Steve Jobs Statue Unveiled

 A visitor takes a picture of the statue with an iPad.

A Hungarian software company has unveiled what it said was the world's first bronze statue of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, calling him one of the greatest personalities of the modern age.

Jobs died on October 5 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. The bronze work by sculptor Erno Toth stands in the Budapest campus of architectural software maker Graphisoft.

"He was one of the greatest (personalities) in our era, that's what we wanted to express with this sculpture here," Graphisoft Chairman Gabor Bojar told Reuters.

Bojar said Jobs gave cash and computers to Graphisoft, helping it to become a global leader in architecture software from humble roots as a tiny firm in the 1980s in then-communist Hungary.

"In some ways, Apple was a religion," Bojar said at the unveiling ceremony, comparing the experts from Cupertino-based Apple who helped educate Graphisoft's engineers to evangelists.

Steve Jobs represented a technological revolution which can be compared only to the discovery of writing, Bojar said.

"We have felt his spirit every day and now it is embodied," he said. "We hope that we can deserve with our entrepreneurial culture in Hungary what this sculpture expresses as a message."

Indocement Produces 25 Mln Tons per Year

Cement maker PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk has set its production target for 2016-2017 at 25 million tons to meet growing domestic demand. The company’s production currently stood at 18.6 million tons and would be raised by 7 million tons to 25 million tons in 2016-2017, Indocement Corporate Secretary Sahat Panggabean said on Saturday.
The addition of 7 million tons would among others come from a new plant in Cirebon, West Java. The construction of the plant with a production capacity of 1.5 million tons per year was underway, he said.
"The remaining 5.5 million tons will be produced by the company’s two plants to be built in Central Java. The two plants will have a production capacity of 2.5 million tons and 3 million tons each," he said.
Built in 2010 the new plant in Cirebon was making preparations for trial production. The two plants in Central Java would be built in 2016 and 2017.
He said Indocement’s sales in the first half of 2011 reached 7.1 million tons, a 14.1 percent increase compared to 6.3 million tons in the same period last year.
Indocement held a 31.1 percent share of the domestic cement market in the first semester of 2011 compared to 31.2 percent in the same period last year. He attributed the increase in cement sales to the increasing number of development projects particularly in Java.

Indonesia's Plastic Product Imports Up Significantly

North Sumatra’s plastic and plastic product imports in the first semester of 2011 almost doubled to US$107.449 million from US$55.99 million in the same period last year.
"The imports mostly came from China," Head of the North Sumatra Provincial Statistics Office Suharno said here on Saturday.
In the first half of 2011 North Sumatra also imported plastics and plastic products from Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, he said. The plastic and plastic product imports from China consisted of daily needs, ranging from plates, drinking apparatuses to toys.
"Plastic and plastic product imports from China have shown an upward trend particularly since the Indonesia-China free trade accord was put into force," he said. Azmuni, a trader at Petisah market in Medan, added the plastic products including plate, glass and toys were in great demand.

Special Warning for All Indonesian Corruption Suspects

Minister of Law and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar said the government would keep chasing all corruption suspects on the wanted list.
"We will chase all that have been able to flee abroad," he said here on Saturday.
He said the government would hunt for not only Neneng Sri Wahyuni but also others that have fled and "we have instructed the Directorate General to set up a team to hunt for Neneng Sri Wahyuni and other wanted corrupters."
He said to find graft suspect Neneng, who is also the wife of graft suspect Nazaruddin, he would cooperate with the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as well as the foreign ministry.
"The four institutions are currently still studying the possibility of working together in a joint team like they did when they caught Nazaruddin," he said.
He said the hunt for Neneng Sri Wahyuni would be done like when arresting Nazaruddin abroad recently. "We believe Neneng Sri Wahyuni and her children are now still in Malaysia," he said.
He said the immigration office had not detected Neneng moving to other countries after July 25, 2011. "It is very likely that Neneng Sri Wahyuni is now still in Malaysia," he said.
He said he had held her passport after she was officially declared an Interpol wanted person. Neneng has been banned from traveling abroad since May 31, 2011 and named suspect.
"She has been given a travel ban and this includes the revocation of her passport," the minister said.
The immigration office, he said, has already coordinated with its representative offices abroad to anticipate the possibility of Neneng using the passport to move to other countries. Unlike Nazaruddin who has used other person’s passport to travel abroad Neneng is still using her own passport.
"Foreign representative offices will be informed about it," he said. Neneng has been named suspect in a corruption case linked to procurement at a solar power project in the ministry of manpower and transmigration in 2008.

Explosions, Gunfire Rock Tripoli as Rebels Advance

Explosions and gunfire rocked Tripoli overnight, after days of battlefield defeats left Muammar Gaddafi’s government and troops penned ever more tightly in the besieged capital by a rebel advance. Rebels said the fighting marked a final push in an uprising against the long-time leader that has raged in the North African oil-producing nation for six months, while Gaddafi dismissed it as an ill-fated attempt by “rats”.
“Those rats ... were attacked by the masses tonight and we eliminated them,” Gaddafi said in a live audio message over state television. “I know that there are air bombardments but the fireworks were louder than the sound of the bombs thrown by the aircraft.”
An official at the rebel National Transitional Council said the fighting was the beginning of the end for Gaddafi. “The zero hour has started. The rebels in Tripoli have risen up,” Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council, based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, told Reuters.
The clashes inside the city triggered celebrations among Gaddafi opponents elsewhere in the country and in the capital of neighbouring Tunisia, and fed widespread speculation Gaddafi’s 41-year rule was sliding towards collapse. Gaddafi’s information minister said the rebel incursion into Tripoli had been quickly put down, though sounds of gunfire and explosions continued into the early morning.
Fighting was still raging after midnight around Mitiga airbase in Tripoli’s Tajourah district, an area said to be under rebel control, an opposition activist told a Reuters journalist outside Libya. The gunbattles had left a number of rebels dead in the suburb of Qadah and elsewhere, along with at least three pro-Gaddafi soldiers in the Zawiyat al-Dahmania district of Tripoli, he said.
A Tripoli resident told Reuters that imams, or Muslim clerics, in parts of Tripoli called on people to rise up, using the loudspeakers on minarets. The resident said the call went out around the time people were breaking their Ramadan fast.
Earlier on Saturday evening, residents told Reuters of gunfire and street protests in several parts of Tripoli. “We can hear shooting in different places,” one residents said.
“Most of the regions of the city have gone out, mostly young people ... it’s the uprising... They went out after breaking the (Ramadan) fast.”
“They are shouting religious slogans: ’God is greatest!’" This week’s rebel advances on Tripoli have transformed the war by cutting the capital off from its main road link to the outside world and putting unprecedented pressure on Gaddafi.
Defections
Washington says his days are numbered, and reports have emerged of more defections from his ranks. President Barack Obama, on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, was receiving regular updates on Libya, a senior White House official said.
“If Tripoli eventually falls to the rebels, Gaddafi’s already limited options become even more limited. Pressure on him and his shrinking circle of loyalists has to be taking a serious toll,” a senior White House official said.
The six-month-old war came close to the Tunisian frontier after rebels suddenly seized the coastal city of Zawiyah just 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, surrounding the heavily fortified capital and severing its vital supply routes. In Tunisia, security sources said their forces had intercepted Libyan men in vehicles with weapons and fought them through the night in the desert.
They reported several casualties, but did not say whether the fighters were Libyan rebels or pro-Gaddafi soldiers cut off from Tripoli. Residents of the southern Tunisian desert town of Douz told Reuters by telephone that helicopters were swooping overhead and troops had been summoned from nearby towns to subdue the infiltrators, who rode in vehicles without number plates.
The imposition of a siege around Tripoli has trapped its residents and cut it off from fuel and food supplies. The International Organisation for Migration said on Friday it would organise a rescue operation to evacuate thousands of foreign workers, probably by sea.
Intense fighting continued in Zawiyah, home to an important oil refinery, on Saturday and rebels occupying the centre of the city said pro-Gaddafi forces showed no sign of retreat. “Gaddafi will try to take back Zawiyah at any price. He will keep shelling the hospital,” a rebel fighter said as he prepared for midday prayers in the mosque of Bir Hawisa, a nearby village where many civilians are sheltering.
“We will not let that happen. We will fight.”
East of Tripoli, fighting has been bloodier and rebel advances far slower. On Friday, opposition forces fought street battles in the city of Zlitan but suffered heavy casualties, a Reuters reporter said. A rebel spokesman said 32 rebel fighters were killed and 150 wounded.
NATO bombings
NATO warplanes have hammered Gaddafi military targets since March under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians. Gaddafi’s government has said the bombs have killed scores of innocent people, including 27 during a raid on Tripoli this week.
On Saturday, Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi spoke to U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon by telephone requesting an investigation into alleged abuses by NATO, Libyan state news agency JANA reported. JANA said Ban had promised to study the proposal.
In another potential blow to Gaddafi, a Tunisian source said Libya’s top oil official, Omran Abukraa, had arrived in Tunisia after deciding not to return to Tripoli from a trip to Italy. If confirmed, it would be the third apparent defection of a senior Gaddafi associate this week. A senior security official arrived in Rome on Monday, and rebels said on Friday that Gaddafi’s estranged former deputy Abdel Salam Jalloud had joined their side in the western mountains.
The siege of Tripoli and the prospect of a battle for the capital have added urgency to the question of Gaddafi’s fate. The leader repeatedly has vowed never to leave the country and rebels say they will not stop fighting until he is gone.
A senior U.S. official said on Saturday that the opposition must prepare to take over power soon. The United States is among more than 30 nations that have recognised the rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya’s legitimate authority.
“It is clear that the situation is moving against Gaddafi,” U.S. assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman told a news conference after meeting Libyan rebel leaders at their headquarters in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi. “The opposition continues to make substantial gains on the ground while his forces grow weaker.”

