Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – PBNU – the executive board of Indonesia's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama – is planning to invest in the country's planned future capital Nusantara.

Jakarta (Agencies) – The House of Representatives postponed ratifying changes to an elections law on Thursday amid protests in multiple cities, following outcry over legislation seen to strengthen the political influence of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said PDI-P might back Anies Baswedan for Jakarta governor in 2024, but only if he aligns with the party.

Jakarta – Independence Day is an occasion for reflecting on the people's struggle to break free from colonial rule and claim sovereignty as a nation. This year's commemoration on Aug. 17 was also special because the government instituted a nationwide ban on the practice of pasung, or shackling people with a mental illness.

Jakarta (Agencies) – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday said he respected decisions of the country's institutions, amid a move by his allies in the House of Representatives to try to reverse a court decision that changed qualification criteria for regional elections.

Jakarta – Social media users across different platforms on Wednesday shared a screen grab of an emergency warning sign traditionally used for natural disasters to express concerns over possible constitutional crisis following the House of Representatives' move to block a Constitutional Court ruling that lowers the electoral threshold for the November regional election.

Jakarta – A number of civil society groups and academics have urged the House of Representatives to hold off on passing the revision to the Regional Elections Law initially scheduled for Thursday, and instead abide by the Constitutional Court's previous rulings to save the country's democracy.

A video showing a police officer assaulting an evangelist during his demonstration (individual speech) in front of the Biak Numfor Resort Police Office has gone viral and has caused significant public concern and led to immediate actions by the authorities.

Recent findings highlight the ongoing use of treason charges to suppress peaceful activism in Papua, raising significant concerns over the infringement of fundamental human rights.

Another case of extrajudicial killing occurred in the town of Dekai, Yahukimo District, Papua Pegunungan Province, on 20 August 2024. Mr Tobias Silak,23, a staff member at the local Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), was fatally shot by members of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) at a guard post near the airport entrance.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Police deploy tear gas at protestors in the Governor's Office and Central Java Legislative Council (DPRD) in Semarang City on Thursday, August 22, 2024. The protest in Semarang demands the Indonesian government and the House of Representatives (DPR) abide by the Constitutional Court's regional election ruling.

Hundreds of Indonesian Catholics who would otherwise miss out on an audience with Pope Francis in their country will join him in neighboring Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste thanks to support from the government.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Habiburokhman, a lawmaker from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), confirmed on Thursday that the House of Representatives will not challenge the recent Constitutional Court ruling on local elections, as hundreds of students stormed the House gates in a massive rally.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Thursday decided against revising the controversial local election law following nationwide student protests accusing political parties of attempting to manipulate the law to allow President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son, Kaesang Pangarep, to run in the gubernatorial election.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged and sees room for a cut opening up only in the fourth quarter, despite signals pointing to faster monetary policy easing in the United States.

Jakarta (Agencies) – Security forces fired water cannon outside the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Thursday at protesters were demanding lawmakers drop their plan for a controversial revision of election rules, local television channels reported.

Some of the conflicts in Papua stem from illegal operations by companies that have failed to involve the customary land rights owners. A prominent example is the operation of PT Zoomlion in Kapiraya District, Central Papua Province. This issue urgently requires intervention from the Central Papua Provincial Government.

Riang Karunianidi – On Monday August 20, the Constitutional Court found in favour of a lawsuit submitted by the Labour Party and the Indonesian People's Wave Party (Gelora) on the Regional Elections Law (UU Pilkada). The court made two important rulings on the same day.

Jakarta – The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) have called on the public to consolidate and prepare for civil disobedience.

Harry Pearl, Brisbane – Papua New Guinea's media council has condemned as "concerning" and "shameful" the exclusion of a BenarNews journalist from media events during a visit by Indonesia's President-elect to the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor), Yogyakarta – Activists and students in Yogyakarta are ready to take to the streets in a protest action titled "Jogja Memanggil" (Yogyakarta is Calling) today, August 22, 2024.

Aisyah Amira Wakang, Jakarta – The Council of Professors of the University of Indonesia (DGB UI) has assessed that a constitutional crisis has arisen in the Republic of Indonesia after the House of Representatives (DPR) Legislative Body completed the bill on regional head elections, which nullified the Constitutional Court's ruling on regional election nominations.

Muh. Syaifullah, Yogyakarta – The Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta issued a statement regarding the ongoing political conflicts that disregard the current constitution. The university's lecturers agree that Indonesian democracy is facing significant challenges.

Ida Rosdalina, Jakarta – Indonesia is the most religiously devout country among the 102 nations studied, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between 2008 and 2023.

Theresia Silalahi, Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has garnered unanimous backing from delegates of all regional chapters of the Golkar Party to become its next chairman during the party's national congress on Tuesday evening, a senior party official said.

