There have been debates in recent months on whether or not controversial hardline group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) should be disbanded, but one high-ranking government official has been unequivocal in his condemnation of the group with pointed words of criticism that, ostensibly, could've put someone of lesser standing in hot water.

A 47-year-old man in Surabaya, East Java, identified as Maspuryanto, was arrested for allegedly setting his 19-year-old wife, named Putri Nalurita, on fire during a dispute between them on Tuesday.

We've been through this before, but this time it's official: cell phones obtained outside of legally recognized means may soon no longer function in Indonesia, as the government today passed a new regulation in a bid to curb the spread of illegal phones in the country.

A former journalist with Berita Satu TV won an important case for workers' rights in Indonesia, with his former employee ordered to pay severance and pending salary on October 9.

Caesar Akbar, Jakarta – Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri has inked a circular letter for all governors across Indonesia regarding the increase in the minimum wage of provinces (UMP) and regencies/cities (UMK) in 2020. The hike is set at 8.51 percent.

Yulia Savitri, Palembang – A college student has died during basic training for members of a university paramilitary group (Menwa) in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – Two days before the inauguration ceremony of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's second and final term, a get-together was held between the President and his current Cabinet members in an event that closes the curtain on a five-year administration.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo refused to answer a question from a journalists about progress in solving the acid attack against senor Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan. Widodo instead responded the question by talking about the makeup of the next cabinet.

Jakarta – Indonesia launched an international aid agency on Friday to strengthen its regional diplomatic relations, some of which have been strained by Jakarta's approach to the restive Papua region.

Indra Nugraha, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-corruption agency has charged a former politician from Borneo in connection with a port development project, in a move that could shed light on an earlier scandal involving permits for oil palm plantations.

Byniniek karmini, Jakarta – In fisherman Saimin's fly-strewn riverside slum, less than an hour's drive from Indonesia's presidential palace, much of the age-old problems President Joko Widodo has promised to fix are a stark day-to-day reality.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia has been re-elected to have a seat in the United Nations Human Rights Council through voting in New York, United States, on October 17. Along with 13 other new members, it will serve as the council member starting in January 2020.

Helen Davidson and Ben Doherty – Australia's negotiations with Timor-Leste should be the subject of a royal commission, and the government should return $5bn unfairly taken from the impoverished nation, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.

Riza Roidila Mufti, Jakarta – National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is working hand-in-hand with nine other state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to bring PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines back to life after the latter ceased operations in 2014 due to financial problems.

Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has made assurances to the public that the constitutional articles on the presidential election will remain untouched as plans to amend the 1945 Constitution remain firmly in place.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – A group of economists have penned an open letter addressed to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, urging him to issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to annul the latest revision to the 2003 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, arguing that weakening the antigraft agency will harm the economy.

Taufiq Siddiq, Jakarta – The Police have started to close off access to Merdeka Palace with barbed wire today, Oct. 17, before the planned student rally staged by university students this afternoon.

At around 11:05 a.m., barbed wire fences have blocked the capital's main roads, including Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, before the building of the Tourism Ministry.

Tabita Diela and John Geddie, Jakarta – An Indonesian unit of management consultants McKinsey & Company has been appointed to conduct a feasibility study on moving the capital from the crowded, flood-prone city of Jakarta on Java island to the forested island of Borneo, an official said.

Jakarta – Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman met with the Australian parliament's human rights subcommittee on Wednesday to speak with its members about the current situation in West Papua.

Jakarta – The National Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM-SI) plans to stage a rally in front of the State Palace on Thursday following a decision by the Jakarta Police to restrict protests ahead of the presidential inauguration on Sunday.

Syofiardi Bachyul J.B, West Sumatra – Air quality in West Sumatra has decreased significantly as it touches a level considered unhealthy this week.

The head of Global Atmosphere Watch in Bukit Kototabang, Wan Dayantolis, said air quality had decreased from normal to unhealthy on Tuesday and Wednesday morning at around 10 a.m. and 6 a.m., respectively.

Asip A. Hasani, Blitar, East Java – Lawmaker Arteria Dahlan from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has been in the news lately for his controversial defense of the revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, which many observers fear will neuter the KPK.

Eisya A. Eloksari, Jakarta – Indonesia has risen six places over the last decade to be ranked 68th out of 170 countries in the Global Index of Economic Openness as shown in a recent study by a London-based think-tank the Legatum Institute.

IndonesiaLeaks, Jakarta – On Thursday October 17 IndonesiaLeaks released excerpts from a CCTV video recording which is said to show Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators allegedly destroying evidence. The evidence destroyed was related to a bribery case involving a judicial review of the Law on Animal Husbandry and Livestock Healthcare.

Today, the controversial revision to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law officially comes into effect, as President Joko Widodo has thus far failed to use his executive power to block its implementation.

Noir Primadona Purba – Indonesia's oceans, some of the richest in marine biodiversity, are becoming rubbish bins – altering underwater ecosystems.

