| top news | As Aceh Votes, a Lesson for All of Us Voting in Aceh today will be closely watched by observers to gauge whether the challenges posed by simultaneous elections at various levels in a province offset the benefits. Dessy Sagita, Rangga Prakoso & Nurdin Hasan | 12:50 AM April 9, 2012  An Indonesian policeman checks his mobile phone while guarding ballot boxes one day ahead of the province's second election in Banda Aceh on Sunday. Indonesia's only province ruled by hardline sharia laws elects its powerful governor on Sunday in polls watched by militant Muslims pushing for an Islamic government nationwide. The elections in Aceh are the second since the province suffered 170,000 fatalities in the Asian tsunami of 2004, and since a 30-year war against Indonesian rule ended in 2005, having claimed 15,000 lives. (AFP Photo) |
 | Hunt Begins for Papua Gunmen Who Strafed Plane Jayapura. Police and soldiers of the Indonesian Armed Forces are combing the hills in Mulia, Papua, after gunmen sprayed an incoming commercial flight with bullets, killing one passenger and wounding four people on Sunday. Banjir Ambarita | 12:14 AM April 9, 2012 Maori Battle Bankers by New Zealand's Mount Doom Wellington. A bus full of bankers from Goldman Sachs and other financiers bounces down a dirt track on New Zealand's North Island to survey sites that are dividing the nation, pitting John Key's government against Maori who have lived here for centuries. Chris Bourke | 8:21 PM April 8, 2012 In Today's Newspaper House Fights Government's Attempt to Buy Into Newmont? Legislators claim that the government's go-ahead on purchasing a 7 percent stake in gold miner Newmont Nusa Tenggara is unreasonable, unlawful and detrimental to the rights of residents living around the mine.
The House of Representatives wants the stake to go to the local administration. But Indonesian law may block the bid. Read about it in today's Jakarta Globe or subscribe to receive the paper every day. |  |
| | business | Higher Dividend Payments Likely for Indonesia's Investors After reporting strong earnings in 2011, companies will likely pay higher dividends this year, making their shares attractive to investors seeking yields that offer an alternative to savings deposits and government bonds. Francezka Nangoy | 9:52 PM April 8, 2012  The Jakarta Composite Index rose to a record high last week. The addition of companies' dividend yields to stock appreciation may push the total return on equities higher than that for other asset classes exceeding the nation's annual inflation rate, at 3.97 percent. JG Photo/Safir Makki |
 | Bumi a Buy as Coal Miner Targets Higher Production Two local brokerages have maintained their buy recommendations for Bumi Resources on optimism the coal miner will see higher production and lower costs. Francezka Nangoy & Muhamad Al Azhari | 8:28 PM April 8, 2012 Indonesian Car Sales Rise in First Quarter of 2012 Car sales in Indonesia increased by 10.6 percent in the first quarter of this year from the same period a year ago on the back of strong consumer purchasing power, a senior official from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association said on Sunday. | 9:27 PM April 8, 2012 Indonesia's Susi Air Aiming High With Expanded Fleet Schedule and charter airline ASI Pudjiastuti Aviation, known as Susi Air, plans to expand its fleet by adding up to 15 new planes every year with an annual investment of Rp 220 billion to Rp 330 billion ($24.2 million to $36.3 million), starting next year. Tri Listiyarini | 7:54 PM April 8, 2012 |  |
| | sports |  Indonesian men's singles tennis player Wisnu Adi Nugroho returns a volley from Thailand's Kittipong Wachiramanowong at Sunday's Davis Cup Division II finals at the Bung Karno Tennis Stadium, in Senayan, Jakarta. (Antara Photo) |
| Golf: Swede Holds Off Mickelson's Run at Masters Augusta, Georgia. Peter Hanson could hear the roars that signaled a Phil Mickelson charge at the Masters on Saturday, and the Swede calmly responded with a series of birdies that gave him a one-shot lead over the American heading into the final round. Doug Ferguson | 8:26 PM April 8, 2012 Mighty Messi Scores 60th in Barcelona Win Madrid. Lionel Messi became the first player in almost 40 years to score 60 goals in a single European top-flight season after he helped Barcelona come from behind to beat 10-man Zaragoza 4-1 on Saturday. | 7:36 PM April 8, 2012 |  |
| | life & times | Indonesian Sandeqs Setting Sail for France As the largest archipelagic country in the world, encompassing some 5.8 million square kilometers of maritime territory, Indonesia is rich in seafaring traditions and time-honored craft developed by a variety of tribes across the centuries. Ismira Lutfia | 7:24 PM April 8, 2012  A sandeq with a sail indicating its destination this July; a flotilla of sandeqs gathering on the coast. (Photo courtesy of Paskal Chelet-Roux) |
 | Time for an Indonesian Watch? A watch is more than a watch. It is part fashion accessory and part personal signboard, giving the world an insight into your personality and social standing, according to the people behind a new brand of Indonesian watches. Sylviana Hamdani | 7:30 PM April 8, 2012 Jakarta's Grieve Believes in Vinyl's Appeal Using the somber moniker of Grieve, a new record store on Jalan Fatmawati in South Jakarta is quickly establishing itself as the go-to place for rare, underground records of the dark kind. Marcel Thee | 7:27 PM April 8, 2012 In Yogyakarta, Religion Meets LGBT Rights In early March, the case of Daniel Zamudio, a 24-year-old gay man from Chile who was attacked and tortured, led to a public outcry not only in Chile but around the world. Zamudio died of his injuries three weeks after the attack. Katrin Figge | 7:33 PM April 8, 2012 |  |
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