Maikel Jefriando, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has submitted a sweeping tax bill to parliament that proposes corporate tax cuts and seeks to make internet giants pay more taxes, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Wednesday.

Now we know prostitution totally exists, you guys, and we can thank one of our elected representatives for the enlightenment.

Jakarta – The National Civil Service Agency (BKN) is using a detector to prevent talismans being used in a month-long competency test of civil servant candidates at Tasikmalaya city hall in West Java that started on Saturday.

Jakarta – Several areas across Tangerang in Banten have been inundated by floodwaters for four days and the levels keep rising.

Most of the affected areas were housing complexes, such as the Garden City Residence Periuk, with local authorities estimating that hundreds of families were affected.

Astri Yuanasari, Lea Citra, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Kurnia Ramadhana believes that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is not serious about dealing with the bribery case involving ensuring a seat for a lawmaker from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the House of Representatives (DPR).

Jakarta – Spicy food sellers in Jakarta are fretting about the future of their business as chili prices in the area have skyrocketed.

Jakarta – Timor Leste Planning and Strategic Investment Minister Xanana Gusmao confirmed that the country had requested assistance from Indonesia to put 17 of its citizens who are soon to be repatriated from China because of the coronavirus outbreak into quarantine in Bali, despite a prior refusal by the island's administration.

Theresia Sufa, Bogor – Suzethe Margareth, a schizophrenic woman who was charged with blasphemy last year, walked free on Wednesday after a panel of the judges at the Cibinong District Court in Bogor, West Java, absolved her of all charges because of her mental health.

The Morrison government has joined with Labor to shoot down a senate inquiry into East Timor's controversial oil and gas project.

Crossbench senator Rex Patrick has warned Australia that not doing more to help its northern neighbour with the Greater Sunrise project could give China a strategic boost.

Amanda Siddharta – Wili Lo spent all afternoon in the backstage area of a music festival in Bogor, a satellite city just outside the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, last Saturday.

Eko Wahyudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) president Said Iqbal announced that his side was set to stage a demonstration against the premium hike of the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) insurance on Thursday, February 6.

An Indonesian woman who caused a huge controversy by bringing a dog into a mosque last year was found guilty of blasphemy in court today, though she has been acquitted due to her mental illness.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's second term has yet to show any signs of progress in resolving human rights violations, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development has concluded.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy grew 5.02 percent annually in 2019 because of weakening investments and exports, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Wednesday.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – Amid concerns over a decline in foreign tourist arrivals as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama says that the government has prepared measures to ensure that Indonesia's tourism sector remains healthy and lucrative despite the depressed mood.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto says that the now global coronavirus outbreak from China might become one of main challenges for Indonesia's economic growth this year.

Jakarta – Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has revealed that she was the one who reported Zikria Dzatil, a homemaker who was arrested for calling Risma a "female frog" in a Facebook post.

"I'm the one who reported her, personally. I signed the report myself," she said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Jakarta – The secretary general of the Pramuka Market Pharmacy Traders Association (HPFPP), Yoyon, says that there are manipulations by a cartel related to the price hike and scarcity of facemasks at the Pramuka Market in Matraman, Jakarta. The cartel is taking advantage of the Corona virus scare.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – Majalah Tempo won the 2019 Adinegoro Award for the category of in-depth reporting for a print mass media. Specifically, the article that won one of Indonesia's highest award for a work of journalism was entitled Hanya Api Semata Api in the magazine's September 23 edition.

Nur Yasmin, Ridho Syukra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Palm Oil Association, or Gapki, said on Monday that Indonesia is likely to use up 8.3 million tons of palm oil to meet domestic demand for biodiesel this year, raising concerns there won't be enough palm oil left to export.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – State-owned oil company Pertamina closed 2019 with a net profit of US$2.1 billion (Rp 28.8 trillion), down 16 percent from $2.5 billion the previous year on the back of weakening commodity prices.

Yulia Savitri, Palembang – Indonesian university students who returned from China amid the coronavirus outbreak thought they could rest easy once they arrived in South Sumatra on Saturday.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Surabaya, East Java – Zikria Dzatil – a homemaker and mother of three in Bogor, West Java – had not thought much of a Facebook status she casually posted almost a month ago, in which she lobbed an ad hominem at Tri "Risma" Rismaharini, the mayor of Surabaya in East Java.

Jakarta – The Health Ministry says a shortage of face masks in most cities in Indonesia was triggered by a hoax, instead of concerns over the coronavirus spread.

The ministry was convinced that the hoax made people panic, causing the uncontrolled buying of face masks. Some even turned to hoarding.

Jakarta – Many of the oft-overlooked homeless population across the country struggle to secure decent accommodation and are forced to brave the streets, but few are willing to take things to the extreme that La Udu has done.

A female flogging squad has enraged Indonesian activists. Authorities in the province say more women are committing "moral" offenses, which are punishable in Islamic-conservative Aceh province by whipping or caning.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – East Jakarta Metropolitan District Police Chief Senior Commissioner Ardian Rishadi was presented as a witness by the prosecution at the trial of six Papua activists charged with treason at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday February 3.

