Sidelines
It is not death that destroys a conqueror, but obesity. That is what happened to King William when he was 59.
On that early September morning in 1087, during a battle to take the city of Paris, the king was thrown from his horse. His bulging stomach hit the pommel of his saddle and he could not keep his balance. He tumbled forward and was killed.
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Interview
LAST month, the giant Indonesian palm oil company, Eagle High Plantation, sold off 30 percent of its shares, valued at US$632 million, and the stock exchange Eagle 7 percent to 2.6 percent to Felda Global Ventures, a Malaysian state-owned company. Although one benefit will be to get experts in production technology, Eagle's transaction created quite a stir, given that the sale was seen to be underpriced and took place in the midst of a downturn in the global price of palm oil.
It was the move of 61-year-old Peter Sondakh, CEO of Rajawali Corporation, who is known for his 'derring-do' in the world of business. Since the mid-1990s, Sondakh has been the man behind the sale and purchase of big companies. For example, he sold the cigarette company Bentoel to British American Tobacco (BAT) in mid-2009, even though the company had been releasedby Sondakh himselffrom a debilitating US$700 million debt since 1992.
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Word Watch
Jennifer Lindsay
All through the day, I me mine, I me mine, I me mine', the Beatles' song goes. In English, we have four forms for the first person singular (add 'my' to the litany above) but they are all cases of the same word 'I'a ghost of Old English where all nouns, and not just pronouns, had cases. The choice of 'I' or 'me' is fairly straightforward ('I' for subject and after the verb 'to be'), although many English speakers nowadays muddle up 'I' and 'me' and one often hears things like, 'she asked my daughter and I to go', or 'between you and I', when it should be 'me'.
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Environment
With populations of rare mammals on the decline in Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL), wildlife poachers are increasingly targeting therangkong, or wild hornbill, as a source of illicit income.
Speaking to a local paper, Andi Basrul, head of management at the nearly 8,000 square kilometer park on the Aceh-North Sumatra border, said park rangers recently confiscated 12 hornbill beaks, each of which could fetch around Rp9 million, or US$690 on the black market.
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Diplomatic Bag
Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi expressed Indonesia's desire to strengthen economic relations with Vietnam during an official visit by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on June 25.
"We recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations and both countries have maintained a strategic partnership since 2013," Rento said. Also in 2013, a goal of expanding trade to US$5 billion between the two nations was set. Retno said the target would be reached ahead of schedule. "Therefore, we move on to the second part of our bilateral trade agreement to reach US$10 billion in trade by 2018," she said, adding that she hoped the target would also be achieved at an earlier date.
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Interlude
Aboard the steamboat, for months, the sound of kentongan (bamboo gong) reverberated in Tjalie Robinson's ears.
The sound continued to follow Tjalie, a man of mixed Dutch and Indonesian ancestry, who for three months traveled by steamboat along with an Indies contingent back to Holland in 1950 following Indonesia's independence. It was the kentongan sound that later gave him his inspiration.
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Column
Dian Ayu Yustina*
Recent shifts in the global economy has put considerable pressure on the rupiah. Issues ranging from the potential rise in the US dollar interest rate, China's weakening growth to the uncertainty of Greece's debt negotiations, have all weakened the rupiah. We have seen the currency dropping to Rp13,367 per US dollar, its weakest level since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
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Weekly Business
OIL AND GAS
Pertamina Backs East Kalimantan in Mahakam Block
The government has instructed state-owned PT Pertamina to guarantee regional governments in East Kalimantan a participating interest in the Mahakam Block. Support will be required if regionally owned enterprises have financial trouble jointly operating what is the largest gas field in Indonesia. "Engineers will be replaced when the profits are distributed," said I Gusti Nyoman Wiratmaja Puja, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Director-General for oil and gas, on Thursday last week.
Pertamina Backs East Kalimantan in Mahakam Block
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Economy
Negotiations between Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) and the State-Owned Electricity Company (PLN) on a new contract for the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) in Lampung to the Muara Tawar plant in Bekasi, West Java, have reached an impasse.
"We have yet to reach an agreement," said PLN's Director for Commercial, Risk Management, and Compliance, Nicke Widyawati, in Jakarta. PLN seems to be in no hurry to finalize the agreement. According to Nicke, the 920-megawatt (MW) Muara Tawar plant already has an adequate supply of fuel. "We've optimized the steam power plant, as it is cheaper."
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National
TIGA Nyonya restaurant and gallery is one of Pahri Azhari's favorite places to spend his free time. Located at the intersection of Jalan Supeno and Jalan Kartini in Palembang, South Sumatra, it's where he goes to relax and spend time with friends and family. It's also where the Musi Banyuasin regent keeps his antiques.
But since the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) launched a probe Friday two weeks ago, he hasn't been seen at the place. "Pak Pahri and his wife haven't been seen since," said one security guard.
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Cover Story
PRESIDENT Joko Widodo is evaluating the six-month performance of his cabinet ministers. Various instruments are being used to collect reports showing certain indicators. The reports, which come directly from each government ministry are submitted to the cabinet secretary and the pre-evaluation by the Presidential Staff Office become the president's primary references.
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Opinion
FOOD safety is still a serious problem in this country. After the recent fuss over plastic rice, we now face a new revelation: many companies using feedlots to fatten their cattle have been adding salbutamol to the feedlot.
This is unacceptable. Salbutamol is a drug for asthmatics. It is a beta2-agonist effective in rapidly opening up breathing passages. In animals, salbutamol can reduce fat and promote rapid muscle growth. In just a month, a cow's weight can increase by up to 15 percent.
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Indicator
Gambling is nothing new in the world of soccer. Gamblers, players and referees have worked together ever since the Galatama era to manipulate matches and earn a buck.
There is also what is called 'elephant soccer', which was on full display in October 2014, when two soccer teams, PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang, each scored five 'suicide' goals during the Indonesian Super League Main Division Big Eight competition. The two soccer clubs were competing to lose and face off against a weaker club in the next match.
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Letters
KPK Selection Committee Chair's Clarification
Thank you for publishing my interview in last week's Tempo edition of June 22-28, 2015, under the headline "We want the KPK to Regain its Authority". It was most unfortunate that confusion and misinterpretation was caused by the redaction of the interview. This was embodied in the statement:
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Tempo Talks
Improving Connectivity, Boosting Cooperation
This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?
Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.
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Other Editions Of The Magazine
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November 11, 2024
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November 4, 2024
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October 28, 2024
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October 21, 2024
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October 14, 2024
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October 7, 2024