Jakarta - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left Jakarta on Wednesday morning for Beijing to make a five-day official visit to China, where he will attend the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Yudhoyono, accompanied by his wife Ani Yudhoyono, and a number of cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, State Minister for Environment Rachmat Witoelar and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro.

Jakarta - Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday ratified a regional charter committing South-East Asian nations to the principles of democracy and human rights, and envisaging a single free-trade area by 2015.

The ratification bill was approved by all 10 factions in the House of Representatives. It will take effect after it is signed by the president.

Indonesia was the last member of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ratify the charter after the Philippines signed up earlier this month, clearing the way for its formal adoption at a summit in Bangkok in December.

The charter commits the group to promote human rights and democracy, sets out rules for members and transforms ASEAN into a legal entity.

Jakarta - Indonesian police detained one man believed to be linked to terrorist activities Tuesday and seized bomb-making materials at a house in suburban Jakarta, the country's police chief said.

General Bambang Hendarso Danuri said counterterrorism police conducted the raid at a rented house in the northern suburb of Plumpang, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

The officers seized dozens of bullets, 3 kilograms of explosive material believed to be TNT, bomb-making manuals, pipes and cables.

Jakarta - An undersea earthquake registering 6.5 on the Richter scale struck off Indonesia's central Sulawesi province on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, the Indonesian seismologist agency said.

The quake struck at 12:54 pm (0454 GMT) and its epicentre was about 196 kilometres south-west of Tolitoli, Indonesia's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said, adding that the quake occurred at about 33 kilometres below sea level.

Jakarta - An international environmentalist group on Friday called on the Indonesian government to urgently declare a moratorium on deforestation to save the rainforest in Papua province from destruction.

Rainforests in Papua on New Guinea island have been under a mounting threat from expansion of palm oil production and logging, said Greenpeace, revealing new findings regarding deforestation activities in Indonesia's easternmost province.

"During our helicopter flyovers, in the past week we have seen the magnificent beauty of Indonesia's last frontier of intact forest and also witnessed illegal and increasing deforestation activities," Bustar Maitar of Greenpeace said in a statement.