Australia will rebuild Indonesian immigration offices in the tsunami-shattered province of Aceh to improve ties between the countries and bolster the fight against people-smuggling, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said.

Murray Hiebert, Washington – The US has taken a key step that lets it restore, at least for this year, a military assistance program with the Indonesia military that had been curbed for 13 years because of American concerns about human-rights violations.

The United States, eager to build up its alliances in Southeast Asia, has decided to resume training members of the Indonesian armed forces suspended since 1992, officials announced.

The US State department says Indonesia has met conditions set by Congress for re-establishing a training relationship with the Indonesian military, the TNI. The Bush administration previously tried to revive close ties with Indonesia's military, but faltered after two American school teachers were murdered in Papua province in 2002.

Jim Lobe, Washington – The State Department's decision to renew military training for Indonesia – a major step toward full normalisation of military ties between the United States and the giant archipelago – has been greeted with scepticism by human rights groups and some lawmakers critical of Jakarta's record.

Regencies and cities, which lack resources – or the capacity to capitalize on them – should not despair when it comes to attracting private investment, because investors consider policy variables to be very important factors that influence their decisions to set up business in a regency or town.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Denpasar/Jakarta – Aware that his popularity rating is likely to plunge over planned fuel price increases, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Sunday his administration would never issue a policy that favored the rich at the expense of the poor.

Melly Febrida, Jakarta – Armed forces (TNI) chief Endriartono Sutarto has guaranteed that recent peace negotiations which are being organised between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will not influence the operation to restore security in Aceh.

Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara) – The daily newspaper Radar Timor, owned by former governor of East Timor, Abilio Jose Osario Soares, was officially closed down on Friday due to financial problems.

Ellen Bork – Bush administration officials want to upgrade ties with Indonesia's military. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has told Congress that the Indonesian military is cooperating in an investigation of the 2002 murders of two Americans and an Indonesian in Papua.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry has decided to drop its plan to raise its logging quota this year after discovering that unscrupulous timber companies were deliberately misreporting their demand.

Jakarta – In a corner of a kiosk in suburban Jakarta, a young man brags about how he managed to escape being imprisoned after paying Rp 1 million (US$107) to a police officer who had arrested him for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Andreas Harsono – One early morning in January, when Hotli Simandjuntak drew water from a well outside a house in Banda Aceh, he was complaining about some messages he had received from his Global TV editors in Jakarta. "They grumbled about having no official quotes on the beating of Farid Faqih. How important is Farid in Jakarta?

Reporter: Graeme Dobell

Hamish Robertson: A renewed effort is being made to end the diplomatic war of words between Australia and East Timor over oil and gas deposits in the Timor Sea and the precise location of the boundary between the two countries.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Sunday welcomed a US decision to resume training members of the Indonesian military after a 14-year hiatus, a military spokesman said.

"The TNI welcomes any form of cooperation which can concretely enhance professionalism in the military field," TNI deputy spokesman, Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki, told AFP.

The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) today condemned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to resume full International Military Education and Training (IMET) for Indonesia. Yesterday, the State Department announced that Secretary Rice had "determined that Indonesia has satisfied legislative conditions for restarting" IMET.

Budi Sugiharto, Surabaya – A declaration of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya has been marred by a fist fight. Six youths, supporters of PDI-P chairperson former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, forcibly broke up the event. PDI-P Reform Movement leader Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo was spat on in the face.

The terrorism trial of Indonesia's Abu Bakar Bashir wrapped up in characteristically fiery fashion, with the Muslim cleric telling judges they would face God's punishment if they convicted him.

Bandung – Flooding in the past few days has damaged several thousand hectares of rice fields in several regencies in West Java, which will mean little or no harvests this season in the affected areas, a senior official has said.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government is considering modifications to the implementation of special autonomy in Aceh to put an end to three decades of rebellion in the province.

Puji Santoso, Pekanbaru – Historically thick haze from forest fires and burn-offs blanketed several parts of Riau on Friday, including the capital of Pekanbaru, disrupting flights and forcing schools to close.

Banda Aceh – Entering its third month, indications of corruption in the handling of the disaster in Aceh are starting to be uncovered.

Jakarta – Radical reform of the Indonesian administration and bureaucracy is imperative to help curb endemic corruption among civil servants, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report has said.

Rendi A. Witular and Leony Aurora, Jakarta – The government is aiming to revitalize the country's capital market industry by trying to streamline bureaucracy and improve legal certainty, and make the industry one of the key drivers in the country's economic growth.

"With a sincere heart, I must say that I am very happy today that I officially handed over the Army's command baton to Pak Djoko. He is my junior and my former deputy. We've been together since our military academy days.

