PLN HAS LONG WAITING LIST OF WOULD BE SUBSCRIBERS

Pontianak (Antara West Kalimantan) - General Manager of the West Kalimantan branch of Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) Bima Putra Jaya said there are 18,000 people in the waiting list seeking to be subscribers of the state company in the province.

Bima said PLN is determined to see that no one in the waiting list by the end of this year.

"Our target is that no one left in the waiting list by the end of this year. We want everything is settled," he said here on Sunday.

He said West Kalimantan branch of PLN hopes to have 1 million subscribers by the end of this year, adding currently it already has 978 subscribers.

www.antarakalbar.com

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WEST KALIMANTAN IMPLEMENTS SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF PEATLANDS

Pontianak (Antara West Kalimantan) - West Kalimantan Vice Governor Christiandy Sanjaya said that the provincial administration is encouraging the Peatlands Restoration Team to implement the sustainable management of peatlands in the province.

"The team consists of the government, academicians, non-profit organizations and private associations," Christiandy said here on Tuesday.

The cooperation among all these sectors is expected to be an initial action to preserve and manage the sustainability of peatlands, he added.

He explained that peatlands have many different functions, such as retaining fresh water, preventing flooding and sea water intrusion, preserving biodiversity and controlling climate change.

West Kalimantan provincial administration has also launched the forest reference emission level measurement (FREL) on August 2016 at the annual GCF Task Force (Governors Climate Change And Forest Task Force) in Mexico for the conservation of peatlands.

At the meeting, West Kalimantan Governor delivered a FREL report, which is a reference to measure the emission levels in forests and lands, particularly the carbon emission calculations in peatlands.

Based on the interpretation of satellite imagery, Indonesia has the largest tropical peatlands in the world, about 21 million hectares, or 11.48 percent of Indonesia`s land area, scattered mainly in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua.

Peatlands in Indonesia are spread across 8.9 million hectares (34.8 percent) of Sumatra island, 5.8 million hectares (22.7 percent) of Kalimantan and 10.9 million hectares (42.6 percent) of Papua.

Most peatlands in Sumatra can be found on the east coast, while in Kalimantan Island, the peatlands are located in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan provinces.

The peatlands in West Kalimantan cover an area of 1.68 million hectares.

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WORLD CULTURE FORUM 2016 KICKED OFF WITH SUBAK CULTURAL VISIT

 Bali  (Antara West Kalimantan) -- The cultural visit to one of Indonesia's World Heritage Sites, Subak in Jatiluwih, Tabanan, Bali in Oct. 10, marked the commencement of the World Culture Forum 2016 (WCF) held in Bali, Indonesia. In conformity with theme, 'Culture for an Inclusive Sustainable Planet', the visit aims to help all of the participants comprehend the cultural development phase in Bali.

The visit began with the trip to Batukaru temple to witness the holy water invocation ritual to the Gods and then was proceeded with the interactive dialogue session with the Director of Balinese Paddy Field Conservation Foundation, Phyllis Kaplan and the lecturer of International Relations department of Udhayana University, Wiwik Dharmiasih.

Phyllis stressed the importance of the irrigation system for the survival of mankind. "Balinese Paddy Field Conservation Foundation developed the Economic Development with The Farmers program to encourage the farmers to produce the organic products. The program aims to develop and conserve the traditional irrigation system (subak), so that farmers can continue to make benefit of the system that has been established by the ancestors,� he explained.

This was echoed by Wiwik, said that Subak is an important asset in Bali, which must not only be maintained, but also preserved its continuity. �In this modern time, there are many farmers who advise their grandchildren not to become a farmer, but to become a doctor or other, instead. Thoughts like these will ultimately make Subak become neglected. The infrastructure development for paddy fields will help stimulate society to start farming and producing their own products, without having to import goods from other countries, �said Wiwik.

Subak is how Balinese people call water irrigation system, which was formed as a management system to ensure that water can irrigate rice fields in a village. Like other traditional organizations in Bali, Subak is also based on the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. A philosophy which teaches that happiness can be achieved if human beings are able to maintain harmonious relations between the three elements, namely Parhyangan (Deity), Pawongan (Human), and Palemahan (Nature).