Jakarta – The Bali provincial administration has rejected Timor Leste's request to put 17 of its citizens who are due to be repatriated from China due to the novel coronavirus outbreak into quarantine on the island.

The decision to reject the request was made during a meeting held by the administration on Monday.

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Bogor, West Java – Indonesia and Singapore have updated their 29-year old bilateral tax treaty, lowering the tax rate on royalties and net income of companies operating in both countries.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court is questioning why the House of Representatives gave the bill to reform the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which was widely opposed by the public, a reading-speed record in September.

Jakarta – East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor has called on the central government to be more mindful of the lush forests covering parts of the province as Jakarta moves forward with its long-term plan to relocate the country's capital city to the region.

Jakarta – Following the outbreak of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China, hoaxes and conspiracy theories about the novel virus have widely spread online over the past two weeks.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The management of Kasang Kulim Pekanbaru Zoo in Riau is being investigated over allegations of negligence after one of two leopard cubs sent by the Riau Police to the zoo died on Friday.

The police had confiscated the cubs as evidence in a suspected illegal wildlife smuggling case and placed them at the zoo for safekeeping in December.

Ade Mardiyati – One afternoon in May 1998, Eddy Tjondronimpuno Tambuang was at work when he heard that riots were erupting across Jakarta.

Angela Flassy, Jayapura – Tri Susanti a.k.a Mak Susi gets twelve months sentence on Wednesday (29/1/2019). The public prosecutor from Surabaya District Prosecutors Office charges her with Article 14 verse (1) and (2) in conjunction with Article 15 Law No.1 of 1946 of the Criminal Law Code.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The name of the person who reported a case of treason to police following a Papuan demonstration in Central Jakarta on August 28, 2019 was revealed during a court hearing yesterday. The person was the Red-and-White Militia (LMP) General Chairperson Adek Erfil Manurung.

Asip Hasani and Aman Rochman, Jombang, East Java – Thousands of Pesantren Tebuireng santri (Islamic boarding school students) and national figures have bid farewell to prominent cleric Salahuddin "Gus Sholah" Wahid, the younger brother of former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, in a funeral within the school compound in Jombang, East Java.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesia's Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Singapore Police Coast Guard signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to increase maritime observation on the sea borders between the two countries and stop illegal activities by organized criminals who are thought to have been funding terror groups in the area.

Jakarta – Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto has been reported to the police by a former business partner over allegations of fraud and embezzlement of Rp 500 billion (US$36.3 million).

Lawyer Husdi Herman said his client Yulius Isyudianto reported Agus to the police on Jan. 8 because Yulius had not received settlement money he claimed had been promised by Agus in 2014.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's largest fuel retailer has lowered the price of its Pertamax and Pertamax Turbo gasoline brands for the second time this year to promote the consumption of nonsubsidized fuels.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has shared a story of his enlightenment that maybe Indonesia, after all, needs to have nuclear power.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) finally declared the coronavirus outbreak a public-health emergency of international concern on 30 January. The Chinese government has put at least 20 cities in lockdown, restricting the movement of more than 50 million people.

Rhett A. Butler – Tommy Apriando, an esteemed investigative journalist and chairperson of the Yogyakarta branch of Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), died Sunday at the age of 30 after being hospitalized for complications from diabetes.

Dili – East Timor Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak on behalf of the government and the people of his country offer condolences and sympathy to James Dunn's Family.

"I would like to extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family for losing a loved one, Mr. James Dunn, who was also a brother and a hero to Timor-Leste," said PM Taur Matan Ruak in a press release.

Tara Marchelin, Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – All 238 Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the Chinese province of Hubei, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, are in good condition but will continue to be quarantined at a military base on Natuna Island for at least two weeks, Health Ministry officials said on Monday.

Joe Cochrane – Indonesia's arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of an American environmental journalist earlier this month, for the "crime" of attending a public legislative hearing on indigenous land rights in Borneo, would be considered uncalled for, in democratic countries, at least.

Tim Lindsey, Tim Mann – Indonesia's booming economy has been growing between 5% and 6% for years and its GDP (PPP) is well ahead of Australia's. A G20 member, it is proud of its new status as an emerging middle-class country, with PricewaterhouseCoopers predicting it will be among the world's top five economies by 2050.

Antara, Jakarta – The National Anti-Narcotics Agency (BNN) has firmly rejected a suggestion raised by a lawmaker of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to export cannabis, currently categorized as type 1 narcotics.

Jakarta – Salahuddin "Gus Sholah" Wahid, a renowned Muslim figure and luminary of the country's largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), passed away on Sunday evening. He was 77 years old, and is survived by his wife and three children.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has issued a presidential regulation (Perpres) turning the Hindu Dharma State Institute (IHDN) in Denpasar, Bali into the country's first Hindu state university.