12 Dead in Plane Crash in Canadian Arctic

Twelve people were killed and three others injured Saturday when a passenger jet crashed in the Canadian Arctic, federal police said. A Boeing 737 operated by First Air with 15 people on board, four of them crew members, crashed a few kilometers (miles) from Resolute Bay in the Arctic territory of Nunavut, shortly before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT), police said.
The plane was en route from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay when it crashed. The jet was then scheduled to travel on to Grise Fiord on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island.
Doctors arrived quickly at the scene, according to emergency services at the Trenton military base in Ontario. “Our investigators are already working there. The black boxes have been located,” Transportation Safety Board of Canada spokesman Chris Krepski told AFP.
Investigators have so far refrained from speculating about the causes of the accident. Reports indicated there was fog in the area when the plane crashed.
Police and local officials in Resolute Bay — home to about 200 people — were not immediately available for comment on what may have caused the deadly crash or the identities of the victims. There was also no new information about the condition of the three people injured.
First Air links about 25 communities in Canada’s far north to major cities such as Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton. The doomed plane was made in 1975, and purchased by First Air in 1989, according to Radio Canada.
Hundreds of military personnel were in the Resolute Bay area participating in military exercises codenamed “Operation Nanook.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper was expected there Monday as part of his annual trip to the Arctic, which coincides with the drills. Governor General David Johnston was also due in the area over the weekend.

Powerful Quakes Hit Near Vanuatu in South Pacific

A series of earthquakes struck off the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude-7.1 quake struck at 3:55 a.m. (1655 GMT Saturday) at a depth of 25.2 miles (40.6 kilometers). Its epicenter was 39 miles (63 kilometers) south-southwest of Vanuatu's capital, Port-Vila.
The temblor was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude-7.0 quake that struck at 5:19 a.m. (1819 GMT) at a depth of 17.7 miles (28.5 kilometers). Its epicenter was 42 miles (69 kilometers) south-southwest of Port-Vila. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami warning was issued.
Vanuatu, a chain of 83 islands, lies just over 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) northeast of Sydney. It is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from South America through Alaska and down through the South Pacific.
A magnitude-7.3 quake struck near Vanuatu on Dec. 26, causing a tsunami a few inches high but no damage.

No Need to be Indonesian Citizen to Respect The Country

 

B.D.K. Saldin, one of the Sri Lankan Malays, invited in the flag raising ceremony to commemorate Indonesian Independence day at the Indonesian embassy compound in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug.17, 2011, is Indonesian native

 

The flag raising ceremony to commemorate the 66th Indonesia's Independence day was held at the Indonesian Embassy's compound in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday. The ceremony chaired by Indonesian ambassador to Sri Lanka, Djafar Husein, was attended by the staff of embassy as well as their families and Sri Lankan Malays, some of them are native Indonesians.In his speech, Djafar stated the importance of Sri Lanka and Indonesia's diplomatic relations established in 1952. According to him, Indonesia as the third biggest democratic country in the world learned that economic and political development of Sri Lanka has grown rapidly since the end of Sri Lankan civil war in May 2009.
The ambassador added that Indonesia was struggling for achieving the target of being the tenth biggest economy in the world in the next 2 decades. Djafar Husein also stated the ceremony could be used as a moment to improve better diplomatic relations between the two countries.
A Sri Lankan Malay, BDK Saldin (83), who is Indonesian native and attended the ceremony expressed his impression of joining it. "It always reminds me of my real place of origin," said the 83 year-old grandfather of two sons and two grandchildren.
"I come from Batavia (the old name of Jakarta)," answered him when asked by Kompas.com on his place of origin.
Saldin admitted of not knowing exactly who his ancestors expelled by Dutch colonialists from Javanese island to Sri Lanka in 1790 were. However, the former staff of the Indonesian embassy in Colombo from 1954-1960 claimed of being always proud of becoming Indonesian native eventhough he is a Sri Lankan citizen.
 

Indonesia Cuts Jail Terms of Australia Drug Traffickers

Two Australian drug traffickers jailed for 20 years on the island of Bali had their sentences cut Wednesday as part of Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations, an official said.
Schapelle Corby and Renae Lawrence had their sentences reduced by five and six months respectively, the resort island’s Kerobokan prison chief Siswanto told AFP.
“The official letter has not been handed out due to a technical matter but it’s confirmed that Corby and Renae receive sentence cuts,” he said.
It’s the fifth time Corby, and sixth time Renae, have received sentence reductions, he said, adding the cuts total 22 months for Corby and 29 months for Lawrence. Well-behaved prisoners traditionally receive sentence reductions on Indonesia’s Independence Day.
Corby, 33, was found guilty of trafficking 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of marijuana in 2005. She has always maintained her innocence and claims international drug smugglers placed the marijuana in her luggage.
She submitted a clemency appeal to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in July asking for a sentence reduction. Her lawyers had asked that she be released on humanitarian grounds because of mental illness.
Lawrence, 33, is one of the so-called “Bali Nine,” a group of Australians convicted over a plot to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin from Bali into Australia in 2005.

World Population Will Reach 7 Billion This Year

The world population will reach seven billion later this year, with increases in the number of people in Africa off-setting birth rate drops elsewhere, according to a new French study published Thursday.
Looking much further ahead, the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) predicts a continuing rise in the overall population figures until the total stabilises somewhere between 9-10 billion worldwide by the end of the century.
From six billion people, the figure estimated in 1999, the gap between the global birth and death rates has swiftly brought the total figure towards the next billion in just 12 years. INED expects it to take a further 14 years to reach eight billion people before the figures start stabilising, according to the study which pulls together research carried out by the United Nations, the World Bank and several major national institutes.
In historical terms the growth in the global population has been soaring since the 19th century. “It has increased seven-fold over the last two hundred years, topping seven billion in 2011, and is expected to reach nine or 10 billion by the end of the 21st century,” the report said.
Just seven countries now account for half the world’s population, and therefore their demographic shifts have a major effect. China tops the list with over 1.33 billion people, with another 1.17 billion in India.
The other five countries, in order, are the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Nigeria. INED estimates that between now and 2050 India will become the most populous nation, with Beijing’s one-child policy moderating the Chinese numbers.
While the overall numbers continue to grow, the rate of increase is already dropping, according to INED, standing at 1.1 percent this year from two percent 50 years ago.
This is due to the total fertility rate per women dropping to 2.5 children, half of the figure recorded in 1950. However regional differences are great, with an average of 4.7 children per woman in Africa compared with just 1.6 in Europe.

Indonesia Cuts Terrorist's Prison Sentence

Indonesia says it has shaved two months off the five-year prison sentence of a convicted terrorist who was added this week to a U.S. blacklist.
Each Independence Day, Indonesia reduces sentences of inmates who have completed at least a third of their time. This year 53,400 inmates are eligible, including 26-year-old Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman, who calls himself the "Prince of Jihad" on his web site.
Prison official I Wayan Sukerta says Jibriel will get two months off his five-year sentence begun in August 2009. He was convicted of terrorism after authorities said he met with conspirators in 2009 Jakarta hotel bombings that killed seven people.
Jibriel was among five people added Tuesday to a U.S. blacklist of terrorists who face financial sanctions.

Bus Plunges into Ravine in Malang, Three Killed

Three people were killed after the bus in which they were traveling plunged into a 60-meter deep ravine at Slatri village, Malang district, East Java, on Wednesday.
The accident occurred when the Jombang-bound bus tried to overtake another car at a bend in the village while at the same time a truck came from the opposite direction, the chief of traffic unit at Pujon police precinct, Superintendent Sugiman said. Consequently, the driver of the bus called Puspa Indah turned sharply the wheel to the left and the bus plunged into the ravine, he said.
Meanwhile, the head of traffic unit at the Malang police resort, Adj. Comr. Erwin Aras Genda SIK said the police were still looking into the cause of the accident. "The bus driver lost control so when the bus met with the truck at the narrow bend the bus ran off the road and plunged into the ravine."
He stated the accident also injured 15 other passengers and all of them were taken to a nearby hospital in Kediri district. Three of the 15 passengers sustained serious injuries and 12 others light injuries.
He said the accident occurred at around 12.00 western Indonesian time. The three dead victims were identified as Imam Sofii, M Mahsun and Taufik.
Sugiman said two of the three victims died at the scene and one died while he was being taken to the hospital.

