The passing of Siti Hindun meant a busy day for Hatta Rajasa. The former coordinating minister for the economy was busy receiving mourners at the funeral home on Jalan Sriwijaya, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. Siti Hindun was the mother of Mohammad Riza Chalid, an oil and gas trader. He is a key figure in the findings of the forensic audit on Petral, a subsidiary of Pertamina, Indonesia's state-owned oil and natural gas corporation.

SETYA Novanto, speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), started his meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla last Monday by talking about plans for his daughter's wedding. Their conversation then moved on to the real reason for the meeting. When Setya met with Freeport Indonesia CEO Maroef Sjamsuddin, he allegedly exploited the names of the President and the Vice President without authorization. Kalla expressed his disapproval. "Why did you use the President's and my names?" said Kalla, as repeated by someone who works closely with the Vice President.

Our motorcycle stopped in front of a cliff nearly 100 meters high. The sandy path that we had been following for an hour ended abruptly there. A limestone wall was in front of us, trees to the right, and bushes to the left. I decided to get off the motorcycle and walk through the bushes.

Some large trucks are lining up in front of the warehouses. Parked right outside the warehouse doors, they are ready to load and transport rice. Sacks of rice are stacked up to the entrances of warehouses that line a four-kilometer stretch in Cai Be District, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. Most of the rice in Cai Be is for the local supply in Vietnam.

The halal logo welcomed guests entering Cafe Bayan at Hotel Santika Mataram in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) last week. No beer or other alcoholic beverages were on tap. An assortment of dishes on the menu came with the halal guarantee for Muslim visitors. The three-star inn holds the status of 'hilal one', meaning that the hotel is equipped with the minimum requirements for the basic necessities of a Muslim. "There are instructions on the direction of the qibla in the room ceiling, ablution places and a prayer hall for the congregation," said Reza Bovier, general manager of Hotel Santika Mataram.