Today marks the debut of The Jakarta Post Weekender, a first for the newspaper and, we believe, for Indonesia. Although many leading dailies have Sunday editions, none has come out with a regularly published, full-fledged weekend magazine.

Our edition is focused on lifestyle topics, including profiles, fashion and with a cover story exploring more serious news issues. It is designed to meet the needs of our community of readers - both Indonesians and expatriates - in better understanding this country and the world we share.

To supplement our local content, produced by the Weekender team and contributors, the magazine also will feature a range of stories from the Lifestyle and News special report sections of The New York Times Sunday Magazine.

We want this to be a "good read", providing readers with an entertaining, thought-provoking exploration of the issues that affect their lives. It supplements the products and services already available from the Post, including our website and special supplements.

Although the Weekender is not intended as a mere extension of the editorial content of The Jakarta Post daily, neither is it a sweeping departure from our tradition of journalism. We will continue to strive to bring the most relevant, interesting and accurate reports to our readers.

Initially, the magazine - free to all subscribers and purchasers of The Jakarta Post - will be available monthly. After it becomes more established, we plan to publish it every two weeks, and then weekly.