Esther Samboh and Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The government is planning to relax rules on drug patents in the omnibus bill on job creation to boost the nation's pharmaceutical industry and encourage patent-sharing, a top minister has said.

Indra Arief P, Sri Haryati, Jakarta – Government will act on a report of Komnas HAM on alleged human rights violations in Paniai, Papua, on December 7 and 8, 2014, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD stated. The process to make the report transparent to the public would be followed up, Mahfud assured.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – State-owned steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel has submitted an anti-dumping petition against hot-rolled coil/plate (HRC/P) alloy imports from China to the Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee (KADI).

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Millions of jobseekers in Java will get subsidized training funds in April through the government's much-vaunted pre-employment card, after a brief delay.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Jobseekers may soon find it easier to find a place to stay when they take vocational classes under the pre-unemployment card program outside their hometown, following the government's latest partnership, a presidential official has said.

Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – At least 422 residents of Penajam district in North Penajam Paser regency – the planned location of Indonesia's new capital in East Kalimantan – have been affected by floods that hit the area on Tuesday morning.

Economists often state that economic relations between countries are a function of size and distance. Countries with large economies tend to gravitate toward each other, as do countries in close geographic proximity. Maxims like this might seem intuitive, but they do not explain the weak economic relationship between Indonesia and Australia.

Ropes and whips may be banned from sexual activity in Indonesia if the House of Representatives (DPR) passes a bill designed to ensure domestic bliss in all households in the country.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD has stated that he is not interested in further examining the document containing data on Papuan political prisoners and people who died due to the conflict in Nduga, Papua, because they are incomplete.

Yance Wenda, Sentani, Jubi – A local parliament member of Lanny Jaya Girmin Wenda urges military and police to withdraw their troops from Popome Elementary School in Mokoni subdistrict.

Jose Fernando Real – News has recently surfaced that Pope Francis might visit Timor-Leste later this year (as part of a proposed trip to the larger nations of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Indonesia – The father of a high school student who was one of four protesters killed by soldiers in Indonesia's troubled Papua province in 2014 demanded justice for his son, a day after the National Commission on Human Rights ruled the shooting "a gross violation."

Friski Riana, Jakarta – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (BTP), popular by his nickname Ahok, recalled that he was persuaded to join the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) during his time at the Mako Brimob detention center.

"They sent some members to Mako Brimob to discuss the matter," said BTP as quoted from the February 17-23, 2020 edition of Tempo Magazine.

Fikri Arigi, Jakarta – Setara Institute demanded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo establish a human rights court in regards to the Paniai shootings in Papua, following in the firm stand by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Fransiska Nangoy, Wilda Asmarini, Jakarta – Miners have welcomed proposed changes to Indonesian mining rules under a new law aimed at boosting investment, though critics are concerned that the changes could underpin an expansion in polluting coal and threaten environment protection.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – Belief in democracy among the Indonesian public remains strong despite the political turbulence that dominated last year's headlines, as reflected by a survey from pollster Indo Barometer.

Halida Bunga, Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The 212 Alumni Association (PA 212) will hold a rally on February 21.

"We will take to the streets on Friday, February 21. The 21st of the second month. The mass action will also be named 212," PA 212 spokesman Novel Bamukmin told Tempo on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

On the afternoon of Friday February 14, 20 or so women and seven men braved heavy rain to take to the streets of the East Java city of Malang to hold a One Billion rising action against sexual violence.

Primus Dorimulu, Jakarta – The omnibus bill on job creation offers more benefits to workers than the existing manpower law, chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday as he attempted to ease anxiety among labor unions worrying about a draconian law.

Abid A. Adonis, Jakarta – The coronavirus outbreak has caused panic and hysteria among Indonesians. The last time we see this happening was during the SARS outbreak in 2003.

The government has taken the extraordinary measure of evacuating hundreds of Indonesians from Wuhan in China, the center of the outbreak, and quarantine them in Natuna Islands.

Antara, Jakarta – Google Indonesia predicts the country's digital economy will be worth around Rp1.7 quadrillion or $124.1b by 2025, more than triple the Rp 548.2 trillion it recorded in 2020.

Gisela Swaragita, Jakarta – Indonesian human rights groups have criticized President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration for rejecting a declaration by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) that a fatal incident in Paniai regency in Papua in 2014 constituted a "gross human rights violation".

Esther Samboh and Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The government has dismissed concerns the omnibus bill on job creation will centralize power under the president as lawmakers express concern the bill will be a setback for democracy.

