Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would continue to maintain a conducive business climate in the country so that business people could play a bigger role in efforts to solve problems faced by the nation.

Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono is scheduled to attend the first harvest of Buol district`s oil palm plantations in Central Sulawesi on March 29, 2008, a local government official said. Spokesman of the Buol district government Musdianto said on Tuesday the oil palm plantations whose first harvest would be witnessed by the minister belonged to PT Hardaya Intiplantation.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The World Bank plans to revise downward its Indonesian economic growth rate projection for 2008 to 6.0 percent from 6.4 percent due to the US economic slowdown but assures the move will not affect the government`s effort to achieve the target of reducing the poverty rate. "That is still a favorable growth. The projected growth rate of 6.0 percent is chiefly caused by improving macro economic policy, particularly fiscal policy.

Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post The World Bank has criticized the government's continuing refusal to cut the onerous fuel subsidy despite evidence the allocation has only benefited wealthy people. "The fuel subsidy has been poorly targeted; it only promotes consumption and does not help the poor," the World Bank's newly appointed country director for Indonesia, Joachim von Amsberg, said in a discussion Tuesday.

Bank Bukopin and four regional development banks pledged Tuesday to syndicate a loan to PT Equator Manunggal Power for the construction of a 60 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. The project, which will cost Rp 545 billion (US$59.9 million), is aimed at reducing the power deficit in the area.

Timor Leste is hoping to establish some kind of a trade deal with East Java, as the country is in dire need of affordable farming equipment and agricultural produce, a Timor Leste minister says. The country's visiting minister for farming, fisheries and forestry Mariano Assanami Sabino told The Jakarta Post recently he had encouraged entrepreneurs in the province to export farming equipment to Timor Leste.