NOW! Jakarta Contest: Java Jazz Festival 2017
Repost this picture given and stand a chance to win 2 tickets for Jakarta International BNI Java Jazz Festival 2017! HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 1. Follow @now_jakarta on Instagram. 2. Repost the picture given on your Instagram account. 3. Tag your friend who will accompany you to the event and tell us who would you like to watch the
Learning to Give
Every week in Grade 5 at JIS (Jakarta Intercultural School) we do “I-Time.” It’s an hour during which students are encouraged to make, do or research anything we’re interested in. This time, our teacher suggested we help someone else. We – Alina, Katrina, and Emily – had first planned on organizing a Food Drive at
Starbucks Takes Action to Commemorate World Water Day
Every year on 22 March, we commemorate World Water Day to take action in tackling the global water crisis. The official site of World Water Day (worldwaterday.org) states that 1.8 billion people worldwide don't have access to clean drinking water and instead have to resort to drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk
The Quality of Life
Many years ago my Economics Professor at Edinburgh University unveiled a wonderful fact which no-one seems understand or work towards at virtually any level in society even till today! The fact: that “welfare” and “economic welfare” are not the same thing. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? But it’s not. “Welfare”, on a personal level, means the
An Interview with H.E. Patrick Herman, Ambassador of Belgium to Indonesia
H.E. Patrick Herman, Ambassador of Belgium to Indonesia for the past 2 1/2 years, recently talked to NOW! Jakarta’s Alistair Speirs about the relationship of the two countries on a political, economical and cultural level. Please tell us about the most important events for you since we last met in March last year? The Visit
An Interview with H.E. Rob Swartbol, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Indonesia
For more than seven decades, Indonesia and the Netherlands have maintained a close relationship. A new milestone was achieved when both countries signed a Joint Declaration on a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement in 2013, which signified the plans of a more tangible partnership. Not only is Indonesia the Netherlands’ strategic trading partner, but both countries also
The Results of the Latest Joint European Chambers’ Business Confidence Index 2016
BritCham and EuroCham unveiled the results of the latest Joint European Chambers’ Business Confidence Index 2016 at the Ritz Carlton Pacific Place in March. This is the fifth annual survey of European businesses to be presented to BKPM, European Ambassadors and senior executive representatives of businesses domiciled in greater Jakarta. It is the only survey
Introducing the World’s Best Education System to Indonesia
When Singaporean engineer Jaspal Sidhu first came to Indonesia almost three decades ago, he was alarmed by the country’s lack of good, affordable schools. Strongly believing that high-quality education should be accessible to anyone, he founded the SIS Group of Schools, which introduces the world’s best performing Singapore education system to Indonesia. Jaspal Sidhu spoke
Strengthening Economic Relations Between Indonesia and the Netherlands
Despite ups and downs, the trade and economic relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands are moving in a favourable direction. Dutch investment is among the top ten foreign investors in Indonesia and the ties have been strengthened further by the visits of both countries’ head of nations and leaders last year. Although the interaction is
A World of Tradition
I love traditions. Family traditions, national traditions, anything that is traditional in the true sense of the word. I guess it’s because they give me a sense of continuity in a rapidly changing world, a sense of my roots, an idea of who I really am and where I really came from. For example, in
Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Indonesia Are Left in Limbo
Refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia have fled their home countries because of terror and war, but are left in limbo as they are waiting to be resettled. His voice was soft at first and grew more passionate and determined with every line he recited: Abdul Samad Haidari, a former Afghan freelance journalist and poet,
My Favourite Prayer
Whether you are a believer or not, this is a lovely prayer: “God give me the courage to change the things I can change, the patience to accept the things I can’t change and the wisdom to know the difference”. So here we are in Indonesia, in its extraordinary capital city Jakarta, and we have
Where Grace and Beauty Meet
For one week, the finalists of the Puteri Indonesia 2017 pageant called the Sultan Hotel & Residence their home, as they went through rounds of activities that culminated with the crowning night on 31 March – an unforgettable memory for the young women as well as their hosts at the five-star hotel. “We are very
