GREEN ECONOMICS BENEFICIAL TO INDONESIA by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 28, 2011 (ANTARA) - The application of green economics principles in Indonesia is relatively new, but the nation as well as international experts have seen significant benefits of the policy.
       The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in its new report entitled "The Orangutan and the Economics of Forest Conservation in Sumatra" which was launched in Jakarta, on September 28, 2011, said conserving key rainforests in Indonesia could generate considerable revenues and multiple Green Economy benefits from combating climate change, securing water supplies and improved livelihoods while throwing a life line to the world`s remaining populations of orangutans.

POLICE SEE LINK BETWEEN SOLO , CIREBON SUICIDE BOMBERS by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 27, 2011 (ANTARA) - Police have linked Ahmad Urip, the perpetrator of Sunday`s suicide bombing attack on a church in Solo, to Mochamad Syarif who died in the same way in a Cirebon mosque last April.
       "Ahmad was a member of JAT`s Cirebon chapter, and also a friend of Mochamad Syarif, the suicide bomber at the Adz Zikra Mosque in Cirebon (on April 15, 2011)," Inspector General Anton Bachrul Alam, the head of the National Police`s public relations division, told the press in Jakarta on Tuesday (Sept 27).

GOVT MOVES FORWARD TO REALIZE CO2 EMISSION CUT PLEDGE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 26, 2011 (ANTARA) - The government has signed at least two important decrees this month to support its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 26 percent by 2020 in order to tackle climate change`s impacts.
      First, on September 8, 2011, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) signed Presidential Decree Decree No. 25 of 2011 to extend the work period for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Task Force, until December 31, 2012.

GOVT PREPARES PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE FISHERMEN'S WELFARE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 24, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has the world`s second longest coastlines after Canada, and therefore it is not surprising if around 60 percent of its total 237 million population live in coastal areas.
      Despite Indonesia`s huge marine potentials, however, Indonesia has so far been able to utilize only eight percent of its marine potentials, according to Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad recently.
      Most of people living in coastal areas are fishermen and they reside in a total of around 10,300 coastal villages, and some 25.6 percent of them are underprivileged.

INDONESIA POISED TO BECOME GLOBAL HOME OF BATIK by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 23, 2011 (ANTARA) - Batik lovers must not miss this upcoming event - a World Batik Summit to be held at the Jakarta Convention Center, from September 28 to October 2, 2011.
       To be organized by the Indonesian Batik Foundation (YBI) in cooperation with the government, the Batik Summit will consist of two main events: the World Batik Exhibition (WBE) and the World Batik Conference (WBC).

C KALIMANTAN HOSTS REDD+ PILOT PROJECT by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 22, 2011 (ANTARA) - Central Kalimantan Province which still has a vast area of virgin forests has been selected to host a REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus) pilot project , a program designed to preserve forest ecosystems and tackling climate change.
       The initial pilot project was launched by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gregory Laurence Moriarty in Kapuas District, Central Kalimantan Province, last September 15, 2011.

RI wants to see Palestine gains statehood through UN by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 22, 2011 (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has expressed its support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas`s intention to secure full United Nations membership for his country with the formal bid to be made on Friday, September 23, 2011.
     The support was once again expressed by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Riad al-Maliki on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly session at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday (Sept 20).

RI BOOSTING INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE COOPERATION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Sept 21, 2011 (ANTARA) - The year 2011 has witnessed significant defense cooperation forging activity between Indonesia and a few other nations such as Russia, South Korea, China, Serbia, and India.

     The international cooperation is in accordance with the government`s plan to modernize the country`s main armament system (Alutsista) in order to optimally support the National Defense Forces in carrying out its tasks to protect the national land, maritime and air territories.

TNI TO MODERNIZE ITS MAIN ARMAMENT SYSTEM by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 20, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia`s National Defense Forces (TNI), with the support of the government and the parliament, is determined to modernize its main armament system in order to be able to properly protect the country`s land, maritime and air territories.
      The government`s commitment to improve the TNI`s armament system was expressed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his state address delivered on August 16 before members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR), and Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

FOREST FIRES COULD HINDER C02 CUTTING EFFORTS by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 18, 2011 (ANTARA) - Forest fire hot spots have been detected in around 10 provinces in Indonesia during the present dry season which has also triggered water crisis especially on Java Island.
      The forestry ministry`s data obtained from NOAA Satellite 18, showed that there were 22,120 hot spots throughout Indonesia from January to September 12, 2011.

