TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The government stated that it will go ahead and sign the ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) with Australia and New Zealand on February 27. “So far, there has been no changes,” said Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu yesterday. According to Mari, during the FTA negotiations, Indonesia had considered all aspects, the positive and negative impacts as well.

Proof shows in shrinking cargo volume, growing number of expelled workers TANJUNG PRIOK PORT, Indonesia - Customs officer Tiko Murtiadji is no economist, but as he watches a truck-size X-ray machine inspect a cargo load of car tires here, he knows evidence of the global economic slowdown is standing just outside his window.

JAKARTA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Indonesia's Aceh, rich in resources ranging from coffee to natural gas, aims to lure more investment now that the state agency to rebuild after the 2004 tsunami is set to close, its governor said on Friday. The province is one of the poorest in Indonesia, despite its resources, after three decades of separatist conflict and a tsunami which killed 170,000 people and destroyed infrastructure.

Palm oil futures completed a second weekly gain after stockpiles in Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest producer, dropped to a nine-month low. Malaysian CPO fell 10 percent in January from December to 1.33 million metric tons, cutting stockpiles by 8.3 percent to 1.83 million tons. The fall in reserves signals production peak may have been reached last year.

In another sign that the country’s economy is slowing down, the country’s imports are expected to drop by nearly 15 percent in value this year because of the rupiah’s depreciation and slowing production. On the other hand, lower than expected growth, caused by the global economic turmoil, is credited for putting further downward pressure on the rupiah.

JAKARTA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will boost house financing through the sales of mortgage-backed securities, so as to help provide decent housing to low-income people, the Jarkata Post reported Friday.