From the perspective of Ari Purpa, 28, a silver dealer from Ubud What are we here for? To learn from our mistakes. To learn patience when handling difficult people and situations and to learn to be better and better every day. Do you believe in the Big Bang theory that the circa-13.7-billion-year-old universe and all [...]

NAME: Ketut Suka Artini AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: Librarian LOCATION: Padangtegal How do you think the country is doing now? I’m not so convinced President Yudhoyono is doing good for Indonesia. He is great at cracking down on corruption, but there are still too many people unemployed and too many people moving to Jakarta for work. [...]

Miyuki is a painter from Tokyo who has been in Bali for the past year and a half studying art, dance, music and languages. The 26-year-old shared her day with The Bali Times I need to have an outlet to complain about the difficult things about living in Bali, because it’s not all perfect. Every [...]

Joe Fay, 67, from Australia is a volunteer advisor for community development projects currently working in Bali What is the greatest lesson life has taught you? The value of relationships at all levels. What is most important? Well, it goes back again to people. Relating to people, sharing problems and happiness and learning together. What [...]

…I never have to wear a jacket. Sally Veal, 25 Australia

By Scott Vogel The Washington Post You will no doubt recall that long ago time (2006, I mean) when everyone thought that Slovenia was about to catch on. Sure, it was a great place, especially on magical summer evenings in the capital, Ljubljana, when the streets filled with music, young lovers and only the occasional [...]

By Alexander Downer I don’t know about you, but it’s always nice to get emails. Once upon a time you’d look with pleasure at a handful of letters which dropped through the letter box. Now all you get are those threatening looking envelopes with windows. Or if you’re Tom Koutsantonis, those nasty missives which tell [...]

By Sebastian Mallaby With extraordinary speed, China has morphed from a diffident player in international finance into an impatient table-banger. Six months ago, one could muse about whether the Chinese were interested in a larger role within the International Monetary Fund or in helping to rebuild the crisis-battered global system. Now, the Chinese are pumping [...]

By Bill McKibben All around the world, national governments are trying to hammer out their global warming policies, preparing for the United Nations’ climate-change conclave in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of 2009. And in too many places, the effort seems to be going nowhere. Here in Australia, for instance, the government earlier this month [...]

JAKARTA ~ Disabled pedestrians in Indonesia are required to wear signs identifying them as handicapped under new traffic regulations passed unanimously by parliament this week. Amendments to the Traffic and Transport Law state “handicapped pedestrians must wear special and clear signs which can be easily recognised by other road users.” The lawmaker in charge of [...]

JAKARTA ~ The authorities extradited an alleged people smuggling kingpin to Australia on Tuesday to face multiple charges of human trafficking, police said. Indonesian police arrested Hadi Ahmadi at Australia’s request on June 29 last year for allegedly smuggling scores of illegal migrants to Australia between 1999 and 2001. “Hadi was extradited at 10:00am today,” [...]

SYDNEY ~ Australian miner OZ Minerals has received the official green light to sell its Martabe gold and silver project in Indonesia to a Hong Kong-listed investment company. Australia’s foreign investments review board found the US$211-million sale of Martabe to China Sci-Tech (CST) posed no foreign investment objections, OZ said. “This is an important step [...]