• Survey: PDI-P and Golkar still most Popular Indonesian Political Parties

    A countrywide survey conducted by the Indonesia Research Center (IRC) in late September 2013 ranked the PDI-P (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan) and the Golkar party on top of the poll ahead of the legislative elections that are scheduled for April 2014. In the survey, the PDI-P received 19.6 percent of the votes, while Golkar came in second with 16.3 percent. Both these parties have a long history in Indonesian politics and their popularity indicate that Indonesians seem to favour "old school" political parties.

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  • Jakarta Marathon 2013: Chance to Promote Jakarta in the Global Media

    Seeing marathons being organized in some of the world's largest cities (which gain attention from the global press), the Jakarta administration felt it could not be left behind. On Sunday 27 October 2013, the first ever marathon of Jakarta will be held, with its route passing by some of Jakarta's most famous landmarks, including the National Monument (Monas), the Istiqlal Mosque, the Cathedral Church, Old Batavia, and the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout. The Jakarta marathon also forms the first internationally-recognized marathon in Southeast Asia.

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  • Bank Indonesia: Indonesia's External Debt Growth Slowing in August 2013

    Indonesia’s foreign debt was recorded at USD $257.30 billion in August 2013, a 0.9 decrease compared to foreign debt in July 2013 (USD $259.61 billion). On an annual basis (yoy), foreign debt growth in August was 6.6 percent, thus slowing compared to July’s growth of 7.4 percent (yoy). The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) considers that the slowing growth in the country's foreign debt is in line with the slowing growth of the domestic economy. Indonesia's GDP growth forecast has been revised down to below the six percent mark.

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  • Indonesia's Geothermal Energy Potential May Be Tapped from 2014

    Good news for Indonesia's geothermal power potential. The Indonesian government is getting closer to issuing a new law that will make it easier for investors to tap the country's huge geothermal energy potential. A committee of Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) supports a bill that was proposed by the government, which aims to spur investments in the country's geothermal energy sector through providing a better legal framework. Indonesia is estimated to contain the world's largest geothermal energy reserves.

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