Nominees for BI Deputy Governors

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Darmin Nasution said the central bank is in the process of preparing nominees for its deputy governors to replace their two predecessors whose term of office will expire in January 2012.
"Muliaman D Hadad and the late Budi Rochadi will end their term of office in January 2012. Before their term of office expires, we will propose nominees for the deputy governors to the President," he said here on Wednesday.
Although the late Budi Rochadi’s post had been vacant since July 2011, the central bank preferred to find his successor when his term of office ended in January 2012, he said.
"If we find his successor now he/she will end his/her term of office in January 2012 in accordance with the law on Bank Indonesia," he said. He added Bank Indonesia had set up a team of insiders and outsiders to select nominees for the post of deputy governors.
"The team will select a number of names and I will choose three of them to be proposed to the President. The President will later pick at least two of them to undergo a fit and proper test at the House of Representatives (DPR)," he said.
He said there was no regulation stating that the nominees must be insiders. "There is no regulation stating that nominees for the deputy governors must be Bank Indonesia officials. What is important is that they must be credible and have capacity."
In fact, the President could nominate non-Bank Indonesia official for the post because the highest authority in the nomination of individuals for the post rested with the President.

Nissan Boosts Annual Output Capacity in Indonesia

Despite the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the nation's eight passenger vehicle manufacturers are expected to assemble nearly 23 million units worldwide this fiscal year, almost tying the record set in fiscal 2007, The Nikkei reported early Thursday.
They plan to build a total of more than 13 million vehicles in the second half, marking a 20% year-on-year increase to beat the 12 million units of the six months ended March 2008, before the financial crisis hit.
The disaster and the resulting parts shortages forced the firms to reduce production by more than 1 million units in the first half. But their operations have returned to normal this summer.
Japanese carmakers' global market shares fell after the disaster because the companies failed to supply enough new vehicles. In the U.S., Toyota Motor Corp. dropped to No. 4 in May, falling behind Chrysler Group LLC. Honda Motor Co. ceded fifth place to Sough Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Since consumers abroad tend to buy their cars off the dealership lot, production cutbacks meant lost sales for Japanese companies.
According to research firm Fourin Inc., overall global auto production will increase from 78.41 million in 2010 to more than 80 million units this year.
Toyota will make 4.5 million vehicles worldwide in the second half, up 23% on the year and on a par with the 4.53 million it assembled in the second half of fiscal 2007. Nissan Motor Co. will turn out 2.59 million units, up 18%, while Honda will produce 2.2 million, up 24%. Suzuki Motor Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. will also build a record number of vehicles.
Toyota plans to raise daily output in Japan from slightly more than 12,000 now to 15,000 by next March. In the U.S., a plant in the state of Mississippi is expected to come onstream this fall. The company will also begin full-scale production of low-priced vehicles in India.
Honda will restore two shifts at a plant in the U.S. state of Indiana and a Canadian site in order to double production. In addition, a new plant will come onstream in the Chinese city of Guangzhou at year-end. The firm will also raise output at a factory in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, from October.
Nissan will boost annual output capacity at an Indonesian plant from 50,000 units to 100,000 next month. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will add a shift on minivehicle lines at a Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, plant and hire 800 more temporary workers. Mazda Motor Corp.'s second-half output is expected to surge 31% to 830,000 units. And Suzuki will increase output in India.
Japanese carmakers face pressure to lower costs further amid stiff competition with European and South Korean rivals, which are going on the offensive by drawing on the weakness of their currencies.

The Campaign For the Media

About the ad campaign

Developed in partnership with the Arthritis Foundation and Ad Council, the Fight Arthritis Pain campaign focuses on reaching adults 55+ who are currently living with or are at risk for osteoarthritis and empowers them to take simple steps that can change the course of the disease and improve the quality of their lives.
Through dancing in grocery store aisles, simple iconic depictions, and move-time radio where arthritis is whirled, twirled, flipped, dipped, shimmied, shook and boogied, the Fight Arthritis Pain campaign demonstrates that "moving is the best medicine." In addition, the PSAs and campaign resources direct audiences to visit this new Web site where they can learn how to reduce pain, increase mobility and slow arthritis progression.
The Arthritis Foundation and the Ad Council want to increase the public's awareness that there are simple steps everyone can take to prevent and decrease the pain and disability of osteoarthritis. This new PSA campaign features fun ways that people can integrate movement into their lives.

About osteoarthritis

Expanding waistlines, inactivity and an aging population are contributing toward an arthritis epidemic that will impact the lives and wallets of all Americans. Already the nation's most common cause of disability, the impact of the disease is yet to be realized. Nearly one in five U.S. adults (46 million people) has arthritis and an estimated 67 million people will be affected by 2030.
Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common type of arthritis, currently affects nearly 27 million people in the U.S. Moreover, because of the link between osteoarthritis and inactivity, more than half of adults with diabetes or heart disease also have arthritis, and these numbers are expected to increase as rates of osteoarthritis skyrocket.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Arthritis is not only a disease that affects the elderly. Symptoms of osteoarthritis can begin as early as age 40 and progress slowly.
  
• Being overweight and physically inactive can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis by two-thirds in your lifetime.
  
• Even small amounts of weight loss and physical activity can decrease the pain and disability of osteoarthritis.
  
• For every one pound of weight loss, there is a four-pound reduction in the load exerted on each knee.
  
• Physical activity keeps joints flexible and maintains or improves muscle strength.
  
• Osteoarthritis typically affects only certain joints, such as the hips, hands, knees, low back and neck.

FOR ADDITIONAL CAMPAIGN INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Carol Galbreath
Vice President, Public Relations
Arthritis Foundation
National Office
1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30309
cgalbreath@arthritis.org
Phone: (404) 965-7595
Cell: (678) 595-5454
Fax: (404) 872-8694
www.arthritis.org
OR
Allison Mantz
Assistant Campaign Manager
The Advertising Council, Inc.
1203 19th Street, 4th Floor
Washington DC 20036
amantz@adcouncil.org
Phone: (202) 331-9153
Fax: (202) 331-9790
www.adcouncil.org
TO ORDER ADDITIONAL CAMPAIGN MATERIALS, PLEASE CONTACT:
CI-Group
10 Salem Industrial Park
Whitehouse, NJ 08888
AdCouncil@ci-groupusa.com
Phone: (800) 933-PSAS (7727)

Finding Sparkling Bali in Sri Lanka

Not only served with Balinese traditional food by by Sri Lankan waiters in Balinese costumes, the costumers, are also entertained by the performance of Balinese dances at the food festival held in Latitude Restaurant, Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka from August 12-21, 2011.

The Indonesian Embassy in Colombo, in cooperation with Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel-Kuta, Sanggar Seni Indah Prima-Legian and Taj Samudra Hotel-Colombo, organize the 2011 Indonesian Food Festival on 12 – 21 August 2011 in the Latitude Restaurant, Taj Samudra Hotel.
The third festival, held to promote the culture and tourism, was officially opened by the Indonesian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Djafar Hussein. As of Monday, more than 350 visitors, mostly Sri Lankans and expatriates, have visited the festival.
This year’s Food Festival, incorporating the theme “Delightfully Bali”, is supported by a team of executive sous chef and kitchen artist, as well as professional dancers intentionally invited from Bali.
For 10 days, the public in Colombo and its surrounding have the opportunity to taste a buffet of signature Balinese dishes such as Ayam Sisit Sambal Bongkot (spicy shredded chicken), Kambing Menyat-Nyat (lamb stew), Kambing Sune Cekuh (lamb in white spice), Bebek Betutu (roasted duck), Tum Bepasih (steamed minced fish in banana leaf), Lawar Kacang (long beans in yellow spice), dan Pisang Rai (steamed banana in sweet rice).
Balinese ambiance is set with the support of room decorations from coconut leaves or janur craft as well as the head band Udeng and Balinese sarong worn by the serving team. The guests can enjoy the buffet with live Balinese dances as the main entertainment.
The Dance “Sekar Jagat” symbolizing the world’s harmony welcomes the guests at the entrance. The guests are also invited to experience romantic nuance of the Dance “Oleg Tamulilingan” performed by a couple dancers, as well as cheerfulness of the Dance “Joget” performed by lovely dancers.
The Dance “Baris”, symbolizing the chivalry of Balinese warriors, as well as the Dance “Jauk”, presenting impersonation of an imaginary demon, reveal the masculine side of Balinese dance. The rhythmic Balinese tunes “Rindik” and “Degung” between dance performances contribute in bringing out the ambience of Balinese village.
The guests coming to the Latitude Restaurant look enthusiastic, savoring the dishes and watching the dances. Besides promotional purposes, this Food Festival is held to share with Sri Lankans a sample of the rich cultures in Indonesia.
It is also aimed at showcasing successful Indonesian tourism, relying on cultural tourism without losing its identity and nationalism. Furthermore, Food Festival is considered an opportunity to promote friendship and people-to-people contact between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Through the splendor of art in culinary, dance and music as one of universal languages of friendship, it is hoped that the notion of friendly and congenial image of Indonesia will last among Sri Lankans and international communities in Sri Lanka.

Indosat Posts Net Profit of Rp681.9 Billion

A worker adjusts a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) on the building of PT Indosat in Jakarta May 7, 2010.