Esther Samboh and Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has said that foreign investment rules – namely the priority investment list – may be issued by the government before the sweeping omnibus bills on job creation and taxation pass into law.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Felicia Siregar was only 2 years old when her father, Golfrid Siregar, an outspoken Indonesian environmental activist, died in suspicious circumstances last October. Four months on, Felicia is still waiting for her father to come home.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The government hopes to boost the country's "doing business" ranking to 53rd place on the World Bank's list this year in a bid to attract more investment into the country.

Jakarta – A new survey from Indo Barometer shows that the majority of respondents perceive former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama as the most successful recent leader in handling Jakarta's various problems, including floods and traffic jams.

Jakarta – Indonesia's military shot dead four students in the country's restive Papua region during 2014 protests and carried out "gross human rights violations", a commission investigating the uprising concluded Monday.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – Telecommunication service provider PT Indosat has taken a further step to improve its financial state through the layoff of almost 700 employees in recent days.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – Publicly listed state lender Bank Tabungan Negara's (BTN) profits plummeted by more than 90 percent last year as nonperforming loans and costs of funds rose amid a challenging business climate for the banking industry.

Jakarta – Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) chairwoman Nining Elitos called an unscheduled protest, which was held at the union's secretariat, an "act of terror" against them. The unions firmly reject the controversial omnibus bill on job creation.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Twenty-one new species have been added to the list of bird species endemic to Indonesia as of the beginning of 2020, bringing the country's total to 1,794 bird species.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has reiterated the importance of praying amid the country's ongoing battle against China's coronavirus (COVID-19), saying that the weary public should use religion as a guiding principle in turbulent times.

Prostitution veiled as contract weddings in the hilly resort town of Puncak has long been an open secret in the area, and a recent police bust shows that the practice is alive and well.

As of this morning, there is zero confirmed coronavirus infection on Indonesian soil, which has raised questions over whether the country is ill-equipped to detect the disease or if Indonesians are somehow immune to the deadly virus.

James Massola, Jakarta – Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has said Indonesians should keep praying to God to ensure the country remains free of Covid-19 and defended his country's handling of the outbreak against international criticism.

Reza Gunadha and Stephanus Aranditio – Two Papuan political prisoners, Dano Anes Tabuni and Ambrosius Mulait, wrote the word "sampah" (rubbish) on their bodies during a court hearing to cross-examine witnesses at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday February 17.

Jakarta – Amid the contentious public debate surrounding the recently submitted omnibus bill on job creation, nongovernmental organization Indonesia Halal Watch has raised concerns about several new stipulations in the bill, which it says will negatively impact the country's halal certification regulations if they become law.

Jakarta – Vice President Ma'ruf Amin's underwhelming approval rating during his first 100 days in office compared unfavorably to his predecessor's, according to a recent survey by Jakarta-based pollster Indo Barometer.

Jakarta – A recent survey conducted by Jakarta-based pollster Indo Barometer has found Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to be among the most well-known members of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's current Cabinet.

Herman, Jakarta – Indonesia's exports to several key trading partners, most notably China, dropped significantly to trigger a deficit in January, a poor start to President Joko Widodo's desperate attempt to return the economy to surpluses as the global economic impact from the coronavirus outbreak is expected to hit hard by the end of this month.

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Beritasatu, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Monday the government will provide a stimulus package for the Indonesian tourism industry to keep the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak at bay.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – 2020 is expected to be a good year for the Indonesian property market after the government loosened up the loan-to-value ratio on residential properties by 5 percent and issued an exemption on luxury tax increment for residential properties valued under Rp 30 billion – around $2.2 million – at the end of 2019.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo's approval rating has surged early in his second term, with the majority of voters satisfied with the performance of his top ministers, a survey shows.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – A new book titled "Habibie & Soeharto" attempts to uncover the real story of the relationship between the two late former Indonesian presidents who fell out with each other during the last turbulent days of Soeharto's presidency in 1998 before Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie supplanted him as president.

Jakarta (Reuters) – Indonesia's nuclear authorities said on Monday (Feb 17) they would investigate the radioactive contamination of a patch of land in a housing complex outside Jakarta, and called for calm.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko has expressed his disagreement with the National Commission on Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) recent declaration that the shootings in Paniai, Papua in December 2014 were a "gross human rights violation".

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a US$864 million trade deficit in January on the back of plummeting oil and gas exports, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday.

The country recorded a total of $13.41 billion in exports in January, a 3.71 percent decrease year-on-year (yoy), while total imports fell 4.78 percent yoy to $14.28 billion.

Jeffrey Hutton, Jakarta – Last week, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo introduced legislation in parliament that would overhaul the country's infamously inflexible labour laws that investors and experts say paradoxically leave workers worse off.

Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – Indosat Ooredoo, one of Indonesia's major telecommunications providers, has laid off nearly 700 employees as part of a change in its business strategy "to bring the company's closer to market needs".