Asip Hasani, Kediri – When Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung visited Lirboyo pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Kediri, East Java, last week, he joked about advising President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo not to come to the city for the planned groundbreaking of the Kediri airport scheduled for April.

Hengky Ola Sura, Maumere – Around 120 pigs on farms across North Central Timor regency in East Nusa Tenggara have died suddenly of unknown causes, with the number likely to rise as officials begin collecting data.

One of Indonesia's top ministers has come up with what he undoubtedly thinks is a quick-fix solution to the country's poverty problem: cross-income levels marriage.

Jakarta – The central bank decided to cut its benchmark rate on Thursday in the wake of a global coronavirus outbreak it believed would trigger a short-term slowdown in the economy in the near future.

Bank Indonesia cut the seven-day reverse repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 4.75 percent after keeping the rate unchanged in the previous three months.

Jakarta – The Central Java administration is currently assisting 127 former terror convicts in a community reintegration program, head of the Central Java National and Political Unity Office Haerudin has said.

Of the 127 former convicts, 39 of them have joined the Gema Salam Foundation, which specializes in a deradicalization program in Surakarta, Central Java.

Beritasatu, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo reinstated his belief that investment – and particularly domestic investment – is the key to strengthen national economic growth in a government meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Public Works and Housing Ministry will complete construction on eight major water dams in 2020 as part of the National Strategic Program.

Patrick O'Connor – After just a year-and-a-half in office, East Timor's coalition government has collapsed.

Riza Roidila Mufti, Jakarta – With Indonesia scoring low in health and hygiene by international tourism standards, the government is focusing on the quality of public toilets and sanitation facilities at tourist hotspots, an official has said.

Angela Flassy, Jayapura, Jubi – Gustaf Kawer, Director of Association of Law Enforcement and Human Right Advocates in Papua (PAHAM) said the document on political prisoners revealed by human rights activities Veronica Koman is valid, as the coalition has been working on the record.

Asmiati Malik – The Indonesian government plans to evaluate the efficacy of special funds for Papua. These funds have been disbursed to the easternmost region for nearly two decades.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Indonesia – Security forces shot dead an elementary school student during an alleged firefight in Papua that killed two people dead and injured two others, a local Catholic leader said Thursday, in the latest violence in Indonesia's troubled easternmost province.

Aceh – Units from the Aceh Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and the Wilayatul Hisbah Islamic police (WH) conducted checks on female drivers wearing tight clothing and men wearing short trousers.

The checks netted scores of violators with one of the women wearing a flannel shirt and long trousers.

Diana Mariska, Bogor, West Java – Palm oil producers are saying for the government to reach its goal of developing B100, or 100-percent biodiesel fuel, it would need more than just boosting the production of palm oil.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – Festival Kebhinekaan, an annual festival showing off the diversity of Indonesia, kicks off in Jakarta on Friday and will run until Sunday, presenting a lineup of events designed to promote religious tolerance to millennials.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called on regional administrations to fully cater to investors' needs in starting businesses to boost investment, which plays a major role in the country's economic growth.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – A senior Indonesian minister has caused an uproar in saying that the country's rich must marry the poor to help reduce poverty.

John McBeth – Indonesian Economic Coordinating Minister and Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto likes to put an historic spin on the 1,028-page Job Creation Omnibus Bill tabled last week in Parliament, calling it the country's third great structural reform program.

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – Wedding vows usually include a promise of everlasting love, but a bill on "family resilience" proposed by the House of Representatives goes a step further by enshrining the obligation in law.

Jakarta – A draft bill on family resilience proposed by members of the House of Representatives defines sadomasochism as a form of sexual deviance that its practitioners must undergo social, psychological, spiritual and medical rehabilitation.

Jakarta – Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy has suggested the country's rich people should marry those from low-income families, arguing that such cross-class marriages can contribute to reducing the national poverty rate.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has called for the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to conduct investigative audits on state-owned insurers to assess their investment management.

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri has said politicians should not "force" their children to join the 2024 general election, calling the practice "annoying".

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has said that Indonesia is heading toward reinstating guidelines on the implementation of a Pancasila course in educational institutions, a practice that occurred during the New Order regime.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – The 2020 population census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has started. The online phase, which is expected to ease access for public participation across the country, has begun, but glitches have plagued the launch.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to impose an excise on plastics, fossil-fuel vehicles and sweet drinks in a move aimed at reducing their adverse environmental and health effects, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said.