PT Indosat posted a net profit of Rp681.9 billion in the first semester of 2011, up 137.5 percent from Rp287.1 billion in 2010, its president director said.
"The increase in the net profit was generated by the increase in the number of the company’s cellular customers from 37.8 million in the first semester of 2010 to 47.3 million in the first semester of 2011," PT Indosat President Director Harry Sasongko, said here on Monday.
Harry said that up to June 2011, the company booked an income of Rp10.05 trillion, up 4 percent compared with the figure in the corresponding period a year earlier which was Rp9.661 trillion. He said that by taking into account the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) burden in the first semester, the income before depreciation tax interest and amortization (Ebitda) reached Rp4.499 trillion, down 2.1 percent from the previous Rp4.59 trillion.
Thus, the firm posted an Ebitda margin amounting to 44.8 percent, down from 2.8 points from the previous 47.6 percent. The corporate business burden in the June 2011 period jumped up from Rp8.061 trillion to Rp8.713 trillion, so was the case of the business profit which was down 16.5 percent from Rp1.6 trillion to Rp1.337 trillion.
Harry said that of the total corporate income of Rp10.45 trillion, about Rp8.227 trillion came from the cellular business and Rp1.8 trillion from non-cellular phone services.

Toshiba to Design LCD TVs in Indonesia

Visitors look at a presentation for Toshibas world-first glasses-less 3D LCD TV at CEATEC JAPAN 2010 in Chiba, east of Tokyo, October 5, 2010. The CEATEC IT and electronics exhibtion is ongoing till October 8.

Toshiba Corp. will begin designing LCD televisions for local markets in India, Indonesia and Vietnam in October as it attempts to mount a challenge against Samsung Electronics Co. and other South Korean rivals, The Nikkei reported early Tuesday.
The electronics giant launched an LCD TV brand for emerging countries in 2010 under the name Power TV. The brand's lineup currently includes products with built-in storage batteries for areas plagued by frequent blackouts and models with signal-boosting and noise-reducing functions.
Power TV models are now sold in Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and Africa. In some Southeast Asian countries, its market share has roughly doubled to around 20%.
Its current offerings share common specifications across different markets, but Toshiba will start changing designs, functions and features for individual markets to better meet local needs. The firm will also consider adding functions, such as connectivity with mobile phones and other digital devices.
LCD TV design divisions are already up and running in India, Indonesia and Vietnam with around 10 staff members each. In India, the workforce will be raised to around 30 by the end of fiscal 2012 to enable the development of new products and software. In addition to TVs, the design divisions will handle notebook computers. At the same time, the company might design TVs at its personal computer development division in the Chinese province of Hangzhou.
Toshiba has been developing LCD TVs for both the domestic and overseas markets at its Fukaya factory near Tokyo, except for some models destined for the U.S. and Europe.
The firm has set its sights on boosting its worldwide LCD TV sales to 25 million units by fiscal 2013, up 80% from fiscal 2010. It aims to have emerging countries account for 50% of its global TV sales in volume terms in fiscal 2013, compared with around 20% at present.

How Well Indonesia Prepares Its Team to Face Palestine, Jordan

Fans of the Indonesian national football team celebrate their teams victory against Turkmenistan during their 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying football match at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on July 28, 2011. Indonesia beat Turkmenistan 4-3.

After holding week-long exercises at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, the Indonesia`s senior soccer team continued its workouts in the Manahan stadium, Solo, Central Java, to prepare itself for trial matches with Palestine and Jordan.
The senior soccer team was scheduled to do he trial matches against the national Jordanian team of players under the age of 23 years (U-23) on August 18, and against the Palestinian national team on Aug. 22. Both matches will be held in the Solo’s Manahan stadium.
In the next trial match, the senior soccer team will face Jordan on August 27 in Jordan before playing against Iran on September 2, 2011. In the first leg of the next Pre-World Cup 2014 round Group E, the national team would face Iran which is believed to be the strongest opponent in the group.
In a tossup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil recently, the Indonesian soccer team was put in Group E along with Iran, Qatar and Bahrain. The senior soccer team started conducting its week-long exercise program at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, Banten province, on Aug 5 after defeating Turkmenistan 4-3 in the second round of the Asian zone in Jakarta on Thursday July 28.
"During the week-long exercises at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, the senior team made very significant progress," assistant coach Liestiadi said in Cilegon last Thursday.
According to him, the national team will continue doing exercises in the training camp in Solo until its departure to Jordan for a trial match on August 27. The All Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) chose the Solo Manahan stadium as an exercise venue for the Pre World Cup 2014 national team due to its adequate infrastructure and accommodation.
Liestiadi also said the exercise pattern in Solo Manahan stadium depend on the decision made by the chief coach Wim Rijsbergen and physical coach Raymond Verheijen. Meanwhile, Raymond Verheijen left Indonesia on last Sunday because he is also needed by the Wales team.
Regarding the team members stamina, Liestiadi said the fitness level of about 20 percent of the national team members is still below the medium level, so that the team needs an effective training programs.
"If compared with the other Asian Pre-World Cup 2014 teams fitness, the national team members fitness is still under the medium level," the national coach assistant Liestiadi said here on Sunday afternoon following the national team exercise in the Manahan sports stadium.
Thus, the national soccer players need to increase their stamina up to at least 30 percent from now. Although the team’s stamina after undergoing exercises for three days in Solo Manahan stadium has shown an increase, but they have not reached a high level, so that their physical condition should be improved.
"During the fasting month of Ramadhan, we should be able to adjust the condition of players, so that they also play games, apart from the physical exercise only," he said.
Aside from that, the coordination and communication among the team members should be conducted more effectively and smoothly, Liestiadi cited. In addition, the national team members also conducted the game play correction which is aimed at making some elementary analysis, Liestiadi said, explaining that communication is much needed in the soccer play.
Prior to the match against Iran, there are still three weeks of the team preparation. Regarding the PSSI request on the postponement of the national team against Iran, FIFA rejected the request.
In the meantime, the organizing committee of trial match between the senior soccer team against the national team under the age of 23 years (U-23) scheduled on August 18, had provided 23,000 entry tickets, Paulus Haryoto, coordinator of the trial match organizing committee said in Solo on Sunday, adding that the Solo Manahan stadium has 24,000 seats capacity.
According to Paulus, the organizing committee in cooperation with the trial match central committee has anticipated the abundance of spectators on the trial match which will take place on August 18, 2011.
The organizing committee of the trial match between the senior soccer team against the national team under the age of 23 years (U-23) scheduled on August 18, had provided 23,000 entry tickets, Paulus Haryoto, coordinator of the trial match organizing committee said in Solo on Sunday, adding that the Solo Manahan stadium has 24,000 seats capacity.
According to Paulus, the organizing committee in cooperation with the trial match central organizing committee has anticipated the abundance of spectators on the trial match which will take place on August 18, 2011. The anticipation is made due to the Solo extraordinary public interest to look on the national team appearances in the trial match.
In addition to providing 23,000 entry tickets, the organzing committee will also install the monitoring screens at four points in the stadium in anticipation of the great number of audience who fail to get the tickets, Paulus said.
The prices of entry tickets for the trial match at the north and south stands sold Rp15.000 per ticket with 10 thousand pieces provided. The east stand ticket price is Rp20 thousand per piece with 10 thousand pieces provided.
The ticket price at the VIP west stand is Rp30 thousand per ticket with 2,450 sheets are provided. Meanwhile, the number of VIP tickets at the midwest stand reached 1,150 sheets at the price of Rp50 thousand per ticket. In a bid to secure the international match level, Paulus said, the organizing committee will deploy some 600 security personnel.

Indonesia's Participation in Koran Reading Competition in Tunis

Indonesia will take part and compete in the first post-revolution International Koran reading competition in Tunis for five days from August 12 to 16, 2011.
Tunisian Religious Minister Laroussi Mizouri opened the event at the National Library Building conference hall in Tunis. Mizouri underlined the importance of the first international religious competition since the Tunisian Revolution early this year, and an important stage in the political life in Tunisia.
He said the international event is a re-translation of Tunisia’s cultural characteristics contributing the great Islamic values in the world’s civilization manifested in the history of Kairaouan and Ez-Zaitunah. In the Koran recitation followed by 30 participants from 21 Muslim majority countries plus Rusia and Greece, the Indonesian representative is the only participant from Asia from the Middle East.
The two categories competed in the event is memorizing the Korean and reading it including its pronunciation. The Indonesian delegate in the vent is Muhammad Nazri from North Sumatra.
He came from Tanjung Balai, Asahan, began memorising the Korean since he was a second class Junior Secondary School student. When at the IAIN (government institute for Islamic studies) in North Sumatra, Medan, the location of the campus and his house are not far from the Islamic Center in Medan, motivated him to memorize the Korean up to until the last 30 sections. In the last national Koran memorizing competition in Banjarmasin, Nazri won third prize.

Return of The 928?

Julliana Chos striking 929 concept study.

