Hariz Baharudin, Jakarta – Indonesia is stepping up security for Pope Francis's visit next week – his first stop on his 12-day tour of Asia, with snipers being deployed and thousands of officers on standby.

Dayat, Jakarta – Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Pramono Anung and his running mate Rano Karno unexpectedly met with former governor Anies Baswedan during a morning walk on Sudirman Street in the heart of the capital city.

Every Sunday, the street is closed to motor vehicles to provide space for Jakarta residents to enjoy morning recreation.

Jayapura – The High School and University Student Front for Human Rights Concern held a peaceful action at the United Nations Representative office in Jakarta on Friday August 30 during which they reported cases of human rights violations, genocide, ecocide and ethnocide to the UN.

Will Hunter – Adelaide nurse Joy Booth sees the joy and hope that "life-changing" reconstructive surgery can bring to young people in Timor-Leste, but the working environment is often a stark departure from Australian clinical conditions.

Ms Booth recently embarked on her 11th surgical trip to train and assist local health staff.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Jakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Jakarta) urges CNN Indonesia's management to retract the termination letter (PHK) against nine employees who are members of the CNN Indonesia Workers Solidarity (SPCI).

This layoff occurred just a few days after SPCI was officially established on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

Dini Suciatiningrum, Jakarta – As many as 14 CNN Indonesia media workers have been sacked (PHK) by the CNN Indonesia management. The unilateral layoffs were done after the workers formed the CNN Indonesia Workers Solidarity trade union (SPCI) on Tuesday August 27.

Batam – Residents on Rempang Island from the Sembulang Village in Galang sub-district, Batam City, Riau Islands, claim to have been terrorised by unidentified individuals (OTK).

The Jakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has condemned the unilateral sacking of CNN Indonesia employees after they declared the establishment of the CNN Indonesia Workers Solidarity trade union (SPCI) on Tuesday August 27.

Greget Kalla Buana and Anisa Indah Pratiwi – Indonesia's middle class is shrinking. After expanding by 21 million from 2014 to 2018, it contracted by 8.5 million in the past six years, reducing its size to 52 million, as reported by the Indonesia Economic Outlook 2024.

Jakarta – The government's plan to charge Greater Jakarta Commuter Line passengers based on their respective income levels has triggered widespread public criticism.

Jakarta – The three-day registration window for candidates in the regional head elections, to be held simultaneously this November, officially closed at midnight on Friday with a frantic final rush of applications in several constituencies.

Niniek Karmini, Maumere, Indonesia – Arnoldus Yansen thought for certain he was going to become a Catholic priest, just like his older brother, cousin and uncle.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has hinted at the possibility of forming a mass organization or a political party with like-minded associates following his defeat in the 2024 presidential race and his failure to secure a candidacy in the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – The Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party is advancing its congress from August to February 2025, focusing on re-electing Prabowo Subianto as chairman and chief patron. This decision follows strong requests from party members during the National Leadership Meeting in Hambalang, Bogor, on Friday.

Dili – Timor-Leste's leader thanked the international community Friday as his country celebrated the 25th anniversary of its referendum on independence from Indonesia, with visiting United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urging the world to do more to support the young democracy.

Jakarta – Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has recently been in hot water over allegations of gratification and his business ventures.

Stanley Widianto and Johan Purnomo, Jakarta – Over 1,000 ride-hailing drivers staged a strike in several cities on Thursday to protest their low pay, calling on the government to provide more protection against what they said were unfair practices by on-demand services companies.

Calvin Yang, Singapore – More foreign investors are showing interest in the Nusantara megaproject, said newly-appointed Indonesian Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani.

Mr Rosan said he was confident about attracting more investments to Indonesia's new capital. This is despite critics casting doubts over the project's feasibility and challenges securing investors.

Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – The discourse on the House of Representatives (DPR) immediately passing the Draft Law on Asset Seizures (RUU Perampasan Aset) is seen as a counterattack by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to hide his disappointment because his political interests were not accommodated.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) updated its report on the number of evacuees from the flash flood disaster in Rua Village, Ternate City, North Maluku. Thus far, the number of evacuees has increased from 150 to 250 people.

Heru Andriyanto, Aep Sopandi, Bandung – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) registered relatively unknown party members as candidates for the West Java gubernatorial election just 30 minutes before the midnight deadline on Thursday, following Anies Baswedan's refusal of the nomination.

Ahmad Fikri, Jakarta – The President's Special Staff Coordinator, Ari Dwipayana, emphatically denied allegations that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo played a role in preventing Anies Baswedan from advancing in the 2024 Regional Elections.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition pushes the Indonesian government to use the upcoming submission of the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (SNDC) in September as momentum to correct its commitment to climate change and democracy.

Antara, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Government Commission at the House of Representatives (DPR) Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung said the parliament would evaluate the medium and long-term position of the Constitutional Court (MK). Doli said MK often undertakes matters outside of its authorized duty.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) continues its efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar by forming a strategic partnership with the Bank of Korea (BOK) and South Korea's Ministry of Finance.

As President of the ULMWP and on behalf of the people of West Papua, I welcome the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Communique reaffirming the 2019 call for a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to West Papua:

Leaders recalled their decision from 2019 and 2023 and noted the update from the Special Envoys.

