‘Indonesian Idol’ Builds up to Grand Finale

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 07/26/2010 9:24 AM | Headlines

Indonesian Idol is heading for a tense climax with five more days until Indonesia chooses a new idol.

Viewers will have to wait until the grand finale Saturday night to find out whether Indonesia chooses 17-year-old Skolastika Citra Kirana Wulan from Yogyakarta or 16-year-old Elicohen “Igo” Christellgo Pentury from Ambon, Maluku.

In the mean time, both contestants have packed their suitcases, ready to head back to their hometowns to gather more support, and of course, votes.

The two last surviving finalists of the sixth season of Indonesian Idol sang their way into the finale after edging out 18-year-old Gilang Saputra from Bengkulu in last Friday’s Spectacular Show, where contestants had the chance to share the stage with real superstars.

The jazzy Citra won the hearts of the audience with a striking duet with soul singer Tompi. Meanwhile, Igo finished in the top-two after performing with pop sensation Afgan.

“Singing in a duet is very difficult, but you just did an awesome job,” guest judge Armand Maulana, pop-rock band GIGI frontman, told Igo.

Another judge, composer Erwin Gutawa, echoed the sentiment, saying, “after this competition, you should record your own album and you can make hits.”

 That night’s theme of Superstar Duets saw each of the top-three contestant sing two hits — one with the song’s original performers. Igo showed off his smooth vocals when collaborating with Afgan in the mellow number Sadis (Cruel), while Citra belted out a powerful yet relaxed performance with Tompi in Menghujam Jantungku (Into My Heart).

“Awesome. From the way you performed, you look like a singer with tons of hits,” Armand told Citra.

Gilang, on the other hand, shared the stage with his own idol, new heartthrob Sandy Sondhoro, both singing Malam Biru (Blue Night).

“Gilang knows music better than the other contestants,” Erwin said. “And I think you enjoyed your performance with Sandy just now. This song was difficult, and I appreciate your effort.”

Although he was edged out, Gilang said he had no regrets at all.

“I’m happy enough being in the top three,” Gilang said. “Going this far was already a great achievement and a blessing for me.”

The grand finale will take place on July 31 at Central Park, West Jakarta, and will be aired live on RCTI at 8:30 p.m. Although both Citra and Igo will share the red carpet, only one of them will pocket the key to a new car and a recording deal. And Indonesia gets to decide the winner.

Indonesia Considering Rupiah Denomination

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 08/02/2010 4:41 PM | Headlines

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The central bank is deliberating a potential Rupiah denomination in light of decreasing exchange rate valuations against the US dollar in recent years.

Bank Indonesia is considering the possibility of eliminating zero digits in the currency’s nominal value, as reported by kompas.com.

“The central bank is preparing several measures to make Rp 1 feasible,” new Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution said over the weekend.

The bank has not yet decided how many zero digits would be eliminated, but plans to consult with the House of Representatives before reaching a decision, Darmin said.

“We will publicize the plan by the end of this year,” Darmin said, adding that currency denomination processes generally take four to five years.  

The denomination plans will consider overall economic health, low inflation and price stability, Bank Indonesia deputy governor Budi Rochadi said.

UAE to block BlackBerry services on security fears

The Associated Press, Dubai | Sun, 08/01/2010 8:35 PM | Business

The UAE said Sunday it will block key features on BlackBerry smart phones, citing national security concerns because the devices operate beyond the government's ability to monitor their use.

The decision could block e-mail and Web access for hundreds of thousands of users in the Mideast commercial hub starting in October.

Blackberry data is encrypted and routed overseas, and the measure could be motivated in part by government fears that the messaging system could be exploited by terrorists or other criminals who cannot be monitored by the local authorities.

However, analysts and activists also see it as an attempt to more tightly control the flow of information in the conservative country, a U.S. ally that is home to the Gulf business capital Dubai and the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Government censors already routinely block access to websites and other media deemed to carry content that runs contrary to the natio's conservative Islamic values or could stoke political unrest.

In announcing the ban, the UAE telecommunications watchdog said it will suspend BlackBerry messaging, e-mail and Web browsing services starting October 11. It was unclear if the ban would affect only local users or foreign visitors with roamin services as well.

Regulators say the devices operate outside of laws put in place after their introduction in the country, and that the lack of compliance with local laws raises "judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE."

The government said it is singling out the BlackBerry, and ot other phones that can access e-mail and the Web, because the devices are the only phones that automatically send users' data to servers overseas.

Emirati authorities are eager to portray an image of the country as a safe, stable society free from the extremism found elsewhere in the region. They have tken steps to crack down on terror financing and efforts by neighbor Iran to sidestep international sanctions over its nuclear program.

Regulators said they have sought compromises with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion on their concerns, but failed to reach an agreement on the issue.

"With no soluton available and in the public interest ... Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied," Telecommunications Regulatory Authority director-general Mohamed al-Ghanim said in a statement carried on statenews agency WAM.

"The TRA notes that Blackberry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes noncompliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern," he added.

A spokeswoman for Research in Motion said the Canadian company had no immediate commnt.

Other countries, including India and the Gulf state of Bahrain, have also raised concerns about BlackBerry messaging features, but unlike the UAE have not decided to block them outright.

"The UAE doesn't want to take any chances and they want to monitor what is going on in the country," said Sim Simonian, an analyst at Dubai-based investment bank Shuaa Capital who follows telecommunications. "You cannot intercept BlackBerry messages. ... They don't have access to it."

Research in Motion said in a statement last week it "respects both the regulatory requirements of government and the security nd privacy needs of corporations and consumers."

The company declined to disclose details of talks it has had with regulators in the more than 175 countries where it operates, but defended its phones' security features as "widely accepted" by customers and governments.

"This is the irony, that it' the device with the highest security features," Simonian said. "These same security features corporations like have become an issue of national security for the government."

Etisalat and Du, the UAE's two state-run phone companies, said they would comply with the directive and are working on alternative services for their BlackBerry customers.

RIM does not disclose the number of BlackBerry users in the country.

Simonian, the Shuaa analyst, estimated that there are "hundreds of thousands" of Black

Govt intensifies moves to block porn sites

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 07/31/2010 6:36 PM | Headlines

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Tifatul Sembiring: JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

The Ministry of Communication and Information has given Internet café operators one month to install anti-pornography software as part of the government’s efforts to fight pornography in the Internet.

Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring said Saturday the government had also asked Internet Service Providers to install an application which could block customers’ access to adult sites.

For schools that provide Internet access to students and staff, Tifatul said the anti-pornography software was mandatory.

“In accordance with the Law No. 44/2008 on Anti-pornography, the government has the right to block those who fail to follow this instruction,” Tifatul said.

He said the government was collecting keywords which might enable Internet users to access porn sites.

“There are many words which have various meanings, but there are also words that only appear in the country. We need to carefully select the words,” he said.