WAITING FOR HIGHER EMISSION CUT PLEDGES TO SAVE EARTH By Fardah

     Jakarta, March 22, 2010 (ANTARA) - Scientists have warned that the earth`s temperature rise should be limited to no more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times by the end of the century if devastating climate change is to be avoided.
     The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its report noted that this can only happen if global greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2015 and rich nations slash their carbon pollution levels by 25 percent - 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISTS : TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL By Fardah

     Jakarta, March 18, 2010 (ANTARA) - Many parties have applauded the Indonesian police for their most recent successes in fighting terrorists in Tangerang (Banten Provice) and Aceh Province, but some have expressed regrets about the harsh way the police had handled them.
       The Densus-88 anti-terror police shot dead three terror suspects in two separate places in South Tangerang, Banten Province, last March 9, 2010. One of the dead victims was Dulmatin, a most-wanted terror suspect.

REBUILDING TRUST TOWARDS MEXICO CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT By Fardah

       Jakarta, March 10, 2010 (ANTARA) - A number of countries attending an informal meeting on climate change in Bali last February emphasized the urgency of rebuilding trust in the runup to the Mexico Climate Change Summit late this year.
       "The greatest challenge facing all countries towards Mexico is to rebuild trust," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa told the press after chairing an informal ministerial level meeting on climate change in Nusa Dua, Bali Province, on February 26, 2010.

IS THERE EMPATHY FOR STREET CHILDREN? by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 5, 2010 (ANTARA) - "Though deprived of my rights, I still want to devote my life to the nation..." said part of the lyrics of a song 9-year-old Irwan sang in a public minibus at the Kampung Melayu bus station recently.
      It might be a mere `illusion` for a street child like Irwan to make a `big contribution` to the nation as even to buy simple meals, he has to beg, which is a violation of Jakarta`s Bylaw No. 8/2007 endorsed by the home affairs ministry in early 2008.
    The new ordinance, which replaces a 19-year-old bylaw on public order, bans residents from selling goods on the streets, sidewalks, pedestrian bridges and other public spaces. It also prohibits people from giving money to beggars, buskers and street children.

News Focus: Preserving Marine `amazon` To Curb Climate Change by Fardah

    Jakarta. March 4, 2010  (ANTARA News) - Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad has compared Indonesia`s marine and coastal ecosystem to the Amazon rainforests for sharing carbon sink role.
     Indonesia is one of the world`s largest maritime countries with about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory. Forests, oceans and adjoining marine ecosystems are like the lungs of the atmosphere.

INT'L COOPERATION CRUCIAL TO PREVENT HAZARDOUS WASTE IMPORTS by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 1, 2010 (ANTARA) - As a vast archipelago country, Indonesia has at least 2,000 locations which are potential entry points of illegal imports of hazardous and chemical wastes.
      Therefore, it was not a surprise when Environment Minister Prof Gusti 0Muhammad Hatta recently said that Indonesia was vulnerable to illegal trafficking in hazardous substances and wastes.
       "We believe that international cooperation and agreements, at both global and regional level, are crucial in tackling these challenges," the minister said in his opening address at the Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COPS) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali Province, Feb. 22-24.