Jakarta – FemFest 2019, a biennial feminist festival organized by the Jakarta Feminist Discussion Group, will be held this weekend at Wisma PKBI, Jakarta.

The festival seeks to localize feminism, which many consider a western principle and not in line with Indonesian culture.

Jakarta – The head of the Attorney General's Office's (AGO) Law and Information Centre, Mukri, has declined to comment at length about the Ombudsman's findings on the special requirements for the selection of state civil servants (CPNS) for 2019, one of which is that applicants are not allowed to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT).

Anthony Galloway – The Morrison government is being urged by a key crossbench senator to support a parliamentary inquiry into East Timor's controversial Greater Sunrise oil and gas project, in a bid to stop China funding the project and gaining access to a port 500km off Darwin.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Riza Roidila Mufti, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has ordered the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to handle all forms of licensing previously handled by a variety of government institutions in a move that is expected to facilitate business in Indonesia.

A group of motorbike taxi drivers have stormed an Indonesian hospital and grabbed the body of a colleague's six-month-old baby, which was reportedly being held as leverage to secure payment of outstanding medical bills.

Dias Prasongko, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' (DPR) Information Commission asked public broadcasters, RRI and TVRI, to serve as the government's public relations. The decision was made after a hearing between the DPR and the Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (RRI) on Wednesday, November 20.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo suggested Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto change the ongoing mindset in the procurement of the country's primary defense weapon systems or alutsista.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he was against the idea voiced by the House of Representatives' (DPR) Law Commission to dissolve the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

Made Argawa, Jakarta – The Balinese resistance movement against Benoa Bay Reclamation (ForBAli), publically reminded the new Maritime and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo to not interfere with the current status of South Bali's bay. Edhy previously announced that he would review the status of the area.

Nyoman Ary Wahyudi and Endri Kurniawati, Jakarta – ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute's political researcher, Made Tony Supriatma, predicts that President Jokowi special staffers were appointed due to their participation in supporting his campaign.

Shotaro Tani and Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the former governor of Jakarta who was jailed for blasphemy, looks set to take on the role of president commissioner at Indonesian state-owned oil company Pertamina, following an announcement on Friday by the minister of state-owned enterprise, Erick Thohir.

Jakarta – Indonesia's government and a consortium of 56 insurance companies signed on Friday the first contract to protect state assets against disasters in the seismically active Southeast Asian country.

South Korean bakery chain Tous les Jours has found itself in the middle of a religious discrimination scandal in Indonesia related to what one may or may not write on a cake.

Recently, a photo has gone viral on social media showing a sign – which appears to be hastily printed – put up at a Tous les Jours store in South Jakarta.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's omnibus law bill will introduce sweeping tax reforms ranging from reduced income and value-added taxes and zero tax on dividends to lower non-resident taxes and a so-called Netflix tax, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced on Friday.

Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – Golkar Party stalwart Bambang Soesatyo has officially declared his bid to lead the nation's second-largest party, which he said had suffered setbacks under the leadership of incumbent chairman Airlangga Hartarto.

Celebrity preacher Abdul Somad is arguably the most popular cleric in Indonesia at the moment, but he has been in the news with increasing frequency for making some very controversial statements in his sermons.

Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Arsul Sani has asked the Attorney General's Office (AGO) not to discriminate by rejecting candidate state civil servants (CPNS) for 2019 who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT).

Jakarta – The stance of National Democrat (NasDem) Party General Chairman Surya Paloh in October indicating he would go into opposition seems to have been nothing more than an expression of disappointment. Almost a month later, when responding to the shouts of 'opposition' from party members at the NasDem congress, Surya called this suggestion 'very stupid'.

Jakarta – Three commissioners from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have filed a petition for judicial review challenging the newly revised KPK Law. They have joined a group of anticorruption activists who are also challenging the controversial law in court.

Jakarta – A Chinese-Indonesian student has submitted a judicial review to the Constitutional Court challenging an article of the Law on Yogyakarta's special status that bars Indonesians of foreign descent from owning land in the region.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – A nationwide trial has commenced on the commercial distribution of 30 percent blended biodiesel (B30) to prepare distributors for the mandatory use of B30, which comes into force next year.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – State-owned energy company Pertamina expects to close this year with an oil and gas production of 910,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boped), up 18.4 percent from its output last year.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained former president director of PT Lippo Cikarang Bartholomeus Toto in relation to an investigation into alleged corruption pertaining to the Meikarta development project in Bekasi regency, West Java.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to process all forms of licensing in a move that is expected to significantly improve Indonesia's ranking on the World Bank's ease of doing business index.

Fadli, Batam – The Batam Police in Riau Islands province are monitoring former members of the Katibah Gonggong Rebus (KGR) radical group following a suicide bombing at the Medan Police headquarters in North Sumatra.

