We should brace ourselves for a new wave of street protests and possibly labor strikes as well as a few weeks of unusually steep rises in the price of basic necessities and services, as a panic reaction to the upcoming 22-44 percent increases in fuel prices.

A gathering of some 200 chief editors in Nusa Dua, Bali last week had a number of noble objectives. They included a “campus media empowerment program, capacity-building for local journalists, as well as infrastructure assistance to improve education in remote areas nationwide.”

The world has collectively sighed in relief on witnessing the change seeping into Iran following the surprise victory of reformist-backed presidential candidate Hasan Rohani, although some of Iran’s long-time foes — like Israel — have warned the international community against any wishful thinking about new developments unfolding in the Islamic republic.

Despite persistent political noise over the alleged malfeasance in the November 2008 bailout of Bank Century (now renamed Bank Mutiara), the bank has made remarkable progress over the past two years, with its equity capital rising to Rp 1.4 trillion (US$140 million) from minus Rp 2.2 trillion and capital adequacy ratio exceeding 11 percent, an astronomical increase from minus 36 percent.

It was a bitter farewell for national badminton player Taufik Hidayat when he was forced to make an early exit at the Djarum Indonesia Open before the home crowd. Losing to Indian qualifier Sai Praneeth 15-21, 21-12, 21-17 in the first round of the tournament was not an expected finale to his career, which saw him win six Indonesia Open champion titles.

The dispute over the contract between the Jakarta city administration and PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) has become so serious that the administration has signaled that it will unlikely continue its partnership with the tap water operator, which serves the western part of the capital city. The eastern part of the city is served by PT Aetra Air Jakarta.

It is wonderful to know that Scottish oil drilling expert Malcolm Primrose was released unharmed 48 hours after his abduction by a group of unknown gunmen in East Aceh on Tuesday. But the kidnapping attempt itself, reportedly over a huge ransom, is embarrassing for a province in dire need of new finds to renew the oil and gas industry as it peters out.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) deserves a thumbs-up for its courage to uphold the rules of the game for the 12 political parties contesting the 2014 legislative election. Law No. 8/2010 on elections clearly requires the parties to meet the 30 percent quota for female candidates, therefore the disqualification of eight parties in several electoral districts for their failure to do so is a bold move that we support.

We could easily blame the steep fall in the rupiah exchange rate to below 10,000 to the US dollar and the 3.5 percent decline in local share prices on Tuesday on the US Federal Reserve’s plan to tighten its monetary policy, assuring the public that our economy remains robust with one of the highest growth rates in the world.

On Sunday, a stampede outside the Indonesian consulate in Jeddah led to the death of one woman, while scores fainted, as thousands of Indonesians were waiting to have their documents processed.