between Hu and President Barack Obama, China announced $45 billion in contracts and said it would increase its investments in the U.S. by several billion dollars - deals that Obama said will support 235,000 American jobs.