Mhd Rio Alpin Pulungan, Jakarta – The Labor Party's Economic Affairs Spokesperson, Gede Sandra, has spoken out that the Job Creation Law has negatively impacted workers' welfare, particularly through a decline in purchasing power. This is because the regulation allows the concept of minimum wages to low wages, threatening workers' welfare.

In a statement from Department of Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia and his counterpart His Excellency Prabowo Subianto, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, announced the conclusion of negotiations to upgrade the Australia-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Arrangement to a treaty level agreement at a meeting in

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced on Tuesday plans to retire 13 coal-fired power plants due to their high carbon emissions.

The list includes major facilities such as the Suralaya plant in Cilegon, Banten, the Paiton plant in Probolinggo, East Java, and the Ombilin plant in Sijantang Koto, West Sumatra.

Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) has dismissed Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and two other prominent figures amid escalating tension between the party and the country's biggest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government has set a goal to collect Rp 2,189.3 trillion (around $141 billion) in tax revenue next year.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Ahmad Riza Patria of the Gerindra Party fully supports the Constitutional Court's recent decision to lower the threshold for regional elections, allowing individual parties to nominate their own candidates.

Syukri Rahmatullah, Rome – Addin Jauharudin, known as Gus Addin and Chairman of Gerakan Pemuda (GP) Ansor – the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Islamic organization – along with leaders from various Indonesian interfaith youth organizations, will meet with Pope Francis at the Indonesian Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, Italy on Wednesday.

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – The Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has received 300 reports of alleged ID misuse to support independent candidate pair Dharma Pongrekun-Kun Wardana in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has ruled in favor of allowing regional election campaigns to take place on university campuses. The decision follows a petition filed by two students, challenging the constitutionality of a law prohibiting such activities.

Asad Asnawi, Trenggalek/Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization faces a growing backlash following a decision to enter the coal mining industry, with more than 1,000 young Islamic activists from a mining district the latest to campaign against the move.

Indonesia, West Papua – Every year, West Papuans come together to commemorate the2019 West Papua Uprising and the New York Agreement of 1962 signed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding the administration of the territory of Western New Guinea under mediation of the United States of America.

Jakarta – Acrocodile killed a woman bathing in a river in Maluku islands, police and locals said Wednesday, with villagers later recovering parts of her body from the slaughtered animal.

Indonesia is home to several species of crocodiles that regularly attack and kill humans.

Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators on Tuesday grilled Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto as a witness in its investigation into an alleged corruption case at the Transportation Ministry's railways directorate general (DJKA).

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan could be considered the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidate for the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election, provided he first joins PDIP as a member, according to PDI-P's Head of Honorary Affairs, Komarudin Watubun.

Syukri Rahmatullah, The Vatican – Pope Francis endorsed a declaration promoting religious tolerance on Wednesday by signing a document presented by a delegation of young Indonesian interfaith leaders who visited him at the Vatican.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – The feud between the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) intensified on Wednesday as PKB Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar declined to attend a summons from the country's largest Muslim organization, further fueling tensions.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' Legislative Body (Baleg) has agreed to set the minimum age for gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates at 30 years, based on a Supreme Court ruling.

Ken Setiawan – Earlier this month, senior officials of the Gerindra party, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Habiburokhman, met with several pro-democracy activists from the 1997/1998 period and their family members.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo recently issued Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in Indonesia more than 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres) of land titles, under his flagship social forestry program.

As a result, the government has recognized IPLCs' rights over 8 million hectares (19.77 million acres) of lands in Indonesia.

Made Supriatma – The unprecedentedly long interim between Indonesia's election and the new government's inauguration has allowed the outgoing president and Parliament unusual leeway to distort democracy in self-serving ways.

Chandra Asmara – Indonesia's Constitutional Court rejected a petition to change the minimum age limit for candidates in regional elections, putting itself at odds with the Supreme Court and potentially stopping President Joko Widodo's youngest son from running for deputy governor of Central Java this year.

Amy Sood – Indonesia's president-elect Prabowo Subianto is on the cusp of securing significant control over the nation's political landscape, raising concerns about the erosion of democratic checks and balances as he consolidates power by bringing former opponents into his coalition.

Daniel Moss – Capital cities don't just happen. They develop slowly over decades, perhaps centuries, before resembling their creator's dream – if they ever do. Indonesia is discovering such massive endeavours are hard work and prone to delays. Economics has an annoying habit of intruding.

Syukri Rahmatullah, Jakarta – GP Ansor, the Islamic youth organization affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, recently met with Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See Michael Trias Kuscahyanto in Rome.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – President-elect Prabowo Subianto promised "compromise and collaboration" while visiting Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, the latest sign of warming ties between the sometimes prickly neighbours.

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea share an 800-kilometre (500-mile) land border that has been the source of myriad disputes over the years.