RI EXPECTED TO RATIFY TWO SIGNIFICANT ENVIRO ACCORDS by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 29, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia, as one of the world`s mega diversity countries and a main "exporter" of haze in Southeast Asia, has planned to ratify two significant agreements, respectively on the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and ASEAN Agreement on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).
      "The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity" is a legally binding international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.

GOVT CAUTIOUS OF JAPAN RADIATION IMPACTS, PUTS PEOPLE AT EASE by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 26, 2011 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last Thursday (March 24) chaired a plenary cabinet meeting to discuss the impacts of Japan`s Fukushima nuclear radiation on Indonesia.
      The meeting decided to tighten food imports from Japan by compelling the Japanese government to issue radiation-free certificates for food to be exported to Indonesia, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said following the cabinet meeting, as reported by Pikiran Rakyat Online.

COALITION AIR STRIKES ON LIBYA DRAW CONDEMNATION IN INDONESIA by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 24, 2011 (ANTARA) - The western coalition`s air strikes on Libya have been denounced as unacceptable by various parties in Indonesia because they had killed Libyan civilians on the pretext of protecting the Libyan opposition.
      The Western military attacks were in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1973 that approved a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized "all necessary measures" for protecting civilians there from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi`s forces.

PARCEL BOMB SCARE GRIPS RESIDENTS IN MANY REGIONS by Fardah

        Jakarta, March 22, 2011 (ANTAR) - Over the past one week, residents in several Indonesian regions have been terrorized by issues of parcel bombs which have been reported among other things in Jakarta, Cibubur, Bandung (West Java), Tangerang (Banten), Medan (North Sumatra), Surabaya (East Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi).
      No one has been killed so far by parcel bombs, and only three policemen were injured when one of them was trying to defuse a parcel bomb sent to Ulil Abshar Abdallah, a founder of the Islam Liberal Network (JIL), at Utan Kayu, Jakarta, on March 15, 2011.

INDONESIA HELPS JAPAN AS TOKEN OF SYMPATHY by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 18, 2011 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has announced its pledge to donate respectively US$2 million and US$500,000 to Japan and New Zealand, both recently hit by strong earthquakes.
     This is to show the Indonesian nation`s sympathy to Japan and New Zealand as fellow earthquake-prone nations, according to Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono.

WIKILEAKS "SHAKES" PRESIDENTIAL PALACE by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 11, 2011 (ANTARA) - While Japan was rocked by a powerful earthquake on Friday, the presidential palace in Jakarta was also "shaken" by Wikileaks documents published in two Australian dailies, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
      "He was shocked, it`s unexpected. We see that the news is inaccurate and presented in a careless way," presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said at a press conference here Friday, describing the first reaction of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when finding out about the news on Thursday evening.

RI LAUNCHES INDONESIAN SHOE DAY TO BOOST DOMESTIC FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 10, 2011 (ANTARA) - With the launching of Indonesia`s Shoe Day, more people can be expected to wear Batik clothes and Indonesian-made shoes every Friday as of March 11.
      National Shoe Day was officially kicked off by Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu in Jakarta, Wednesday (March 9), to encourage the Indonesian people to wear locally made shoes every Friday at least.

LA NINA HELPS CURB FOREST FIRES by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 5, 2011 (ANTARA) - Only one hot spot of forest and bush fires was detected by NOAA Satellite on Sumatra Island on Friday (March 4), compared to tens of hot spots a few days ago. 

       "For Sumatra, just one hot spot was detected, namely in South Sumatra Province. There is none in Riau Province, thanks to rains which have fallen in Riau including Dumai over the past several days," Marzuki, an official of the Riau Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said in Dumai, Riau Province, Friday.

INDONESIANS STRUGGLE TO GET OUT OF STRIFE-TORN LIBYA by Fardah

     Jakarta, Mar 1, 2011 (ANTARA) - Amid chaotic conditions and violence in Libya, a number of Indonesian nationals, like other foreigners of various nationalities, have struggled to get out of the strife-torn country.
     Some 253 Indonesians making up the first batch of evacuees coordinated by the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry, arrived at Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, Saturday evening (Feb. 26) aboard a chartered Tunisair.