The participants also gain knowledge from the speakers concerning the obstacles to the survival of Subak system. One of the main reason is the demands of the rapid development in various fields, mainly tourism, which is not always in line with the values of local wisdom embraced by local community. Therefore, Subak became one of the issues to be discussed at the World Culture Forum 2016, to put an example on the complexity of the problems faced in preserving local knowledge in line with the demands of development in Bali as a world tourism base. Therefore, the consideration to the effort to inform Subak to the world community is echoed into valuable knowledge because it is expected to bridge the interdependence between man, nature and divinity.

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GUANGDONG ENTERPRISES SEEK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS THEY "GO GLOBAL"

NEW YORK City,  (Antara West Kalimantan) -- The recent launch event of 2015 Report on the Sustainable Development of Chinese Enterprises Overseas kicked off at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, hosted by United Nations Development Programme, the Research Center in State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) and Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC). Shen Haixiong, Head of Guangdong Provincial Publicity Department and Chairman of Guangdong International Culture Association, participated and delivered a keynote speech.

Shen stated that the report was in accordance with the development vision that "China hopes to work together with all parties to build an innovative, open, interconnected and inclusive world economy, to achieve robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth". He said, Guangdong enterprises were in the period of strategic opportunities of going global. In recent years, a great number of Guangdong enterprises have succeeded in participating in the international investment, which has achieved win-win results with the hosted countries and won good reputations.

Statistics in the report show that Chinese overseas enterprises had paid taxes of 31.19 billion USD to hosted countries in 2015, with an increase of 62.9% compared to that last year. They have hired 1.225 million foreign employees, which have added 392,000 compared to that at the end of last year. Guangdong enterprises represented by HUAWEI, Tencent have integrated into regional development all over the world with the ideas of "openness, cooperativeness and win-win".

Shen pointed out that Guangdong has attached great importance to information communication and cultural connection with the world. It makes most of our advantages as a great media and Internet province to provide strong support for enterprises and citizens to go global and achieve sustainable development abroad. In recent years, with strengthening news and culture communication as the link and to enhance international communication capacity and work for Belt and Road Initiative as the focus, Guangdong has geared up to advance international communication methods and expand communication channels, attracting large audiences at home and abroad. The province also creates excellent global conditions for promoting jointly discussing, building and sharing.

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SAIL KARIMATA STRAIT GATHERS STEAM AS FOREIGN YACHTS ARRIVE

Pontianak (Antara West Kalimantan) - Eleven foreign yachts have arrived at a pier located in Sukabangun Village, Delta Pawan Sub-district, Ketapang District, West Kalimantan Province, to participate in the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia, being called Sail Karimata Strait, this year.

A total of 37 yachts from over 20 countries including France, Australia, and Sweden are expected to visit Ketapang from October 5 to 9, said Yulianus, head of the Ketapang culture, youth and sport office, here, Thursday.

Ketapang, which has been on the route of Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia for the past several years, has prepared many interesting events, such as traditional Dayak dance performances and tours to tourist destinations.

Later, from Ketapang, the yachts will proceed to neighboring North Kayong District to participate in a peak ceremony for Sail Karimata Strait to be held in Datuk Island Beach, Sukadana Sub-district, on Oct 15.

Some 10 thousand Indonesians and five thousand foreigners, including tourists and VIP guests such as ambassadors, are expected to be present at the ceremony.

Sail Karimata Strait is expected to help promote the province`s marine tourism internationally.

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LIPI HOLDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FESTIVAL IN SERPONG, OCT 3-5

Tangerang (Antara West Kalimantan) - The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is holding an International Science and Technology Festival at the Indonesia Convention and Exhibition Hall in Serpong, Banten Province, from Oct. 3 to 5, 2016.

"In fact, this festival is a forum for synergy between local and international researchers. And, it is also expected to help improve the quality of international class-scientific publications," Deputy Head of LIPI L. T. Handoko said during the opening ceremony of the festival here, Monday.

More than 400 participants are taking part in the festival, including scientists from from Germany, Italy, Japan, India, Singapore, Zambia, Malaysia, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Russia, Arab Saudi, Vietnam, Poland, the US, the UK, China, Algeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Australia, Austria, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, and Nigeria.

The festival is a forum for researchers and scientists to present and publish their findings, and share information during a seminar, an expo and a business meeting attended by researchers, practitioners, academicians, students and industrialists.

The event is part of a series of scientific conferences that included The 3rd International Conference of Innovative Science and Applied Chemistry (ISAC 2016), The International Symposium on Frontier of Applied Physics (ISFAP 2016), The 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering and Applications (ICSEEA 2016), The International Conference on Appropriate Technology Development (ICATDev 2016).

