Pertamina Imports More Pertamax to Anticipate Surge of Demands

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hanung Budaya, Director of Sales and Marketing for state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, said that the company will import an additional three cargos of non-subsidized fuel, Pertamax, in order "to maintain [Pertamax] supply throughout December." The number is equal to 600,000 barrels.

Currently, said Hanung, Pertamina continues to import Pertamax to anticipate increasing demands that is predicted to occur as a result of the lower price margin between subsidized and non-subsidized fuel.

Hanung said that the people would most likely switch to purchasing Pertamax. Currently, Pertamax supply is enough for the next 40 days, assuming that the average daily consumption of Pertamax is 2,500 kiloliters. In the next three months however, Pertamax consumption is predicted to increase to 10,000 kiloliters per day.

On November 17, 2014, President Joko Widodo had announced a price increase for subsidized fuel from Rp 6,500 per liter to Rp 8,500 per liter, and subsidized diesel fuel (Solar) from Rp 5,500 per liter to Rp 7,500 per liter.

KHAIRUL ANAM

Central Java Governor Attends 'Ratu Adil' Performance

TEMPO.CO, Magelang – Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo attended an art performance called “Ratu Adil Stage” in the area of Mount Merbabu in Banyusidi village, Magelang regency, on Thursday night, November 13, 2014.

“I came in a hurry and I was shaky.  I thought that this would be fantastic, and it turned out to be true, the performance was marvelous,” Ganjar said after watching the performance, which was part of the 2014 Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF).

The performance was staged before around 250 spectators, including Ganjar and a number of officials from the Central Java administration.

The performance, which took place at Padepokan Wargo Budoyo Gejayan, was also highlighted with poetry reading by three poets, viz. Ahda Imran, Otto Sukatno and Triyanto Triwikromo.

Singer Trie Utami, accompanied by Lamalera band, also took the stage and sang several songs. 

ANTARA

Jokowi Invites New Zealand to Invest in Geothermal Energy

TEMPO.CO, Nay Pyi Taw – Indonesia and New Zealand held a bilateral meeting during the ASEAN Summit in Myanmar. To New Zealand PM John Key, President Joko Widodo said he hopes that the two countries could collaborate in building geothermal power plants in Indonesia.

"The relationship between Indonesia and New Zealand will improve if we could establish a concrete economic and investment relations such as [investing in] geothermal power plant, which has now become a focus for New Zealand," Jokowi said on Thursday.

Jokowi hopes New Zealand can soon invest in geothermal power plant in as they have more experiences in geothermal power plant development.

"We will be very happy if New Zealand can develop and expand their investment in this field. We will of course help with any problem," said Jokowi.

The meeting with John Key was conducted privately, with Jokowi accompanied by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Sofyan Djalil, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, and Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto.

ANANDA TERESIA 

Hello Kitty at 40: Sexist Throwback or Empowering Icon?

In honor of Hello Kitty's 40th birthday celebration, Hello Kitty Con, we talked to experts and fans about her influence on womenThis week, about 25,000 of the world’s most devoted Hello Kitty fans are expected to assemble in LA’s Little Tokyo district for the first-ever Hello Kitty Con–a four-day celebration of the character’s 40th birthday, going on now. Created by the Japanese company Sanrio, the little white cartoon has become one of the best-selling licensed entertainment characters ever, generating an estimated $8 billion annually for Sanrio,according to a company spokesperson.The event, which started October 30 and runs through November 2, has been a long time coming for her most fervent acolytes—adult women who played with her as children in the 70s and 80s and still incorporate her into their daily lives. The sold-out event has acres of adorableness–from Kitty costumed fans to crystal jewelry and even historic artifacts like the very first product to feature the character –a coin purse from 1974, which is on display behind velvet ropes.To get to the bottom of the Hello Kitty phenomenon, we asked experts and female fans to reflect on Hello Kitty “the girl” and the outsized influence she’s had on the culture over the last 40 years.Despite her seemingly benign and utterly adorable appearance, the character has become a polarizing cult figure around the world. Fans who collect everything Hello Kitty say she’s empowering, or at the very least a harmless hobby. Critics say she’s a sexist throwback to a time when girls, particularly Asian girls, were supposed to be cute and silent (the character has no mouth). Meanwhile, in some feminist circles, she’s also been embraced as a counterintuitive symbol of freedom to be feminine and strong. And to further muddy the picture, Sanrio recently clarified that the character is actually a third-grade girl and not a cat. A 40-year-old girl who looks just like a cat that is.TIME

Govt to Revise Regulations on Marine Affairs and Fisheries

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government plans to amend several regulations related to marine affairs and fisheries in a bid to overcome the various problems plaguing this sector, as reported byAntara News.

"I want to revise many ministerial regulations. The president has allowed us to go ahead with the amendments. All can be revised to make it better," Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti stated after a meeting with President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi,on Friday.

She explained that the regulations to undergo revision included the one concerning the loading and unloading of ships at sea, along with changes in the tariff charged for permits given to ships for conducting fishing in the Indonesian waters.

The minister revealed that President Jokowi had urged her to continue carrying out improvements in the marine affairs and fisheries sector, so that it can reap benefits for the people.

Besides reporting several issues, Susi said she also put forth a request to the president for being allowed to return to Pangandaran, West Java, during the weekend.

In the meantime, Navy Chief Admiral Marsetio has announced that his side and the related ministries are accumulating data on various problems and challenges faced by the marine and fisheries sector.

"We are making a list of issues that should be addressed together, including illegal fishing," Marsetio stated after a meeting with Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti on Thursday.

The Navy chief noted that preparing a list of issues was an important task and should be followed by concrete actions with regard to on-field problems faced by the marine and fisheries sector.

Marsetio revealed that 11 stakeholders have voiced their respective problems associated with the regulations concerning the marine and fisheries sector.

He said that before the meeting with Minister Susi, he also met Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo.

The Navy chief noted that in the coming six months, after the Law on Maritime Affairs comes into effect, the government has to issue a regulation in lieu of the law with regard to the sea security agency (Bakamla).

The Bakamla is a body comparable to the United States Coast Guard. It should serve as the only institution that carries out supervision of Indonesias maritime territory.

"Later, there will only be one agency," he stated, adding that the body could help to curtail costs to be borne by businesses in the marine sector.

ANTARA NEWS