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Kalla: Indonesia to Achieve Great Advances by 2011 Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:He said this when launching the LIPI Expo 2008 in Jakarta. If this happens, he added, Indonesia can reduce energy subsidies and use the excess budget for development. Kalla called on research institutions such as LIPI to study what the people needs are. The research must be in line with the peoples situation, Kalla said. Kalla also called on the institution to focus on research. LIPI must be able to manage their research so they do not overlap with those from other institutions. They must coordinate to avoid other institutions making the same study with different results, he said. Kalla lamented the conditions for doing research in Indonesia . He said many scientists do not make use of the laboratories. Research, he said, can greatly support the nations development. We can progress even more if we work hard, he said. Kalla said, LIPI must improve their research activities, especially now when the peoples socio-politic condition is progressing rapidly. There must be a balance. We do not want the socio-politic condition to advance greatly while leaving research behind, Kalla concluded. KURNIASIH BUDI Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Population of Komodo Dragons close to Extinction Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Kupang:In Padar Island , for instance, there are no komodos left since 2000. The komodos in Padar Island has become totally extinct. We cannot find any komodo waste anymore. We are not sure what caused their disappearance but we believe it is because of illegal deer and pig hunting, also the change of their habitat due to forest destruction by fire, said the Komodo National Park chief, Ramang Isaka, contacted by phone. Between the 1980s and the 1990s, there were quite a number of komodo dragons in Padar Island . But many illegal hunters deliberately burned the forest, causing a smaller space for these animals to live and the fire could have even killed them. He added that these hunters have become a serious threat to the komodo population in the last few years. We think there is a total of just 2.500 komodo dragons living in the islands of Komodo, Rinca and Gili Motang, he said. He said the komodo can only live in dense, wet forests that can provide them with a lot of food. The fact is that deer and pigs are declining and most of the forest area have been destroyed by illegal burning, he said. The caretakers at the Komodo National Park have had to work hard to preserve the rare species. We are still studying the causes of the komodos disappearance in Padar Island. This month we will conduct a study on the environment of Padar Island and list the existing komodos food sources, he said. Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists keeps rising in the last couple of years. Until the first quarter of 2008, around 1.7000 international and 1.010 domestic visitor visited East Nusa Tenggara province, site of the komodos at the Komodo National Park . Jems de Fortuna Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Lifes Best Friend Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:In a research published in the August 6 edition of the Journal of Crystal Growth & Design, three German scientists, Andrei Sommer, Dan Zhu, and Hans-Joerg Fecht from the University Of Ulm, Germany, revealed that billions of years ago a diamonds surface provided the perfect condition to support a chemical reaction, which was believed to have brought life on Earth. The study showed that for many years scientists believed lifes chemical precursor developed gradually, from a simple molecule to what they called a primordial entity. Yet, how the simple amino acid molecule created a complex polymer remains a mystery. Therefore, Sommer and his team studied diamonds, a crystallized carbon that is much older than the oldest form of life in Earth. After numerous lab experiments, they discovered that after hydrogenation, a natural diamond formed a water crystalline layer on its surface. Water is essential for the continued development of life and is found in electrical conductivity, which is the key which triggers a chemical reaction required to bring life. When the primitive molecule landed on the hydrogenated diamonds, the surface in the early Earths atmosphere, the reaction was possibly big enough to create a more complex organic molecule. sciencedaily Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

UK and Bandung Creative Industry to Collaborate Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Bandung:He said he was aware that Bandung is a city with a big potential in the arts industrial technology, culinary programs and youth creativity. This has caught the attention of the UK , a country that is active in developing its own creative industry. According to Hatfull, the UK has proven that creative industry can grow and develop to support their countrys economy. The UK has contributed up to 10 percent of its domestic products, like banking services, which is the biggest economic sector. West Java governor, Ahmad Heryawan, said Bandung has had the potential to develop this industry for the last 10 years, and they need to appreciate the young generation who are the creators behind this industry. Therefore, a synergy between the government and