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Singapore in smog alarm as Indonesia forest fires rage
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Smog levels in Singapore hit a record high on Wednesday as raging forest fires from neighbouring Indonesia triggered a major health alarm and sent residents of the densely populated city-state scrambling for face masks.Singapore's air pollutant index soared past the government-designated "hazardous" level of 300 before midnight as officials in both countries ...
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Fuel consumption up ahead of price rise
State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina's corporate communication vice president Ali Mundakir in Jakarta on Wednesday described significant increases in premium and diesel fuel consumption ahead of price rises expected later this week.On Tuesday, consumption of premium reached 90,000 kiloliters, up by 12.5 percent from the normal 80,000 kiloliters.Meanwhile, the diesel fuel consumption ...
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Singapore chokes in smoke from Indonesian blazes
Singaporeans rolled back military training, kept cough-stricken children indoors and considered wearing protective masks to work after a smoky haze triggered by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia caused air pollution to briefly hit its worst level in nearly 16 years. Singapore's main measurement of air quality has hovered in the "unhealthy" classification as smoke from roaring blazes on ...
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Indonesia Military tribunals being used to shield human rights violators
The trial of 12 Kopassus (Special Forces Command) soldiers accused of the extrajudicial execution of four detainees is likely to be little more than a sham warned Amnesty International as the military hearing opens on Thursday."These courts should never be used to try those accused of human rights violations. They are biased, and they create an intimidating environment for witnesses to ...
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Indonesia To Make Rain To End Sumatra Fires
Indonesia is to use weather changing technology to try to produce rain to put out raging fires on Sumatra island that have cloaked neighbouring Singapore in thick haze. The city-state, home to 5.3 million inhabitants, has been pressing Jakarta to take action over the fires which have pushed air pollutant levels on the island to a 16-year high. The government planned to use a technology ...
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Ibris Group plans $1.8 bln Indonesian nickel smelter
JAKARTA, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:46pm EDT JAKARTA, June 19 (Reuters) - Ibris Group, a Singapore-based miner, announced plans to build a $1.8 billion nickel pig iron plant in Sulawesi, the latest in a series of smelter projects after Indonesia began tightening controls on ore exports. Indonesia, the world's top nickel ore exporter, has been pushing for greater returns from its ...
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RI knows what to do with haze says Marty
Amid criticism from neighboring countries Malaysia and Singapore, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa spoke firmly about the cross-border haze on Wednesday, saying that ASEAN members should have collaborated to address the situation rather than apportioning blame. "The sentiment must be one of collaboration, partnership, not blaming here and there. Let's focus on putting the fire ...
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Mayora books extra profits from last year
Publicly listed food manufacturer PT Mayora Indah Tbk announced that it managed to increase its net profits by up to 53.97 percent last year. "We have benefited from the stable price of raw materials and fair bank interest rates," PT Mayora Indah Tbk president director Andre Suhendra told reporters after a shareholders meeting (RUPS) at Imperial Aryaduta hotel in Karawaci, ...
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Komnas HAM declares Cebongan prison killings a human rights violation
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) says that the murder of police detainees by a group of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) soldiers was a human rights violation and is urging for the military tribunal to explore the case to find more possible actors.Komnas HAM, the sole institution authorized to make such judgment, announced on Wednesday that the incident in Sleman ...
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AirAsia to fly to 2 more Indonesian cities from Singapore
Low-cost carrier AirAsia will fly from Singapore directly to the Indonesian cities of Medan and Surabaya, it announced on Wednesday.There will be two flights daily to and from Medan, and one daily to and from Surabaya.The expansion is a result of the demand growing for both leisure and business travelers, the Straits Times quoted an AirAsia spokesman as saying.The company also said that it is ...
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KPK urged to protect key witnesses in Nazaruddin case
A group of non-government organizations (NGOs) has asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to protect key witnesses in the corruption and money-laundering cases implicating former Democrat Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin."We are asking the KPK to coordinate with the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Witness and ...
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Pilots go on strike in Indonesia some flights delayed cancelled
Hundreds of pilots of leading carrier Garuda Indonesia staged a strike on Thursday that cause flight delays and cancellations in several airports in the country.The strike started since midnight Thursday after the president of Garuda Pilot Association Stephanus Gerardus told his colleagues to stop flight."This morning (Thursday) at 03:15 a.m. Jakarta time we instructed (the pilots) not to ...
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Thick haze sparks respiratory infections in Riau
Thick haze blanketing Bengkalis regency and Dumai City in Riau over the last few days has increased the number of respiratory infections.In Bengkalis, the number of people suffering from respiratory infections reached 531 as of June 17, jumping from only 387 a month earlier."The sharp increase in the number of respiratory infection cases has been caused by the thick haze blanketing the ...
