Indonesian and Dutch Governments Have Agreed to Work Towards Achieving a Ceasefire

The Indonesian and Dutch governments have agreed to work towards achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where more than 900 Palestinians were killed during three weeks of Israeli military aggression.

"At a meeting between Indonesia and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Dutch urged both States to the declaration of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip", Retno Marsudi LP, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Director General of the United States in European affairs, said here Wednesday.

The two countries will continue to make the United Nations to work towards achieving a ceasefire in the war-torn region, she said.

As a number of countries in the world, the Dutch government also expressed its concern over Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip which has caused a humanitarian crisis, she said.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen Dutch Marce Jacques is visiting Indonesia from 13 to 17 January 2009, to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.

The Israeli military aggression in the Gaza Strip killed more than 900 Palestinians, including women and children, and wounded over 4,000 others.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to help stop the war in the Gaza Strip. (*)

American Astronaut Aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Spoke Directly with Students for the First Time

An American astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday spoke directly with students of a school for the first time in the country of the area's history.

NASA astronaut Edward Michael Fincke `Mike, who is married to a daughter of India's north of the state of Assam has answered questions from 14 students of Assam Jatiya Vidyalalya at a program organized by the Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), an organization of non-Assamese, in coordination with NASA.

The floor of the amateur radio station on the ISS (ARISS) north of California coordinated speak and the public, consists of more than a thousand people, has told Fincke to the demands of students' phone connected to Earth Station has established a link with the spacecraft.

Students had a new insight into the world of space with Fincke informing them that they normally sleep inside the spaceship and set their own schedules based on a cycle of 24 hours from ten to six.

Asked about the difference in the environment inside and outside the spaceship, Fincke said he was extremely hostile and cold outside but inside it is as comfortable as we can with the temperature at 24 degrees Celsius.

The quality of air inside the spacecraft is maintained by oxygen throughout made carbon dioxide is recycled, said Fincke, who is also the commander of the expedition "Mission 18" of the ISS .

Members of the ship to eat normal food like sausages and burgers, but they are mostly packaged food, prepared on the ground, but we do not heat these sometimes, "he said.

"Water on the spacecraft is used as the return of the planet, but we recycle water and urine," Fincke replied to a student of the interview on the water aboard the spaceship .

He and two of his colleagues inside the spacecraft, however, can not take bath due to zero gravity, and they did tip in addition to wear absorbent.

They are also lucky to see sunrises and 16 rounds during the 24 hours that the spacecraft complete rotation 19 during this period, each cycle to take 90 minutes.

Seasonal changes as well as man-made and natural structure of the earth are also visible from aboard the ship.

Currently, "we are witnessing the winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere and we can also observe large objects, like the pyramids and the Great Wall of China," said astronaut.

Fincke and his colleagues relax on the spaceship with books and watching movies and exercising two hours daily on bicycles and carpets.

Fincke, who is learning Assamese flash in space by means of cards, it was asked, "apuni Asomiya parenaki Kobo" (can you speak Assamese) and he responded with aplomb, "I ALOP Kobo published "(I can speak a little), winning strong applause from the audience.

Fincke is married to Renita Saikia, who also works at NASA, and his parents left for the United States decades ago. (*)

Subsidized Premium Gasoline and Diesel Oil Prices

The government `s signal over the weekend to reduce the subsidized premium gasoline and diesel oil prices in the middle of this month, raised hopes of increased public purchasing power and falling prices and transportation fares.

Yet also prevail. Despite a further reduction, product prices remain unchanged, as was demonstrated when the government lowered the price of fuel oil twice in December last year.

It may even become worse if the government was forced to raise petrol and diesel due to the price of crude oil prices to unexpected rebound in the global market. It would probably be an increase in prices of goods and transport fares.

In such a case, the government `s efforts to relieve the people of the increase in the power and fuel by reducing the price of oil in the middle of the impact of the global economic crisis will fail.

"It is not enough for the government to reduce the price of fuel oil, then let the market decide mechanism (lower) price. It should have a clear plan for lower prices," Farid Wajdi, Director of Protection Consumer and Advocacy Institute (LAPK), said.

He said the government had lowered the price of fuel oil on two occasions but has not yet affected the prices of basic products, such as the price of commodities needed.

The fact that the oil price cuts have not yet contributed to the decline of market prices has prompted the government to discuss the issue Friday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who chaired the cabinet meeting, said he would study the effect on the diesel price declines in the real sector. He expressed concern that the fuel oil price reductions seems to be unable to lower the prices and the necessary transport fares.

The government in December last year cut the premium gasoline price twice RP6 of RP500, 000 per liter for RP5, 000 per liter and diesel prices RP5, 500 per liter of RP4, 800 per liter .

During the Friday meeting, which was also attended by the chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) MS Hidayat, the head of state asked the business community to be just what the prices of basic and necessary transport tariffs in the light of the decline in heating oil prices.

"The president has asked the business community to be fair to the public by lowering the prices and the necessary transport fares," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said after the meeting.

The President requested the meeting Kadin Chief MS Hidayat to seriously consider reducing the price of oil and reflected in the prices of its products. Declines in oil prices should obviously have reduced the business community of the production costs.

Mulyani said all parties, the business community in particular, should be transparent and reliable to help achieve the Government's desire to have the necessary basic prices and freight rates in the country reduced.

"The government has lowered the price of heating oil and the company should have reduced the prices of other commodities as a result, without any excuse," said Sri Mulyani.

According to MS Hidayat, prices could be reduced by 10 percent if the government reduces the price of oil by RP500. He said that Kadin if the proposal was accepted and fuel oil prices were reduced, then there would be opportunities for prices of a number of things needed, and transportation fares to go to the bottom of about 10 per cent.

"I do not have the power to say that the government will announce a lower price, but if I look at his body language, it is likely that the government accepts the proposal of" Kadin, "Hidayat said after attending in the meeting, adding that the government would probably announce on 15 January 2009.

Kadin suggested that the government cut the subsidized price of gasoline and premium diesel fuel RP4, 500 per liter and RP4, 300 per liter respectively.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government would announce a further reduction in prices of heating oil, but it does not mention any figures.

"God willing, the price will be cut again on 15 January. The government has pledged to ease the burden of people `s in line with the current world crude prices," said Vice President of a press conference.

Hidayat said that a reduction of approximately RP500 per liter of fuel oil prices following the decline in freight rates would maintain or even increase the population of the purchasing power in the current economic crisis.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said public transport fares to decline by 10 percent if the government cut fuel prices in the middle of this month.

"The transport fares have already been reduced by about 3 to 6 percent as a result of reductions in premiums for gasoline and diesel oil prices in mid-December last year. If oil prices are down again, transmission rates can be cut by the father of about 10 percent, "the minister said.

He said President Yudhoyono had asked him about the possibility of reducing transport fares if the government cut gasoline and diesel oil prices.

Therefore, the minister called on the public transport owners to lower their prices shortly after the government cut the price of oil more fuel. "State-owned transport companies such as DAMRI for buses, SDEA for ferries, and PT KA for trains pioneered the reduction of transport fares," said the minister.

So far, the economy class fares between city bus can easily be reduced, but the mini-bus fares for the city (angkot) are difficult to decline because of the attitude of errant drivers.

"The drivers feel the direct impact of the rising prices of spare parts such as tires in Indonesia, which are relatively higher than those overseas," said the minister.

The government and the associations of vehicle owners are trying to find a way to provide incentives to lower prices of auto parts, including tires. (*)