the youth is required in order to allow that creativity to grow. The exhibition last Saturday earned a remarkable profit of Rp 4,5 billion. According to Kickfest chairman, Tubagus Fikri Satari, the committee targeted Rp 10 billion in three days. Last year Kickfest earned Rp 3,5 billion in three days with 300.000 visitors. Around 140 distributors and clothing businesses took part in the exhibition which started last Friday. About 1.000 local clothing and outlet industries are spread in Indonesia ; around 40 percent are located in Bandung , 10 percent in Yogyakarta and 30 percent in Jakarta . In Bandung , the clothing industry is expected to gain a Rp 25 billion-profit a month, employing around 30.000 people per year. Widiarsi Agustina | Rana Akbari Fitriawan Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Toll Road E-Cards to be used end of 2009 Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:According to Operations Director, Adityawarman, Jasa Marga will first operate the e-cards at the Sedyatmo toll road ( Soekarno-Hatta Airport access), the inner Jakarta toll road, Cipularang, Cililitan - Tanjung Priok - Pluit, Ulujami - Serpong, and Tangerang Merak toll roads. In the next stage, this system will be applied to the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, outer Jakarta , and Jagorawi. Only banks which hold licences from the central bank to issue the prepaid cards can compete in the tender. Adityawarman said there are four banks that meet the criteria, however he did not want to reveal their names. RIEKA RAHADIANA Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

M.Yunus: Indonesia Can Eradicate Poverty Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT TEMPO Interactive, Nusa Dua:He suggested an island-to-island strategy, saying the government should decide which island to develop. If one island is successful, the neighboring island will be envious and be motivated to also succeed. Because of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, at least 20-25 million Indonesians are free from poverty, he said. The Grameen Bank CEO said after his two meetings with President SBY, that it was obvious the president was determined to reduce the number of poor people in Indonesia. According to Yunus, the president asked many questions in great detail. Yunus acknowledged that the real challenge is in the implementation. The presidents program, he added, must be doable. However, Yunus was optimistic that Indonesia can accomplish this. World Bank economist, Vivi Alatas, said it was difficult for Indonesia to eradicate poverty among its 34 million people as Yunus had said, because surviving the effects of the increase in the price of oil and other commodities was hard on the people. She felt that the ongoing programs, such as the National Manpower Program (PNPM), Peoples Credit, Family Program, School Operational Aid (BOS), and Cash Aid (BLT) are effective, however their implementation is very slow. We still need to make maximum use of utilize the regional governments to assure that the planning and implementation of programs can run smoothly, she said. Secretary for the State Minister for National Development Planning, Syahrial Loetan, said the three clusters of the government programs have been quite efficient in lowering the number of poor people. The first cluster is rice distribution, health insurance, and BOS. The second cluster is the PNPM and the last one BLT. SORTA TOBING | YOPHIANDI Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Ekspor bonggol kamboja kurang terkoordinasi Posted: 04 Aug 2008 09:10 AM CDT JAKARTA (Bisnis.com): Potensi ekspor bonggol bunga kamboja masih terkendala kurangnya koordinasi pengusaha tanaman hias untuk mengembangkannya menjadi bisnis. Mangiring Marbun, Kasubdit Agro Pengembangan Pasar Amerika dan Eropa Departemen Perdagangan, mengatakan eksistensi usaha tanaman hias cenderung memberikan prospek yang cerah terkait dengan tren masyarakat yang cepat berubah. “Sama halnya dengan tanaman hias lainnya, potensi ekspor bonggol kamboja sangat besar dan peluang pasarnya juga sangat bagus. Namun kalangan pengusaha bunga hias hanya menjadikannya sebagai hobby,” ungkapnya di Jakarta, hari ini. Dia menjelaskan sistem produksi dan pemasaran tanaman hias di Indonesia pada umumnya masih bersifat konvensional. Dengan pengembangan bisnis, tuturnya, tanaman hias mampu mendorong perekonomian masyarakat. Bonggol Kamboja Indonesia, katanya, terutama yang berasal dari Jawa Timur, Jawa Barat dan Sumatra Utara sangat diminati oleh pencinta tanaman hias dari Jerman dan Belanda. Erna Utami, Pengurus Asosiasi Pengusaha Petani Bunga Indonesia (Aspeni) DPD Jawa Timur, membenarkan adanya potensi ekspor bonggol kamboja, namun masih belum tergarap dengan baik. “Bonggol kamboja mampu menjadi andalan ekspor bunga hias. Tapi masih belum tergarap,” ujarnya. Menurut dia, kendala utama belum tergarapnya usaha bonggol kamboja karena para petani belum terkoordinasi dengan baik sehingga hasil produksi juga belum maksimal. Selain itu, terhambatnya pasaran ekspor karena tarif penerbangan dan peranturan karantina yang sangat memberatkan petani.(yn) Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

