A special report on Indonesia: A golden chance

SBY

There are, however, four big reasons for optimism. The first is demographic. Over the next few years, thanks to a combination of a young population and a falling birth rate, Indonesia will see a surge in the ratio of its working population to the number of dependants. Next year, for the first time, more than half the population is likely to be living in urban areas, implying a further boost to consumption, the country’s main source of economic growth.

More

Len is developing Computer Base Interlocking

Kereta Api Indonesia

Tak berhenti pada proyek persinyalan dengan menggunakan Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), PT Len Elektronik tengah kembangan Computer Base Interlocking (CBI) di persinyalan kereta api di Indonesia. Targetnya 2011 prototype CBI bisa diuji coba.

Govt to auction state Sukuk as of October 2009

Sukuk Indonesia

The Finance Ministry is set to auction state sharia bonds (SBSN) in October 2009 after which the auction will be conducted on a regular basis, a spokesman said.

The government planned to issue and sell SBSN or state sukuk by auction in the domestic market to meet part of financing target in the state budget, head of the ministry`s public relations bureau Harry Z. Soeratin said in a statement on Friday.

Iraq-Qatar flights resume after 18 years

Iraqi Airways

Iraqi Airways resumed flights from Baghdad to the Qatari capital on Friday for the first time in 18 years, an AFP journalist reported. Welcoming the flight, Iraq’s ambassador in Doha, Jawad Kadhem Al-Hindawi, said his country’s national carrier planned two flights a week initially to Qatar, one from Baghdad and the other from the Shiite holy city of Najaf.

Arab Lunar Prize Competition

Arab Lunar Competition Is Awaited

Arab should catch up for space development by sponsoring a prize for Arab private companies, universities and others to land a robot camera to roam on the moon and send back high-resolution photo data.

Similar effort has been done by Google Lunar X Prize competition that to improve collaboration between private companies to explore the moon.

Arab companies and universities should compete each other to be the first Arab institution to explore lunar and also mars for the sake of human being.

Private sector invited to join village energy programs

Pembangkit Listrik Desa

Private sector and local governments are expected to participate more in helping villages reach energy self-sufficiency as the central government is lacking the funds to run such programs alone.

Under the central government’s energy self-sufficiency villages program (DME) that has run since 2007, 633 villages have reached energy self-sufficiency at the cost of Rp 895.3 billion (US$89 million), Bayu Krisnamurthi, a deputy to the coordinating minister for the economy, said Thursday.

Indonesia’s Ministry to connect 53,000 villages with Internet next year

Horreee Seluruh Desa Indonesia Bakal Tersambung Internet!

The Information and Communication Ministry has aimed to connect the remaining 53,528 villages across the country with Internet next year.

“All villages should have Internet connections by 2010 at the latest,” minister Muhammad Nuh said on Tuesday.

More

Domikado: BlackBerry Application Made in Indonesia

Domikado Buatan Indonesia

This is a BalcBerry application made in Indonesia. The application is called Domikado for BlacBerry users in Indonesia. More

Dubal still interested in Saudi smelter project

Aluminium

Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) said yesterday it was still interested in joining a key Saudi mining company in building a 750,000-tonne-capacity aluminium smelter despite falling world demand.

Khaled bu Humaid, Dubal’s Vice-President for International and Corporate Relations, said Dubal had never thought of pulling out of the joint venture to be set up with the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) in King Abdullah Economic City, the largest industry and business hub in the Gulf Kingdom.

Egypt to reap wheat in Ugandan field

Egypt To Invest in Africa

Egypt is all set to reap wheat from Ugandan fields as the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has allocated model wheat farms in order to boost grain production.

The state-owned daily said that a technical team from Egypt and Uganda last year finalised a feasibility study on large-scale wheat production in Uganda.

Omani investors plan $100m fund

Omani Fund To Invest Abroad

Private investors in Oman plan to set up a fund company with $100 million in capital that would take stakes in Omani government projects abroad, the president of Oman’s Chamber of Commerce said on Thursday.

“The aim is to open up employment and increase liquidity in the private sector,” Khalil Al-Khonji said, without giving details on what types of investments the fund would make.

Dh12m Khalifa city in Pakistan

Khalifa city

The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) will build a Dh12 million Sheikh Khalifa city in Pakistan for persons affected by earthquakes in Balakot.

An agreement to this effect was signed here yesterday by Khamis Al Suweidi, head of the RCA team, and Ghari Aziz Al Rahman, Chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Development Authority (Erda), in the presence of the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Sultan Al Awani and Tariq Zaman, Director-General of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority.

El Sewedy plans cable plant in Yemen

Cable Plant

Egypt’s El Sewedy Cables said on Tuesday it would establish a $42 million low-voltage cable plant in a joint-venture in Yemen, making it the first cable producer in the country.

Dubai: Metro retail outlet tenders receive ‘high bids’

Dubai Metro Rail

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has tendered 92 per cent of retail outlets and ATM sites in Dubai Metro’s Red and Green Line stations.

RTA has received bids that are higher by three times than the minimum bidding rates on the tenders, that show investors’ trust on the city’s economy and investment chances.

Dubal still interested in Saudi smelter project

Dubai International Academic City

Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) said yesterday it was still interested in joining a key Saudi mining company in building a 750,000-tonne-capacity aluminium smelter despite falling world demand.

Khaled bu Humaid, Dubal’s Vice-President for International and Corporate Relations, said Dubal had never thought of pulling out of the joint venture to be set up with the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) in King Abdullah Economic City, the largest industry and business hub in the Gulf Kingdom.