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Rural poor to get second priority for cash assistance
The poor living outside the major metropolis might have to wait a little longer to receive the government's direct cash assistance (BLSM).Coordinating Minister For People's Welfare Agung Laksono said in Jakarta on Wednesday that the disbursement of the BLSM in rural areas would have to wait due to access problems."The disbursement will begin in 12 major cities, then the rest will ...
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Haze update Indonesia to use rain-making technology to stop fires
An Indonesian firefighter extinguishes a fire near a forest area of Pekanbaru in Riau province located in Sumatra island on Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Indonesia plans to use weather changing technology to try to unleash torrents of rain and extinguish raging fires on Sumatra island that have cloaked neighbouring Singapore in thick haze, an official said on Wednesday. -- PHOTO: ...
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Croc kills pregnant woman in Indonesia
A PREGNANT woman has been killed and her three-year-old son is missing after they were attacked by a crocodile in eastern Indonesia, a local official ...
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Worsening haze from Indonesia angers Singapore tourists
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore's smog crisis from Indonesian forest fires worsened Wednesday as air pollution levels reached a 16-year high, triggering a run on medical masks and angry complaints from foreign tourists and locals.The city-state's Pollutant Standards Index soared to 172 at mid-afternoon, well past the officially designated "unhealthy" threshold of 100, according ...
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SE Asia Stocks-Flat to weaker ahead of Fed Indonesia off high
BANGKOK, June 19 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets ended mostly weaker to flat on Wednesday as investors trimmed positions in the emerging region ahead of the results of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting. Share markets rose in early trade as the recently oversold region extended a rebound this week. But trading volume of all six Southeast Asian bourses dropped below a monthly ...
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PM to visit Indonesia to discuss boats
Prime Minister Julia Gillard will travel to Indonesia next month to discuss ways of combating people smuggling and terrorism.Ms Gillard will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on July 5 to discuss a number of political, security and commercial issues.The talks, which are part of the annual Indonesia-Australia Leaders' Meeting, will canvas issues around education, trade, climate change ...
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Indonesia April retail sales growth picks up to 9.7 pct yy
JAKARTA, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:10am EDT JAKARTA, June 19 (Reuters) - Indonesia's retail sales in April rose 9.7 percent from a year earlier, bolstered by information and communication equipment, a Bank Indonesia survey showed on Wednesday. The growth rate accelerated from a revised 9.3 percent the previous month. But sales fell on a monthly basis due to a contraction in food, ...
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Tony Abbott says hell stop the boats as Julia Gillard prepares for Indonesia trip
TONY Abbott has reiterated his commitment to stopping the boats and says he will "make a difference from day one" despite attacks from Julia Gillard that his rhetoric has softened. As the Prime Minister confirmed she will travel to Indonesia next month for talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mr Abbott said it was too little, too late. "She really has left it a long, long ...
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Bali governor urged to take action against illegal turtle trade
Members of ProFauna wave banners and posters calling for an end to the illegal turtle trade while submitting of a petition to Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday. As many as 15,000 people have signed the petition which urges the government to take tough measures against the illegal trade in turtles and their eggs that is common in ...
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Indonesia to reduce mosque volumes
Indonesia's National Mosque Council is set to adjust the volume of more than 250,000 mosques, following complaints that they have become too ...
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Singapore pollution soars as haze from Indonesia hits air quality
An office worker in Singapore walks to work. Smoke haze is an annual problem for the country and its neighbour Malaysia. Photograph: Edgar ...
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PDI-P continues resistance against fuel price hike on the streets
Thousands of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) members launch a long march to the State Palace in Jakarta to protest against the recent subsidized-fuel price hike.Kontan.co.id reported that the mass gathered at the Tugu Proklamasi at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday and began their march at 10:30 a.m.PDI-P senior politician Ribka Tjiptaning said that the march was the last ditch of ...
Indonesia Feature
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Indonesia and Singapore: model of inter-dependence?
Indonesia is a regional power in South East Asia, but lacks the development and economic wealth of smaller nations, such as the tiny state of Singapore. Hence, it makes sense for the two countries to cooperate closely with one another as Indonesia has natural resources Singapore needs and Singapore has the financial strength Indonesia needs.
Indonesia is the sleeping giant of South East Asia. With a population of 288 million, a land mass the size of Mexico and territorial waters that could fill half of China, it’s an immense country and a regional power within the geopolitical organization known as ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations). Indonesia takes up almost half the area occupied by the ASEAN countries and accounts for one third of its GDP. Read more
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