A Porsche-sponsored design student in England has penned a stunning coupe concept study called the 929.
The return of a large, comfort-biased, 2+2 sports coupe would give Porsche a player in the luxury GT segment that includes the likes of the Aston Martin DB9, Ferrari FF and Maserati GranTurismo, and perhaps even high-end variants of BMW's 6-Series and the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.
A two-door version of the near-five-metre-long Panamera would also mark Porsche's first large coupe since 1995, when the front-engined 928 and 944 models were discontinued. But until such a car arrives, we have Julliana Cho's striking 929 concept study (pictured) to capture our imaginations.
Cho, who is being sponsored by the famous Stuttgart brand during her final year at the Royal College of Art in Britain, has penned an edgy electric-powered coupe borrowing design themes from the limited-edition 918 Spyder.
The sketches revitalise Porsche's GT coupe tradition with futuristic design cues and aerodynamics. The 929's ultra-long doors pivot from the rear wheels. We are not sure how practical they'd be in garages but they look the goods and provide easy access to front and rear seats.
Other notable styling touches include half-moon wheel covers and an elongated rear diffuser. With a distinguished CV that already includes several design awards and internships with Honda in Japan and GM Daewoo in Korea, Cho is one to watch.

Nazaruddin's Fear of Being Framed and Abused

 

Nazaruddin's handwriting on a note of protection appeal to Indonesian Government

Muhammad Nazaruddin asked for a protection from the government to guarantee that he would not be a victim of political frame up. The message of former ruling Democrat treasurer was stressed in his handwriting on a note he gave to his lawyer, OC Kaligis.
"I beg the Indonesian Government, no political frame up on me," wrote him as quoted by KOMPAS journalist, Prasetyo Eko P, in Bogota.
On the note dated on August 10, Nazaruddin also appealed for protection from being abused. "Don't hurt me," said him on the note signed by the suspect of bribe funds for development projects 2011 SEA Games athletes guesthouse.
According to Indonesian Ambassador to Colombia, RI Michael Menufandu, Nazaruddin was flown back to Jakarta Friday. The flight from Colombia to Jakarta will take around 30 hours.

Specialist Team Sent by PMI to Help Victims of Tropical Storm in Laos

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Societies, has sent an emergency rapid response specialist team to help victims of tropical storm Haima in Laos.
Dwi Hariyadi, a member of the Rapid Disaster Response Team (RDRT) Specialists, said in a press statement here Thursday that she had been posted in Laos since July 19, 2011, and would stay for four weeks until August 19. IFRC had spent funds to help 5,000 people or 2,500 families by giving them food and non-food relief aid.
The donation was provided for the storm victims in Borikhamxay and Vientiane. Storm Haima hit Laos on June 24, causing widespread flooding and landslides in mountainous areas, with the death toll standing at 17 people, including eight in Xieng Khuang province, five in Vientiane province, two in Xayaboury province and two in Borikhamxay province.
Vientiane Times reported recently that with the cost of the damage continuing to mount, the government hopes to mobilize assistance from friendly nations and international organizations to provide relief to affected people.
Laos’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Head Vichit Xindavong told the meeting that the storm destroyed more than 300 houses and 6,000 hectares of farmland throughout the country, and devastated critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, schools and hospitals.
Many thousands of people were affected by the storm. The government has mobilised assistance from both the public and private sectors, but the scale of the disaster means they will require international assistance to repair the damages.

Terrorists of The Same Caliber as Umar Patek Still at Large

Umar Patek.

 

The chief of the Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Ansyaad Mbai, said there were a number of suspected terrorists of the same caliber as Umar Patek who were still at large. "There are still dozens of them in Indonesia," he said after signing a cooperation agreement on de-radicalization with an Islamic institution here on Thursday.
Ansyaad said terrorists who had been arrested earlier still did not have adequate capabilities then but "they have now even become cell leaders. Meanwhile bomb making is a skill anyone can learn."
"Their ideology is still the same. The BNPT does not worry about possible reprisals from them following Umar Patek’s arrest. Because even if we do nothing they will still take revenge. So we had better do something rather than do nothing," he said.
Umar Patek arrived here on Thursday after being arrested in Pakistan in March. Born in Pemalang, Central Java, he had been wanted so far in connection with his involvement in the Bali bombings in 2002 and in the bombings of several churches. Ansyaad declined to comment about other terrorist suspects his agency is targeting.
 

Newmont Unit Batu Hijau Mine Operations Still Suspended

 

PTNNT has been mining copper and gold since March 2000 in the Batu Hijau mine in West Nusa Tenggara 

 

Operations remain suspended at PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara's Batu Hijau gold and copper mine on Sumbawa island in eastern Indonesia after unsuccessful job seekers blocked access to the mine to protest the company's recruitment process, spokesman Ruby Purnomo said by phone Thursday. Purnowo declined to give further details. A local daily quoted him as saying that the company decided to suspend operations Wednesday.
The Newmont Mining Corp. unit said in a statement Wednesday that it has temporarily cancelled recruitment following the protest, and hopes the protesters will return homes and operations can return to normal immediately.

SBY: 'No Need to Panic'

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday there was no need for panic about the economy, as the local stock market plunged more than 4.0 percent amid a global market meltdown.
The leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy sought to reassure investors that Indonesia’s fundamentals were strong and it could weather any further reverses in the world economy. Yudhoyono told senior economic officials there was “no need to panic as our current conditions are better than in 2008”.
“We managed to minimise the impact of the 2008 global economic crisis,” he added. “We hope what’s happening in the US and Europe doesn’t lead to another crisis, but it’s our responsibility to anticipate and prepare ourselves.”
Jakarta’s main stock index was down 4.4 percent in afternoon trade, off its intraday low, while the rupiah declined slightly to 8,550 to the dollar versus 8,505 at Thursday’s close. Asian stock markets plummeted on Friday following carnage in the US and European markets over fears the world was heading towards another financial crisis.
Official data released Friday showed Indonesia’s economy grew 6.49 percent year-on-year in the three months to June, thanks to rising exports and investment and strong domestic consumption.
“The global exports situation in the world is weakening, but those are in the US, Europe and Japan,” national statistics agency head Rusman Heriawan said.
“On the other side, Indonesia’s exports to China have been excellent because there was an appreciation of the yuan to rupiah. Indonesian goods to China have become cheaper,” he said.
Indonesia’s economy softened in 2009 amid the global economic downturn, but it still increased output 4.5 percent on the back of domestic demand and a relatively healthy banking system. The country’s foreign exchange reserves stand at around $122 billion compared with $51.64 billion at the end of 2008.

Indonesia's Economy Grows 6.5 Pct in 2nd Q

Vendors set up their makeshift stalls next to a railway track in Jakarta March 3, 2011. Indonesias inflation slowed in February as food prices went down for first time in four years, easing pressure on the central bank to raise its key overnight benchmark interest rate on Friday for a second month in a row after a 25 basis points rise in February to 6.75 pct

Indonesia’s economy grew 6.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter this year, according to the National Statistics Agency (BPS).
"The growth figure is the same as that of the first quarter which was also 6.5 percent," BPS chief Rusman Heriawan said here on Friday.
He said considering the decimal fractions the exact growth figure in the second quarter is 6.49 percent which is higher than the first quarter’s figure of 6.47 percent.
"The second quarter is a little better than the first semester. Cumulatively the economic growth in the first semester this year compared to the same period of 2010 is at an average of 6.48 percent or 6.5 percent when rounded off," he said.
The Gross Domestic Product reached Rp1,811.1 trillion for the second quarter period and so in the first semester this year it reached Rp3,549 trillion. Rusman said the three sectors that record the highest growth are hotel and restaurant at 4.8 percent, consumption 4.2 percent and electricity, gas and clean water 4.0 percent.
"The year-on-year growth figure for the transportation and communication sector is 10.7 percent, hotel and restaurant 9.6 percent and consumption 7.4 percent," he said.
He said processing industries remained the biggest contributor to the GDP for the second quarter, contributing 24.3 percent, agriculture 15.4 percent and hotel and restaurant 13.9 percent.
"Transportation and communication contributes 10.7 percent to the year-on-year rate of GDP growth, real estate and corporate services 6.9 percent and processing industries 6.1 percent," he said.
The GDP growth in the second quarter of 2011 was up 2.9 percent compared to that of the first quarter, driven by household spending which was up 1.3 percent, government spending 26 percent, gross fixed capital accumulation 3.9 percent, exports 7.4 percent and imports 6.0 percent.
Year-on-year the growth in the second quarter of 2010 was driven by household spending which was up 4.6 percent, government spending 4.5 percent, gross fixed capital accumulation 9.2 percent, exports 17.4 percent and imports 16 percents.
"The government spending rose to create a positive economic growth of 4.5 percent," he said.
Rusman said BPS’ investment figures are different from those issued by the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) because BKPM took into account foreign capital investment plus domestic investment while BPS only recorded the whole investment by the government and the community to produce real growth of capital formation.
"The gross fixed capital formation was at 9.2 percent. This figure must be differentiated with that from BKPM which is 22 percent. The BKPM figure only covers foreign and domestic capital investment and only measures dollar or rupiah hikes and not the real capital accumulation," he said.
On the whole the GDP of the first semester this year was dominated by household spending with its contribution reaching 54.3 percent, followed by gross fixed capital accumulation of 31.6 percent, government spending 8.3 percent, net exports 1.9 percent out of export growth of 27.3 percent and imports 25.4 percent.
In terms of growth areas provinces in Java still dominate contributing 57.7 percent to the GDP, followed by Sumatra 23.5 percent, Kalimantan 9.5 percent, Sulawesi 4.7 percent and other islands 4.6 percent.

