On Tuesday 12 March there will be no transportation possible to the island of Bali, Indonesia's most popular destination in terms of tourism. On that day Hindus celebrate Nyepi, i.e. the Day of Silence or the Hindu New Year in the Balinese Saka calendar. Bali still contains a Hindu majority population amid Indonesia's Muslim-majority population. The island's traditional Hindu culture and customs is one reason for the annual millions of foreign arrivals.

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Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), Indonesia's largest telecommunication and network provider, is seeking to tap the lucrative mobile phone market in Myanmar, where the mobile penetration rate currently stands at five percent only. The company joined a tender through which it aims to obtain a mobile operator license from the Myanmar government. However, Myanmar prefers companies that already have a large international customer-base.

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Vale Indonesia, Indonesia's largest nickel producer, posted an 80 percent decline in net income compared to 2011. Net income in 2012 totaled US $67.5, significantly down from US $333.8 in 2011. Main reasons for this poor performance were weakened metal and nickel markets due to global economic turmoil, which resulted in lower prices. Its average realized price per metric ton went down 26 percent, while operating costs increased 10 percent.

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Indonesia's trade deficit narrowed slightly in January as there has been better demand from developed countries. However, Indonesian exports remain under pressure with persistent weak global demand. Moreover, higher crude oil prices increase the country's import costs. In addition to Indonesia's trade deficit, annual inflation increased to 5.31 percent in February due to rising food prices and higher electricity tariffs.

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