Readwrotes Blog

By Berni Moestafa and Widya Utami June 25 (Bloomberg) -- The Indonesia Stock Exchange aims to double the market’s value in three years by luring local units of companies such as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and Newmont Mining Corp., the bourse’s newly elected president said. The exchange also will try to entice more state-run companies to list shares on the Jakarta exchange, said Ito Warsito, who will start a three-year term July 1, replacing Erry Firmansyah . “We are targeting the size of market capitalization to attract foreign investors so that the Indonesian bourse stays within their radar,” Warsito, 47, said yesterday in an interview in Jakarta. Indonesia, whose $433 billion economy is Southeast Asia’s bigges...

By Karishma Vaswani BBC News, Jakarta Some Indonesian workers have fled to a shelter at their embassy in Malaysia Indonesia says it will temporarily stop sending domestic workers to Malaysia, after a meeting with Malaysian officials in Jakarta. It is the latest move in a long-running row between the two countries over the treatment of Indonesia's migrant workers by Malaysian employers. Labour groups have been pressing for better treatment of Indonesia's maids and other workers in Malaysia. More than a million Indonesians work in Malaysia, most as maids or labourers. Indonesia has been debating whether to temporarily halt the flow of its domestic helpe...

Thu Jun 25, 1:43 am ET SHANGHAI (AFP) – Chinese retail chain Suning Appliance Co said it planned to buy a stake in struggling Japanese consumer electronics retailer Laox for 800 million yen (8.4 million dollars). Suning will buy 66.7 million shares in Laox at 12 yen each, giving it a 27.36 percent stake that would make it Laox's largest shareholder, the Chinese firm said in a statement filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange . Suning said it has reached "basic consensus" with Laox on the purchase, but a formal agreement has yet to signed. Suning, China 's second-largest home appliance chain, said the deal was part of its long-term strategy and exposure to Japan's electronics retail market would help it be more ...

AFP/Getty Images – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke listens to opening statements during a House Oversight and Government … by Rob Lever Rob Lever – Thu Jun 25, 3:23 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke faced a grilling in Congress Wednesday over the rescue of investment giant Merrill Lynch but argued that the Fed acted "with the highest integrity" on the matter. Bernanke was summoned to a House of Represen...

AP – In this Monday, June 22, 2009, photo, signs are displayed in front of new homes in a Little Rock, Ark., … Ap Business Writers – 2 hrs 38 mins ago NEW YORK – Investors rushed back into stocks as profits at a handful of companies indicated the economy might be gaining strength. Homebuilders and retailers led a broad rally Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 173 points after four days of losses. The price of government debt jumped after an auction drew strong demand. The day began with better-than-expected earnings reports. Lennar Corp. 's orders for new homes jumped 63 percent during the second quarter and its revenue beat expectations. ...

AP – In a Thursday, April 30, 2009 file photo, a sample of suspected swine flu is displayed by a technician … By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 38 mins ago ATLANTA – Swine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said Thursday, adding that 6 percent or more of some urban populations are infected. The estimate voiced by a government flu scientist Thursday was no surprise to the experts who have been closely watching the virus. "We knew diagnosed cases were just the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. William Scha...

AFP/KCNA via KNS/File – File photo shows a North Korean military unit taking part in a missile-firing drill at an undisclosed … By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer Kwang-tae Kim, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 50 mins ago SEOUL, South Korea — Punching their fists into the air and shouting "Let's crush them!" some 100,000 North Koreans packed Pyongyang 's main square Thursday for an anti-U.S. rally as the communist regime promised a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" for any American-led attack. Several demonstrators held up a placard depic...

AP – President Barack Obama comments in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 25, … By H. JOSEF H EBERT and DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writers H. Josef Hebert And Dina Cappiello, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 34 mins ago WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama pushed urgently Thursday for passage of legislation to confront global warming , billing it as a job-creating machine rather than the costly "job killer" Republicans denounced. He telephoned wavering Democrats on the eve of what could be a historic House vote. Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House, Obama said Washington must not miss the opportunity to work on cleaning the...

AFP/File – Top Iranian dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, seen here in January 2009, has warned … By A TIME REPORTER IN TEHRAN A Time Reporter In Tehran – Thu Jun 25, 12:05 am ET On June 23, Iranian security forces, reportedly using live ammunition, clashed with protesters numbering in the hundreds in the area of the country's parliament in Tehran. At the same time, there were indications that a behind-the-scenes struggle was intensifying in the corridors of power even as the government continued its campaign to quiet the populace through propaganda and entertainment....

By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – 34 mins ago EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media. _ AP – In this ima ge issued by the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, … __ Iranian authorities briefly arrested dozens of university professors who met with embattled opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, his Web site said Thursday, but he vowed to persevere with his election challenge despite the apparent attempt to isolate him from his supporters. The declared winner of the June 12 balloting, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , accused ...

by Patricia Cecil-Reed The ball has dropped, the champagne corks have popped, and all across America people are returning to work after the New Year's festivities. The question is: How do you feel returning to your job? You may already have made your New Year's resolutions, but do they include your career plans? The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to look back at the past year and plan for the one ahead. Evaluate what you really want, personally and professionally, and make a plan to get it. Fulfill a long-held good intention to further your career training or complete a degree program . If you want to try for a promotion in your field, or change career paths entirely, now is the time to go for it. Physical Therapist Assistant ($44,340 average annual salary--U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) Physical therapist assistants play a hands-on role in the rehabilitation of disabled patients, and have the specific pleasure of watching their work make a phys...

by Gabby Hyma n There's nothing like eight grinding hours at a dull job to kill your professional libido. When it comes to work, you may have to try out a number of positions until you find one that satisfies. Truth is, we all have something we love to do, and we know how to do it with panache. If your day (or night) relationship with your career has gone as stale as a week-old bottle of champagne, it's time to cry a little, get back on your feet, and find something new. Here are six positions to think about before you roll over and fall sleep: Management Consultants You get dewy eyed just reading books on the habits of successful business professionals. What you really like is being on top. That's why you need to pursue an online MBA degree and find work as a management consultant . Take a position with a consulting firm, or work as a private contractor like 21 percent of people in the profession. And why not? Job growth for management, scientific, an...

AP – FILE - In this Saturday, April 20, 2002 file picture, Michael Jackson performs 'Dangerous' during the … By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY and DERRIK J. LANG, Associated Press Writers Nekesa Mumbi Moody And Derrik J. Lang, Associated Press Writers – 4 mins ago LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson , the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the " King of Pop " and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50. The person said Jackson died in a Los Angeles hospital . The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. ...