Jakarta – The village head of Neglasari in Jatiwaras district of Tasikmalaya, West Java, has been arrested after allegedly setting fire to the Neglasari village administration building in an attempt to avoid a financial audit.

Jakarta – The Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) has recorded a deficit of Rp 15.5 trillion (US$1.13 million), 51.56 percent lower than the late-2019 projection of Rp 32 trillion, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry has insisted that the protests against the renovation of Santo Joseph Catholic Church in Karimun, Riau Islands, are not an act of intolerance.

Jakarta – The Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) has announced that it will form a public relations team following the controversy surrounding agency head Yudian Wahyudi's offhand remark on the supposed friction between religion and state ideology Pancasila.

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – Dozens of bird species endemic to Sumatra Island are closer to extinction because of habitat loss from land use change as well as illegal hunting.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – An upcoming landmark bill on job creation is expected to streamline business and boost investment for miners in Indonesia, albeit at the expense of environmental protection and regional autonomy.

Jakarta – As per President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's instructions, the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) is planning to promote values of the state ideology, Pancasila, through video platforms popular among the nation's youth, such as YouTube and TikTok.

Riza Roidila Mufti and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – The government will provide discounts of up to 30 percent for both foreign and local travelers in a bid to revive Indonesia's tourism, as more tourists cancel their vacation plans to the country over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Barita News Lumbanbatu, Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – Authorities in Indonesia have launched an investigation following the discovery of radioactive contamination in an empty lot in a housing complex near a nuclear research facility.

Erin Cook – Earlier this month, Indonesia confirmed that it would adopt a policy of not seeking repatriation for Indonesian nationals that were suspected of links with the Islamic State. The development bears watching in terms of how Indonesia is managing this challenge as well as its broader implications for the region.

Halida Bunga, Jakarta – The initiator of the draft of the family resilience bill (RUU Ketahanan Keluarga), Endang Maria, says that the fear of children being exposed to pornography and drugs has pushed her to propose the bill.

Johan Augustin, Bali, Indonesia – Waves roll in over the black volcanic sand on Sogsogan, a beach in southern Bali. Further out, surfers prepare to master the swell. Bali has long been a tropical paradise destination, but the waves, long beaches, palm trees and party lifestyle associated with the island are overshadowed by an intruder disrupting the idyll.

Jakarta – Indonesian security forces shot dead an 18-year-old Papuan separatist during a shootout, a military spokesman said on Wednesday, though a separatist group disputed the account and said the victim was a civilian.

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud M.D. has played down a contentious article in the omnibus bill on job creation, claiming it as "a typo".

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Human rights groups have condemned the Indonesian government's rejection of an investigation that concluded the military committed a "gross human rights violation" when it shot four students dead and injured more than 20 other people during a December 2014 protest in Papua.

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – Many Indonesians would agree that traditional households – which typically assign domestic roles based on gender, with the husband as the breadwinner and the wife in charge of household chores and children – should be a thing of the past.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – State-owned insurer PT Asuransi Jiwasraya has claimed that the losses it suffered from investing in several questionable stocks exceed those of social insurer Asuransi Sosial Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia (Asabri).

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Residents who were evicted from Taman Sari subdistrict in Bandung, West Java, have filed more than 100 complaints to the government's online public-service complaint system to step up their fight against their eviction.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – The insurance industry maintained its positive performance throughout last year despite a somewhat dire outlook following revelations of serious liquidity issues facing state-owned insurer PT Asuransi Jiwasraya, according to the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – A draft bill on family resilience proposed by members of the House of Representatives defines homosexuality as sexual deviance and requires lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to report to authorities for rehabilitation.

Jakarta – Freeport Indonesia announced on Wednesday that progress in the construction of its copper concentrate smelter in Gresik had exceeded its six-month target in February. The progress has been verified independently and the report submitted to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

Antara, Jakarta – A street fight video set on Jakarta's busiest business strip Jalan Thamrin that went viral on social media was fake, police said on Wednesday.

The man who directed the fight has been arrested for paying four three-wheel bajaj drivers to perform the fight at a zebra crossing near Sarinah Mall on Tuesday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Commission for Indonesian Children Protection (KPAI) recorded a total of 4,369 violations against children's rights throughout Indonesia last year, including domestic violations against children's rights.

Mohammad Sadli Saleh, the chief editor of Liputanpersada.com was arrested for publishing an article covering alleged corruption connected to road construction in Central Buton district, South East Sulawesi.