Some say the best way to stop corruption among state officials and officeholders is to pay them better salaries. During a conversation some years ago, the then chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) confronted a post-Soeharto president who advocated this approach.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – A team of four experts from the Office of the State Minister for the Environment has been assigned to determine whether the management of the Leuwigajah dump was responsible for the garbage collapse on Monday that buried more than 100 residents.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday that the government was focusing its antigraft efforts on the prevention of corruption in the future rather than pursuing graft cases that took place in the past.

Bill Guerin – Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this week pledged an "integrated crackdown" on military and police personnel and officials from the ministries of forestry and immigration suspected of involvement in the world's biggest timber trafficking racket.

Jakarta – Political observers questioned on Friday Governor Sutiyoso's motives in granting Rp 15 million (US$1,620) monthly housing allowances to each of 71 city council members, and Rp 20 million allowances for city leaders, arguing that they did not deserve such generous facilities due to their poor performance.

Jakarta – Out of all the planes owned by the Indonesian Air Force, only 40 percent can be operated optimally. The remaining 60 percent cannot be operated optimally because of several problems, including the lack of engines for Hercules planes.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – For seven months Jakarta's motorists have waited patiently in traffic even heavier than normal as they watched the latest public transport dream take shape in Asia's most congested city.

Jakarta – Despite potential objections from the House of Representatives, the government will press ahead with its plan to increase domestic fuel prices, saying it is only trying to fulfill the fuel subsidy allocation as required by the 2005 state budget.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The second round of talks to end 29 years of conflict in Aceh has ended with the separatist rebels successfully positioning themselves as moderates prepared to modify their long-held demand for independence.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government expects to reach a peace accord with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in June or July after two rounds of talks to settle 32 years of conflict in the province.

If a peace deal is struck, there is a possibility that GAM will contest the regional election.

Hoping to restore closer links with the west, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appears to be preparing to block the rise of a hardline general to the country's top armed forces job.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – In an apparent attempt to lobby for the job as new Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu invited retired and active Army officers for a gathering on Thursday to brief them on his "achievements" while leading the Army.

Medan/Jambi/Pekanbaru – Haze thickened on Thursday in several parts of Sumatra, causing flight delays and school shutdowns. The flight delays affected many people, including the Minister of Forestry M.S. Kaban, who is partly responsible handling the haze problem.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The Cimahi Police have started questioning officials in charge of the Leuwigajah dump in south Cimahi, where mountains of garbage collapsed on Monday killing 67 people. A total of 89 others are still missing.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – City councillors now have every reason to smile. Governor Sutiyoso has set councillors' monthly housing allowance at Rp 20 million for leaders and Rp 15 million for members, tripling their income from the previous Rp 6.5 million to over Rp 20 million.

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – Amid growing public discontent over the lack of progress in punishing those involved in corruption, a new study says that because corruption is largely systemic, or institutionalized, the key to solving the problem is to reform the system and improve governance.

Bandung/Yogyakarta – Heavy rain over the last two days has increased the area under water in south Bandung regency, with 18 out of 45 districts inundated on Thursday in what is said to be the worst flooding in the last 10 years.

Jakarta – A day ahead of the national gathering of the United Development Party (PPP), a survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) revealed on Thursday that the popularity of the country's largest Islamic political party may further tumble at the next general election unless changes are made in the party's leadership.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Lawmakers nearly got into a brawl on Thursday after failing to agree on a plan to disclose alleged irregularities in the settlement process of a dispute between the government and Mexican cement giant Cemex SA involving a broken contract with a state-owned company.

Jayapura – Over 150 people claiming to be timber company employers staged a protest on Thursday in Jayapura, demanding the government put an end to rampant extortion against them.

In the protest, held in front of the Papua provincial council, the protesters said they were routinely charged illegal fees when they were transporting logs into town.

David Nason, New York – The UN Mission of Support in East Timor looks certain to be extended, after Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned of continuing government corruption, police human rights abuses, judicial chaos and the danger of renewed hostilities on the fledgling's nation's undecided border with Indonesia.

Dili – The government, angered by published reports of famine deaths it denies, has severed relations with one of East Timor's two daily newspapers, "Suara Timor Lorosae".

There never was a good war or a bad peace. Despite the incremental pace of negotiations, the positive mood at the conclusion of a second round talks in Helsinki between the government and representatives of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should be welcomed by all.

Sunariah, Jakarta – Around 40 members of the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) for the period 2004-2009 are suspected of being involved in corruption. Most originate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (15), the Golkar Party (10) and the United Development Party (8).

Australia says the decision on a permanent seabed boundary with East Timor should be deferred for up to 100 years to allow oil and gas projects to go ahead. The timetable will be put to East Timor at boundary negotiations which will resume in Canberra in the second week of March.