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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Sella Rizky, Medikantyo Adhikresna, Jakarta – Thousands of online motorcycle taxi (ojek) and courier drivers rallied in Central Jakarta's Monas area on Thursday, demanding fairer tariffs and legal recognition for their profession.

Indonesia, West Papua – In late June 2024, Ms Tineke Rumkabu participated in the 53rd session of the Permanent People's Tribunal (PPT) in London via Zoom.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The government has ordered thousands of doses of mpox vaccines from Denmark in an effort to prevent the illness' spread, amid escalating global concern over the viral infection.

A shipment of 1,600 vaccine doses, the second from the Scandinavian country, is expected to arrive next week, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – This week we saw more candidates submit their bids for the local elections, and without President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep on the ballot, thanks to the Constitutional Court rulings that aim to foster more competitive races for regional heads across the country in November.

Jakarta – The public should be educated on the health risks of consuming foods and drinks with high sugar content, an official at the Women's Empowerment and Children Protection Ministry said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to ask Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, to clarify his use of a private jet on a recent overseas trip, as well as who paid for the travel, its deputy chief said on Wednesday.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has, once again, postponed his planned relocation to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, saying that he will wait for the future capital's airport to be up and running first.

Jakarta – The South Sumatra Police have arrested a man trying to sell elephant tusks and the horns of critically endangered rhinos via social media.

The illegal wildlife trade remains rampant in Indonesia, where law enforcement is lax, but the arrested man could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, the environmental ministry said in a statement late Wednesday.

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.

Ahmad Shoim, Surabaya – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, commonly known as Risma, has announced plans to step down from her ministerial duties to concentrate on her gubernatorial campaign in East Java.

Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – Two students have filed a report with the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) alleging abuse by law enforcement officers during a demonstration against the Regional Election Bill on August 22, 2024.

Andreas Harsono – It was an extraordinary sight for Indonesia: On August 28, protesters set up tents outside a government guesthouse in Yogyakarta city where the president, Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, was staying the night after inaugurating a local market.

Jakarta and Malang, Indonesia – Australia said it planned to hold its largest-ever military exercise with Indonesia in November, the first under a new defense pact the two neighbors signed on Thursday, signaling deepening ties in a region fraught with geopolitical tensions.

Niniek Karmini, David Rising and Nicole Winfield, Dili, Timor-Leste – When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church's credibility around the world had finally arrived in

Resty Woro Yuniar – Students and pro-democracy activists in Indonesia have dismissed allegations that recent nationwide protests against proposed changes to the election law were backed by the Central Intelligence Agency or other foreign agents, as observers warn such claims could be used to stifle future dissent.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Much is at stake in Indonesia's upcoming local elections in November and the outcomes could shape the political landscape and determine the country's progress over the next five years, said analysts.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil has pledged to introduce innovative solutions to tackle Jakarta's longstanding issues of flooding and worsening traffic congestion if elected in the November 27 election.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – A researcher from the Action for Ecology and People's Emancipation (AEER), Pius Ginting, believed that decarbonization efforts of the nickel industry would be unachievable as long as nickel production is unrestricted. Pius also said nickel downstream industry so far still uses coal as the main source of energy in smelters.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono has requested an additional budget of Rp20.32 trillion for the development of Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara or IKN, in 2025.

Sukma Kanthi Nurani, Ilona Estherina, Haura Hamidah and Rachel Faradiba, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, held a meeting at his office on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, to discuss the potential of the Indonesian middle class.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has clarified a previous statement about feeling abandoned by a certain group. During an interview with reporters, he stated that his intention was to emphasize the importance of collective effort and unity within the community.

Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto has nothing to gain by supporting Jokowi's reckless destruction of democracy. It will be a burden for his administration.

Diva Suukyi Larasati, Jakarta – Jakarta State University (UNJ) lecturer Ubedilah Badrun reported Kaesang Pangarep to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), alleging that President Joko Widodo's youngest son had received a gratification in the form of a Gulfstream G650ER aircraft facility to travel to the United States.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, commonly known as Risma, has been officially nominated as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidate for East Java governor, with Muslim scholar Zahrul Azhar Asad as her running mate for the November 27 election.

Roy Adriansyah, Jakarta – A group of Muslim clerics and students visited the Industry Ministry's office in Jakarta on Wednesday, demanding the immediate closure of a distillery in Serang, arguing that its presence is an affront to the predominantly Muslim community in Banten province.

Wahyu Setyowati, Bangka Belitung – Indonesia is intensifying its efforts to counter the European Union's Deforestation-Free Regulation (UEDR), which aims to block products linked to deforestation from entering the European market.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is currently seeking the Singaporean government's green light before it can start exporting solar power to the city-state, according to a senior government official.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Thursday denied ever considering Anies Baswedan as a candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, clarifying that he was never the party's nominee.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani admitted Wednesday that a 5-percent growth would not be enough for Indonesia to become a high-income country by its centennial in 2045.