On Thursday (March 26), Twitter Inc. opened its representative office in Jakarta. The CEO of Twitter Dick Costolo himself came to officiate the opening. While here, Costolo met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Vice Presidential Head of Expert Staff Sofjan Wanandi, Communication and Information Technology Minister Rudiantara, and also the CEO of PT Indosat Tbk (IDX:ISAT) Alexander Rusli.Costolo told the reporters that Twitter would work with the Indonesian government to create awareness about natural disasters, something that affect the country regularly, such as flooding, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. [Continue reading]
East Nusa Tenggara Tourism: Hotels
NewsroomThe growth of the tourism industry in East Nusa Tenggara is long overdue. The province is perfect for sightseeings, with plentiful of breathtaking landscapes. The news of increasing volumes of visitation is a welcome development. More and more hotels were built, and we’re interested in looking at a few of them. Today, we’re going to talk about the Hotel Sylvia and T-More Hotel & Lounge. [Continue reading]
East Nusa Tenggara Tourism: Signs of Growth
NewsroomMany of us know that Bali has always been the prima donna, getaway tourist destination. This applies for both foreign and domestic tourists. But in the past decade, the Government has been trying to promote the other regions of Indonesia as alternative tourist destinations. One of them is the province of East Nusa Tenggara, or otherwise known as NTT. [Continue reading]
Security Briefing: Chep Hernawan, and the Return of Indonesian ISIS Fighters
NewsroomLast Saturday (March 21), the head of the hard-line group Islamic Reform Movement (Garis) Chep Hernawan was arrested with the charge of committing fraud. Chep allegedly embezzled 150 million Rupiah in 2011. Prior to his arrest, Chep made a revelatory statement. He claimed that he’s the financier behind Indonesians joining the State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). But who is Chep Hernawan? [Continue reading]
Cosmetics Industry: Wardah
NewsroomWardah is one of Indonesia’s home-grown cosmetics brands. Many believe them to be a new player in the industry, but Wardah has in fact been producing and distributing cosmetic products since 1995. It’s thus interesting that Wardah has only become somewhat of a household brand in recent years. [Continue reading]
Cosmetics Industry: Viva Cosmetic
NewsroomLocal brands of cosmetic products are undeterred with the competition coming from international cosmetic products. Local brands have been able to secure their own slice of the pie and managed to remain relevant in the market for decades. Some of the well-known local cosmetic brands are Viva Cosmetic, Sariayu Martha Tilaar, Mustika Ratu, Wardah, Belia, Mirabella and Caring Colors. Today, we look into Viva Cosmetics. [Continue reading]
A Wake Up Call for Education Minister
NewsroomLast week, Indonesians were shocked by the revelation that several public school textbooks contain hardline religious teachings. We obtained a copy of “Pendidikan Agama Islam dan Budi Pekerti” and noticed the second paragraph of page 170 stating, “Yang boleh disembah hanyalah Allah SWT dan orang yang menyembah selain Allah Swt telah menjadi musyrik dan boleh dibunuh”, which in English means, “Only Allah SWT should be worshiped and those worshiping Allah SWT perform idolatry and can therefore be killed.” [Continue reading]
Security Briefing: Police Arrested Self-Proclaimed ISIS Financier
NewsroomThe head of the hard-line group Islamic Reform Movement (Garis) Chep Hermawan made a revelatory statement last week. He claimed that he’s the financiers behind Indonesians joining the State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Indonesian National Police (POLRI), however, believe that Chep was lying and that he had simply sought to create a media sensation. POLRI said that they had investigated Chep and found no proof supporting his claim. [Continue reading]
Indonesian Football Fans vs the Fans of One Direction
Newsroomt seems there is no way that Indonesian netizens can pass a week without having a controversial trending topic on Twitter. This week, fans of a boy band and the football enthusiasts suddenly end up mocking one another, on Ttwitter, over the usage of Gelora Bung Karno football stadium. It’s a choice between under-23 football match and a concert by the English-Irish boy band One Direction. [Continue reading]
The New Visa-Free List
NewsroomThe Government of Indonesia is planning to add 30 countries into the list of visa-free countries. Citizens whose country is in Indonesia’s visa-free list would be granted entry for 30 days without the need of an immigration visa. The Government hopes to attract 10 million foreign visitors by 2015 and 20 million foreign visitors by 2019 with this new immigration policy. [Continue reading]
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