Edna Tarigan, Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia and Australia signed a defense agreement on Thursday that both sides described as a significant upgrade to their military relationship.

Asad Asnawi, Pacitan, Indonesia – Indonesia's mining ministry has ordered a suspension of operations at a controversial copper mine on Java Island following claims by local farmers that it was responsible for massive pollution wrecking the livelihoods of 200 families living downriver.

Jakarta – The Indonesian public recently spotlighted the link between the subsidiaries of SEA Limited, Shopee, and Garena, to President Jokowi's youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, and his wife, Erina Gudono.

This occurred after Indonesians suspected that the Gulfstream private jet that Kaesang and Erina boarded to the United States belonged to Garena Online (Private) Limited.

Paul Gregoire – Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto was in Canberra early last week to meet with soon-to-be counter-part-prime minister Anthony Albanese and to further negotiate a new defence deal, in his current capacity as Indonesian defence minister with our own defence minister Richard Marles.

Fito Akhmad Erlangga, Jakarta – The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has just awarded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo the Agricola Medal, which recognizes the Indonesian leader's support for attaining global food security.

FAO's Director-General Qu Dongyu gave Jokowi his medal at Jakarta's State Palace on Monday.

Jakarta – The government is reminding Indonesian migrant workers to sign up to be members of the state employment insurance scheme BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

Dili – Timor-Leste's independence was a gift to the world because it showed conflict could be resolved through negotiation, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Aug 30, the 25th anniversary of its vote to separate from Indonesia.

Antara, Jakarta – PT PLN (Persero), through its subsidiary PLN Batam, in collaboration with PT Aruna Cahaya Pratama (Aruna PV), has successfully launched Indonesia's largest ground-mounted solar power plant, Antara reported.

M Ambari, Jakarta – A milestone debt-for-nature agreement to conserve coral reefs in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country, has drawn a mix of optimism and skepticism from environmentalists.

Alex Bainbridge, Magan-djin/Brisbane – More than 100 people marched through the streets of Magan-djin/Brisbane on August 30 as part of a School Strike 4 Climate student strike for West Papua.

"Right now my people, the people of West Papua are living through a painful reality," a message from Papuan activist Jeffrey which was read to the crowd said.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has had enough of Bali being overcrowded by unruly foreigners.

Advist Khairunikmah, Jakarta – The Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) said Dharma Pongrekun-Kun Wardana did not violate Election Law for misusing Jakarta voter IDs to register as gubernatorial candidates in the upcoming regional head election.

Jakarta – A member of the House of Representatives' special committee on the haj, Iskan Qolba Lubis, questioned the Religious Affairs Ministry on Thursday on the reasons behind the late departure of some haj pilgrims.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia is importing growing amounts of paper and plastic scrap but remains ill-prepared to process the material, which is aggravating the country's already immense waste problem.

Jakarta – A declining middle class population in Indonesia is ringing alarm bells in the country, analysts have warned, even as the government introduces a raft of measures aimed at supporting this group.

And the analysts further added that more support is needed to bolster this segment of the population to prevent a further drop.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has refuted claims that he played a role in obstructing Anies Baswedan's candidacy for the 2024 gubernatorial elections in Jakarta and West Java.

Jokowi said the decision to nominate candidates is determined by political parties and their coalitions, which operate under their own processes.

Antara, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor candidate Ridwan Kamil has addressed the controversy surrounding his old tweets that recently resurfaced on social media. He acknowledged that his views have changed since becoming a public official and apologized for his past comments.

Gantry Meilana, Dili, East Timor – East Timor on Friday celebrated the 25th anniversary of a U.N.-backed referendum that secured its independence from its major neighbor Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

Amy Sood – Amid nationwide protests in Indonesia against outgoing President Joko Widodo's perceived power grab, his successor Prabowo Subianto has managed to escape criticism by deftly positioning himself as a defender of democracy, a move analysts said might allow him to "benefit from this entire fiasco".

Muhammad Ridwan – The Instagram account belonging to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), @sahabaticw (@friendsoficw), was suspended or temporarily blocked by Meta. The reason given was that it had violated the internal platform rules.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Senior minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan recently revealed that Bali still planned on constructing an underground light rail transit – popularly abbreviated as LRT – to ease traffic congestion.

Indonesia has long been wanting to proceed with this project. But the tourist haven has yet to break ground on the transport infrastructure to this day.

Barita News Lumbanbatu, Sipahutar, Indonesia – On the Indonesian island of Sumatra lives a man named Efron Simanjuntak. With a stern face and thick, graying mustache, he roams the forests near the village of Bona ni Dolok. Once a player in the region's illegal logging industry, he's now a dedicated forest protector.

Jakarta – Indonesia has been very active in the realm of defense over the past few months, with activities ranging from joint exercises to leveling up its defense cooperation agreement (DCA) with Australia.

Jakarta – Gerindra Party politician Ahmad Riza Patria and his running mate Marshel Widianto, a comedian, have withdrawn their candidacies in the South Tangerang, Banten, mayoral race after the party decided to instead back incumbent Benyamin Davnie, who has already received support from some of Gerindra's partners in the February presidential election.