Aussies Head Overseas in Growing Numbers Incl in Indonesia

Foreign tourists carry a turtle to be released at the beach in Kuta in the Indonesian resort island of Bali July 4, 2011. Balis Marine Police are releasing about 18 turtles after they were seized from an illegal poacher

The number of Australians travelling overseas jumped 10 percent in the past year, with official figures showing outbound trips booming as the local currency soars.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures recorded Australians went on 7.44 million short-term overseas visits over the 2010-11 fiscal year as the Aussie dollar hit historic highs — an increase of 9.9 percent on 2009-10.
Chief of industry body Tourism and Transport Forum, John Lee, said Friday Australians were happy to take advantage of the strong currency, which has soared around 30 percent over the past year and is well above the greenback.
Lee said Australian travellers were heading to resorts and beaches, with the number of journeys to Indonesia jumping by 153,000 over the year, and to the United States rising by 116,000.
“A lot of it is what we would say is about cultural tourism, it’s about pleasure tourism,” he told AFP. “It’s people enjoying Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia.”
The Aussie dollar has been strengthening against the greenback since last year on the back of Australia’s mining boom, and hit its highest level against the US currency since its 1983 float of 110.62 US cents in late July. In terms of inbound tourism, arrivals from Asia were also higher with those from China up 26.8 percent over the 2010-11 financial year, Lee said.
Growth in arrivals from Malaysia was 13.7 percent, while visits from Indonesia were up 12.4 percent and India 11.3 percent higher. Meanwhile, arrivals from those regions under debt pressure were lower, with visits from the United States down 4.7 percent, while those from Britain dropped 3.1 percent and Ireland was down 10.2 percent.

Malaysia Being Left behind from Indonesia

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks during an interview in Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Anwar said the recent opposition-backed demonstration had stirred public anger and greater political awareness over allegations of electoral fraud and the governments refusal to allow large-scale street demonstrations.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim warned Friday his country was being left behind as a wave of democratisation sweeps the world.
Speaking at a forum during a visit to the Philippines, Anwar warned Kuala Lumpur against tampering with elections and said the “Arab Spring” proved that popular clamour for democracy could not be suppressed.
“The entire world, including the most conservative Muslim heartland, the Middle East has now transformed and is clamouring for change and reform. Why must Malaysia be lagging so far behind?” he asked.
“We are lagging far behind the Philippines and Indonesia in terms of building credible (democratic) institutions,” he said at a forum hosted by his friend, former Philippine president Joseph Estrada.
Anwar also fretted that the Malaysian economy was even starting to slip behind Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in areas like competitiveness. Anwar said that unlike in Arab countries, he did not expect violence in Malaysia, which has been hit by pro-democracy protests in recent weeks.
But he said Malaysians now wanted more political freedoms and fair elections. “We are not demanding the toppling of the regime. We want to use the ballot box but the ballot box must be clean,” he said.
Anwar said he did not want Malaysia’s leaders to suffer the same fate as former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, who has been put on trial by the new government, but warned that they could not ignore the people’s will. He dismissed the high-profile sodomy case against him as “trumped-up charges” and assailed the government for violently cracking down on street protests.
On July 9 riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters who were demanding electoral reform in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Police also arrested more than 1,600 people, while one demonstrator died. Anwar himself suffered a bruise on his head and a cut leg.
Anwar, once heir-apparent to ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and found guilty of corruption and sodomy. He was imprisoned until 2004 when the sodomy conviction was overturned.
He then revived the opposition, forming a coalition that made major inroads during the last general elections in 2008, threatening the Barisan Nasional’s five-decade grip on power.
He remains on trial over allegations that he sodomised a 25-year-old former aide at an upmarket apartment in June 2008. He has said these charges are politically-motivated.
The 63-year-old opposition leader is expected to take the stand for the first time Monday when the defence is called in his trial.

Marty Natalegawa Defends Ahmadiyah Verdicts

Marty Natalegawa

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa on Friday defended the country’s judicial system after a court sentenced Muslim radicals to a few months in jail for killing members of a minority sect.
The sentences handed down last month to 12 defendants over a deadly lynch mob attack on members of the Ahmadiyah community in February shocked human rights groups and drew criticism from the United States and the European Union.
But in his first public response to the outrage, Natalegawa defended the independence of Indonesia’s courts and said the mainly Muslim archipelago was not the only country to suffer from religious intolerance.
“There is an obvious delineation between the executive, the judiciary and legislative branches,” he said in response to a reporter’s question.
The Cambridge-educated minister said “heinous acts” were being committed all over the world due to religious intolerance, but he did not address concerns that light sentences for hate crimes only encourage more killings.
“I’m afraid when you speak of the whole issue of religious intolerance and all kinds of phobia ... Indonesia doesn’t have a monopoly on that unfortunately,” he said.
A secretly filmed video of the rampage in Cikeusik, western Java, sparked international concern when it appeared online within days of the attack. The footage shows police fleeing the scene as the enraged mob — armed with machetes and knives and shouting abuse at the “infidels” — launch an unprovoked attack on a house owned by an Ahmadiyah follower.
A handful of Ahmadiyah men tried to defend the property with stones and slingshots but they were quickly overwhelmed. The mob then clubbed, hacked and stoned three defenceless men to death in front of police, and stood around joking over their bodies.
Several Ahmadiyah tried to flee but were hunted down and badly beaten. None of the 12 men punished over the incident was charged with murder, and none received more than six months in jail, including the ringleader and a 17-year-old who was filmed smashing a victim’s skull with a stone.
Prosecutors managed to convince the court that the video and the victims’ refusal to flee the property justified a reduced sentence for the killers. In the end the sentences were even lighter than requested by the state.
Ahmadiyah, unlike mainstream Muslims, do not believe Mohammed was the last prophet and are regarded as heretics and blasphemers by conservatives in countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan.

What SBY Considers as World Class Institution

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at his office here on Friday received National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Governor Budi Susilo Supandji and a number of the institute’s officials for a meeting.
On the occasion the president asked Lemhanas to go ahead with reforms and revitalization efforts to become a world class institution in the field of defense and security. According to the head of state, Lemhanas should make every effort to be equal with other similar agencies in the developed countries.
"I have noted some progress of Lemhanas but I want more than that for we hope that in its reform and revitalization process it should be a world class institution," the president said.
The head of state also expressed hope that the reform and revitalization process should be done thoroughly, including in the areas of curriculum and teaching methods in order for Lemhanas to produce strategic planners with reliable management and leadership capability.
"Hence, Lemhanas will be equivalent in quality with other institutions in developed countries in terms of defense and security," the president said.
Meanwhile, Budi Susilo Supandji said Lemhanas has delivered a road map that would be pursued to become an world class institution.
"The president has given directives on the items that we have to prepare," said the Lemhanas governor.
Budi Susilo said that the plan concerning a dialogue of the president with the participants of Lemhanas education program of force-17 to be conducted on August 9, 2011 was also discussed at the meeting.
He said the president also suggested that the Lemhanas education program be participated in as well by the participants from the Defense University to discuss counter-terrorism for national security.
Budi Susilo added that Lemhanas also planned to hold a seminar in the near future to seek the most appropriate format for the stability of democratic countries.

Umar Patek's Information on Attacks in Indonesia

On clockwise (from top left corner): Umar a.k.a. Patek (35), Muhamad Ali Imron a.k.a. Alik (30), Dulmatin a.k.a. Amar Usman alias Muktamar a.k.a. Djoko Supriyanto (32), Umar a.k.a. Wayan (35), Fatih Fat a.k.a. Kudama alias Abu Umar a.k.a. Abdul Azis a.k.a. Heri a.k.a. Imam Samudra (35), dan Idris a.k.a. Jhoni Hendrawan alias Gembrot (35).

A top anti-terrorism official says the main suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings is providing investigators with information about other attacks in Indonesia.
Chairul Akbar said Friday that Umar Patek admitted to building bombs for the suicide attacks on two packed Bali nightclubs that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. He also said he made explosives used by Islamist militants in the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings that killed 19 and several other attacks.
Patek was captured Jan. 25 in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, where Osama bin Laden was killed in a highly secretive U.S. commando attack four months later.
He's been speaking to investigators, however, and officials say he could be deported back to Indonesia soon to stand trial.

Handsome Men Mean Better Sex

 

Women orgasm more quickly and more often with handsome partners, according to research carried out by anthropologists and psychologists. 

 

Women orgasm more quickly and more often with handsome partners, according to research carried out by anthropologists and psychologists. Noting that "supporting evidence indicates that female orgasm promotes conception," the researchers concluded that the female orgasm is linked to the urge to produce "quality" offspring.
The study, which was carried out at Pennsylvania State University, focused on the sex lives of 110 heterosexual couples, who reported who orgasmed and how often.
The male subjects were rated for "objectively-measured facial masculinity, observer-rated facial masculinity, partner-rated masculinity, and partner-rated dominance"; observers, as well as the men themselves, were also asked to rated their own attractiveness.
Women whose partners rated as masculine and dominant reported more frequent and earlier-timed orgasms than those whose partners rated less well. The women whose partners were deemed attractive also orgasmed more often during or after male ejaculation.
Frequency of female orgasm as a result of masturbation was not predicted by the male partner's attractiveness.
"Thus, possible conception-promoting correlates of female orgasm may be especially effective and/or likely when copulation occurs with masculine males," the authors wrote in the study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.
"These results appear to support a role for female orgasm in sire choice."
 