Based on a research led by Jenna Jambeck of University of Georgia, Indonesia is the world's second-largest ocean plastic polluter. Yet, we know little about how plastic waste impact marine life in Indonesia's waters.

A Canberra court has shut down a private citizen's bid to provide advice to the court in a trial involving an East Timor bugging scandal.

Ernst Willheim asked the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday to allow him to make an open justice case during the trial of Bernard Collaery, the former lawyer to spy-turned-whistleblower Witness K.

Jakarta – Activist and human rights lawyer for Papuan affairs, Veronica Koman, has met with Australian parliamentarians in Canberra. She said that during the meeting she asked the government of the Kangaroo Country to play a more active role in ending the bloodshed in Papua.

Tim Lindsey – It's deeply ironic that Indonesia's third president, BJ Habibie, died on September 11 – less than a week before the national legislature passed a law that gutted the highly-regarded Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK), effectively killing it.

Heru Andriyanto, Carlos K.Y. Paath, Jakarta – The heavily amended Corruption Eradication Commission Law will come into effect by default on Wednesday, 30 days after it was passed by the House of Representatives, a minister has said.

Imam Hamdi, Jakarta – The Jakarta Administration's water resources agency has lodged a budget up to Rp110 billion to continue the construction of the city's giant sea wall known as the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) in North Jakarta.

Arnoldus Kristianus & Abdul Muslim & Herman, Jakarta – The government is optimistic that an international trade exhibition will help the country overcome a persistent trade deficit.

Telly Nathalia & Beritasatu TV, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo confirmed in a Twitter posting on Thursday that he had completed the selection of a new Cabinet for the second term of his presidency, which will commence on Sunday.

The ministers' names will be announced either immediately after his inauguration, or in the following few days.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo must shift his government's focus to increasing productivity in the domestic manufacturing industry and improving the investment climate during his second term to stem a slowdown in the country's economic growth, economists said.

Arya Dipa and Bambang Muryanto, Bandung – Hundreds of protesters – students and activists – rallied in big cities on Thursday to demand that the President issue a regulation to revoke a new law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), three days before President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo starts his second term.

Jakarta – Students have taken to the streets on the first day that the revised Corruption Eradication Commission Law (UU KPK) came into effect. The students are urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to annul the law.

Jakarta (Antara) – Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Secretary General Ahmad Muzani said he was keen to see the party leader, Prabowo Subianto, join the coalition of the Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ma'ruf Amin administration.

Kuala Lumpur – A new green fund being set up by the government should prioritize protecting its rain forests and creating a carbon trading program to help Indonesia meet its goals to curb climate change, environmentalists and officials said.

Nindya Astuti, Jakarta – Regional coordinator of SafeNET, Damar Juniarto, suspects there are blatant attempts to suppress information regarding Papua as they deemed information from the region has been framed in inaccuracy.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has handed down disciplinary sanctions against five more serving Army personnel in relation to negative social media posts about the recent attack on the country's chief security minister, following the removal of two soldiers from their positions last week for similar reasons.

Jakarta – The Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (Elsam) says that freedom of expression and opinion in Indonesia has declined since 2014. Citing data from the Freedom House website, Elsam said that for the last five years freedom of expression in Indonesia has been rated as no longer free.

Jakarta – The National Police claim to have foiled terror plots, including suicide bombings, in several cities across Java, which were allegedly planned by Islamic State-linked homegrown militant group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund has kept its economic growth projection for Indonesia at 5 percent this year and 5.1 percent next year, while issuing a warning that the global economy may see its slowest expansion since the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.

Jakarta (Antara) – MRT Jakarta, the operator of the city's mass rapid transit train network, has collaborated with Gojek Indonesia, one of the largest ride-hailing companies in the country, to provide a feeder transportation service for MRT passengers.

Fana Suparman, Jakarta – Indramayu district head Supendi was named a corruption suspect on Tuesday, only eight months since he assumed his post.

Supendi was arrested earlier on Monday along with the West Java district's public works head Omarsyah, state road projects head Wempy Triyono and a businessman named Carsa A.S. over bribery allegations in various projects.

Fana Suparman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, has arrested eight people in the East Kalimantan cities of Bontang and Samarinda and also in the capital Jakarta on Tuesday over allegations of bribery related to a major road project on the island.

On Friday, TransJakarta recommissioned buses made by Chinese manufacturers ZhongTong, officials have confirmed, which had previously been mired in scandals related to passenger safety and corruption.

N. Adri, Jakarta and Balikpapan – Medan Mayor Dzulmi Edin and 14 other people, including officials and private individuals, have been arrested on graft charges during separate raids conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) since Tuesday.

Vice President-elect Ma'ruf Amin will not permanently step down from his role as the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council – the country's highest clerical body – even after he's sworn in to become the country's second-in-command on Sunday.