Also Conference on Theoretical Physics and Nonlinear Phenomena (CTPNP 2016), International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains (Green VC 2016), The 2016 International Conference on Computer, Control, Informatics and Its Applications (IC3INA 2016), and the 2016 International Conference on Radar, Antenna, Microwave, Electronics, and Telecommunications (ICRAMET 2016).

Director General of the Innovation Strengthening of Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry, Jumain Ape, said young researchers and innovators could use this annual event to introduce and demonstrate their work.

The Central Government is ready to provide support and incentives to encourage technological innovations and research.

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LIGHT REACTION LAUNCHES IN VIETNAM

Vietnam--(Antara West Kalimantan)-- +Light Reaction, an outcomes-driven performance advertising business that is part of Xaxis, announced today the launch of operations in Vietnam. Light Reaction's pay-for-performance media model provides advertisers with a risk-free way to drive real outcomes such as sales, subscriptions and other concrete forms of engagement, paying only for clearly defined consumer results. With today's Vietnam launch, Light Reaction is now available in 32 markets across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Light Reaction achieves the best outcomes possible by optimizing for a host of key performance factors including optimal exposure time to drive conversions, geography, time, and device to ensure that the right customer is being reached in the right place at the right time, and lastly, placement ID-locating the best-performing spot on the webpage or app for the specific campaign goal. Despite the abundance of technology at work, all Light Reaction insights, tooling and methods are shared openly with clients, showing the precise route and decision-making that led to each outcome.

"Light Reaction allows global advertisers to achieve meaningful outcomes with zero upfront risk and unparalleled capability to scale results across multiple channels," said Auke Boersma, Managing Director APAC, Light Reaction. "The focus is on identifying the audiences most likely to deliver positive outcomes at exactly the right moment regardless of where they are accessing media. This allows brands to meet precise objectives of customer response while drawing a direct line between ads and results." In addition to leveraging robust audience data, high-performing media inventory and real-time programmatic technologies, Light Reaction's products are channel agnostic. Advertisers can run coordinated campaigns across multiple channels to capture outcomes wherever they may be.

"Traffic is important, but factors like sales, margins, and repeat business are the drivers of business success," said Michel de Rijk, CEO of Xaxis Asia-Pacific. "The beauty of Light Reaction is that we and our ads, continually get smarter. Each audience outcome is rated in terms of how successful it was in delivering the expected value and fed back into the system as a learning event. This continuous data stream allows us to refine our accuracy in matching audiences to desired, high-quality outcomes on an ongoing basis."

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INDONESIA TO SEND 11 START-UPS TO TURKEY

Jakarta (Antara West Kalimantan) - The Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) will send 11 start-ups to the Start-up Competition and Conference Eurasia (Europe and Asia) in Istanbul, Turkey, to be held from 6 to 10 October 2016, bringing together 428 start-ups from 135 countries.

"From the 11 start-ups, 6 start-ups will participate in the competition and five start-ups will join the conference," said Deputy Access Capital of Bekraf Fadjar Hutomo, during a press conference here on Friday.

Previously, the start-ups passed the selection process for the competition that was held by Bekraf, and then passed a second selection by the organizers of the start-up competition in Istanbul.

The six start-ups that will participate in the competition include Urbanhire (job search sites), Kostoom (platform to create custom clothing), KlikTukang (an application that connects consumers with repair and maintenance providers), Kitabis.com (fundraising sites), Cubeacon (application to help the promotion of businesses) and Hangout.deals (e-commerce selling discounted items). Six start-ups have been listed among the top 100 start-ups in the world.

While 5 other start-ups are to be participants at the conference in Istanbul, such as AppSKEP (applications in the field of care), Ur-Farm (e-commerce selling organic products), Pictalogi (platform photo printing), TARRASmart (directory of online radio Indonesia), BlumbangReksa (platform for helping shrimp farmers).

"In Turkey, they will meet with investors from throughout the world," he said.

He noted that Bekfraf will continue to encourage start-up to sell their products throughout the world.

Meanwhile, KlikTukang CEO Astrid Wibisono said KlikTukang is ready to participate and compete in the event.

"We hope to win. But certainly, this event allows us to add insights, experience, and lessons learned. In fact, we will meet with investors from abroad," he said.