PT FREEPORT WORKERS ON MONTH-LONG STRIKE OVER WAGE RISE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 17, 2011 (ANTARA) - Thousands of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) workers left the mining site of Tembagapura for Timika, Mimika District, Papua Province, Thursday (Sept. 15), to begin a one-month strike to demand a salary rise.
      Freeport`s underground mining operations have been totally halted since Wednesday (Sept. 14) at 10.30 pm local time, Oktavianus Hisage, one of the US copper and gold mining company`s workers, said in Timika on Thursday.

VISITS OF THREE ASEAN MEMBERS' LEADERS STRENGTHEN BILATERAL, REGIONAL TIES by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 15, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia, the current ASEAN Chair, was visited by the leaders of three other ASEAN member countries, namely the Thai prime minister, the Vietnamese prime minister and Singapore`s deputy prime minister, earlier this week.
      President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his guests discussed bilateral cooperation that in turn will help strengthen ASEAN regional cooperation.

DELAY, CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS BUG E-ID CARD PROJECT by Fardah

    Jakarta, Sept 14, 2011 (ANTARA) - The electronic identity (e-ID) card project has gained media attention due to the late arrival of equipment delaying the project`s implementation, and corruption allegations.
      The e-ID card or e-KTP program was supposed to have been launched in several cities simultaneously on August 1, 2011.

RI AGAIN GARNERS SUPPORT FOR PALESTINE'S BID FOR UN MEMBERSHIP by Fardah

       Jakarta, Sept 12, 2011 (ANTARA) - As a staunch supporter of Palestine, Indonesia once again lobbied Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members to support Palestine`s bid for full UN membership.
      A number of NAM member states had yet to recognize Palestine`s independence and therefore, the Indonesian government approached them, Michael Tene, a spokesman of the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry, said in Jakarta, on September 9, 2011.

GOVT DETERMINED TO FIGHT FOREST FIRES AS HOT SPOTS PROLIFERATE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 9, 2011 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government appears to be determined to reduce the number of forest fire hot spots by 20 percent annually in order to help meet the country`s pledge to cut its gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020.
       "Indonesia has successfully reduced the number of forest fires over the past three years, and this year, the government is determined to do a similar thing as the National Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted a prolonged drought since May," the forestry ministry`s Forestry Protection and Nature Conservation Director General (PHKA) Darori said here on Wednesday (Sept 7).

ACEH EARTHQUAKE FELT IN THREE RI PROVINCES, MALAYSIA by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 7, 2011 (ANTARA) - In the wee hours of Tuesday (Sept 6), a number of Sumatran people who were soundly asleep in their beds, were shocked and immediately rushed out of their houses in panic as they felt a strong tremor that lasted up to two minutes.
      They were awakened by a tectonic earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale that rocked the western coast of southern Aceh Province, on Tuesday at 00.55 am local time, which was felt not only in Aceh, but also in North Sumatra and West Sumatra Provinces, and even in Malaysia.

IDUL FITRI TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS UP, POLICE TO EVALUATE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 5, 2011 (ANTARA) - Millions of Idul Fitri travelers hit the roads again in a reverse Idul Fitri exodus which peaked on Saturday and Sunday (September 3 and 4), after celebrating the Muslim festivity with relatives in their hometowns.
      The post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran in Indonesia, the world`s largest Muslim majority country, fell on August 31 (or August 30 for some others).

IDUL FITRI HOLIDAYS HELP BOOST DOMESTIC TOURISM INDUSTRY by Fardah

      Jakarta, Sept 3, 2011 (ANTARA) - Many of the 237-million Indonesian people are in the mood for holidaying in the post-fasting Idul Fitri Muslim festivity, as they have flocked to tourist attractions throughout the country since the past few days.
        To celebrate the Idul Fitri which fell on August 31 (or 30 for some others), the government has announced that the national holidays and joint leave days are from August 29 to to September 3, 2011. With Saturday and Sunday, the Indonesian people have nine days holidays in total for Idul Fitri 2011.