DUBES: KERJA SAMA RI-TURKI TERUS DITINGKATKAN

       Jakarta, 23/9, 2010 (ANTARA) - Indonesia berupaya untuk terus meningkatkan kerja sama dengan Turki khususnya di bidang perdagangan dan investasi, kata Dubes Indonesia untuk Turki Nahari Agustini.
       "Perdagangan bilateral antara Indonesia dan Turki yang pernah mencapai 2,1 miliar dolar AS pada 2008, diharapkan dapat meningkat menjadi sekitar lima miliar dolar dalam beberapa tahun ke depan," kata Dubes Nahari di Jakarta, Kamis, beberapa saat sebelum bertolak ke Turki untuk memulai tugasnya.

RI WANTS MORE-THAN-DOUBLE INCREASE IN TRADE WITH TURKEY: ENVOY

       Jakarta, Sept. 23, 2010 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government wants to see a more-than double increase in its bilateral trade with Turkey over the next few years , the new Indonesian ambassador to Turkey said.
      "Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Turkey reached US$2.1 billion in 2008, and is expected to rise to around US$5 billion in the next few years," Indonesian Ambassador-designate to Turkey Nahari Agustini said here Thursday before leaving for Ankara.

WAKE UP CALL FOR MEETING MDGs By Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 17, 2010 (ANTARA) - The deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) is only four years away but some countries seem to be on the brink of failure as the number of poor people globally has not decreased significantly.
       The latest warning on a possible failure came from Amnesty International which said in its press statement on Sept. 16, that the MDGs are failing the world`s poorest people because governments are ignoring and abusing their human rights.

MISERABLE LIFE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN "UNWANTED COUNTRY" by Fardah

        Jakarta, Sept 15, 2010 (ANTARA) - Just one day after Nasir (24), an Iranian illegal immigrant, died of serious depression in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT), Rahiq (28), another Iranian immigrant, was beaten by a mob for trying to escape from a detention center also in Kupang, on August 24.
        Nasir had been detained at the Kupang immigration detention center since last June after being arrested with 40 other illegal immigrants on Sumba Isle, NTT, during their attempt to reach "the New World" of Australia, located south of Indonesia.

POLICE RECORD FEWER TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DURING IDUL FITRI EXODUS By Fardah

       Jakarta, Sept 13, 2010 (ANTARA) - Police throughout Indonesia have stepped up their monitoring as millions of Idul Fitri travelers are hitting the roads again in a reverse Idul Fitri exodus.
       The government has estimated the number of travelers celebrating Idul Fitri or Lebaran post-fasting festivities in their hometowns this year at 15.5 million.
       Some 89,521 police personnel have been deployed and 2,592 security posts have been set up across the country during "Operation Ketupat" to monitor home-bound and in-bound travelers making long journeys to be with their families on the occasion of Idul Fitri, which fell on September 10, 2010.

GOVT, COMPANIES TRY TO ENSURE HOME-BOUND MOTORBIKERS' SAFETY By Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 8, 2010 (ANTARA) - Most Indonesian Muslims observe the tradition of returning to their hometowns or villages to celebrate Idul Fitri - which this year falls on September 10 - with their families.
      During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year, the number of home-bound travelers reached about 27.25 million of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles throughout the country.

CLIMATE CHANGE'S IMPACT IN INDONESIA BECOMING NEAR, REAL By Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 4, 2010 (ANTARA) - Ode (45), a fisherman of Lebak District, Banten Province, has to sell his belongings to buy food for his family as bad weather has forced him to stay away from open seas over the past two months.
       "I recently sold my television set to meet our daily needs," he told ANTARA at a local fish market in Lebak, Thursday (3/9).
       Like Ode, other fishermen in Lebak District have also complained about their meager fish catches lately due to continuing bad weather conditions marked by strong winds, rain or huge waves in the Indian Ocean.