Lawyers

• Indonesia to strengthen anti-terrorist laws following Jakarta attack

  Indonesia President Joko Widodo held a close meeting with senior law enforcement and security officials to discuss an amendments to anti-terrorist law. The move aims to strengthen anti-terror law in the country following last week attack by Islamic State in Jakarta.

• Indonesia to call off search for victims in deadly military plane crash

  Indonesian authorities will call off a two-day search for victims on Thursday after a military transport plane crashed into a residential area in Sumatra, killing around 140 people, the military said.

• China says concerned over Indonesia's blowing up of fishing boat

  China on Thursday expressed "serious concern" over the blowing up of a Chinese fishing vessel seized by Indonesia six years ago, the first such incident under President Joko Widodo.

• Indonesian Islamic parties seek ban on alcohol consumption

  Two Islamic parties have proposed legislation that would ban all consumption of alcoholic drinks and bring jail terms of up to two years for offenders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population.

• Japan to expand SE Asia security ties with Indonesia pact

  Japan will sign a defense pact with Indonesia next week, officials in both governments said, the latest effort by Tokyo to forge closer security ties with Southeast Asian nations and build a counter-balance to China.

• Australian drug smugglers being taken to Indonesian island for execution: media

  Two convicted Australian drug smugglers were removed from a prison in Bali on Wednesday to be taken to an Indonesian island where they will be shot by firing squad, Australian media reported.

• Indonesia recalls envoy to Brazil amid row over execution

  Indonesia has recalled its new ambassador to Brazil after the South American country postponed a ceremony sealing his appointment, Jakarta said on Saturday, amid a row over the execution of a Brazilian national for drugs trafficking.

• Australian PM Abbott threatens repercussions over Indonesia executions

  Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned Indonesia of the potential for diplomatic fallout if Jakarta goes ahead with the looming execution of two Australian citizens on death row for drugs charges.

• U.N. chief appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions

  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Indonesia on Friday not to execute prisoners on death row for drug crimes, including citizens of Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines.

• U.S. invites Japan, China leaders for state visits

  The United States said on Friday it had invited Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to pay state visits this year, in a further sign of President Barack Obama's policy emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region.

• Deputy of Indonesia's anti-graft body to resign: agency official

  The deputy chief of Indonesia's anti-graft agency will submit his resignation letter on Monday, days after the police named him a suspect in a false testimony case, an agency official said.

• Indonesia proposes changes to aviation rules after AirAsia crash

  Indonesia's transport minister proposed a number of changes to improve aviation safety standards at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, just over three weeks after an AirAsia passenger jet crashed killing all 162 people on board.

• Divers retrieve 'black box' data recorder from AirAsia wreck

  A team of Indonesian navy divers on Monday retrieved one of the two black boxes from an AirAsia airliner that crashed two weeks ago, killing all 162 people on board, a government official said.

• Indonesian searchers believe crashed AirAsia's fuselage found

  Indonesian search teams believe a sonar scan has detected the fuselage of an AirAsia airliner that crashed two weeks ago with the loss of all 162 people on board and divers were on Sunday checking the find, a senior official said.

• Indonesia's graft watchdog to target energy sector in 2015

  Indonesia's anti-graft watchdog will launch an unprecedented investigation next year into the energy industry, as part of a stepped-up campaign to rid the sector of what President Joko Widodo's administration has called an "oil and gas mafia".

• As Obama visits Asia, old alliances face new strains in face of China's influence

  In November 2011, with the Arab Spring uprisings in full tilt and Europe rocked by a debt crisis, President Barack Obama flew to Asia to promote a shift of America’s military, diplomatic and business assets to the region. His then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, declared in the same year that the 21st century would be "America's Pacific century".

• Kerry seeks to warm summit mood with dinner for China's top diplomat

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, to his Boston home on Friday for talks aimed at warming the often strained U.S.-China relationship ahead of a summit between their leaders next month.

• Indonesia's energy minister made suspect in graft case

  Indonesia's anti-corruption agency said on Wednesday the energy minister was a suspect in a case involving extortion and abuse of authority, the latest in a string of cases that have tainted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's final year in office.