GET USED TO EARTHQUAKES BUT REMAIN ALERT By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct. 29, 2009 (ANTARA) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono has reminded the people that due to its geography, Indonesia is vulnerable to disasters and therefore they must be prepared for that.

"We must become used to it and always be alert," she said here on Wednesday when officially opening a Women`s International Club (WIC) charity bazaar.

The warning is necessary as Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the edge of a tectonic plate which is prone to seismic upheavals.

AFTER PROMISES, ACTIONS NEEDED ON CLIMATE CHANGE By Fardah

   Jakarta, Oct. 27, 2009 (ANTARA) - Many environmentalists and experts have warned that the future of mankind depends on their actions today, not tomorrow or some time in the future. 

     Greenpeace, a global environmental NGO, delivered a similar reminder in its letter and a bouquet of flowers sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to congratulate him on his inauguration for his second presidential term, in Jakarta, last October 20, 2009. 

RI PROVIDES SOLUTION TO AUSTRALIA'S ASYLUM SEEKER PROBLEM by Fardah

      Jakarta, Oct. 21, 2009 (ANTARA) - Indonesia during the past few days did a few favors to Australia regarding Sri Lankan asylum seekers intending to go to Australia. 

       First, it was on October 11, when Indonesia's Navy intercepted a boat with about 255 Sri Lankans aboard and took them to Merak harbor, western Java, after a phone call from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono about the presence of the Tamils wanting to cross to Australia's Christmas Island.

        Second, it was when Indonesia agreed to take the latest group of 78 asylum seekers, also from Sri Lanka, from the vessel "Oceanic Viking" at an Australian Customs ship which had picked them on Sunday (Oct. 18) after sending out a distress signal in Indonesia's search and rescue zone. 

MIYABI'S VISIT CANCELED FOLLOWING CONTROVERSY By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct. 15, 2009 (ANTARA) - Maxima Pictures as the sponsor of Maria Ozawa or better known as Miyabi, has finally bowed to public protests and decided not to let the Japanese adult film star come to Indonesia.

The decision was made following a meeting between the producer and director of the film to be titled "Menculik Miyabi" or "Kidnapping Miyabi" with Interim Culture and Tourism Minister Mohammad Nuh at the minister`s office on Tuesday (Oct. 13). In the meeting, Minister Nuh gave a directive to cancel the planned visit of the Japanese porn film star to Indonesia.

NEIGHBORING MALAYSIA QUICK IN HELPING EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS By Fardah

     Jakarta, Oct. 10, 2009 (ANTARA) - You can love and fight your immediate neighbors but if you get into some trouble at home and shout for help, it is surely they who will be the first to hear and come to rescue you.

     That's what happened in December 2004 when Aceh and Nias Island, both in the northern part of Sumatra Island, were engulfed by a gigantic tsunami, and more recently, on September 30, 2009, when a magnitude-7.6 eartquake devastated West Sumatra.

GLOBAL RECOVERY ENABLING RUPIAH TO STRENGTHEN AGAINST GREENBACK By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct. 9, 2009 (ANTARA) - Signs of global economic recovery such as the fall of the US dollar in regional markets has helped the rupiah to strengthen over the past few days to its highest level this year.

The US dollar fell to its lowest level against the currencies of six major trading partners in almost 14 months as signs of global economic recovery which spurred demand for riskier assets.

RI WISHES TO LEAD IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE'S IMPACT by Fardah

    Jakarta, Oct. 5, 2009 (ANTARA) - It was quite an 'unusual' demonstration when several Harvard University students in Boston greeted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and even referred to him as 'Climate Change Hero'.

       Yellow and pink posters with messages reading "Thank You Indonesia", "Harvard Says Indonesia's Our Climate Change Hero", "President Yudhoyono World Climate Change Leader", "The Earth Our Future, Thank You Yudhoyono", were carried by the students outside their campus in Boston, the United States, on Sept. 29, 2009, when Yudhoyono arrived at the campus to speak before Harvard's faculty members, ANTARA's correspondent reported from Boston.

WORLD SHOWS SOLIDARITY OVER WEST SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct. 3, 2009 (ANTARA) - Indonesia once again witnesses the world solidarity continuously flowing to West Sumatra following a deadly magnitude-7.6 earthquake which rocked the province last Sept. 30.

At least 600 people were killed and thousands were still trapped under rubble in the West Sumatra earthquake which destroyed thousands of buildings.

The world had previously demonstrated generous solidarity when Indonesia`s Aceh Province and Nias Island were devastated by a gigantic tsunami on December 2004, Yogyakarta and some parts of Central Java were leveled by VI-VII MMI-earthquake in May 2006.

INDONESIANS TO CELEBRATE BATIK DAY ON OCT 2 By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct. 1, 2009 (ANTARA) - Employees of state-owned companies and government institutions have for years adhered to a tradition of wearing batik on every Friday of the week.

But this Friday (October 2, 2009) is special because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on all Indonesians to wear batik on that day to celebrate UNESCO`s decision to include batik in its list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" items.