In 2015, iGrow, a start-up from Indonesia, reached 2nd place in the competition in Turkey

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TOYOTA READY TO INVEST RP5.4 TRILLION IN INDONESIA

Jakarta (Antara West Kalimantan)- The Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) group is ready to invest Rp5.4 trillion in Indonesia this year, according to Industry Minister Saleh Husin.

Husin received the pledge during a meeting with TMC Executive Vice President Seiichi Sudo in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday.

"Toyota is serious about doing business in Indonesia. This year, it will invest Rp5.4 trillion, following the Rp5 trillion worth of investment that the company made in 2015," he noted in a press statement received here, Friday.

This reflects that global investors still trust Indonesias investment climate and see prospects in the nations automotive industry, he noted.

The minister has lauded Toyota for its trust and continued investment in Indonesia, after selecting the nation as one of its investment destinations and a Toyota car production base so far.

He called on Toyota and its partners in Japan to increase investment in the automotive sector, particularly for the manufacturing of materials and spare parts.

The minister also invited the company to conduct research and development activities in Indonesia to strengthen the structure of Japans existing automotive industry in Indonesia.

Husin also urged Toyota to increase the production of cars in Indonesia, which has a population of over 250 million, including 74 million belonging to the middle class.

The Toyota brand dominates around 31-32 percent of Indonesias domestic market.

Within five years, from 2015 to 2019, Toyota has planned to invest a total of Rp20 trillion.

Until 2014, Toyota had invested Rp40 trillion in Indonesia.

Currently, the Japanese company is constructing an engine plant in Karawang, West Java. (*)

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VICE PRESIDENT OPENS 24TH GAIKINDO INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Jakarta (Antara West Kalimantan) - Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla, on Thursday, officially inaugurated the 24th Gaikindo International Auto Show at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition in BSD City being held on August 11-21, 2016.

"I would like to laud this exhibition and express hope that the event is not intended to increase consumption but would help to boost the economy and technology," Kalla noted in his speech here on Thursday.

The vice president remarked that the automotive industry had become a driver of growth in several developed countries as the sector had upstream and downstream functions.

"There are multiple players in this industry. If its upstream industry is developing, its supporting or downstream industry is also growing. The supporting industry comprises dealers, workshops, spare parts manufacturers, and others," the vice president stated.

With regard to growth in the automotive industry today, the vice president was optimistic that the ownership of cars and houses would also become a benchmark of welfare in Indonesia.

The vice president also highlighted the theme of the exhibition that is green technology for a better future. The theme was considered sensitive to the demands of the times.

"Today, the world demands a car that not only has sophisticated technology and design but is also environment-friendly," he affirmed.

Therefore, the vice president has urged Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto to assess environmentally friendly cars that could be part of the industry and the superiority of Indonesian exports.

"The government should follow the developments in technology," he affirmed.

The event was also attended Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartanto, Banten Governor Rano Karno, and the ambassadors of friendly countries.

As many as 361 participants are showcasing 31 brands of cars, comprising 25 transport vehicles and six commercial vehicles at the exhibition.

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WEST KALIMANTAN POLICE FOIL ATTEMPT TO SMUGGLE METH FROM MALAYSIA

Pontianak (Antara West Kalimantan) - The Sambas Police in West Kalimantan Province have foiled an attempt to smuggle 6.46 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 39,730 pills of happyfive from Malaysia into the Aruk border crossing in Indonesia.

Two individuals identified as Ruston Nawawi alias Ujang and Deni Nursiansyah alias Denny, both inhabitants of Pontianak City, were detained in the smuggling attempt, Chief of the West Kalimantan Police Musyafak stated here, Wednesday.

Nawawi was paid Rp20 million for driving a Nissan X Trail SUV bearing registration number KB 1464 AK from Malaysia through the Biawak-Aruk border post, while Nursiansyah was also paid Rp20 million for carrying the drugs concealed within the sound system.

The duo were on the lookout for someone who could help them cross the border and were willing to pay Rp50 million.

After receiving the tip-off, the police on Sunday (June 26) sent an officer in disguise who made the arrest after crossing the border.

The two suspects said the drugs were to be sold in Pontianak.

"The suspects confessed that they had smuggled drugs from Malaysia into West Kalimantan through the Biawak-Aruk border crossing on two instances. They first smuggled the same quantity of drugs on June 11, 2016," noted the police.

Musyafak remarked that he had ordered border patrol officers to intensify security in the border areas of Sambas, Bengkayang, Sanggau, Sintang, and Kapuas Hulu to prevent the smuggling of drugs from Malaysia.