Amnesty Int'l Hails US Court's Verdict on Exxon Mobile in Aceh

Amnesty International hailed the decision of the United States court of appeals on US-based Exxon Mobil in facing the demand for the alleged murder outside the law, torture and arrest by Indonesian troops in Aceh province, Indonesia, under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS).
A group of rural people from Aceh had filed civil cases in 2001 and 2007 against Exxon Mobil Corporation, the US company which operates the big natural gas extraction and processing facilities in Aceh province in 2000 and 2001, Campaigner of Indonesia & Timor-Leste, Amnesty International Secretariat, Josef Roy Benedict, said here.
Josef Roy Benedict said they claimed that Exxon Mobil is responsible for the involvement in the alleged violation of human rights by Indonesian troops who were supposed to protect the property and operations of the company. In the first and second verdicts on July 8, 2011, the US court of appeals stated that Exxon Mobil did not have the company’s immunity against the claim made by 15 Indonesians under the ATS.
The decision to send a signal to the Indonesian government to do more to make sure of the truth and justice for the past human rights violations in Aceh. There were no suspects brought before the court for one of the thousands of cases of human rights violations including torture, believed to have taken place between 1989 and 1998 when the province was a Military Operation Area (DOM).
Aceh province faced rebellion for tens of years including human rights violation and lack of development, which ended after the peace agreement of August 2005, while the Indonesian government and the armed pro-freedom movement (Free Aceh Movement/GAM) was signed. Law no 2006 on the Aceh administration on the formation of a human rights court on the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) Aceh branch. The two government institutions have not been set up until today.
Amnesty International called on the Indonesian government to immediately form a human rights court and make sure that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is set up and functions according to the international law and standards, like contained in the report of Amnesty International, truth, justice, and reparation: forming an effective commission of truth.
The government must also make sure of the responsibility of violators of human rights in the past including torture in Aceh. This includes cooperation in connection with the litigation process on the case filed in the US.
Amnesty International knows only two examples, in Indonesia, on the case involving human rights violations in Aceh between 1998 and May 2003 had been verified and produced a trial. Only several human rights violation cases had been handled during the military emergency period and the following civil administration (May 2003-August 2005).
Amnesty International praised the decision of the US court of appeals that the company was not immune from its obligations under the ATS for the despicable treatment by the perpetrators violating international law.
The victims of the human rights violations in which the multinational company was also involved, must have unlimited access to the court, and the countries need to take measures to eradicate the obstacles to the access of the victims.
Like this case shows, access to the court of the country of origin (place where the company has its domicile or was registered) has often become the only realistic way to claim the victims of human rights violations by the company need to be listened to and reached all kinds of reparations.
The decision of the court of appeals which make possible a claim to be continued in the US, giving an important opportunity for charges made against Exxon Mobil to be examined by the court.

Tobacco Could be GOOD for You

Tobacco plants are being used to create a potentially life-saving HIV treatment

Aspirin, Ginseng and Caffeine are just some of the useful medications produced by plants. Now scientists have adapted the much maligned tobacco plant to create a drug they hope will combat HIV. UK regulators have approved the first clinical trial of specially designed antibodies that stop the virus passing from person to person.
Eleven women will be treated with the topical treatment, which has been created from genetically modified tobacco plants. Should it prove safe at different doses, larger trials will follow to test its effectiveness. It is hoped that the antibodies will reduce the risk of treated women from catching the disease.
The landmark trial marks the culmination of a controversial E.U funded project to develop a drug from an engineered plant and take it through all the manufacturing stages.
Most drugs are currently made at great expense in fermentation vats containing bacteria or mammalian cells, but the mass production of medicines in genetically modified plants could reduce costs by as many as 100 times, making it far cheaper to produce life-saving drugs. Project researcher Professor Julian Ma, at St George’s, University of London, said: 'This is a red letter day for the field.
'The approval from the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) for us to proceed with human trials is an acknowledgement that monoclonal antibodies can be made in plants to the same quality as those made using existing conventional production systems.
'That is something many people did not believe could be achieved.'
The clinical trial is being carried out at the University of Surrey Clinical Research Centre. HIV is exchanged via bodily fluids and is most commonly spread during sex.
At the end of 2008, an estimated 83,000 adults aged over 15 were living with HIV in the UK. Of these, just over a quarter did not know they were infected.
The last stage of the virus is Aids, when the patient's immune system stops working and they develop life-threatening illnesses. Patients in western countries can live with HIV for many years thanks to antiretroviral drugs, but these are often not available in the developing world.
The active ingredient in the vaginal cream is an antibody called P2G12. If successful, the investigators will try combining it with other HIV-neutralising antibodies. The genetically modified tobacco plants producing P2G12 were grown in containment greenhouses at the Fraunhofer Institute in Aachen, Germany.
The antibody was isolated and purified in a custom-designed processing plant on the same site. It is the first time a license has been granted to manufacture engineered pharmaceutical products from plants in Europe.
Professor Rainer Fischer, Pharma-Planta coordinator and Fraunhofer Director, said: 'We now have a facility in Europe for producing modern medicines in transgenic plants that is unique in the world, although this has taken many years and much investment to establish.
'This approval is a springboard for European plant biotechnology and will enable many important medical products to be realised.'
The researchers claim there is next to no risk of such GM plants spreading or contaminating other crops because they are contained and would not be grown on an agricultural scale.

Nudity Disappears from German Beaches, Parks

Mostly clothed people relax in Munichs English Garten park. The naked sunbathers who once crowded Germanys Baltic beaches and city parks are becoming an endangered species.

If you're visiting a public park or beach in Germany expecting to see plenty of exposed flesh, you may be in for a surprise.

The naked sunbathers who once crowded Germany's Baltic beaches and city parks are becoming an endangered species due to shifting demographics, the fall of the Berlin Wall, growing prosperity and widening girths.
Much to the chagrin of Free Body Culture (FKK) enthusiasts who have been stripping off their clothing on beaches and parks since the early 1900s, a cold wind has been blowing across Germany for nudists and their numbers are steadily dwindling.
"German society is changing and it's not easy to be a naturist anymore," said Kurt Fischer, president of the German FKK association (DFK). There are some 500,000 registered nudists and a total of seven million Germans sunbathe naked regularly.
"But the numbers are unfortunately falling by about two percent each year," Fischer told a group of reporters in the Foreign Press Association (VAP) while sitting, fully clothed, at a beach bar in Berlin's government quarter. "Times are tough."
The main problem is the shrinking population, Fischer said.
The number of Germans fell by more than 3.2 million over the last three decades even though the country's total population has managed to remain more or less steady at about 82 million thanks to immigration -- often from countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans as well as Turkey and Arabic countries.
"Our problems are demographic changes and the fact that immigrants aren't interested in social nudity," said Fischer, 70, whose association has such honoured standing in Germany that it is even part of the Olympic Sport Federation (DOSB).
"Germany is relying more and more on immigrants to keep the population steady. But many come from countries with strong religious beliefs. They just aren't into FKK."
Immigrants who arrive from cultures where headscarves are common will not usually be interested in becoming naturists in Germany, he said. Virtues of social nudity
With one of the lowest birth rates in the world, Germany's native population is projected to fall from about 75 million to 50 million by 2050, population researchers say.
The dwindling number of Germans has caused myriad problems -- affecting everything from beer and schnitzel sales to the numbers of schoolchildren. The country's proud nudity traditions are not immune. Fischer said the trend is inexorable.
"It's better that we shrink in a controlled fashion and keep a diverse age-group structure with all age-groups than to try to stay bloated with mostly seniors and few young people," he said.
Fischer added they were using "special trial offers", direct recruitment and other gimmicks to attract young people.
Nude sunbathing has a long tradition in Germany. The Free Body Culture (FKK) movement was founded in the early 20th century and succeeded in taking much of the smut and embarrassment out of nudity.
Even Germany's top model Heidi Klum was quoted in the German media recently extolling the virtues of topless sunbathing and describing difficulties she has pursuing it in places such as the United States and Italy where it's frowned upon or illegal.
"I love to get a sun tan and I don't like white stripes," said Klum. "I don't worry about what other people think." Her parents often ran around in the nude and still do, she said.
In Germany, public nudity on beaches and lakes is by and large tolerated and practitioners face no legal consequences, although some courts have fined some caught hiking nude on public trails or riding bikes or horses while naked.
For decades nudity was a popular way for those living in Communist East Germany to express themselves -- and was a small piece of freedom for those behind the Iron Curtain. East German beaches on the Baltic were always filled with nude bathers.
But that began to gradually fall out of fashion in many areas in the east after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and then tensions sometimes flared when some western German tourists unaccustomed to the widespread nudity complained.
"When we moved from western Germany to a town in the east, we noticed there was less of a taboo about nudity," said one American surprised by the ubiquitous nudity in the east. "It really struck me at a nearby lake when people were just naked in the water or getting a tan in the sun and nobody was bothered."
That, however, has also begun to change. "We've got a lot chubbier"
Increasing wealth and fashion-consciousness in Germany and especially the east has hurt the movement as well. "We're all equal in the nude," said Fischer, a westerner who admitted it felt like "torture" for him to sit in his clothes on a bright sunny summer afternoon while talking to journalists.
"When people are naked you can't tell the difference between the man with the doctorate and the man who collects trash. There used to be more of an egalitarian attitude. People now want to distinguish themselves and one way to show off is with fancy swimsuits. It's not easy for the nudist in a society like this."
There are other reasons contributing to decline of the unique German cultural tradition. As a 70-year-old eastern woman named Brigitte pointed out, growing prosperity has led to growing waist sizes.
"In East Germany, there were a lot more people with attractive physiques," said Brigitte, a retired dental assistant and avid naturist who asked that her full name not be used.
"But with the rise in prosperity a lot of people have come apart at the seams and they can't show their bodies in public anymore. We've become a lot chubbier with all this prosperity. It's not really very aesthetic anymore."
Brigitte said she misses the East German era when entire beaches and camping areas were packed with nudists even though parts of West Germany, such as Munich's English Garten park and West Berlin's Tiergarten, have proud FKK traditions.
"I miss those places more and more," she said, admitting that she often feels inhibited about being nude and now wraps a towel around herself until she gets to the water. "You definitely see fewer people in then nude. But I don't think the movement will die out. It's too much fun."