Members of the KCR were accused in 2016 of plotting a rocket strike against Singapore.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is seeking Interpol's assistance in locating Sjamsul Nursalim and his wife Itjih Nursalim, both of whom are suspects in a graft case pertaining to the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) funding in 1997.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, is set to make a comeback to public office, more than two years after he was convicted of blasphemy.

The spotlight on Bali this week is perhaps not for the best of reasons, yet it is also difficult to argue that it's not necessary. After Bali was included in a 2020 'No' List by US-based travel publication Fodor's, the provincial island's vice governor has now issued a statement asking for visiting tourists to upload photos and videos highlighting Bali in a "positive" light.

Ahmad Syamsudin, Jakarta – An Indonesian lawyer who is wanted by police in her home country for alleged incitement of violence because she disseminated information via Twitter about recent unrest in Papua says she's a target of online threats.

Sigit S. Nugroho, Adhi Priamarizki and Tiola – From 9 to 12 September 2019, the Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI) conducted a joint-services exercise (latihan gabungan, latgab) code-named "Dharma Yudha".

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The North Sumatra administration will have all the pigs in the province culled unless it is capable of dealing with the hog cholera virus that has killed over 9,000 pigs throughout the province so far.

Jakarta – Although rain has started to fall in some regions of Indonesia, East Sumba regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is still experiencing extreme dry season conditions as the area has seen nearly a year without rain.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed seven young people as members of his new presidential expert staff to give him innovative ideas in regard to the country's development in various fields.

Eisya A. Eloksari, Jakarta – Indonesia is experiencing a weakening consumer confidence in the third quarter but now fewer people think the economy is in recession, a recent survey shows.

Dion Bisara, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia, the country's central bank, decided on Thursday to keep its benchmark interest rate at 5 percent, ending a series of cuts in the past four months aimed at stimulating the economy.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) decided to maintain the seven-day reverse repo rate on Thursday at 5 percent after it cut the key rate by 25 basis points (bps) in October in a bid to boost economic growth amid rising global risks.

Dion Bisara, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said her first month working in Indonesia's new cabinet has been "wonderful," signaling her confidence in its ability to deliver reforms that the government had promised.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – Head of the National Police Headquarters' public information officer, Grand Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra commented on the statement made by DPR legislator Trimedya Panjaitan about police personnel with out of shape physical appearance.

Carlos Roy Fajarta, Jakarta – Kereta Commuter Indonesia, or KCI, the operator of the Greater Jakarta Commuter Line train, has registered an average of more than a million passengers per day, passing an important milestone in the company's expansion in the past three years.

The Health Ministry and the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry are working together to promote medical tourism in Indonesia, and they believe that certain traditional Indonesian treatments may boost interest in the industry.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – National Police Chief General Idham Azis spoke at length about how his officers had done everything they could to find the perpetrators of an acid attack on top anti-graft investigator Novel Baswedan during a hearing with a House of Representatives commission on Wednesday.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has asserted the government's commitment to not sacrifice the archipelago's environment for economic development.

Speaking during a discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday, Luhut said Indonesia was looking for its own "equilibrium; not that used by the United States and Europe."

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has begun a program to standardize and train Islamic preachers to ensure that they promote moderate Islam instead of far-right or far-left Islamic thought.

The council implemented the certification program for da'i (Islamic teachers) on Monday.

Viriya Singgih and Karlis Salna – Indonesia's government is prepared to widen the budget deficit further to counter a potential deeper deterioration in the global growth outlook, Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara said.

Dozens of motorcycle taxi drivers in the West Sumatra capital of Padang stormed a hospital in the city yesterday in order to obtain the body of a six-month-old baby allegedly held in the morgue over unpaid bills.

Last week, several Indonesian and international environmental groups released a shocking report that found high levels of dioxin and other harmful chemicals in eggs laid by chickens in a village in East Java. However, it seems the official response in Indonesia amounts to no more than a shrug thus far.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – The government is mulling over a new approach to deal with illegal fishing boats caught in Indonesian waters. Now, instead of sinking them, the government will give the boats to local fishermen, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo said on Tuesday.

Ika Ningtyas, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Chairman, Ahmad Taufan Damanik, said that there are not enough regional governments in the district or city level that have adopted human rights principles in developing its region.

Istiqomatul Hayati, Jakarta – A group that consists of 40 tobacco farmers, whom most have shifted away from tobacco-plantation, urged the Indonesian government to create a comprehensive tobacco control policy over health concerns.

Jakarta (Antara) – Democratic Party executive Agus "AHY" Harimurti Yudhoyono argues that the concept of direct election is a given for the country's regional head election (Pilkada).

"How could the rights inclined to the people get revoked, I think people will not accept that if it does truly happen," said AHY in Jakarta on Tuesday, November 19.