In line with the instructions of President Joko Widodo, who has called for imposing stringent punishment on drug offenders, Musyafak said he had ordered his officers to not hesitate to open fire on drug traffickers if they attempted to flee.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR)

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FISHERIES SECTOR NEEDS SIMPLIFICATION OF LICENSING PROCEDURE

Pontianak (Antara West Kalimantan) - General chairman of the West Kalimantan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Santyoso Tio said the fisheries sector needs simplification of licensing procedure.

Fishing companies complained about a number of regulations issued by the government that the regulations restricted their activities.

"The restrictive regulations hampered expansion of capture fisheries in West Kalimantan. Fisheries are potential economic sector in West Kalimantan as it is geographically close to the Natuna Sea, which is known to be the heaven for fishermen, Santyoso said here on Wednesday.

Santyoso said the local fishermen could not grow because of conflicting regulations, maki8ng it difficult to secure licenses.

The government does not want foreign fishing vessels in Indonesian seas but foreign fishing boats remain operating in our seas as we continue to given room for illegal operation, he said.

"If we have enough fishing vessels, it would not be easy for foreign fishing vessels to operate in our waters without being detected," he said.

The cause of the problem, therefore, is production of big fishing ships is restricted with regulations, with red tape in licensing procedure, he said.

He suggested the central government give the authority to regional administration in licensing the production and use of fishing vessels.

"It is not that we could not produce fishing vessels with capacity of more than 300 tons. Now we have to go to Jakarta to seek the license. It is no wonder that few people are interested in doing business in sea fishing," he said.

He called on the Marine and Fisheries Ministry to be focus on planning, expansion and strategy to develop the fishery sector in Indonesia including West Kalimantan.

"How to make it easier for our fishermen to go to the sea with competitive fishing boats and gears. If the traditional fishermen are given the facility, there would be no room for foreign fishing vessels operating illegally in Indonesian waters. Our sea would be full of our fishing vessels leaving no room for illegal operation by foreign ones," he said.

The Indonesian government hopes to develop the fisheries sector into a major contributor to the state income by launching a tough policy against illegal fishing.

In international forums, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has repeatedly called for war against illegal fishing .

In the recent ASEAN summit in Laos the president said illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has caused a loss of at least US$20 billion to Indonesia every year.

IUU fishing is not only a threat to the welfare of low income fishermen and but also to the environment, he was quoted as saying.

Cooperation in eradicating IUU Fishing needs serious addressing mainly with intensive exchange of information, he said.

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MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES SUSPECTED OF NEGLECTING DRUG SMUGGLING INTO WEST KALIMANTAN

By: Andilala

Pontianak (ANTARA News) - Mayor of Pontianak Sutarmidji suspects that the Malaysian authorities are neglecting a large number of attempts to smuggle drugs into West Kalimantan.

"They say that Malaysia has advanced equipment, but then how can drugs in such large quantities be able to enter West Kalimantan by passing undetected through their official border checkpoints," Sutarmidji stated here on Tuesday.

Sutarmidji questioned how such large quantities of drugs could be smuggled out of Malaysia, even though it possessed highly sophisticated detection equipment.

"It could have been carried out for political reasons in order to weaken Indonesia. The matter should be raised with the Malaysian side," Sutarmidji remarked.

Sutarmidji suspected that Malaysians were deliberately importing drugs in large quantities.

"It can still be understood if the drugs were smuggled through illegal routes, but instead they are coming through border checkpoints," the mayor pointed out.

Malaysian Consulates Liaison Officer of the Malaysian Police in Pontianak ASP Muhammad Ibrahim had earlier noted that the border between Sarawak, Malaysia, and West Kalimantan, Indonesia, was vulnerable to drug smuggling.

"The issue of drug smuggling through border checkpoints is not only a problem in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan, but also a serious concern for the Malaysian government," Ibrahim affirmed.

Ibrahim pointed out that the two countries still lacked sophisticated facilities to detect drugs, especially to foil smuggling attempts made through border checkpoints.

"We are constantly coordinating with the office in Kuching, and if anyone is found to be involved in drug trading activities, then we need to get to the bottom of this matter seriously, either in West Kalimantan or in Kuching," Ibrahim emphasized.

The state of Sarawak is one of the transit points for drugs before they are sent out. Drugs are mostly shipped through boats, which originate from neighboring countries, especially in Southeast Asia.