Facebook Could Become Adults Only

Alarming ... according to cyber security expert Susan McLean, Facebook gossip sites have "exploded in the last two or three months".

















Ways to force Facebook to give parents access to their kids' profiles will be discussed today by state and federal attorneys-general in a meeting that will also examine an 18+ Facebook age limit.
The idea was first proposed by a South Australian Family First MP, Dennis Hood, and is being championed by South Australian Attorney-General John Rau. Rau argued that giving parents assistance to supervise their children on Facebook would help protect against online predators and limit access to unsuitable material.
But Susan McLean, who was Victoria Police's first cyber safety officer and is now an online safety consultant, said the proposal was “ill informed and it shows a total lack of understanding of what the internet is”.
“It's not Facebook's fault that there are problems on Facebook. You can't legislate against stupidity or poor parenting or anything like that,” said McLean.
“It would be nice but it can't be done and it breaks down any level of trust that you should be trying to develop with your kids.”
Facebook's terms of use currently requires users to be aged at least 13 but there is no proof of age requirement and kids regularly lie to gain access.
At their meeting today, the country's top lawmakers will consider requiring proof of age checks and even raising the age limit to 18, federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland confirmed.
This would be at stark odds with recent comments from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who floated the idea of removing the 13 minimum sign-up age policy.
“Age verification is something that various platforms deal with and I can't see why it should be beyond the wit of Facebook to do the same thing, if that was the solution people wanted,” said Rau.
“I think people need to understand that just because they are operating in the virtual world, that is on the internet, it does not mean that there should not be boundaries or rules or standards of behaviour.
“Exactly how these boundaries and rules should be applied and enforced is a matter that we need to discuss.”
It is unclear how the attorneys-general could apply such regulations to Facebook given it is a US-based company. Rau said changing the rules on access to Facebook would require cooperation from operators and the federal government would need to use its communications powers.
McClelland said yesterday it would be Rau's task to come up with methods of implementing the restrictions.
He said Rau made a fair point as “there has been concern expressed by some parents that the images being put up by their own children are prejudicial to their future career prospects”.
“I think that all Attorneys recognise it as a legitimate issue to raise and … John having raised it, will be tasked … to come back with a few suggested solutions,” said McClelland.
“Having Australian jurisdiction extend off shore is the challenge. That's not to say a bit of discussion can't get some goodwill. Hopefully we will be able to look at a few options.”
Asked whether the issue could be solved simply by parents sitting down with their children, rather than with new regulations, McClelland agreed that this would be a preferable approach.
“Having said that, I have four kids, not in every situation can we reach an accommodation so I can understand some parents have raised the issue,” he said.
But McLean said implementing the proposals would be impossible.
“Say we get this law that says parents are allowed to access their kids facebook accounts, how am I going to prove that I'm your mother?,” she said.
“It's totally unworkable because there is nothing on the internet that allows anyone to age and identity verify anyone, so that's where it's going to fall down in the first place.
“Secondly, American companies aren't necessarily obliged to obey Australian law. Thirdly, tech savvy kids will set up two accounts – here's the one mum can see and here's the one where I do whatever it is I wanna do on it.”
Stephen Collins, spokesman for the online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, agreed with McLean that any restrictions would be difficult to enforce.
"We'd very much prefer a social and educational approach - teach people good privacy practice, make it easy for them, educate about acceptable behaviors (e.g. why should online behaviors be different in terms of what we accept from those in the physical world?)," he said.
"So too, a parental right to access that is any greater than exists in law now (such as access to medical details for 16-18 year olds) seems heavy-handed."
Comment is being sought from Facebook. The site counts about 10 million Australian users, or almost half the population.
At the meeting today the attorneys-general will also discuss whether to allow an R18+ rating for video games. The federal government is a vocal supporter of the change but has had difficulty convincing some states that it won't result in a stream of ultra-violent and sexualised games flooding the market.
Privacy is also on the agenda after the government raised the idea of a statutory right to privacy following the hacking scandal that has engulfed News Corporation.
Ways to deal with the online publication of suppressed legal material will also be discussed. Rau said it was clear that suppression orders – which prevent media from reporting details of court cases - were being undermined by social networking sites.

Indonesia Seeks Meet between North and South Korea

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun, left, talks with his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Friday, July 22, 2011.

Indonesia's foreign minister says he will ask top diplomats from the two Koreas to hold informal talks on the sidelines of Asia's largest security forum.

Marty Natalegawa made the comments ahead of a closed-door meeting Friday with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun. He said he hoped he could help facilitate an "informal" meeting between Pak and South Korea's Kim Sung-hwan, helping ease testy relations.
Negotiations to end North Korean's nuclear weapons program have been stalled for more than two years. But top diplomats from all six countries involved in the talks — the United States, China, Russia, Japan and North and South Korea — are attending the ASEAN Regional Forum. That's raised hopes for talks between North and South Korea.

Groundwork for Obama's Visit to Indonesia

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at the Indonesias Airforce base in Ngurah Rai , Bali July 21, 2011. Clinton is in Bali to attend the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Nusa Dua. Indonesian hosts the 44th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) and the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bali.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday kicks off two days of talks with her Asian counterparts focusing on security issues, amid rising tension in the South China Sea.
Clinton arrived on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Thursday after a trip to India where she urged New Delhi to be more assertive in Asia, a message likely to be read with deep suspicion by the government in Beijing.
She will meet her counterparts from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the wider East Asia Summit on Friday, followed a day later by the ASEAN Regional Forum.
The forum is Asia's premier security dialogue and includes senior ministers and officials from across Southeast Asia as well as China, Japan, the Koreas, Russia and Australia.
Issues such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea, North Korea's nuclear program, the Thai-Cambodia border dispute and human rights in Myanmar are expected to be discussed in the course of the meetings.
Clinton will also be laying the groundwork for President Barack Obama's visit to Indonesia in November for the East Asia Summit leadership meeting, which will be the first time a U.S. president has attended the forum.
“Clinton has decided that Southeast Asia, specifically ASEAN, will serve as the fulcrum for a long-term Asia strategy,“ Centre for Strategic and International Studies analyst Ernest Bower wrote in a briefing paper.
He said ASEAN was not more strategically important than India, China, or Japan, but “it is the focal point where the most important geostrategic chess games of the 21st century will be played“.
“At times like this, it appears that the secretary of state is the only U.S. cabinet member, except perhaps Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who understands this fact,“ Bower added.
Clinton's visit comes after China and Southeast Asian nations announced a “breakthrough“ in drawn-out talks on their overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The countries endorsed a set of guidelines designed to reduce tensions in the strategic waterway and create an atmosphere conducive to the eventual adoption of a binding code of conduct.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan all have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits and home to shipping lanes vital to global trade. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Bali on Thursday that tensions in the South China Sea were “nothing new.“
“Everyone realises the complexity of the issues we are dealing with and the important thing is to develop a degree of communication and goodwill among all the players going forward,“ he said.
Clinton riled the Chinese delegation at the last ARF in Hanoi a year ago when she stated that it was in the United States' “national interest“ to keep those shipping routes open for business. Tensions have escalated in recent months, with the Philippines and Vietnam expressing alarm at what they say are increasingly aggressive Chinese actions.
These include accusations of Chinese forces opening fire on Filipino fishermen, shadowing an oil exploration vessel employed by a Philippine firm, and putting up structures in areas claimed by the Philippines.
Vietnam voiced anger after a Chinese vessel cut the exploration cables of a Vietnamese survey ship in May, and Beijing condemned U.S.-Vietnam naval exercises that began last week off Vietnam's coast.