PHK di AS per Juli melonjak 141% Posted: 04 Aug 2008 08:40 AM CDT WASHINGTON (Bloomberg): Pemecatan karyawan di AS melonjak 141% pada bulan lalu, tertinggi dalam 7 tahun, dipicu perusahaan penerbangan dan finansial. Pemutusan hubungan kerja (PHK) melonjak menjadi 103.312 orang pada bulan lalu atau naik 141% dari 42.897 pada Juli 2007, data Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc (CGC) di Chicago dalam pernyataan tertulisnya. Ini merupakan kenaikan tahunan tertinggi sejak November 2001 dipicu resesi sejumlah perusahaan. Sejumlah perusahaan kesulitan mengupah karyawannya setelah melonjaknya harga bahan bakar dan penurunan sektor perumahan. Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS minggu lalu mengatakan ekonomi AS mencatat angka PHK di negeri itu pada Juli mencapai posisi tertinggi dalam tujuh bulan dan angka pengangguran mencapai level tertinggi dalam empat tahun. “Kami melihat angka PHK meningkat di beberapa industri. Krisis perumahan dan sektor keuangan pada beberapa bulan menjadi pemicu utama,” kata John A. Challenger, chief executive officer CGC. CGC melaporkan angka PHK sekitar 579.260 tahun ini atau naik 33% dari tujuh bulan pertama 2007. Angka rencana PHK juga naik 26% pada bulan lalu dari 81.775 pada Juni. Perusahaan transortasi menjadi penyebab utama tingginya angka PHK yakni sebesar 17.051 pada Juli. Perusahaan finansial sebesar 15.517 posisi dan toko ritel 12.160. United Airlines, induk perusahaan UAL Corp, bulan lalu melaporkan pihaknya mem-PHK karyawannya sebanyak 7.000 orang atau 13% dari seluruh tenaga kerjanya akibat pengurangan jumlah pesawat dan mahalnya biaya bahan bakat jet. Perusahaan penerbangan terbesar kedua di dunia ini melaporkan kerugian bersih sebesar US$3,3 miliar pada kuartal kedua tahun ini. Bank juga mengalami tekanan terbesar dari krisis perumahan sehingga mem-PHK 100.775 posisi Juli 2008 atau naik dari 67.006 pada Juli 2007. Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Sistem terpadu kapal asing akan dibentuk Posted: 04 Aug 2008 08:20 AM CDT JAKARTA (Bisnis.com): Pemerintah akan membentuk sistem terpadu pengaturan pelayaran bagi wisata kapal layar asing di perairan teritorial Indonesia, menyusul terjadinya penyegelan (custom seal) sejumlah kapal wisata yang akan ikut wisata kapal layar Sail Indonesia. Dirjen Pengembangan Destinasi Departemen Kebudayaan & Pariwisata Firmansyah Rahim menuturkan beberapa hal akan diatur dalam sistem terpadu itu di antaranya penetapan pintu masuk dan pintu keluar bagi kapal wisata dan penunjukkan agen di Indonesia sebagai penyelenggara Sail Indonesia. Menurut dia, penyegelan terhadap 106 kapal wisata oleh Kantor Bea & Cukai Kupang itu disebabkan kapal-kapal yang masuk ke Pantai Kupang tidak mempunyai permohonan jaminan tertulis. Padahal, sudah disepakati untuk Sail Indonesia 2008 tidak menggunakan jaminan tertulis pemerintah. Untuk acara itu digunakan mekanisme kerja sama antara penyelenggara dengan asuransi atau agen perkapalan untuk memenuhi aturan kepabeanan. “Sayangnya pihak penyelenggara, dalam hal ini Yayasan Cinta Bahari Indonesia, tidak menjalankan kerja sama dengan agen untuk memenuhi aturan kepabeanan, sehingga terjadi aksi penyegelan itu,” katanya. Sebelumnya, Kantor Bea dan Cukai Kupang menyegel kapal pesiar tersebut pada Sabtu pekan lalu, karena dinilai tidak memiliki izin masuk. Untuk mengantisipasi berulangnya kejadian tersebut, pemerintah akan menunjuk agen untuk penyelenggaraan Sail Indonesia yang akan bertanggung jawab mengurusi aturan kepabeanan.(yn) Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Laba bersih bursa ICE Eropa melonjak 58% Posted: 04 Aug 2008 08:20 AM CDT NEW YORK (Bloomberg): Intercontinental Exchange Inc, bursa energi terbesar milik Eropa, mencatat kenaikan laba bersih kuartal kedua 2008 naik 58% dipicu lonjakan harga minyak. Pendapatan bersih melonjak menjadi US$84,9 juta atau US$1,19 per saham dari US$53,7 juta atau 75 sen dari tahun lalu. Laba bersih per saham sebesarUS$1,18, sesuai dengan perkiraan analis yang disurvei Bloomberg. Total pendapatan naik 44% pada kuartal kedua tahun ini menjadi US$197,2 juta, transaksi kontrak bahan bakar menanjak 18% seperti kontrak minyak jenis Brent dan West Texas Intermediate AS. Komisi transaksi tercatat sebesar US$166,7 juta. Intercontinental Chief Executive Officer Jeff Sprecher, mengatakan kenaikan volume transaksi ini setelah perusahaan mengembangkan kontrak baru dan peluang dari boomingnya harga komoditas, yakni harga minyak Brent melonjak hingga tiga kali lipat dalam empat tahun. Intercontinental, yang dikenal dengan ICE, termasuk CME Group Inc dan Nymex Holdings Inc mencatat kenaikan laba bersih ini dipicu lonjakan harga komoditas, namun kenaikan ini tidak mampu mengangkat harga sahamnya. ICE yang berbasis di Atlanta harga sahamnya anjlok 50% tahun ini dipicu masalah kredit di bank dan broker mengurangi volume konsumen, serta parlemen membatasi transaksi spekulatif. Analis JPMorgan Chase & Co Kenneth Worthington mengatalam volume transaksi ICE pada kuartal kedua tahun ini sangat bagus sehingga mampu mengatasi perlambatan yang terjadi bulan lalu. Saham ICE diperdagangkan pada level US$496,20 setelah anjlok US$3,60 pada 1 Agustus di bursa saham New York Stock Exchange. Harga bulan lalu anjlok dalam 20 bulan US$85,11. Direktur ICE menyetujui pembelian kembali saham senilai US$500 juta yang akan dimulai setelah perusahaan menyelesaikan akuisisi terhadap Creditex Group Inc pada kuartal ini. Buyback saham ini akan selesai pada 12 bulan ke depan. Like this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

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