Crude Commitments WITH little fanfare, the fi rst shipment of 950,000 barrels of crude oil from the Angolabased Sonangol EP was delivered to the Pertamina refi nery in Balikpapan last February. Similar shipments are expected to be delivered each month until July, as part of the agreement between Indonesia and Angola signed last October. But key terms of the contract remain unsettled, such as the promise of a 15 percent discount per barrel and a joint venture to build a refi nery in Indonesia. Was the government duped and does the active participation of Pertamina’s subsidiary oil trader Petral signal that the oil mafia is back in action?   Outreach: Esoteric Agates SEMI-PRECIOUS gemstones have become the latest collectibles. Owning Indonesian agates has become such a fad that former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presented one as a gift to US President Barack Obama on his last visit to Jakarta. Assorted agates, from solid-colored to multihued, mined from volcanic terrain and riverbeds, can be found in most places around the archipelago. Agates are so much in demand that their value has soared, almost equalling precious stones like rubies and sapphires. They are sold everywhere, in fancy boutiques and roadside stalls. Tempo English looks at the agate trade worth billions of rupiah, from quarry to collectors.   Horizons: Small Talk With Sri Mulyani THIS new rubric, dedicated to the five million Indonesians abroad, features as its fi rst Diaspora profi le, former Indonesian Finance Minister and current World Bank Managing Director, Sri Mulyani Indrawati in Washington, DC. Calling herself just another ‘TKI’ or overseas worker, Sri Mulyani shares her thoughts on the potential of Indonesian expatriates and the need for their better recognition in the home country.

Keywords :
Crude Oil ,