"Narcotics cases in Malaysia are handled seriously, and the possession of merely five grams of drugs alone can lead to the imposition of a death penalty," Ibrahim added.

Editor: Edi Supendri

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CHINA DONATES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOOKS TO AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY IN JAKARTA

 

Photo document of Library of Al Azhar University, Jakarta. (perpustakaan.uai.ac.id)

Jakarta (Antara West Kalimantan) - China donated hundreds of thousands of books to and opened a library at Al Azhar University of Indonesia on Tuesday (Sept. 27) as part of efforts to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the educational field.

"The opening of the library is aimed at opening relations between the peoples of China and Indonesia. We hope these books will improve a knowledge of our country," counselor of the China Embassy in Indonesia, Sun Wei De said.

The donation comprised some 500,000 English literary works, 2,400 books of different subjects, 26.000 journals, 11,000 reference books, and 20,000 Chinese newspapers.

"Relations between the governments of China and Indonesia have been growing rapidly in the past few years. The opening of the library is aimed at increasing peoples knowledge," Sun said.

Sun said some 500 Chinese students are studying in Indonesia, while about 14,000 Indonesian students pursued higher education at different universities in China.

Meanwhile, rector of Al Azhar University of Indonesia Ahmad H. Lubis warmly welcomed the book donation and hoped it will help academics improve the quality of education and service to the public.

"This library is open to the public," he said.

The opening of Chinese library at the university is part of a series of Chinese cultural program held on September 27-28.

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U.S. ASTRONAUTS PERFORM SEVEN-HOUR SPACEWALK OUTSIDE STATION

NASA astronauts Jeffrey Williams (pictured) and Kate Rubins (reflected in Williams' visor). (nasa.gov)

 
Cape Canaveral (Antara West Kalimantan) - Two U.S. astronauts sailed through a seven-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station to pack up a spare cooling radiator and tackle other maintenance, a NASA TV broadcast showed.

In their second spacewalk in two weeks, Commander Jeffrey Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins left the stations airlock around 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) as the station orbited 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

"Its good to be out here," said Rubins, 37.

On Aug. 19, Rubins and Williams installed a docking system to enable commercial space taxis currently in development to park at the station, breaking Russias monopoly on crew transport.

Test flights of Space Exploration Technologys Crew Dragon capsule are expected to begin next year, followed by the debut of Boeings CST-100 Starliner in 2018.

It was not immediately known what impact, if any, the loss of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a routine prelaunch test in Florida on Thursday (Sept. 1) would have on the companys other programs.

For Thursdays spacewalk, the astronauts headed to the far end of the station to retract a radiator that was last used in 2012.

Folding up the panel will protect it from strikes by micrometeors and orbital debris, NASA flight director Zeb Scoville told an Aug. 24 news conference.

"We really want to be able to get it retracted and covered up so we can count on it in the future, should the need arise," Scoville said.

Williams, making his fifth spacewalk, and Rubins then tackled several maintenance tasks, including installing a high-definition camera on the stations truss so ground controllers can better inspect the Russian Soyuz capsules that ferry crew members to and from the station, a $100 billion project in which 15 countries are participating.

Williams, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka, are scheduled to climb aboard one of the two Soyuz capsules docked at the station on Tuesday, ending their 172-day mission.

Williams, 58, will return home as NASAs most-experienced astronaut. During his four spaceflights, including three stints aboard the space station, Williams surpassed the 520-day cumulative record of former U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly, with 534 days in orbit.

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the world record with 878 days in space.

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CHINESE COMPANY AGREES TO PROCESS GARBAGE TO GENERATE POWER

Kuching (Antara West Kalimantan) - The Pontianak city administration will cooperate with Shanghai Electric Group Co Ltd and Zhong Sheng Hua Tai International Energy Co Ltd, a Chinese state company, to process city garbage to generate electricity.

"A memorandum of understanding was signed here on Tuesday by deputy major of Pontianak, Edi Rusdi Kamtono and Zhi Qiang Gu representing Shanghai Electric here on Tuesday.

Under the initial agreement, a garbage fueled power plant (PLTS) would be built in the city`s garbage disposal place in Batu Layang, Edi said.

"We will have talks about details including on feasibility study (FS) of the project, which will have a capacity of 8-10 megawatts" he said.

If the project is carried out, the city would be clean of garbage and will have additional supply of power, he said.

President of Shanghai Electric, Zhi Qiang Gu, said the entire project would be handled by Shanghai Electric from design and construction.

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